Independence Day

It is disappointing when people question your judgement when you want to go to a wild place alone. Especially when you find security in solitude, and when you are qualified in so many ways to be doing what you're doing.

I kayaked to and camped on an uninhabited island this weekend. Alone. Nothing bad happened to me. I was in full control of almost everything. I felt safe, content, peaceful. 

Tonight, I walked alone for less than a quarter of a mile through town and was followed and yelled at by a staggering drunk man. I felt neither safe, content, nor peaceful. 

One of these scenarios is more common and sadly, more accepted than the other. Let's stop discouraging women who find tranquility in wild places. Encourage exploration and self-reliance. Discourage the idea that a woman must be accompanied by a man in order to feel safe. 

Happy (belated) Independence Day.