Alone - why not..?

People ask me so many questions about my hike. Why do I need to do it? Why on earth do I want to hike for so many miles? Why do I want to suffer? Am I not afraid? What do I want to get out of it? Do I think I will "find myself"? And so on. I like people asking questions. I cherish curiosity and answer the best I can. Yes, I do it because I cherish solitude and I love nature and no, I am not afraid. Byron says it perfectly ;

"There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, There is a rapture on the lonely shore, There is society where none intrudes, By the deep Sea, and music in its roar: I love not human the less, but Nature more." 

The question I get most often is; Am I really hiking by myself? Alone? But why? Really? But am I not afraid to be a woman alone in the wilderness??  The answer is no. I am not afraid. I can't wait to be alone. And if I was to be a woman alone anywhere I would much rather be a woman alone in the wilderness than in a city. I have never seen myself different than a man. I can do all of the things. I don't put boundaries on myself just because I am a woman. There is no difference. Actually I think it is pretty cool to be a woman. And I will do this hike for all women, all women with dreams and goals and invincible powers. This hike is for all of you.