Published in
The Bergen Record, June 23, 1996
A Walk in the Woods
The
Great Outdoors:
The Pleasures and the Perils
By Vera
Lawlor
Staff Writer
I
grew up at the foot of a mountain surrounded by
trees. Spending time alone in the woods was natural to
me. The woods were my playground, my friend, my escape.
 I didn't realize how much I'd
changed until three years ago, when I turned to nature
for the comfort it had given me as a child.
My fiance, Jim, had died, and I thought
of the woods -- my old, wise friend. I wanted to go deep
into the wilderness, away from everyone. But I was alone,
and I was afraid. It seemed impossible for a single
person -- especially a single woman -- to put herself in
such a vulnerable position. So instead, I spent hours
sitting with my dog by a stream in a little park in
Englewood.
How ironic, it seemed, that life had
taught me to be afraid of being alone -- even in the one
place that had given me hours of comfort and joy as a
child.
Most experts say solo hikers have more to
fear from Mother Nature than from another human being.
''Hikers are far more likely to run into
a bear than a criminal out on those trails -- and bears
won't generally cause a problem if they're left alone,''
said Valerie Salice of the New Jersey Division of Parks
and Forestry.
Ranger Bob Kirby of the Delaware Water
Gap National Recreation Area said people need to be
concerned about their safety, whether they are on the
Appalachian Trail or in New York City. But he noted that
the farther into the wilderness you go, the less likely
you are to run into undesirables -- they're not the
hiking type.
''Running into someone who intends to do
you harm is not really a major concern when out in the
wilderness,'' said Cris Miller, director of Adventure
Associates, a Seattle-based tour operator. ''I would be
more afraid of spending a night alone in New York City
... than I would out in the Appalachian Mountains.''
On the other hand, earlier this month two
experienced women hikers were killed while camping near
the Appalachian Trail in the Shenandoah National Park in
Virginia. Nine people have been killed along the
2,159-mile Appalachian Trail since 1974.
''Incidents like that are very isolated,
and because of that they make big news,'' Salice said.
But people need to keep the numbers in perspective.
Betsy Thomason, who runs hiking trips and
teaches wilderness survival techniques to women, said a
lack of confidence is what keeps many people from
exploring the wilderness. She tries to teach women how to
overcome this fear through her workshops and trips.
''As their comfort level rises, people
get the desire to go out alone,'' said Thomason, a
Montvale resident. ''We also teach solo paddling in
canoeing classes so people can do that alone if they
want.''
Those who have spent time alone in nature
know how rewarding it can be.
Thomason, for instance, hiked alone for
five days in the Adirondacks after her divorce.
''It was emotionally wrenching but I
learned a lot about myself -- like how much my children
mean to me,'' she said.
Anne Wennhold of Englewood spent two days
alone in the mountains of Montana as part of a Native
American Vision Quest Camp.
''It was a very reassuring experience; I
had the sense of becoming one with the earth and growing
out of all my past experiences,'' Wennhold said. ''The
experience is becoming more and more significant for me
as time goes on.''
The major hazards when hiking, the
experts say, come from not knowing how to survive in a
wilderness environment.
''There are wonderful benefits to solo
hiking but people first need to develop a respect for the
environment they're planning to enter,'' said Miller,
whose company runs adventure tours for women only. ''For
instance, the Appalachian Trail is very accessible but
the weather there can be very variable.''
Miller said you have to learn how to deal
with the unexpected -- such as losing the trail or
twisting your ankle.
''If you're planning to hike alone, it's
even more important that you develop proper first-aid
techniques,'' she said. ''If you run into difficulties,
there's no group to help you.''
Miller and Thomason suggest hiking with
groups that teach survival skills before setting out on
your own.
Then, when you do embark on a solo hike,
let someone know where you're going and when you expect
to return.
''That feeling of going away and not
telling anyone might be great when you're leaving, but
it's a horrible feeling to have if something happens and
you're out in the middle of the wilderness,'' Miller
said.
However, many hikers have found a way to
overcome that problem.
''I would say most of the calls we get
now asking for help out on the trails are from cellular
phones,'' Kirby said.
For more information on wilderness skills
classes, call Adventures for Women at 930-0557.
For a schedule of upcoming tours, contact
Adventure Associates at (206) 932-8352.
Copyright © 1996 Bergen
Record Corp.
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