Read Thread: Girl Power?
How about, what measures do you take as a woman when letterboxing alone to stay safe?
I've been thinking about this question all afternoon. At 5'2" and 20 lbs overweight, I know I'm an easy mark, but I travel a lot by myself and tend to letterbox alone most of the time. Therefore, I think I pick the drivebys or easier to get to than others, high traffic areas to go find and similary plant the same. Generally, it's never really bothered me, keeping in mind there is a definite line that can be sometimes smudgey between thinking like a victim and employing common sense, but there's always safety first. Safety in terms of other people and wildlife. As much as I love driving backroads, I'm off of them and onto a more trafficked area by the time the sun goes down. I won't go to a bar alone. Common sense stuff. Stuff that leads into the tangent that girls are brought up by fear (mostly physical/weaker sex based) and guys are not, at least to the same extent - a fun discussion in its own right.
The last letterboxing run though 4 states/11 cities started with me being unnerved and I never could shake the feeling. It started with this guy at a park in Nashville (hunting Dude's Duds) who had this big stick and kept following me around asking too many questions and getting too close. He was carrying a cane and I kept trying to put at least the cane and his arm length distance between us. All I could think about was Don's comment about not feeling right without his gun. I got out of there, but not before I stupidly answered where I was from - a) encouraging more conversation and b) identifying an out of state license plate. My usualy brain functions must have been on vacation.
I tell you 90 percent of the cases where a woman is jogging or whatever and she is attacked, she is wearing headphones!! And NOT PAYING ATTENTION to her environment!!!
The point is to not be an easy target!
Always be aware of your surroundings. If you feel hinky about the parking area to a trailhead, you aren't going to feel any better on the trail. You need to follow your instincts on some things and just let the letterbox wait until another day.
The cell phone is a wonderful tool. Even if you aren't getting service in an area. You can pretend to be talking on it. "Yeah, Honey, I'm here at Alphabet Park hiking on the ABC trail. It's a gorgeous day, what are you doing?? Oh, Did I interrupt your karate practice? I should be home in an hour..." If someone is "stalking" you, you have just made it clear that someone knows where you are and what you are doing.
Because I am often alone in hotel rooms...sometimes when I leave the room and I see someone loitering in the hallway, I will say on my way out of the room, "Bye Honey, I'll be back later" This way it looks like there is still someone in the room who I could call out to if attacked. It also deters thieves who might try to enter a room when they know you have left it empty.
It sounds silly, but "talking to yourself" in situations like these is sometimes the smart thing to do!
-Amanda from Seattle
OK - I box alone alot myself. With the exception of Abby, mydog. She is only 4.5 lbs though and not going to do much damage to anyone! However she alerts me whenever someone is near.
Since Abby is not always with me I carry my cell, a whistle/compass around my neck with a small pepperspray attached in addition to the walking stick I carry.
I dare someone to mess with me!! LOL
Really common sense IS THE BEST TOOL but these items make me feel a bit safer.
Dee & Abby
Really common sense IS THE BEST TOOL but these items make me feel a bit safer.
I was thinking about this whole thread today as I went for about a 4 mile walk in a relatively secluded place today. But of course, the whole reason I went there is because it was secluded (at least during the week), even though it's in the middle of Houston (and because it's the only place around here to get a little hill action). While I was out on the back trails, I saw 6 people: two women, each alone with their dogs, one woman on a bike and a group of about three would-be geocachers taking a little break.
I had started off down the trail, but because of this thread, went back to my car and got my cell phone. I have a whistle on my key chain but I'm not sure if I could get to it. Mainly, I just try to stay very aware of everything around me--that's my method for avoiding snakes (the human and non-human kinds).
And of course, no one knew where I was because I didn't know myself when I dropped my son off at camp where I was going to go. That part of it is probably relatively stupid.
I had started off down the trail, but because of this thread, went back to my car and got my cell phone. I have a whistle on my key chain but I'm not sure if I could get to it. Mainly, I just try to stay very aware of everything around me--that's my method for avoiding snakes (the human and non-human kinds).
Having a cell phone does make it better. I feel a tad guilty about helping to instill a fear where there wasn't one before...especially since you are already being aware of your surroundings. That's the best thing to do.
Another girl topic - cheesiest pick up routine? I was laughing over this again last night. Two years ago, I was roadtripping alone on a route that took me through New Orleans and pretty much ended in Taos, NM before heading into CO to see the massives and cruise through Kansas to get back home in a hurry. The stop in New Orleans was to visit with a friend, Mike. He had recently gotten into wines, building racks around his servers in a specially made temperature controlled rooms. Anyway, sum total of that is that he gave me a glass and a bottle of wine to take with me so that whenever I was doing something I thought he'd like, I'd be thinking of him. My stop in Fredericksburg, TX netted me a wine opener and recork thingie as well as another bottle of local wine. Bear with me, I'm trying to cut out as much unessential as possible, but keep the story clear. The route of the trip was Louisville, Nashville, Biloxi, New Orleans, Dallas, Austin, Fredericksburg, Luckenbach, Langtry, Marfa, Ft. Davis, Pecos, Carlsbad, Roswell, Capitan, Socorro, Pie Town, Quemodo, Grants, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos. I didn't make it to the Grand Canyon as was originally planned. I just got hung up in New Mexico - delighfully so. So Teepsman gave me that trip for Christmas that year and went with me too.
Back to the story:
Anyway, I'm sitting out front of my room at the B&B, glass on the table next to me. I had watched the guy (for amusement reasons only, I assure you) check in, and start unloading his stuff into the room next to mine. He did notice me sitting there. About five minutes later, he turned on the boombox radio really loudly to an NPR station, then came back out about two minutes later. "Was the radio too loud? (He) could turn it down." Then he proceeded to talk on and on about himself, his drive in from Denver, the attitude of the people in Taos, how often he is there, his need to clear his mind, blah blah blah and did I want to get in the hot top with him. (No)
What a hoot. So calculatingly set up. I'm certain that he thought he was being slick. It was exactly the kind of scene that Mike would have gotten a charge out of.
Definitely agree with being aware of surroundings, always have a plan to get out of there, be within reach of help, and follow your instincts and use common sense.
