Trail Walking Alone - Yay or Nay?

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  • misskris78
    misskris78 Posts: 136 Member
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    Adirondacks. I go alone often, but I generally do not run with music when I'm off the beaten path by myself. Fortunately, I'm close enough to humanity where cell coverage is ok and I can leave an eCrumb. I'm more afraid of the two legged kind than the 4 legged ones, but fortunately there are a lot of outdoorfolks in this area, so a solitary hiker or runner is not out of the ordinary.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Since you've already checked the trails out, I would go for it. My dad and I did one of the trails for the first time recently, and it was a good thing we did it together because it was fairly steep and he suffers from COPD, so as we went further he needed to stop about every minute or two.
  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
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    I personally like to go hiking alone (no one else daft enough to come with me) but I generally stick to well used popular trails with lots of people on them. I wouldn't go out into the wilderness alone, all it would take is a slip or a trip and you could wind up in dire straits alone with no help and miles from anywhere. Not sure what the terrain is like, but it doesn't take much in the hills to find yourself with zero signal if you fall in a ditch or roll under a boulder

    Just make sure you are prepared, at the very least carry a 1st aid kit (even a pack of band-aids and some aspirin is better than nothing at all) ,a flashlight and a whistle.

    Now, I personally wouldn't want my partner doing the same! This may be sexist, but you hear of far more women being attacked and left for dead than you do men. I won't even let my partner walk across a farmer's field to her mothers with the children as I'm worried she may get attacked. Paranoid? maybe, but a few weeks after I warned my partner not to do this, there were reports of several women being attacked in a neighbouring field. There are some very unsavoury characters out there just waiting for an opportunity, and some of them don't care whether or not you're scared.

    Another person that doesn't "let" his significant other do things they want to do.

    Brb, gonna talk to my wife about how much of her autonomy I'm about to take away from her because obviously I've been doing it wrong
    Dude, my BF doesn't even warn me when he sees me about to do something blatantly stupid and dangerous! He'll pick me up and dust me off (after he finishes laughing at me), and then say something snarky like "bet you learned not to try that again, didn't you?"

    I like the cut of his jib.
  • WakkoW
    WakkoW Posts: 567 Member
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    First off, you have given your bf too much control over your life if he thinks that he can "let" you go for a walk... unless your into that sort of submissive relationship type thing. Everyone has their kinks.

    I go for hikes and trail runs all the time. I'm not going to stop living my life because there might be some danger. But then again, I spend two years traveling by myself in Central and South America. I somehow made it out alive and unharmed.
  • bluehenjen
    bluehenjen Posts: 29 Member
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    I used to live in Colorado and would often hike and jog alone (or with my dog) in my neighborhood and on well marked trails. Now I'm back in the DC area and am far more concerned about people than wildlife or trail injuries or a sudden late afternoon storm. Just last week a guy was shot to death 1.5 miles south of where I run on a well-used bike trail, so it's good to be aware of my surroundings. I never go after dark (or before sunrise), I never wear headphones, I carry pepper spray, I look alert, and I keep my phone's GPS on. I also bring my dog most of the time, but not always. I don't feel threatened on the trail, and I usually encounter other joggers and cyclists, but it's good to be alert and prepared.

    If your BF is legitimately worried about you going out by yourself (which may be perfectly understandable, my wife is not jumping for joy that I jog alone in this area), then use a map app that allows him to track your run in real time.
  • jeannemarie333
    jeannemarie333 Posts: 214 Member
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    Trust your gut :) I hike where the people are hiking and stay away from places that are secluded. Trust your instincts.

    I walked on a hiking trail alone during the middle of the day once, it was pretty desolate and I kept thinking how long would it take to dial 911 if someone jumped me, then I knew right then and there I didn't want to walk on that trail alone anymore. And I live in a safe suburb.

    good luck :)
  • mmm_drop
    mmm_drop Posts: 1,126 Member
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    I've never hiked completely alone; I've always had my dog with me.

    I think, however, that you're fine as long as you use some precaution.

    1. Let someone know where you are going and approximately how long you will be gone.
    2. Be aware of your surroundings at all times.
    3. Carry your phone with you in case of emergency.
    4. Carry pepper spray or familiarize yourself with self-defense.
  • RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle
    RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle Posts: 1,349 Member
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    I do it in the day time. I think the big risk in my area is bears and cougars. When my husband worries about me doing certain things, ie. running alone at night, I don't. If I really want to, he'll run with me.
  • KimberlyinMN
    KimberlyinMN Posts: 302 Member
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    I agree with the others. Get some pepper spray, etc., and a big package of Post-It notes so you can leave a note of where you are headed. :)

    I make the Hubs leave me a note or send me an email when he's going out on the motorcycle. He typically has a destination in mind when he heads out. If I am going with him, I send my mom an email with our general destination.

    Just tell the BF you are going to walk the trails and he is more than welcome to come with you to see what they are like.
  • mtnstar
    mtnstar Posts: 125 Member
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    Someone died on this hike 5 days before I did it. *shrugs* Didn't stop me from doing it. You can't live your life in fear.

    q2Uqp1Dl.jpg

    Where is this? Looks awesome!

    I agree with the comments about not living in fear. OP, I wonder if there is a neighbor or acquaintance who would let you borrow a dog. There are so many dogs who don't get enough exercise, and to me, it makes hiking a lot of fun. I hike alone all the time (also from Colorado) but I do always have at least one dog with me.
  • TrailNurse
    TrailNurse Posts: 359 Member
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    You take your life in your own hands when you hike alone. Animals, injuries, rapists......unless it was a very populated trail, I would not hike alone.

    Remember that guy that hiked alone and a rock fell on him and he had to cut off his arm to free himself. Nuff said.
  • Wenchiness
    Wenchiness Posts: 126 Member
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    I live near Raleigh where women who run alone are later referred to as "the victim" , "the rape victim", "the robbery victim", "the bloody corpse", or "the deceased". I would suggest not doing it around here. In your state I would say probably ok, but to be on the safe side, I'd up the life insurance and carry a weapon.
  • caracrawford1
    caracrawford1 Posts: 657 Member
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    Just let someone know where your'e at and when you expect to be done. On training runs the other year I'd go out for 20 mile runs on my own for hours by myself. These days, when I go out hiking, I go with my dogs. One is partially blind and the other one is a doofus, so they dont offer much in the way of protection, but it works. If you feel better "borrowing" a friends dog (they might even appreciate you taking the dog out for them) do that!

    Where do you live? I live in Belmont Shore(coastal Long Beach), CA.
    If you live in Inglewood, Compton, Watts, and dudes with red or blue come up to you and ask you (in this vernacular) "Where you from homie?" OR you regularly see "Grape St" "60's" or "MS-13" sprayed along your "trails' ignore what I just said.
    :happy:
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
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    I do all the time. I got the Road ID app on my phone one day after a heavy rainfall. If I stop moving for 5 minutes and don't respond to a loud alert, it'll text a contact you provide.
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,932 Member
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    You take your life in your own hands when you hike alone. Animals, injuries, rapists......unless it was a very populated trail, I would not hike alone.

    Remember that guy that hiked alone and a rock fell on him and he had to cut off his arm to free himself. Nuff said.

    I wouldn't backpack in remote wilderness, climb, or cave dive alone. Backpacking and hiking along established trails? No sweat. Sometimes it's good to just meditate and be alone with my thoughts.
  • Legs_McGee
    Legs_McGee Posts: 845 Member
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    I've run around in the woods in the middle of the night, and I routinely go trail running in the early hours before sunrise. I just let someone know where I am, and I don't run with music. And I carry a knife.

    I also took a self defense class and the instructor nicknamed me "The Bully. " :)
  • Laura732
    Laura732 Posts: 244 Member
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    Well, I own a Garmin 305. Once I run the route I upload the GPS track to Map My Run. If I end up running alone, I post the GPS track and date/time I start and expect to end. I have a group of friends that do the same. We have an agreement if that if we don't check in by the posted check in time somebody gets help.
  • lindainprogress
    lindainprogress Posts: 129 Member
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    I hike and trail walk in Colorado alone a lot. I have a whistle and some mace hanging right off the front of my camel back in plain sight and easy to reach. I have also been know to just carry the mace in my hand. make direct eye contact with anyone you come across, that way they know you can describe them later if you needed to. also I NEVER have ear buds in, EVER. I feel like they make you look like you are not paying attention to your surroundings.
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
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    Yes, I'd be fine going on my own,
    but I see you're in NJ, so my solution would be illegal for you...
    I'm a lawfully-armed citizen, and I carry a pistol for self-protection.
    Works against predators with 4 or 2 legs.

    If you decide to go alone, make sure someone knows where/when you are going & when to expect you back, and will go for help if you don't call them within a reasonable time of your ETA.
    Maybe look for MFP friends nearby who'd like to walk with you?
    I don't even know if pepper spray (bear spray) is legal in NJ, so how about carrying a can of wasp spray or oven cleaner?
    And do NOT use earphones! You want to be able to hear what's going on around you.
  • lacurandera1
    lacurandera1 Posts: 8,083 Member
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    Seeing as how there are exactly zero people in my real life who are interested in a 16 mile trail run, I go out alone all the time.

    No one has ever bothered me. That's not to say I believe no one ever will/could- but I refuse to not do.something that is important to me bc of a remote possibility. Not interested in living my life in fear.

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