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Safety and Adventuring Alone
Are you outside by yourself? Do you get scared? What do you do to protect yourself?
I receive these questions until this day.
What is the reason I receive these questions from strangers on the trail? Is it because I am female, Latina, or do I like out of place, or vulnerable?
My first taste of being alone was when I ran a mile out from home. I was 8-10, and my dad gave me mace for protection. In 2006 I started moving alone. I moved to San Antonio, ATX, and SF. In 2009 I started going to concerts alone, and now I go on solo hikes.
Rewind, who gives their 8-year-old daughter pepper spray and teaches them about outdoor safety? A concerned Latino father, that’s who.
How did my Latino parents handle it all and with the PCT? They cringed. My mom probably said a million rosaries and lit a million candles at the church. But – I called my mom when I could, and I paid an extra $550 to keep in contact with her (SMS) on the trail through with my Garmin InReach.
TBH, that fear from mi familia and the public got to me. It’s challenging to overcome. I feel as if being Hispanic, that fear is more ingrained into your system. And who wants to live their life in fear? Who can relate?
What helped me get through the fear? It took me 20+ years. Since you don’t have 20+ years, I’d thought of leaving resources of my two favorite accounts that can help you.โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ
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@girlsfightback <- Follow โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ
@adventuresofnik CEO & Founder she also leads hikes for @blackgirlstrekkin โ
Drop a comment about who to follow for self-defense and the outdoors. If you have tips on how to calm your parents when adventuring, feel free to share.โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ
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I’d love to write about different ways to educate your parents or alleviate their fears when adventuring alone. I have a few, but I’d love to know what others do.
2 responses to “Safety and Adventuring Alone”
I hear you! I want to solo hike so bad and whenever I finally have the courage my parents go all batshit crazy and terrify me. I still haven’t gone solo yet….. Sigh….
My apologies for replying late. My parents went batshit crazy too. My mom cried and cried. It is the reason I wrote a post about how to talk to your loved ones about hiking. You are not alone, and I hope my latest post can help. From what I had experienced, and from what I had talked with others, it does get better. It’s a work in progress, and I had to take the time to understand it is their unique way of expressing their love (lol), so I must be compassionate and walk them through my trip. To this day I tell my mom about my upcoming hikes + how much I need the hike for mental clarity and it is a stress reliever to me. I text her pictures when I am hiking, and tell her my stories and share my pictures of what I saw. It helps a lot, and it does get better. I hope you can adventure out solo one day! I know you will!
How to Talk to Your Loved Ones’ Post:
https://hikeandlift.com/2020/10/09/howtotalk/