Let’s talk about the advantages of being a single female backpacker for a change….

"A day's hike from any trailhead in the Wind River Range this past September my friends and I crossed paths with a solo female hiker at a ford. (That I recall this may support suppositions that solo women stand out to men.) She did seem just a bit wary, mumbled some sort of greeting, but ambled down the bank a comfortable distance from the three of us."

I'd be far more concerned about the safety of the ford, and delighted to have company of either gender for it.

Thanks for posting this German Tourist. Also thank you to many of the other posters as well. Great thread.

After graduating college, I spent 3 years non-stop traveling around the world to 35 countries. Most of my focus was Central America, South America, and Asia. I was lucky enough to work for my uncle who owned his own engineering firm, and was able to work for him on the ground and remotely.

During this journey, I met hundreds of single American, Australian, European, and Canadian women on similar trips. They too were traveling solo to countries ranging from Burma to Chile and everywhere in between. Now, obviously not every woman I met opened up to me and related every experience of their trip, but I did become friends with several of these women and still maintain a friendship with them today.

I think some of them, especially blonde women traveling in Latin America, dealt with occasional comments or whistles, but nothing serious. More curiosity than anything else. I'm sure before these women left their respective countries, people were telling them they were crazy, or they should go with a friend, etc etc. But they did leave their comfortable homes and well-meaning, but paranoid friends/family behind and potentially experienced a life-changing trip.

Before this post becomes too long-winded, all I can say is I'm thrilled to know there are millions of women out there ignoring the fear-mongers, the media, the scared, the timid, the foolish, the "aren't you afraid" crowd, and freeing themselves from the shackles that some in our society insist that they wear.

Do assaults happen? Absolutely. I'm not naive. I've heard or trips turned to disasters. I have expat friends living in India and there were a couple of ugly incidents there a few years back. But hell, I live in California. You don't have to go far to find ugly incidents.

Fear can cripple you and leave you a husk of a human. I sincerely hope the women in my life don't have to experience the creep/or not a creep scenario every time they see a man. That's just a sad way to live. My travels taught me that most men and women around the world are good people.

I think that especially extends to the trail. Most of the men and women I've met while hiking, climbing, etc have been awesome people who genuinely care for the world around them. Solo female hikers may have a different set of concerns than I do, but statistically, it seems they are much safer on trail than in most cities.

@ Dean F — LOL, actually when I said "take advantage", I meant "take advantage of the opportunity", not "take advantage of the woman". Sorry I didn't make that clear.

OTOH, there are many women (I'm sad to say) who have been conditioned to believe that their only "worth" is in their sexuality, and they DO inadvertently give off the wrong vibe. I did some volunteer work with survivors of domestic violence, and that self-belief was common there.

Of course, those women aren't usually out solo hiking! [Well, maybe now they will be – thanks, Cheryl Strayed…kidding…I think.]

The best lesson you could give your daughter is to VALUE herself, for herself, and to project that value in all her relationships with the world. (This is neither "conceit" nor "self-esteem"; more like "self-respect".) Then you'll never need that Uzi. :^)

But… I like the Uzi…

:(