Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General The Mountain by a fair means Woman or man, what difference on Whitney?

For me, the primary concern as a woman is safety. How would you all rate the safety of a 5 foot 2, small woman alone on the trail? Two women on the trail? I'm straight, but does it matter?

BTW, thank you for the answers to questions about menstruation, used menstrual product and TP storage, and toilet privacy.

Tasha:

I think safety is defined by confidence, knowledge, and ability.

Confidence: It doesn't matter how tall or your weight, it's how you carry yourself. I know some women (Hedgehog's wife Kathy, for example) who I wouldn't mess with at all, and she's at least 6-8" shorter than me!

Knowledge: stay alert of your surroundings at all times. Listen to your gut: if you feel like you're in a bad spot, move on. Look for 'outs'. So, know yourself and where you are.

Ability: If you are really concerned, take a self-defense class. Carry pepper spray. Carry a really big knife (I took a USMC Ka-Bar last summer on my trek)!

I've seen some wierd people in the hills, but not been threatened, yet. That doesn't mean it won't or can't happen. Travelling solo is an amazingly gratifying and empowering experience, but personal safety is always paramount.

-Laura

Hmmmmm.... I would think you are probably far safer hiking in the back country than you are walking down the sidewalk in any city.

Just look to all the times people ask on this board about the safety of leaving their gear behind when they climb the summit. It is always declared safe (except from the critters). The criminal types would never venture more than 100 feet up a trail.

And as for those "weird people in the hills", some of us just look that way.

Does anyone here know of any situation where a woman has been threatened on a hiking trail in the Sierra?

A bit more frontcountry, but I remember when the mother and daughter and friend were killed a few years back (10 years?? I was still in grad school) near Yosemite.

I also remember the story (brought back to memory by reading Bill Bryson's book about the AT) of the two women killed by that maniac along the AT.

And Steve, you're not weird, you're just drawn that way!

-L

Euuwwww! That was ugly--up here in my neck of the woods. But they were at a motel, not on a trail.

I was asking about on any trail in the Sierra..

Once, when I was solo on the Main Trail during the winter, I ran into this handsome man past the cables. We hiked together to the summit and went into the hut together. Later during the descent, he asked me if I felt what he was feeling while we were in the hut. For a brief moment I thought the worst, but just kept hiking along. Nothing ended up happening, but I did have a plan of escape in my head.

I just happened upon this while researching another subject and I though you folks might be interested in it, although I don't know much about the validity of it, one way or the other.

Gender differences among long-distance b...il backpackers.

Are you kidding me? "By fairer means"? Come on. This is the 21st century, we no longer refer to women as the fairer sex. Gender equality. Remember? Hopefully there's a woman in your life who will slap you upside the head gently for that one, and tell you to get with the times.

It doesn't make a difference that women's bodies are "frail" or "not as strong," as some of you are quick to point out. Big hiking trips have stereotypically been seen as a "man's" adventure, which is why you don't see as many women on the mountain. It depends on the strength of the individual woman, not of women as a whole. I hiked on July 6th, portal to summit and back in one day, and beat several men up- but was also passed by a few women. I did find it strange that I didn't see any other women until the outpost camp- turns out they were smarter than I :-)

Men, please stop beating your chests like tarzan. You are not the 'stronger' sex all the time. Cut the "fairer sex" crap. I know several strong women who could beat you up the mountain any day.

And in terms of the safety thing: There seems to be an honor code on the mountain. Nobody is going to mess with you simply because you're a woman. Up there, we're all human beings.

> Men, please stop beating your chests like tarzan.

Awww, come on! I LIKE doing that every morning.

> I know several strong women who could beat you up the mountain any day.

Oh yeah? Well my momma can beat up your momma!


Getting serious... What an attitude! Do you have a sister named Crystal?

I went into a local shop yesterday to get the battery on my altimeter watch changed, and the guys asked if my husband knew how to set it.

Sorry, Steve, I just couldn't resist any longer...

Fanny Bullock Workman wore long skirts and proper Victorian attire while exploring and climbing the mountains around the world. Just a thought...

LOL!
I guess some people will never understand.

And Fanny B missed out on the chance to wear those great antlers.

Around 1970 a climber reached the summit of Everest without the aid of O2 The press release was by a "fair means" Thank You Doug

Check out this thread on backpacking light. I have not used this method myself for the "lunar cycle" but I am considering it for our proposed JMT this August.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/..._thread_id=1082

Long time lurker, first time post...

I was at trail camp a week and half ago and there was no porta-potty or outhouse at the camp. Just the rocks and the swift winds coming down the mountain. You have heard the saying, "Don't pee into the wind." This takes on a whole new meaning when you are a gal... seriously.

Also, to comment on the difference between men/women and their approach. There were several differences for me as a gal that my brother did not have. First, the wag bag experience. We both had vasty different approachs to the wag bag (no further comment.) Second, I am 5'7". I took two steps to my brothers single step. And, being a busty gal, finding a backpack that didn't smash the "pointer sisters," was impossible, I just had to go without the chest strap smashing the girls down, which adjusts the weight differently on my back and shoulders. I had bruises on the front of my delts at the end of the trip and I had a very light pack. (Gossimer Gear)

I think this is a great idea for the gals, but I must say, my brothers perspective helped me immensely on my first summit. So I would also appreciate the guys comments. Many guys have ladies in their lives and have experienced the trek with them and could certainly give appreciated comments and suggestions.

There are also other health issues that do not necessarily affect men, ie: I have fibromyalgia and chronic myafacial pain symdrom, which very rarely affects men, it is typically a syndrome that affects women. (I will post soon about summiting with fms/cmps as soon as I can get a little more free time.)

Thank you to all who post on the Whitney portal site, your help was immeasurable, especially Ken... thank you.

SuzeB,
I summitted Whitney in June and one of the best pieces of equiptment I brought along was a thing called a Feminine Urinary Director or (FUD). Feminine Urinary Director (FUD) No need to take off your gear, eliminates the need for extreme privacy, and saves loads of time on the trail. It takes a little practice, but parts of the trail (like the switchbacks), offer little accomadation for relieving oneself if there are crowds.
M.

Goddiss, Thanks for the advise. I will look into the (FUD.) You are right, there is limited area on the the switchbacks for privacy. We started the switchbacks at 4:00am, so I had privacy, but coming down the switchbacks in the daylight... there was no privacy.
Suze

Safety for Women on the Trail
I live near some of the toughest parts of Los Angeles. I can assure you that the Trails are far safer than the 'hood. There's a greater chance of a drive-by or car accident taking you out than a looney on the trail. Moosetracks advice is best--be aware of your surroundings--pay attention.

Nature Calls on the Trail
As Americans/Westerners, we need to just "get over it." These are natural biological functions of our properly working kidneys. Obviously I don't do my biz in the middle of trail, but when you "gotta go, you just gotta go."

Hmmmm, I just browsed over to this forum for the first time. Perhaps this is the place to ask a question.

I enjoy the company of women (as has been pointed out, men and women have different perspectives on things, and sometimes that different perspective can be refreshing, especially when a lot of my male friends become too obsessed with scatalogical references). My problem is that all the women I know who say they like the mountains are not interested in backpacking trips. I tell them about trips I am planning, and they are interested until they realize that there will be no showers or flush toilets for a week. How can I address this to their satisfaction so that they can enjoy the backcountry the way I know they would? And sometimes I almost have someone committed to going, and then when they find out that they will probably be the only woman in the group, they lose interest. Again, any suggestions how I can address this concern?

And another interesting topic is the biomechanics issue. I have often wondered about the strength and endurance of women hikers vs men. Generally speaking, women have lower upper body strength, but that should not be a big issue with hiking. Since women generally have a higher percentage of their body weight in their legs (hence possibly better leg strength/endurance compared to total body weight) but also generally have lower lung capacity, I have often wondered how these two factors work out in actual practice. And then there is the issue of total pack weight vs body weight, since it is difficult to get base weights to lower percentage of total body weight when you are petite to begin with. I even see some of this myself - when I compare myself (5'7", 155 lb) to some of my hiking companions (6'2", 220 lb) they can carry more gear than me and still have less relative to total body weight. Anyone care to comment about this, or am I just barking up the wrong tree?

Heck, for me the primary thing was the fact that day of my summit of Whitney I was on my heaviest day of menstrual period. That is a genuine biological difference between our sexes. Not only was it just plain uncomfortable but we get weak and physically ill when that blasted curse hits. Of all days, my summit day. I made it, but I know that it absolutely affected my performance. I look forward to going back next summer and timing it a little better so I don't have to deal with said "affliction". Guys, I wonder how you'd fare with similar symptoms?