alone on the trail

[wildrunner]

Okay, so I have, for a little while now, had a fear of running alone. A large part of me truly knows what little risk I have of being attcked and eaten by a mountain lion, but still I'm always sketched out and never venture farther out than a few miles before turning back when I am not with someone else.
I live in the Santa Monica mountains and I know that there are lions present, but at the same time their territories are rather large.
Also, I am hugely inconvenienced by this because I am always in need of a partner, and really, there are many times when I would love to just go out alone.
I would love to know what everyone's opinions are regarding this issue: if you think about it at all, if it is not a concern for you... etc.
I would love to just get some good advice and perspective on the issue and get over it! Lol.... so I can just go for a run already.
Thanks everyone! (I think I have seen too many episodes of National Geographic's I Shouldn't Be Alive).
Best, Libby

[Pacific Coast Trail Runs]

Having dealt with anxiety issues for much of my life, I think I know where you're coming from - although I have never been afraid of running alone.

I think that you're right to focus on the 'what are the chances?' type of things - if you look at the mountain lion statistics, the probability that you'll have a problem is extremely remote.

The best anxiety-reducer for me was the completion of a successful thing that scared me going in - it wasn't always easy, but I made myself do the hard thing rather than avoid it. So, in your case, I'd try some short runs alone, try to relax, and be super-proud of yourself when you come to the end of a successful run alone. As you become more and more secure in your alone-ness, set a goal just a little farther each time until you can begin to run longer distances/times without a partner. Each successful run will reinforce you for getting out there, making running alone less anxiety producing the next time.

I have a card on my desk in a frame to remind me of where I used to be in terms of my worry/anxiety:

Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles - it empties today of its strength.

Sarah

[jolynnmccabe]

I run Mission Peak quite often and when I do, I cut off the main path and go into some pretty secluded areas. I have done the Mission Peak to Sunol and back by myself which is 18 miles round trip. This area has mountain lion sightings every so often. Since I absolutely LOVE running up there and can't always find someone to do it with me, I too had to get over my fear of being attacked (by anything/anyone). I carry pepper spray on the front strap of my hydration pack. I have a ton of confidence with it. I don't run with music so I am always aware of noises around me.
My two cents.
~Jo Lynn

[shigley]

I do most of my long runs alone on lightly used trails in far nothern California. I may not see another person for hours at a time. I'll admit I've gotten anxious, even on familiar trails.

I see black bears pretty regularly, but they almost always run away. You're not going to be "surprised" by a bear because they make tons of noise while crashing around. Usually you'll hear them from a distance. More likely, they've already smelled you and have taken off.

In more than 20 years of running and hiking trails all over, I've never seen a mountain lion. I've seen plenty of scat and even some paw prints, so I know the big cats are around. But I've never seen one. I have seen a handful bobcats (maybe 20-30 pound felines) but they are no threat.

My biggest wildlife concern is rattlesnakes. Twice, I've darned near stepped on a snake that I didn't see until I was right next to it. Gotta watch the ground!

Frankly, I think the threat from any of these critters is very, very minor. Pay close attention to your surroundings. Make a little noise if you want to alert the wildlife that you're coming. Most of all, relax. You're a lot safer out on the trails than you are on a city sidewalk.

- Paul

[thr3ee]

I almost always run alone on the trails including some of those same trials that Jo Lynn mentioned, sometimes at night (and even once with no light). I understand the feeling you may have, but like you said the reality is pretty rare. I always try to remind myself that what the feeling I could let become anxiety is really just a "healthy awareness" of my surroundings.

For me, reminding myself of the facts and being aware of how to react should the unusual occur always helps. The following site has a good bit of information on Mountain Lions including the following tidbit:

From tchester.org/sgm/lists/lion_attacks.html#stats:

It is important to keep in mind that lion attacks are still extremely rare in California and nationally. For some reason, humans worry much more about rare dangers than about common dangers. Two examples:

* In California, from 1986 through 1998, exactly two people died from mountain lion attacks, whereas in one year alone, over 4,000 people died in traffic accidents, including 800 pedestrians. This means that your car or someone else's car is ~2,000 times more likely to kill you than is a mountain lion. (A Detailed Calculation gives the ratio as between 1,150 and 4,300.)

* Over 300 people have been killed by domestic dogs in the U.S. between 1979 and the late 1990s. This means that your family dog or your neighbor's dog is ten times more likely to kill you than is a mountain lion and hundreds of time more likely than is a coyote.

So we should be much more worried about meeting a car or the dogs we see every day rather than a mountain lion. Unfortunately, we aren't, because we are much more familiar with being in a car or being around a domestic dog than we are with being around an uncaged mountain lion. Rationally, if one avoids hiking because of fear of mountain lions, one should also avoid driving in a car, crossing a street as a pedestrian, or getting close to our own or anyone else's dog.

[wildrunner]

These are some great responses-- truly what I was looking for! It eases my mind to know that I'm not the only one who has thought about the issue with concern, and also bolsters up my confidence, since you all do plenty of mileage alone on trail.
And Sarah, I can really appreciate that quote, "Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles - it empties today of its strength."
I am a climber as well, and that translates in a very physical way when I am leading.
Besides the physical translation, of course, is the emotional. The absolute validity of the statement gives so much empowerment!, because when worry consumes you, it does weaken you mentally.
I think that I will invest in a can of pepper spray! That along with the statistics and your own personal acheivement out on the trail alone will be my strength until I can glean some of my own... to match my endurance!
I will update you and report my successes.
Best, Libby

[rideandtiegeorge]

I always run alone, usually on remote single track, often at dusk. Even though I am 6'1" and 180 pounds, I worry about predator/prey relationships. I don't carry mace, but that is a goood idea. At dusk, I do make a lot of noise, though; even to the point of loud barks or growls. The idea being...any potential preditor out there is going to hear me coming and think twice about messing with me. The prey species try to stay quiet. It also helps to carry a big stick.
-geo

[addygrl]

Thanks so much for posting this LIbby. I'm exactly the same about being afraid of Mtn Lions when running alone, and it's definitely made things difficult (running on tracks when beautiful trails are so nearby). Hopefully we both can beat this fear and learn how to be in nature peacefully Lots of good advice here!

[andyb]

I'm carrying a whistle, thinking it can maybe startle/frighten anything that seems interested in snacking on me. It could also come in handy should I get "turned around" and need someone's assistance to find my car. The pepper spray is a good idea and something I think I will look into - thanks for the suggestion Jo Lynn.

I have seen a number of coyotes and bobcats on runs. And a few times had deer jump away from just a few feet away from me - I really don't know who was more frightened at those times!

I was wondering if anyone carries any basic survival gear with them on long runs in the sticks or at night? Emergency blanket, fire starter, cell phone???

Great topic/thread.

[addygrl]

Andy, I do have a cell phone with me usually if I'm on a long run my myself,mostly because I can stick small things in my hydration pack without really telling I did buy and emergency blanket but haven't gone on a run where I've really felt it was risky enough to bring it. I do generally bring more food than I'll need, though, just in case!

Question, where does one buy pepper spray?

[andyb]

Hey Addy, try Outdoor World on River Street in Santa Cruz - they should have pepper spray (at least they have it on their website). It is something I have been meaning to get myself, so I'm glad you asked as it will prompt me to pick some up too. If they don't have it, check with REI, or Cabela's online as I'm sure one of them would have it.

[jolynnmccabe]

You're welcome Andyb. I got my pepper spray at Big 5 Sporting Goods -- it's behind the counter so you have to ask for it.
~Jo Lynn

[addygrl]

andy, thanks! I'll check it out. Sounds like a fun store anyways, even if they don't have the pepper spray

[willgotthardt]

Falling coconuts kill around 150 people worldwide each year.

So you should also avoid trail runs in tropical areas.

Will G.

[ultragirl]

2007
24 January. Hiking in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park sometime before 3:00 p.m. in Humbolt County 50 miles north of Eureka in Orick, California, 70-year-old Jim Hamm was attacked by a cougar, apparently as it crept up from behind. The Fortuna, California, man was accompanied by his 65-year-old wife Nell. Both were reported as under 5'6".

According to supervising Ranger Maury Morningstar, "The wife said she didn't see the lion until she heard her husband, and when she turned around, the lion was attacking her husband."

Nell Hamm said she first saw the lion when it had her husband's head in its jaws. The lion pounced on Jim Hamm near the end of a 10-mile hike. He was trailing his wife when the big cat attacked, pinning him face down on the trail. He didn't scream, Nell said. "It was a different, horrible plea for help, and I turned around, and by then the cat had wrestled Jim to the ground."

Nell Hamm did all the right things. She approached and screamed at the lion. Then she grabbed a 4-inch-wide log and began beating it on its back. "It wouldn't let go, no matter how hard I hit it," she said.

While Jim was trying to tear at the face of the cat, Nell says, "Jim was talking to me all through this, and he said, 'I've got a pen in my pocket. Get the pen and jab him in the eye.'" "So I got the pen and tried to put it in his eye, but it didn't want to go in as easy as I thought it would." When the pen bent and became useless, Nell Hamm went back to using the log. "That lion never flinched," she said. "I just knew it was going to kill him."

Finally, Nell slammed the log butt-end into the cat's snout. The lion had ignored her until then. At last, she had its attention. With blood on it's snout from her blow, the lion let go, stepped back, an stood glaring at her with its ears pinned back. "I thought he was going to attack me," she said. She continued to scream, waving the log, and then, thankfully, the cat slipped into the ferns and disappeared.

Terrified that it might come back, Hamm told her husband that he had to get up and try to walk to the Newton B. Drury Parkway, parallel to U.S. Highway 101, to find help. He was losing blood quickly. "Somehow we made it out of there," she said.

About a quarter-mile away, they came upon an inmate work crew with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The Eureka Reporter newspaper reported this crew found the man bleeding around 4 p.m. The four men went for help. As a result, the California Department of Forestry dispatched an ambulance from Arcata, which took the couple to the Mad River Community Hospital. State Park employees also responded. Jim Hamm underwent surgery for serious lacerations to his head, legs, arms, and hands.

The Eureka paper said the park is a popular recreational area and offers hiking, nature study, wildlife viewing, beach combing, and picnicking. In the past three years mountain lion sightings have increased on the nearby Humboldt State University campus. In early November, a young male mountain lion weighing approximately 80 pounds was captured and tranquilized on campus.

The Hamms are healthy, athletic people. They play sports, scuba dive and run. Since they moved to Fortuna from Camarillo two years ago, they have hiked the trails in Humboldt County, clocking 6 to 12 miles, two to three times a week. Neither of them is large; both are under 5 feet 6 inches. But they had talked about what to do in case of a mountain lion attack: Scream, look big, fight back. "We fought harder than we ever have to save his life, and we fought together," she said. Both plan to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary next month (February, 2007).

Despite their long history of hiking, it was too early for her to say if they'd ever venture out again. "It's not like Jim and I are saying, 'Don't go in the forest,' " she said. "Go in the forest like you'd go scuba diving in the ocean. Respect where you are."

Nell Hamm especially warned people never to hike in the backcountry alone. Park rangers told the couple if Jim Hamm had been alone, he probably would not have survived. Her husband still faces a struggle. Cat bites and scratches can lead to serious infections, and doctors are giving him intravenous antibiotics. They've also started a series of rabies shots. The Hamms are thankful to the emergency personnel, rangers, wardens, doctors and nurses who helped them through the ordeal.

Subsequent to this attack two mountain lions were killed near the trail in the area. One lion was shot with a rifle that night, the other was killed the next morning, said Fish and Game Warden Rick Banko. Their carcasses were flown to a state forensics lab in Rancho Cordova to determine if either animal mauled the man, he said. Based on their weight of between 70 and 100 pounds, officials think the lions were relatively young.

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I wanted to reply here and I just read this. The trails they are talking about was where I first discovered trail running just last year. I ran my first trail run there andfeeeeeeeellll in love with it. That place is beyond beautiful, the trees are breathtaking and leave you in awe of how GIANT the trees are.

Ok back to topic, this has been one of my worse fears( along with being taken by some crazed mountain person LOL). Running alone on trails, the thought terrifies me but makes me frustrated because like the OP said its holds us back. Sat at HH100 I swept the 6.5 mile course from Bolinas and Pantoll and that was my first time EVER running alone on a trail. Morgan met me about a mile from Pantoll on th trail and I was so proud I did it. At first I was so scared, it was all my head really and I knew that but it casued me to bust ass and run way faster then need be for about a mile. Then I got to a point where I though "ok really Michelle, how many runners are on this trail running ALONE right now chill out" I finially relaxed a bit, but still a tad jumpy at any snap or crack I heard. For gods sake a little lizard jumped in the bushes and I jumped LMAO....after a bit I got more relaxed and just got into a zone. I was proud I did it. Yes it was only 6.5 miles BUT I did it none the less. Am I still afraid? hell yes, but I think until I am used to it ..I will be . At redwood park I am on my own because Morgan will be running faster then I do( I am slow but steady) so thats a whole lotta miles by myelf. The good part is I know there are others that will prob. be running my pace and just knowing someone is around the corner makes me feel better.