Or take a self-defense class if you worry about being 'napped. The first summer I lived out in Wyoming (11 years ago) a woman disappeared while running alone on a rural route. Her husband's name has been cleared officially, but most people here still think he did it. This is why I'm not printing her name.

But I was 22 and scared, so I got a dog for a hiking companion (and cause I like dogs). Her body's never been found. Now that I'm older, and nothing like that has happened since anywhere in the vicinity, and I have a self-defense class under my belt, I never worry about being attacked by a person. Bear, cougar, yes, crazy person, no. I've also read "The Gift of Fear," a fabulous book about listening to your intuition, as Bleecker referred to. It will freak you out for a week or so, but you'll feel better after reading it. There's also very, very little random crime here (one instance per decade?) which is why we think her husband killed her.