Harley Guenther- My choice- MY THOUGHTS

I became very interested in learning about how women thru-hikers handle daily problems. These daily problems include: how they stay relatively clean, how they feel, safety wise around so many “lonely” men, and the biggest one: how they handle the monthly package that comes with the DNA of being a woman. It is quite a challenge to not rule out the idea of possibly one day walking the trail. I feel this way mainly because I am not one for the outdoor setting, but also because those problems I mentioned make me worried.

I am one that really likes to be clean and put together. To let that go for month would be a very difficult challenge for me. Without being able to take a shower every day or getting running water to brush my teeth, I would be lost. I would not know what to do with only two sets of clothes, if that. On the AT, people have to learn to adapt to living without those luxuries. Constantly feeling dirty would drive me over the edge. As you could probably tell I am not big on change or having to adapt.

Growing up, I was raised in a family with two police officers as parents and was taught a very young age to be aware of my surroundings and if you have a bad feeling about something, go with it, it is probably correct. These were also things I was supposed to keep in mind in relation to men. I know some women can take care of themselves, but as a woman, walking alone in the forest is just a “give me” for something bad to occur. I know normally on the trail, hikers meet up and walk in groups, but what happens when it is just me and some man I just met. I don’t know him; I can’t assume that just because he is a hiker, that he won’t harm me. Some men spend months on the trail “alone”, they may get lonely or horny and decide to have their way with a female hiker. I am very weary of men I do not know. If I went on the trail, I would have to either go with a male I know or I would go with a few other girls.

The biggest question I had going into this paper was what women did when they were on their menstrual cycles during their journey of the Appalachian Trail. Even though I truly wanted to know the answer to the question, I definitely was not enthused with the answer. The answers to my question were nasty and unexpected. I wondered to myself during research, who came up with these solutions? I think the least scaring answer was to take a pill that stops a woman’s period completely until she stops taking the pill. But the idea of a diva cup, I absolutely will not!

With all these problems I mind and with the research done on it, at this point in time, I will not be going on a thru-hike. I am fully supportive if someone else wants to do it and that is more power to them. I praise them, and will support them fully through their journey. Thru-hiking or hiking in general is just not for me.