Re: Missing Hiker

Alicia - " You also can avoid telling strangers you’re hiking or backpacking alone by alluding to a friend or spouse you’re waiting for on the trail and so on. "

- be really careful of that - while it seems to makes sense - if you do so and get caught in a lie there's no telling how the other person will react - without regard to your gender.

Other than that, right on! I think we all, as a community (a loose one, I'll admit) of folks who like to enjoy the backcountry solo just need to look out for one another. Actually, as human beings we should be doing that anyhow no matter where we happen to be. It makes the world a far nicer place to live.