I'm hoping to thru hike NOBO in 2016 or 2017. However, I'll still be in college at that time. I'm strong and have four years of martial arts under my belt, but I'm also 5'4" and the AT is a sausagefest. Anybody have advice for thru hiking as a young woman amongst largely older men? Particularly on the more social NOBO route. I'm pretty obviously gay but for some inexplicable reason men are often undeterred.


Notes: I am very much a creature of solitude, so getting a hiking buddy isn't for me. I briefly considered carrying a pistol, but decided it's not worth the extra weight and effort, especially since it could easily just be turned on me. I do usually carry a small can of pepper spray (the kind that clips onto your belt and extends out on a line when you pull it) when I hike, but I don't know if that will be enough.