I agree with Ricky in that, just because you are equipped to your own comfort level for self-protection, does not mean you are safe. "Equipped" and "Safe" are not synonymous. Your "Awareness" and "Distance from Strangers" do more to keep you out of compromising situations (including injuries, where awareness is concerned) than anything else. Once your safety is in the compromised zone, your chances decrease greatly no matter what you have chosen for your defense mechanism.
With that said - can you tell I'm the mom of a teenage girl? - perhaps a program on "hiking safety and self defense" might come in handy for a GGA meeting topic. As erik pointed out, just doing something as simple as making eye contact as you greet someone on the trail can be a bigger thing than you might think, but is contrary to the way many people feel is appropriate when out and about.
Cache, responsibly.....
Posts: 389 | Location: Lilburn, Ga | Registered: August 16, 2004
I just came off the trail today doing a weekend of backpacking with our troop. We were hiking just south of where the missing women was last seen. A mile or so from the end of the trail we came across (I bet you can guess....) A lone female walking with her dog. The dog was about 100 feet in front of here and was happy to see us......With all of the posters in the area and news coverage, I was very suprised to see her alone....I just hope she never turns into a statistic.....
Each individual needs to make their own decision about how safe they feel in whatever activity they engage in. I am a female who hikes and geocaches, among other sports, alone or with my dog most, but not all, of the time. I carry protection with me, but I'm not convinced that I'm always in a position to access it quickly enough should the element of surprise be the first and/or primary weapon someone would choose to use against me. As someone said to me yesterday, "You wouldn't have a chance to defend yourself against a DC "sniper", you will have ample opportunity to defend yourself against a Charles Manson."
Having a partner with you doesn't guarantee your safety either. Apparently a couple went missing hiking in North Carolina in October. The woman was found murdered and the man hasn't been found yet.
9-11-01 didn't stop me from flying and I don't let these things stop me from enjoying the things I love to do-hiking, biking, geocaching, and other outdoor activities. For a few years post 9-11, I booked a flight to "somewhere" each September 11. This incident will not keep me off the trail, but it will certainly remind me that we all need to be more aware of our surroundings and observant of others that we might encounter on the trail and off. I will hike Blood Mountain and other trails again, and probably in the near future.
If I let the news of these types of crimes deter me from the pleasures of life, I'd have a pretty miserable life.
You could fall off of a cliff and die. You could run out of food and die. You could get mauled by a bear and die. You could be struck by lightning on a mountain and die. Or you could stay at home and fall off the couch and die.
I guess I need to add "You could be attacked by a stranger and die."
Like everyone should, I watch where I am and who and what is around me, but I am not going to stay home all the time.
So far, I have seen bear, snakes, wild pigs. I have been in places where a misplaced foot could have caused me to fall to my death. But so far (in the woods) I haven't seen a person that concerned me. But once Johnnie, Robert and myself were on the Chattooga River Trail, when someone caught up with us while we were resting. He took one good look at us and turned around and left in a hurry.
-----
Posts: 2405 | Location: NE Corner of Georgia | Registered: November 09, 2002
SWMBO has insisted that I look into the possibility of 'packing heat' when I go out alone on the mountains. I'll check out the pawnshops, but always I thought I was too ugly and ornery to have to worry about it.
Note: Now is the time to take your 'shots' - the door was left wide open.
I have recently started thinking about getting a carry permit and a small light 9mm or .380. I don't often feel the need for a pistol in the woods, except when I am with my wife and we meet a group of rough looking characters (like phat.bak and trez) on the trail. What is involved in getting a permit and what are the general rules? One of the problems with this strategy is that many parks and federal areas are "victim disarmament zones" - but I don't remember seeing any metal detectors on the trail.
I still think the odds of needing a pistol are really long ... but there have been several of these incidents in the last couple of years. Hmmmm ...
Posts: 549 | Location: Marietta, GA, USA | Registered: November 10, 2002
What is involved in getting a permit and what are the general rules?
I don't have a permit, so I can't speak from experience, but I have been considering it for some time and have looked into it.
You start by going to the Probate Court of the county where you live and fill out an application. They will give you two finger print cards that you then have to go to your local police or sheriff to have filled out. You then turn them back in. The permit takes several months to process. The most informative site I have found is GeorgiaPacking.org. They have information on a county-by-county basis that can be found here. Their license beginners guide is here.
I'm not sure, but I think the cost may vary from county to county. In Fulton, they list the full cost as less than $50.
Plus, don't forget a carry permit expires like a driver's license. It's easy to forget because you only have to produce it on occassion, if ever - so, make certain you keep it current! Sure, firearms are prohibited in some places, but I would much rather face a charge after needing to use it than my family being required to identify my body, or searching for my remains.
Cache, responsibly.....
Posts: 389 | Location: Lilburn, Ga | Registered: August 16, 2004
Originally posted by phat.bak: Hmmm ... maybe this one ...
Nah, I have one like that and the dang thing weighs about 4 pounds loaded. And if you put it in your pocket Mae West would think you were glad to see her.
Posts: 549 | Location: Marietta, GA, USA | Registered: November 10, 2002
Nah, I have one like that and the dang thing weighs about 4 pounds loaded. And if you put it in your pocket Mae West would think you were glad to see her.
I agree. This hits close to home with most of us, as many have hiked the same trail in our searches. If it does nothing else - it will make us more aware of our surroundings - hopefully.
There is a Memorium Guestbook on AJC.com for those inclined.
Posts: 2179 | Location: NE GA - Gateway to the Mountains | Registered: November 09, 2002
I see that the wife in the elderly couple in North Carolina, that they are wondering if he is responsible for, died of a blow to the head. Understand that they still haven't found the body of the husband. I am glad for the family of the girl in Georgia that they did find her body. It is very sad...but they seemed resigned as the rest of us that if she was found, it would be this way.
Posts: 1126 | Location: Fort Valley, Georgia | Registered: July 26, 2004
Certainly my humor was not intended to make light of the seriousness of the situation. It does hit close to home -- I have hiked Blood Mountain many times, as recently as November, and have hiked with two of my daughters. I'm as horrified as any of you by what has happened. It's as if a sanctuary has been violated.
But what can you do about it? Not much, except to be more aware of your surroundings as some people here have mentioned. I saw a quote on the AJC website yesterday from a woman who was going hiking with her dog but otherwise alone who said something to the effect that she wasn't going to let some creep keep her from doing the things she loved to do.
I think she is exactly right. The worst reaction we could have is to sit at home in fear. One of the reasons this crime horrifies us all is that stranger on stranger crime like this, and crimes like this on the trail, are really very rare. I take some comfort in that. Not that people shouldn't take reasonable precautions, they should. But you can't stop living and life always has risks. You prepare as best you can and then hope for the best. The older I get, the more I believe that a certain amount of fatalism isn't such a bad thing. When your time comes, it comes, whether it's in the mountains or, as Allen put, on the sofa at home.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: Ga Mountaineer,
