A wonderful, straight-forward commentary regarding attitudes female hikers face all too often. Hope you will take time to read this.
As a female hiker that has a tendency to hike alone, with the exception of my dog, I often get the question, ‘Why don’t you hike with a partner?‘ or sometimes people just flat-out say ‘It’s really not safe out there, you should bring someone with you, preferably a guy.‘
If I’m being totally honest, I hate that! I’m perfectly capable of handling things on my own. I guess, more than anything, I find myself increasingly frustrated with the mindset that I’m not as strong or capable simply because I’m female. Disparaging comments often drown out the words of encouragement because I let it get to me. Having been to college in small, conservative town in the North Georgia mountains, I’m no stranger to the old mindset. I spent five years in a town where most people believed that women should marry out of college and…
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