Touring and underattack

[DeniseGoldberg]

Suzanne -
I was really sorry to hear about your awful experience, but I'd hate to have other women scared away from solo touring because of this experience. I have done supported group tours, and unsupported solo tours. My preference at this point in time is the solo tours, which are a very different experience than touring with a group of people, supported or not.

I agree with you that folks on solo tours need to be conscious of their surroundings at all times. My most recent tours were not camping tours, but I started in the world of solo touring with camping tours, and it's likely I'll camp on tour again at some point in time. I have camped in city parks on occasion when there weren't any alternatives, but in each case when I did that I notified the police that I was there, and I had my cell phone in the tent with me - along with the phone number for the local police. And whether I am camping or not, if my bike is staying outside overnight, it is locked to a tree or a picnic table, or anything I can find...

I did have an experience in a National Forest campground where I was directed to the group campsite. They were using that area as the hiker-biker campsite, and there was no one else there. I considered switching to the regular part of the campground, but it was no where near as nice as where I was. And I realized that the regular campground was just across a tiny stream, and that I could see tents and trailers just across from me - within yelling distance. So I stayed. That night, after I had retired to my tent I could hear a couple of people wandering through the site. I believe they were teenage boys, and they actually walked up to my tent and started shaking it. I yelled "Get out", then slipped my shoes on and popped out of the tent. They got out, and fast! (Of course, that experience is nothing like yours, which sounds like it was very dangerous. And based on that experience I understand why you are warning people.) I have also passed up potential campsites that I didn't like the looks of, preferring to ride further to find what appeared to be a safer spot.

Could something happen anyway? Of course. But will I stay home or not ride solo just in case? Absolutely not.

--- Denise