Backpacking in a conservation area in Colorado, which means fewer people but also fewer rangers than a national park. Passed a guy and he was a little off but whatever and I kept moving, maybe he’d just been on trail for a while or simply didn’t want to interact.

Then I pause for food and he passes me, whistling and seeming to put a lot of effort into not making eye contact. Then he stops and I pass him again. Then he passes me, then before too long he stops so I pass him again. Over and over, I ended up passing him at least six times despite keeping a steady pace. Every time, he is whistling and not looking at me.

When I’m done for the day, I set up and started prepping to sleep. I heard him whistling in the distance. I packed up and walked as fast as I could with minimal light until I finally stopped around 3am. Setup camp with no light. Didn’t sleep a wink listening for anything that sounded like a whistle. I didn’t see him the next day.

So my take on the man or bear thing: bears won’t track a human through the woods for miles and miles.

I’ve also been attacked by a random dude on a bus that probably had some mental health and/or drug issues. That was scary, but the hours + stalking + mental and physical fatigue of the backpacking stalker was far more draining.