Does Solitude = Danger?

They story about Meredith Emerson has been weighing heavily on my mind for the past week. It's such a sad and tragic story. I can't even imagine how heartbroken her family and friends must be feeling.

 

As a female who loves both the outdoors and solitude, I've often wondered if it's safe for me to be out there alone. Right now, I'll go lots of places by myself - but I stick to the roads and the populated areas. Beyond a couple very short strolls down well-traveled fire roads, I've never really hiked by myself. I put my personal safety before the luxury of real solitude.

 

But lots of times when I've been out hiking with family or friends, we'll encounter a lone hiker... almost always male. I can't help but feel a little jealous that they get to enjoy that solitude without worrying that some psychotic man is going to kidnap and murder them. It's always felt unfair to me that, as a female, solitude comes with the price of added danger. I know that hiking alone is not really safe for anyone (you could get injured, lost, etc), but as a woman I think it carries even more peril. And as sad as it makes me, maybe it's just not worth the risk.

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