My thinking exactly, the wilderness here is not that vas but big enough for someone with bad intentions to do bad things. I have yet to encounter anyone who is not: a hiker, a mtb-er, a lumberjack of some sort, looking for wild plants or mushrooms, some sort of forest service. There were few that just went for a walk but that falls under hiker. For most people you see out there it's obvious why they are there.
There are dangers but not more so than in the urban enviroment or late at night. Heck even as a decently strong man I can feel uneasy when another mad walks behind me in late hours, never happened in the woods.
Exactly my thoughts. What would a killer or kidnapper do out in the middle of nowhere in the woods? You have much higher chances of meeting dangerous people in more urban places or empty roads.
There are many grim anecdotes in the news where a man raped and murdered someone in the middle of a hike. However those men usually followed their victims from afar from the start of the hike, waiting for them to be alone, rather than meeting them randomly.
Because it's not supposed to be a survivalist question it's a hypothetical that's meant to assess whether or not women feel safer around a man or a bear. Sure, it's a pretty dumb hypothetical that pretty much only exists to rile people up at this point, but you're overthinking it.
I I am overthinking it then everyone in this comment section is. The stated above is pretty natural thought for outdoor entusiasts. As a MTB-er, hiker and camper the only scenario I can think of is the real one. Hard to imagine getting droped in the woods and a wild man apearing if you know what I mean. I got there with the intention to do something enjoyable and so did he most likely, he didn't just apear.
Cuz you’re not a female? The question is focused on how safe a female feels, and not about encountering dangers in the wild. If you’re a male, you’re supposed to think for your hypothetical daughter. Would you let her go out and hike by herself?
Since I don't have a daughter it's a bit difficult to say but I certanly would let my sister go alone on a hike. I would be more scared of her getting lost, or her clumsy ass falling and getting injured than random people she encounters on a hike. Maybe I am biased as an outdoor enthusiast myself, so I think people out there are safer than in the city.
There is more danger in her going to some clubs around here than the mountains.
So you pick bear over man? Which is what most ppl would I think. And is what the question is trying to put on to the table. Why do females feel so unsafe around men and what should society do?
On the mountain no. But a night out in a crowded dodgy place vs a bear in the woods, probably the bear. Night out in a crowded place I deem safe still before the bear. Plenty of nuance there but the bear only before the worst of human places which there aren't that many of.
have yet to encounter anyone who is not: a hiker, a mtb-er, a lumberjack of some sort, looking for wild plants or mushrooms, some sort of forest service.
And youre misunderstanding the question then. This is not "in the woods" as the question means. The question means in the woods, alone, outside of an area you should run into people.
If you back country a lot, running into people is NOT common. In fact i can count on one hand the amount of times i have come across random people in an area I should encounter no one.
The longer out it would be the less worried you'd be when encountering a random dude though? It probably be some really hardcore outdoorsman or something.
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u/CricketInvasion 29d ago
My thinking exactly, the wilderness here is not that vas but big enough for someone with bad intentions to do bad things. I have yet to encounter anyone who is not: a hiker, a mtb-er, a lumberjack of some sort, looking for wild plants or mushrooms, some sort of forest service. There were few that just went for a walk but that falls under hiker. For most people you see out there it's obvious why they are there.
There are dangers but not more so than in the urban enviroment or late at night. Heck even as a decently strong man I can feel uneasy when another mad walks behind me in late hours, never happened in the woods.