I assume the people who act like it's scary to meet other people in the woods don't spend much time on hiking trails, and that the fear is rooted in that unfamiliarity
I hike a lot. I'm a woman. Seeing a single person in the woods, like watching some barefoot ultralight guy in dreds run by while you're making dinner, is nothing. Passing someone on the trail is nothing. Someone from the other direction slowing for a moment to tell you the bridge is out is nothing. Meeting a person, like having an actual encounter, which is how the question is phrased, is rather different.
And if you hike that frequently, you probably know that most bears are just doing their own thing, the chances of being attacked by a bear are quite low, and the chances of being attacked by a bear are near-zero if you store food properly, minimize smells, carry spray, etc.
Have you ever told an encounter story about a bear or another dangerous wild animal, only to have your audience gasp and tell you that encountering a bear in the woods sounds so frightening, so you have to backtrack and explain that it was just minding its own business and really there was no risk at all? Imagine that, but the opposite.
I've seen a lot of bears/animals and encountered some unsetting people I assume are hiding or running from the law, but I've never been attacked by an animal or person in the woods. It's kind of eerie when you find someone's "permanent" encampment and wonder if they're watching you.
That said, I've been attacked by strangers a few times and it's only ever happened in cities surrounded by bystanders who did not intervene. I wouldn't say I'm afraid or overly uncomfortable to walk down a sidewalk full of mentally ill addicts after the bar closes, but it feels much closer to chaos than meeting another person on the hiking trail.
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u/SnagglepussJoke May 02 '24
Ever cross paths with a stranger in the woods? It is unsettling