new fear of the woods

I had to give up jogging due to knees.  Can't ride bike now due to shoulder injury.  Now this..............

I've come to love day hikes in the woods and National Forests, 3 hrs at most.  My family always say, "aren't you afraid out there alone, or call us when you get back"

I shrugged off their worries, as I grew up playing in the woods and feel at home there and love it now as an adult.  But, after the Georgia hiker was murdered recently, now, today in the news, some bodies were found in a woods in Florida, I'm getting a little nervous about going out alone.  I do carry a knife and pepper spray, but also I've been engrossed in listening to my Ipod and trying to identify birds or daydreaming and been really startled to have another hiker come up behind me without me even hearing them till they spoke.

How do other females feel now, who go out into deserted areas alone?

The fear when walking where I live is not people( Im sure this would hurt a person too)but dogs.  I notice people here carry a stick with a nail sticking out the end when they walk.  Get a walking buddy that might ease your fears.  I  enjoy hiking when I get the chance and get a little freaked when other people pop out of nowhere.

I feel your pain.  I live in a big city and, though when I was young I would go anywhere anytime, I am older and more fearful now.  I go out only in the light (so that means the gym for all of the winter months because it gets dark so early).

I am not a lover of dogs, BUT perhaps you could find a dog to borrow from a friend to take with you on hikes??  Not sure if that would help YOU, "getfitgirl", but alone in the woods, maybe.....

It angers me that our fitness has to sometimes depend on our personal safety...makes it harder.  I doubt many men think this way (I'm sure I'll be corrected on that, though).

no friends close by and don't know anyone with a dog to borrow, altho now that it was mentioned a friend about an hr from me has a pup.........a Mastif that is a gigantic dog who would LOVE LOVE LOVE to walk with me, except for the distance thing.

I just enjoy dashing out the door, spontaneously most times.

I did stop and look at those tasers, in a sporting good store recently.  But, arming myself would take away the feeling of freedom I have.  besides they cost too much for me.  And with my luck I would end up tasing myself!

I do like the idea of nails on a stick, and never thought about that, as there have been times of reports of rabid animals, so that would be one answer.

For now, I think I'll just add a pocket knife to the lanyard I wear.

there's always a risk.  my friend's cousin was eaten (yes, eaten) by a bear while mountain biking.  people get buried by avalanches while back-country skiing.  sailors get knocked out of boats and drown. 

if you love doing it, don't stop.  and spontanaity is a good thing; predictability makes you vulnerable to human animals.

pgeorgian:  thanks, yes, thats what I tell my relatives, things can happen, no matter where you are.  How horrible about your friend's cousin.

There is nothing better than being alone in the woods, the green smell of the forest, the rivers, and glimpsing animals  that just makes me feel glad to be alive. 

Nails on help stick nor a big dog will help with someone with a gun.  The woman that disappeared in georgia was out with her dog.  You can get killed crossing the steet - you have to decide if you are going to let feear limit your life.

Ohio45 I hear you.  I too love to hike alone.  The young lady who was just murdered did have a dog with her.  I had a scare 2 summers ago and was followed down the mountain.  I was sliding on my butt because I was hurrying to fast down the steep trail.  I was terrified.  I still hike alone.  But after that scare it did take many weeks before I would hike again.    Someone always knows when I go and I carry pepperspray now.  I also try to listen to my gut feeling too.  If I feel weird even for no logical reason I cut my hike short.  Also, you could wear a whistle and carry a cell phone. 

Common sense must prevail here. If you are hiking in a remote area without anyone knowing exactly where, you are at risk! Women, need to watch out for male predators, but also animals and even worse injury due to tripping or falling. Recently a pack of wolves attacked a group of women walkers with their dogs. As a group, the women stayed off the wolves. Had this been one woman, it could have been a different outcome.
As a male, I am not  worried about being sexually assaulted, how ever when I hunt and in the woods, i tend not to go alone. I take a gps system with a built in radio that has a 15 mile radius, a cell phone in hopes of a signal, a fire arm and a small survival pack. On a day hike, i take a family member or friend. Good thread for women to read. Stay aware of your surroundings and be safe.
Cheers
M

the thing about cell phones is that I never get signals where I hike.  I should carry it tho, to at least have in the car.

I think I will start leaving an email for someone, when I go out.

Hunters.  I've heard them close by, here in Ohio.  In Florida last month a ranger told me the National Forest, (Ocala) was open to hunters, yet they didn't prohibit hikers, but discouraged them.  I happened to have an orange top with me so went.

I do not even like going to jog in my neighborhood. Stupid people will snatch anyone up anywhere in broad daylight these days. To me, we are living in an insecure scary world and I hate it.

Yes, there is some risk, but the chance of being murdered by a stranger in the woods is extremely low.  Part of the cause of our fears is that whenever something really bad happens, it makes the news. So if there are a small handful of stranger kidnappings and murders, we know about all of them. It makes us more fearful of that rare event than of the things that are likely, like being in a car accident.

It is a good thing to leave email about where you're going so that people can follow up in case you twist an ankle (which is a lot more likely than getting attacked by a human).

I sympathize with you but please don't live in fear. Don't project yourself as the victim even before you begin your activity. If you must go hiking in the woods by yourself you must consider the means to defend yourself. Though I have never seen the need to carry a handgun so far in my life I would never discount the possibility if it became absolutely necessary. There are plenty of very responsible gun groups that you could consider that would lead/instruct you on the path to responsible gun ownership and usage. Today, more and more women have to commit to owning a handgun for their personal protection. It is an extremely huge responsibility but perhaps it is better than living in fear and maybe putting yourself in an undesireable situation one day. Here is a link to gun law info in Ohio: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/3519 2/ohio_gun_laws.html
I hope you don't have to resort to this but you need to think about what's best for you and your safety. Sincere best wishes.
p.s. The strange part about your post is having an iPod stuck to your ears while you're out in nature. Your hearing is one of your best tools available for detecting trouble ahead not to mention the great natural sounds one cannot possibly hear unless one is in the wild. Heed that 'ol dumb scout motto: Be Prepared.

Run the statistics... how many THOUSAND people go and walk in the woods every day? Every week? Every month? And how many have Bad Things happen to them? If you were going to express it as a percentage it would have so many zeroes in front of it that it would disappear off the righthand side of your screen. It's only sensible to always let somebody know where you're going and when you'll be back, so you don't wind up dying of exposure out there because you fell down a mountain and broke your leg, but don't let fear of being attacked stop you from enjoying yourself.

way more women are murdered in their homes than in the woods.  it's rarely the stranger in the bushes that you have to worry about.

I'm not scared of anything so I'm a bad person to ask.  When I jog in deserted areas I bring pepperspray or i bring my dog along.  Do you, your friends or you neighbors have any dogs?  They are great because they hear anything within 2 miles in the woods, your friends will also be pleased that you are giving their dog some exercise

what about taking classes in defense? imagine the workout from just learning. i hate to be a party pooper...but your right in being worried. they say you should never swim alone....hmmmm...maybe we should carry it to this. i'm sorry, if someone wanted to kill you a stick with a nail in it is not going to stop them. if this is the same person killing these people, which he very well could be, he's a serial killer and probably very disturbed. the fact that he hasn't been caught yet should have you even more worried. go swimming. walk inside a mall. be where other people are until this creep is found, or you may pay for it with your life. i'm not trying to scare you, i'm just trying to make a point. the people that get hit with lightening are the ones that blow it off because they don't see it as a real threat, or don't believe it could happen to them. you'd better be really good with that knife it you think that's all you need up against someone like that. let's put it into perspective. you know the school bully when you were growing up? he earned his reputation because he could beat other kids up. so what did you do? you stayed away from him, unless you were bigger and badder. now, swing that over to a killer. he's got a rep too, long before he ever gets to you. he's killed people. do you really want to tangle with that? not me. you've got a lot of excuses for continuing to do what you want to do, so just know that this was not meant to be mean at all. on the contrary, i'm worried about you. please......be careful.

I too, find it scarey running alone.  Coming from Portland , OR.  I used to run the trails all the time . . . but I always had a friend/dog with me.  I dont know how much a dog can really protect me, but it made me feel better.

I have always been a very cautious person when it comes to being a single female in the woods.  I never run with my headphones in, I'd rather listen to nature and potential danger.  These above posters who continue to talk about the rarity of being atacked . . . it may be rare but, well, its always the people who never thought it would happen to them.  I would rather to be over-cautious than oblivious.  I would definitely recommend the pepper spray (just know how to use it)  fire arm as well (know how to use it . . . if you pull a gun, USE IT!  it can also become a weapon to yourself), and a dog is good to detour ppl most of the time. 

I am always thinking about these things because I love to run alone but want to be safe.  The whole "it happens so rarely dont worry about it"  doesnt apply to me.  For all I know is that I could be that 1 in 100000 that gets atacked, and I dont want to take that chance no matter how small.

but continue to do what you love, dont let fear rule you, but safety follow . . . all will be good.

Much love and happiness to you and your travels . . .

There's a risk to everything. Running in the city you could get mugged, raped, hit by a car, shot, etc. Running in the woods you can fall and hurt yourself, get attacked by an animal or a crazy person, get lost. No matter what you do something can happen to you! I'd suggest just do your best to be prepared, always have someone who knows your route in case you fall and get hurt so they can send help, carry a cell phone, and then forget about worrying!

I think jogging in the city or suburbs, especially if you do it early in the morning or after dark, is way more risky than hiking alone. I hike alone frequently and I know many other women who do the same. Carrying mace is a good idea. Having an aggressive attitude towards people who would dare try to ruin your day is a good plan. I always keep in mind that I MAY run into such a person and have the right response ready.