Woods alone sometimes is not fun!

[girlygirl]

yeah so here is my "chick" story of the week....I was riding by myself on Sunday and usually I hug the road in case something happens to me but of course it got boring so I ventured a few miles into the "deep dark woods" :o Well this dirt biker crossed my path several times, I nodded a quick hi and moved out of his way. Well the third time he comes upon me, he stops, takes off his helmet and says "how old are you? are you alone"? I of course was SH%$&^*! Then he proceeds to tell me that he saw me in the woods with my friend six weeks ago and has been coming out the past five weeks looking for me? blah blah

Long story short, he knew me from years ago but seriously heres a heads up to all the guys reading this....most (not all) girls freak out when they are alone and get cornered in the woods by a strange man asking "are you alone"., it is a TERRIBLE "pick up line" ;D...I am considering getting pepper spray or taking self defense classes. I don't trust anyone and I am starting to get too spooked to ride alone!

Of course this guy was harmless, he was not trying anything with me just knew me from years ago but it still got me all nervous!

[hogboy]

take teh elf defense classes

;D

[tkny69]

Yeah I'm with you, girlygirl... I, too, feel spooked sometimes when I ride alone. I try to ride with my boyfriend or my friend, but they are not always available. I ride The Trail of Tears most of the time. And I do try to stick to trails that I know in the woods for I fear if I venture out into unknown territory, I could take an unexpected tumble and wouldn't know where I was. I haven't a bad encounter with guys on the trails. Everyone is pretty polite. But, yes, having somebody ask if you are alone is pretty freaky. I always carry a cell phone. Pepper spay may not be a bad idea. :) But I heard it's illegal to carry in the state of Mass. ;D

Keep it safe!

Tina

[Scott O]

A woman hiker was attacked in Blue Hills last week. There's some weirdos and nasty people out there. When in doubt, bust out the pepper spray.

[off piste]

Here's a start:

http://www.thegoalfoundation.org/womenontarget.htm

http://www.womenandguns.com/

[Body2Big]

I'm a guy and just because I like brute force I take this class

http://fight2survive.com/default.aspx

Its one hell of a fight system and will work in close combat situations. click on the link for locations for a studio near you or click below for Ma.

http://fight2survive.com/CenterLocations.aspx?state=ma

Shawn

[CouchingTiger]

I believe that in order to carry pepper spray in the state of MA you need the same permit that you would need to carry a concealed handgun. If you are going to get the permit, might as well pack the real deal ;D

-Couch

[off piste]

I believe that in order to carry pepper spray in the state of MA you need the same permit that you would need to carry a concealed handgun. If you are going to get the permit, might as well pack the real deal ;D

-Couch


Actually, in the People's Republic of Mass, you need a minimum of an FID card to posses pepper spray, which in the eyes of the state is ammunition ::). But, although there's differing philosophies, many people who carry concealed also carry peppery spray.

[john22x]

My wife bought pepper spray the other day at Dicks Sporting goods in Danvers and they never asked for her ID card / permit thing dang.

[heckler]

Wow. Scary story. Being a guy I tend not to worry about that sort of thing (except in the fells ;)) but it is definitely a concern these days. I had a woman friend- and older yet attractive and VERY naive woman, who bike toured all over the country. she did the Washington to S.F. thing. By herself. We were terrified for her. She was fine but...

Carry a gun? Where? In your shorts? Falling on a gun would suck. "excuse me for a second- before you attack me I would like to get a breath mint out of my camelback". I don't have an answer. Pepper spray or some milder (and perhaps therefor legal) alternative, sitting in a jersey pocket sounds good. Riding with friends sounds better. We all take physical risks out on the trail. Getting knocked out makes your cell phone pretty worthless. Adding the human element should NOT have to be a factor.

[Tim]

My wife carries pepper spray when out walking, mostly for dogs. She got it 6 or 7 years ago. At the time, to carry pepper spray in MA you needed a Firearms ID Card - it was no big deal to get from the local PD. My impression is that a concealed permit is a lot bigger deal - at least I hope so!

Sorry about the bad experience in the woods - I ride alone all the time, and rarely see another human. As a large, middle-aged man my biggest worry is breaking something that keeps me from being able to walk / crawl out, but I can see how it's different for women, and certainly the situation described is pretty close to stalking.

Tim

[talisman]

Carry a gun? Where? In your shorts?

Actually you could use a shoulder holster or hang a 'bellows-clip' holster off of your camel back. If you are going to pack pepper spray or another weapon be prepared to use it and the consequences.

The initimidation factor of a pistol is far superior to that of a small aerosol can of mace/pepper spray, but many real whack jobs know the difference between who is trying to threaten them and who is really going to pull the trigger. Just don't aid the bad guys by providing them implements that can be used against you. Think about cops getting shot with their own pistols.

[nhiker]

Sorry to here about this. I agree with who ever said this sounds close to stalking. His intentions may have been honorable but from your description I would say while he wasn't a rapist he certainly had....uh....a sort of "fixation" on you. Also I agree his "questioning was a least unsettling" My Wife will ride on her own on many occassions and I wouldn't dream of asking her to please not go out unescorted. I still worry at times. You have to not let fear overwhelm and suck the joy outta the sport for you. On the other hand she uses common sence "I have to respect that and doesn't ride some places alone or after dark, as do I. It sucks but that is the way things are.

[Jisch]

My wife usually only rides the road alone, though there is a section of rails to trails on her route. She worries about it a bit, I don't think she'd feel comfortable riding in the woods solo.

My best advice would be to stick to places where a lot of people ride. I see solo women occasionally at Case Mountain. There's so many people who use that place that its probably safer than some of the more remote places. I would expect that having people passing every so often would be a pretty good deterrent to any would be attacker.

John

[jh_on_the_cape]

If you get pepper spray, get 2.

Take the extra one with you into the woods and practice with it. You dont want the first time you use it to be the real deal.

I say this because I am a guy but used to carry pepper spray when I lived in a bad part of a big city.

One day my buddy says, he lets go spray that thing, i want to see how far it goes. we go up and spray it and it was DEAD. a little dribble shot about 2 inches. ooops! it would have been pretty bad if i had tried that on someone who meant business.

so then i got a new one and we wanted to try it out. holy smokes that thing shot very far and was hard to control and just the extra mist nearly knocked us out. it only works for a few seconds on the small portable ones. so you have to get it right the first spray or it just kind of dies. important if more than one person is trying to get you.

so whatever you get, learn how to use it. there are different sprays, i think mace is the real weapon, while pepper sprays are milder and are 'over the counter'. not sure, so check for yourself.

finally, i have had a female rider do the same thing to me .. 'i have seen you around..etc.' but i felt far from threatened! just the opposite.

[MissJean]

girlygirl, I'm not sure what to say. On one hand, I can see why that made you nervous. On the other, it did turn out to be ok, so don't give up the pleasure of riding because of what might happen. If we really though about all of the "mights" we'd never get out of bed. Maybe a self defense class will give you more confidence.

I don't ride alone at night, it is too spooky and my imagination goes into overdrive. But, do I ride alone a on a regular basis and am very rarely nervous, but then again, I'm a "big strapping girl" ::) If I was a little bitty thing, I might feel different.

[off piste]

<SNIP>


Carry a gun? Where? In your shorts? Falling on a gun would suck. "excuse me for a second- before you attack me I would like to get a breath mint out of my camelback". <SNIP>


Well, you bring up a good point, although Camelbak does have you "covered":

http://www.diamondbacktactical.com/Camelbak-Demon-P841C66.aspx

Myself, -- If I hypothetically were to carry on my bike on those exciting, far-reaching epic solo rides, I'd want it on me and instantly accessible, not in my pack, and I'd probably go with either a .38 snub in either a pocket holster or an inner waist band if I wanted to go light, or if I wanted to carry a full size semi auto, I'd concider a heavy Kydex IWB holster and dedicated gunbelt, such as :


http://www.comp-tac.com/images/ctac/ctac_ani.gif

and:

http://thewilderness.com/Media/instructorbelt_175_bk_250.gif

Which has the added bonus, if you're a rock climber, of being able to function as a very effective, if uncomfortable, technical harness! With a setup like this, properly worn, no one will know you've got something, even wearing lightweight summer wear. So I've heard.

[girlygirl]

I know that I will ride again alone and I know that there is more danger probably in a parking lot then out where I ride but I just need to be careful.
I think I will look into a self defense class or pepper spray.

A gun might be too much....I can picture me firing it at anyone who says "hi"... :P

Thanks for the feedback....it is hard to explain but the fear I had on Sunday was the worse type, I felt completely helpless if he had tried anything :(

Everyone tells me just kick men in the ^&%% and run :) or should I say Bike! :-*

[Quo Fan]

Take some self defence classes. Don't act like a victim, have your head up and shoulders back. If you have the time, earn a black belt. (Think 3-5 years) Will do wonders for your confidence.

Glad the encounter turned out to be harmless. I normally don't ride solo because I'm afraid of getting hurt and not being able to call for help.

[fitchmunk]

I agree with Tele_Mark and talisman. Call the people at www.goal.org and sign up for some classes.

Commuchusetts can be pretty tough to get a permit, for men, but most towns will actually encourage women to protect themselves. No town wants to be known for being the "#1 unsafe place for women".

As for a gun: You could carry a derringer in your chamois shorts' pocket. They're small and light. Don't expect to hit anything more than 5' away though (seriously).

Regarding pepper spray: If you want to see the ineffectiveness of pepper spray; watch a marathon of Cops or Wildest Police Videos. Pepper spray is like a mosquito on a rhino when you're talking about a freak jacked up on crack.

Just my two cents.

I'm sorry that you had to have the experience. However, I'm glad that it was only scary and not something worse. Perhaps it was a learning experience...hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

[Slider]

We really gotta do something about all the crackheads wandering the bike trails. Add in the rapists, and you can't spit without hitting some sort of degenerate.

I say get some serious firepower, maybe a .44, and some sort of quick release on the bars. Shoot anyone who comes near you. You really can't take chances.

Slider

[catbbq]

In the woods alone, be careful with pepper spray. Since it is non-lethal, you mind tend to whip it out before he has.

With a gun however, your probably more likely to think before firing. And the chances of you actually hiting they guy lethally are unlikely.

For compactness, I suggest a .25. It doesn't have the stopping power of a larger caliber, but they come really small and make a really load pop. Its what my mom carries. :o

[catbbq]

We really gotta do something about all the crackheads wandering the bike trails. Add in the rapists, and you can't spit without hitting some sort of degenerate.

I say get some serious firepower, maybe a .44, and some sort of quick release on the bars. Shoot anyone who comes near you. You really can't take chances.

Slider



Thats a great idea. I got the quick release figured out. Now where do you ride and when will you be out there Slider?

[off piste]

Thats a great idea. I got the quick release figured out. Now where do you ride and when will you be out there Slider?


That inference isn't funny.....

[BG]

"That inference isn't funny....."


Which one??

BG

[off piste]

"That inference isn't funny....."


Which one??

BG


Edited.

[Longshanks]

We really gotta do something about all the crackheads wandering the bike trails. Add in the rapists, and you can't spit without hitting some sort of degenerate.

I say get some serious firepower, maybe a .44, and some sort of quick release on the bars. Shoot anyone who comes near you. You really can't take chances.

Slider



;D

[BG]

I think between Slider and catbbq working together...
Now i don't know who to fear, hunters, "carrying" mtb'ers, atv'ers, rapists, crackheads, degenerates, moose, rock climbers, pepper sprayers, naked men, lions, OH MY.
Let's get armed and go for a nice relaxing ride in the woods.

BG

[heckler]

With that list? I would rather ride through the tunnel at rush hour. Much safer.

[girlygirl]

I am not getting a gun (I would probably shoot myself)...I will look into self defense classes, great idea.

Thanks for the advice.

[splat]

I think if you handle bar mount this , no body is going to give you any crap!!!


M134D 3000 7.62MM rounds per minute!

http://dillonaero.com/images/ti.jpg

[priss]

My advise would be to take whatever class you think would lead you to a feeling of personal empowerment. Could be self defence, could be yoga, or ceramics. The real problem here is that you feel scared. Perhaps there is some underlying trauma or past parental influence that led to this feeling but that is not as important as getting over it and leading a happier life. I wish you every success.

Also of note is the theroy of the self fullfilling profecy. You feel scared something bad will happen and then it does. While most of that idea is mysticysm, in this case it does bear merit. Violent people searching the woods are looking for a victim. The aggresor is typicaly a coward and will take the smallest weakest prey. Your going about scared all the time attracts people like that. Prey animals all have that scared look and display mannerisms that telagraph their fear.

So thats what i mean about finding your personal strength. Confident secure people display the fact they wont be taken without a fight. Its not a perfect solution, but it will push the odds in your favor. Self defence is great, for confidence, but most women will lose to most men in a psyical encounter no matter the training. However if you can buy an escaping sprint with a shot to the groin, thats a skill worth learning.

Kereina

[off piste]

Hey Priss, were you involved in either of these designs in any way at all?:

http://home.comcast.net/~bfd750/arbarbie.JPG

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y109/M_chandler/withheadgear-sm.jpg

[off piste]

I think if you handle bar mount this , no body is going to give you any crap!!!


M134D 3000 7.62MM rounds per minute!

http://dillonaero.com/images/ti.jpg


Crikey! It's got a starter motor on it!

[FriedRys]

This one would look better though.

http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A9iby6EeLGNES70A9xCjzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTA4NDgyNWN 0BHNlYwNwcm9m/SIG=12caqdg2n/EXP=1147436446/**http%3a//www.pipersprecisionproducts.com/images/GEM134.jpg

[off piste]

This one would look better though.




Bling!

[BG]

To hell with the bike, i want one of those on the front of my car.

BG

[catbbq]

This one would look better though.



Too shiny. Will draw attention.

[girlygirl]

Priss - I am a confident person and I will guess that most women would have freaked in the situation I was in on Sunday. I did not panic but I could have easily because yes it was a scary situation.

No offense to you I assume your response was meant to be helpful but it just annoyed the crap out of me.

[slapheadmofo]

http://www.rad-systems.com/

[ragertim]

FOR RENT: BODYGUARD

MTB Rider Protection Profile:

Professional bodyguard service customized to client's needs. Personal protection for female mtb riders, providing a safe and secure environment for them to pursue their activities in a carefree manner, advanced team operations. Certified in C.P.R., First Aid and Trail Maintenance.

Height: 6' 2"
Weight: 240 Lbs.
Biceps: 20"
Quads: 30"
Shoesize: 12.5
Glovesize: XXL
Hatsize: XS
Race: Caucasian
Sex: Male
Citizenship: U.S.A.

Other Qualifications:
Singletracks magazine cover model.

Fee: 1 Harpoon IPA or UFO Hefeweisen (minimum 16oz.) per hour of riding time.

Serious inquiries only, please.

8)

[AA]

FOR RENT: BODYGUARD

Hatsize: XS



;D

[priss]

No offense to you I assume your response was meant to be helpful but it just annoyed the crap out of me.


No offence, either meant or taken.
Your assumtion is valid
And yes, the anoyance part, i seem to have that effect.
I appreciate your tolerant responce and beg your pardon.

Tele-Mark,
Guns are vulgar weapons, impersonal, and rude.
I prefer an elegant weapon from a more civilized age.
The pink is sweet though.

Kereina

[girlygirl]

Priss:
Do you just annoy your fellow MTN riders or everyone? ;D

My white flag is waving :D

[splat]

Guns are vulgar weapons, impersonal, and rude.
I prefer an elegant weapon from a more civilized age.
The pink is sweet though.

Kereina


Priss

is this more your style ?

a Nice little stiletto ?

http://images-srv.leonardo.it/progettiweb/sgargabonzi/blog/stiletto.jpg

[Paula]

I ride and hike by myself all the time. I've backpacked by myself too a bit. Maybe not the best thing to do, but I like to get outside. I enjoy the group ride but there isn't always a group to go with.If people approach or ask, I might give very vague answers or lie-- "my boyfriend is waiting up ahead, go to get going". But I have to say, I have had very few negative encounters out in the woods, don't carry pepper spray or anything like that. I do rely on my intuition. If something doesn't seem right, I get out of there or do whatever seems like a good move at the time. I used to have dog that I could bring- but she is gone now, and wasn't able to run for the last couple of years anyway. Not that the dog was any kind of deterent.. she was a stupid overly friendly retriever.

[priss]

Priss:
Do you just annoy your fellow MTN riders or everyone? ;D


I dont annoy anyone, unless they can hear, then misunderstanding is inevitable. It is difficult to see what people are saying when riding in a group.

So I have no fellow riders, i had one with whom i shared, but alas, he is no longer riding :'(

When did this thread become about me??

Splat, no special geek points for you. Its an Obi Wan referance from Star Wars.
here is a pink one
26 centimeter Lightsaber
Pink Kathracite Adegan Crystal
Durasteel Hilt
Variable Blade Lengths

[splat]

Splat, no special geek points for you. Its an Obi Wan referance from Star Wars.


I ahang my head in shame :(

It's a light saber. The weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as random or clumsy as a blaster. An elegant weapon for a more civilized age.