Advice for a female climber that wants to dirt bag it on her own?

Carl Sherven wrote:The thing about Ms. Stone is that many interesting discussions have come from the random troll threads he's created. I guess I don't mind his troll threads too much, as someone might actually benefit from his stuff. So if this is just another Ms. Stone alt starting a flame war, so what? Maybe some other early-20's woman is looking to have a life-changing experience and someone's comment helps her make that happen. And if the OP and original question are legit, then hopefully this young lady got a couple good bits of advice to help her out. As far as the tangents are concerned, when people say patently incorrect things, such as "... crime is at an all time high and rising. mass killings at an all time high..." Someone needs to put it into perspective with actual evidence from a solid source, especially when such statements are coupled with advice to get a handgun based on patently false assertions. Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-gun, as I own several guns myself. However, if someone is giving advice to get a handgun for protection from a mass shooting event, while wandering the wilderness and hanging out at random campgrounds, that's just ridiculous and needs to get challenged. Anyway, Amber, I'm sorry if I contributed to the thread derailment. I just don't want someone to buy a gun out of unsubstantiated fear and hyperbole. My advice, as someone who is not female, nor is in their early twenties, is to have your adventures and your enjoy life. Be smart about situations you get yourself into, and don't be afraid to leave a situation at the cost of seeming rude. Please try to keep health insurance, as you are engaging in a risky activity and debt from a medical issue can haunt you for the rest of your life.

+1 to this. If you feel like you need something to protect yourself I have to agree with what other folks said about getting a can of Bear Spray. No worry about having it be illegal state to state (illegal to cross into Canada with though) and provides a decent amount of protection. When I solo hitchhiked around the country I would just carry a thing of pepper spray on a chest holster. No one gives you a second look and will pick you up without any issues. I'm 135 lbs and 5 foot 11 so I'm not exactly a real imposing dude either. Trust the hair on the back of your neck and go have an adventure. If you are sleeping in your car do it in a place where you can been seen by others and sleep with your car keys next to you. If someone does start to be creepy hit the alarm button on your keyfob to tell them to fuck off.

And to all those who have decided that their personal experience is more telling than a scientific study of crime rates... Crime rates have steadily fallen but media reporting has gone up meaning we hear more about the crime. Your personal experience with crime doesn't mean shit when compared to nationwide trends. Cite data or GTFO.

I've hosted many many women traveling solo through CouchSurfing. Several of them were traveling internationally. You can find a home to stay the night or several nights, a shower, a kitchen to cook in, and a new friend in the area to show you around. Almost guaranteed that your host will be a very cool person. There are several user groups on CSing related to climbing that you can join when you sign up.

www.couchsurfing.org

.45, sleep at walmart, how to handle banking??? It must be a small world for some of these posters.

Sent you an email, let me know if you didn't get it...A

Hi Everyone:

Amber wanted advice on dirtbagging, and it's degraded to a forum on gun control, etc. Suggest we get it back on that track for her.

Safety is an issue wherever you go, and is best accomplished by a heads-up attitude, just like climbing a route with limited protection.

The best thing for Amber would be a like-minded person. I certainly hope that a person like that stumbles upon this forum.

Amber: Have you posted in the Partners area? You just might find a like minded person there.

I found a partner there in 2010 to make a month long trip to Yosemite.

Carl Sherven wrote: Yeah, because nothing works better for close-quarters self-defense than a rifle... The extent of paranoia you are experiencing is quite possibly in the realm of mental illness. Luckily, thanks to the Affordable Healthcare Act of 2010, it is now much easier for you to gain access to the mental healthcare you need to deal with this terrible affliction. Godspeed. LOL. Who needs that when your gut tells you something different?

Hope, change, transparency, LOL!

to the op,
if taking a gun is really an option your considering look into travelling with it, some national parks have restrictions(no firearms etc) weird stuff about carrying a gun over state lines(i dont travel with a gun so i dont know, but def read into it if your considering it)

that said, we all take a risk when dirtbagging, the only difference is that a female might stand out as more of a target(doesnt mean she is an easier target) if this concerns you I would make a point to keep a low profile when camping between climbing areas(camping at walmarts while traveling or on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere) this advice goes for guys as well. Have a plan of action if your sleeping in the auto and something happens I always kept my phone car keys wallet and a weapon in arms reach while sleeping in the van(i doubt i could actually chop a person up with my machete but brandishing it my provide incentive to try mugging/assaulting someone else if the worst case scenario were to occur).

if your at a climbing area surrounded by fellow climbers you aren't likely to have many issues. while at the red i met a few ladies dirt bagging on there own, one was hitching around the country. No major issues for them(except dirty climbers hitting on them) no guns required for any lady I met.

all that said I spent about 18 months living in my van(about 24 if you include living in a tent) in a variety of places and never had anything too terribe occur (someone ramsacked my tent in Colorado and someone once put a pumkin on top of my van)

I'm a female climber who has dirtbagged on my own several times... with no more defense than a Swiss army knife.

Some destinations where I always felt safe, found partners, and easily joined a climbing community:
-Indian Creek (camp in Creek Pasture)
-Squamish (camp at the Chief)
-Yosemite (Camp 4 -- use the board)
-Tuolumne (hang out at the store in the morning to meet people, the campground is kinda too big to meet people)
-Bishop (camp at The Pit)

I would second the advice about crawling in your car if you ever feel weird. My one negative "solo female dirtbag" story was a non-climber old dude in the campground in Red Rocks (Vegas) who sat outside my tent breathing hard, til I told him I had a knife and went and locked myself in the car for the night. Have your car setup so you can bivy in it if needed. And perhaps avoid camping in Vegas unless you know people.

I've heard the Red is a good spot too, but can't vouch personally.

Just out of curiosity, how many people would be giving the same advice if a 22 year old guy had asked this question?

Get out and live your life! Use common sense and listen to your instincts. Don't listen to men who tell you to fear everything, everyone, and to stay home.

I am single woman and I have traveled around the US and in 45 different countries, and the vast majority of my travel has been solo. I have done countless climbing trips solo in the US, including an entire summer out west driving in my VW Golf. I have also climbed in Cuba, Malaysia, Thailand, Spain, Nepal, Germany, and the Philippines. I also drive a motorcycle and I have now ridden in North America, Central America, the Caribbean, South America, North Africa, Europe, and tons of countries throughout Asia. Both climbing and motorcycling are "dangerous" and I have had so many people tell me to that as a woman I should not be doing these things, let alone be doing them alone. Good thing I never listened to them because I love the path my life has taken and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Yes, bad things happen, but don't let fear keep you from fully experiencing life. Do what makes you happy. Feel free to PM me if you want any specific advice about a road trip. Like another woman wrote, the hardest part on a climbing road trip is finding a decent climbing partner.

Frances Fierst wrote:Just out of curiosity, how many people would be giving the same advice if a 22 year old guy had asked this question?

I would. A a former EMT and ER nurse I have seen plenty of either sex beaten, stabbed, shot, abused, etc. - sometimes over being in the wrong place, at the wrong time - or for having $20 cash on them that some wanted for drug money.

I'm not saying this to deter anyone - just saying - be careful out there and be smart where you sleep, park your car and sleep, etc, etc.

For my sake, go out, do the road trip, do the dirt-bagging experience, find free food and booze, climb a ton, and post some trip report when you get back! Men and women alike need to be safe on the road, so just keep your wits about you and you'll be alright. A general rule of thumb would be that the higher up or more inaccessible you're camping, the fewer scumbags (in contrast with dirtbags) you'll be exposed to. Gotta watch out for the scumbags.

If you end up in Estes Park area and decide to camp at Meeker Park below Mt. Meeker, be careful of a homeless guy named Tab. He has an uncanny skill of stealing liquor and beer, then yelling at you for not giving him a ride into town the next day...

Which brings me to my next point: doing the "dirtbag experience" lets you meet tons of interesting, weird, disgusting, fascinating, annoying, DIFFERENT people, which is awesome. Here in NY even, me and my friend Simon were looking for a place to stay somewhere near a cliff, and the guy who owned the land we were parked on came out with a gun and told us to scram. Eventually, he let us camp on his lawn, next to a bombin' fire-pit, and has even started to really enjoy our visits. They cook us food, invite us inside in the winter to grab some coffee in the A.M., and are generally just friendly people when you get to know them. My point is: you never know who you'll meet. Keep your guard up and be careful (probably not a bad idea to bring some pepper spray if you're traveling alone or just with another girl), but keep an open mind and the world may turn out to be a little friendlier than you had anticipated.

Have fun!

guns, pepper spray... how come nobody has mentioned bringing along a taser?

B/C tasers and pepper spray don't work and will prolly make your situation much worse.

Fall Guy wrote:guns, pepper spray... how come nobody has mentioned bringing along a taser?

What about poison darts?

Not washing like a hippie is a pretty good deterant.

David Sahalie wrote:Not washing like a hippie is a pretty good deterant.

I was gonna say a bar of soap too but you're right Dave! Nix the soap, add to it some gnarly bug infested dreads and she'll be just fine as long as she doesn't visit Nederland.

CaptainMo wrote: I was gonna say a bar of soap too but you're right Dave! Nix the soap, add to it some gnarly bug infested dreads and she'll be just fine as long as she doesn't visit Nederland.

Lol perfect,

Figures you just described my perfect girlfriend. On the other hand most men worst nightmar. Well most men worst nightmare might be over in the "Dude Raped By Three Women" thread" but dreads and armpit hair is a close second maybe a tigh?

Give it hell, and post some trip reports off all the fun you end up having. Something to really stir the pot and get under the skin of all those that think you should get a gun lol...

HAhahahahhahahahahahah

I am considering staying close to Virginia, West Virginia and around Tennessee just feeling everything out since this would be my first trip. Then I will decide if I want to go across the country.
I was thinking traveling around and seeing all the different possible places would give me a better idea of where I would like to live. Because where I live now there is basally no climbing at all.
Hopefully I will meet some nice people. On trips that I have gone on before with other climbers we would always run into another group and end up climbing together. I really do appreciate all the advice from everyone on how to avoid all the sticky situations. I grew up a very paranoid person so all of the other scary situations are in my mind too. But I refuse to live my life shut up and unhappy. My safety will be my first priority if I do end up on my own and I won’t do anything that makes me uncomfortable

Sorry it took me forever to respond. Thank you for all of the links and opinions :)

I started going on climbing trips by myself years ago, when I was about 19. My first was to Yosemite Valley, where I stayed for a month on $25 - scrounged my meals at the cafeteria. Then, a year later, another girl and I hitch hiked to Jackson Hole, met another girl, and the three of us hitch-hiked to Big Sandy opening to hike in to the Wind Rivers. A year later, I traveled to the Bugaboos, stayed there alone, and then hitch hiked back to California and went to the Valley again.
This was all long ago, and I wouldn't hitch-hike today. For a few decades I had a partner and then a son I traveled with, but now I"m traveling on climbing trips alone again. I've gone to major areas alone, and find it easy to find partners in: Yosemite, Tuolumne, Indian Creek, Squamish, BC, Maple Canyon. I had a choice of go alone, or not go at all, since no one I knew had time or money, and so I went alone the last few summers.
PM me if you want more advice.