I’d like to hear from some of the women on here that have hiked the AT, particularly those that have thru-hiked and gone solo. I’m planning to thru-hike sometime in the next few years and will be doing so alone (so far).
Of course, the main question is, did you feel safe?
Any other wisdom offered is greatly appreciated.
Gangreless
I did feel safe. Always be aware, follow your intuition, don’t be overly friendly or too informative with your info. On the AT there are lots of other hikers, when you need to hitch into town to resupply see if you can team up with a male hiker. I hitched alone all the time but I have to say it was the scariest part of the hike!:girl
Hammock Hanger
I too thru-hiked the AT alone at the age of 57-58 (had my birthday out there!)…and I’m glad I did it that way. I only felt a bit afraid once camping near a mountain road and a car of kids came along. They didn’t find me or bother me, though. I hitched alone, hiked alone, cowboyed out alone…but more time (other than hiking) was spent with my new best friends. Because I was alone I think I was more open to connecting with other hikers. I wouldn’t have wanted to have hiked with someone. I liked only thinking about ME…for the first time in my life. But it’s not a lonely hike. Many new friends to be met!
Bag Lady
The only person who made me uneasy was a fellow hanging around in Hanover, NH, approaching hikers and striking up conversations. I made sure I adjusted my schedule to get away from him.
I recommend hiking solo–it’s the best way to make sure your hike suits YOU.
Five-Leafed Clover
I’ve hiked the AT and PCT, and would have done neither one any other way but solo. This made it completely my hike. You will make plenty of new friends on the AT…don’t worry.
Hitch hiking has never been an issue or scarey for me personally. As a matter of fact, the people that pick me up often offer some of the most memorable experiences.
Enjoy your hike!
__
I’m a life-sectioner we’ll say :tongue I love hiking alone and prefer it - more attention given to wildlife sightings, hikers, and quiet. Do what I want and when. Don’t give out information and always use same story: “my family is behind me”…have fun!!!
Starlyte
I’m a guy but during my thru I was impressed by the number of woman I met that were hiking solo. Must of met at least a dozen.
Grampie
And gentlemen like Grampie were always willing to help us “ladies” out when needed. – I gain so many “big brothers” from my hike. I consider Grampie one of them.:girl
hammock hanger
i did a flip-flop this year “solo” … but (especially if you go northbound) you will rarely be alone. there’s a great community of hikers out there, and you’ll meet plenty of awesome people. even if you don’t hike moment to moment with someone, there are always other hikers closeby and it’s easy to camp with others and ride into town with others.
when i flipped south, though, i did end up spending a lot of days and nights by myself, and i felt perfectly safe – way safer than when i had lived in atlanta in an apartment alone.
at the beginning of my hike, i used to never admit to being alone, but by the end, i gave up on the lying. some people would probably say that’s dangerous, but i think it’s silly to run around living your life in fear 
chances are, there’s no one out to get you.
although i was nervous about things like hitching when i first decided to do the hike, in the end it wasn’t really a big deal. trust your gut, but in general, people along the trail – both hikers and locals – are awesome. i never had any problems.
(sm)ellie cat
I did it solo, but really I always was around the same group of guys for 75% of my hike. I never felt danger, but I am also taller and pretty strong.
There were a few nights where I put myself in uncomfortable and perhaps unsafe conditions, like sleeping under a bridge… just always stay with a group on the trail and try to get hitches with other hikers.
Read some of the solo women journals on here… mine is www.trailjournals.com/windex
Best,
Windex ga-me01
windex