Travelgirl Posted October 28, 2019 Report Share Posted October 28, 2019 Hola, does anyone know if it is safe for a gringa to hike to the chapel alone? Gracias Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pappysmarket Posted October 28, 2019 Report Share Posted October 28, 2019 I used to hike to the Chapel alone probably 3-4 times a week. My last time was many years ago so who knows what it's like today. I stopped going when I was probably 1/4 of the way up and I noticed 3 young males to the east of me running, as best they could, up the steepest part of the hill. They stopped several times to look in my direction and I finally realized they would get to the switchback to the east before I got there. Were they trying to intercept me? Who knows but for once in my life I decided to not take a chance and turned around and ended my Chapel hikes that day. YMMV but hiking anywhere alone tends to increase the chances of an unhappy encounter. The fact that I so frequently hiked there alone in the early afternoon might have been inviting to some bad guys, if indeed they were bad guys. I'll never know and that's OK with me. I'm 6'2" and 230# and was around age 60 at the time and nothing had previously been sufficiently scary to change my routine. Find a friend to go with would be my advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmh Posted October 28, 2019 Report Share Posted October 28, 2019 A woman was assaulted a few years ago hiking alone.. Go with someone, it is safer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakeside7 Posted October 28, 2019 Report Share Posted October 28, 2019 I thought it was always the norm to have a buddy in case of accidents etc.. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thevalerieleigh Posted October 29, 2019 Report Share Posted October 29, 2019 I would discourage walking up to the Chapel alone for the reasons listed above. Firstly, if you should fall or have a health problem, it's best to have someone to help out. Secondly, I was assaulted near the Chapel on a Saturday afternoon around 2 pm when I was alone. We had quite a fight and fortunately my screams brought 3 men to my aid. The perpetrator was not caught and sadly, he did succeed in sexually assaulting a young girl a couple of weeks later at the waterfalls on the mountain. Pappysmarket did the right thing when she got the "sixth sense", turned around and went back down the hill. Better to be safe than sorry. I knew from the moment the young man approached me what his intent was and that it was going to be a battle of wills. I was lucky to escape with just bruises and scrapes. Take care, Val Jones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travelgirl Posted October 29, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2019 Muchas Gracias/Thank You for all your valuable information. and Pappy, I am so happy that you are here to tell your tale and grateful that you were ok (those spidey senses are awesome ay) And Valerie, I'm so sorry that you had that experience but so happy that you got thru it and are able to impart this experience to us newbies. For all of this, I am very grateful. I brought my "screamer" with me from Canada, it's a device you wear on your belt with a chain you pull in emergencies and the sound that comes out of it is beyone "ear piercing"!! Tks again everyone, I will find a partner for sure 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookj5 Posted October 29, 2019 Report Share Posted October 29, 2019 I hike up to the chapel 5 mornings a week before breakfast. There is always foot traffic, both expat and Mexican, on the trail, so I am not surprised that Valerie had someone come to her aid almost immediately. In fact, over several years of these morning hikes, I have never yet had a morning when I didn't meet someone. I have never been bothered by anyone, but then I am a male, in reasonably good shape, and I always carry a hiking stick. So, I'm probably not a good target. The only problem I have ever encountered was tripping on a root and falling on the rocky trail. It's a bit like sliding down a cheese grater and I came home with a number of cuts and scrapes. Taking a fall like that, with possibly immobilizing injuries, is the main reason to avoid hiking alone. This is especially true for routes that are less frequented than the chapel trail. On some, it could be days before anyone happened by. The Ajijic Hiking Group leads hikes every Tuesday and Friday morning (meet at Min Wah Chinese Restaurant at 8:45 AM). There is always a group that just goes up to the chapel and back for new hikers or those with limited time. That is the safest way to hike this or any of the other trails. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pappysmarket Posted October 29, 2019 Report Share Posted October 29, 2019 As cookj5 says, early mornings see much more traffic on the trail to the Chapel. For safety reasons that would be the best time to go solo, if you must go solo. I purposely avoided that time to enjoy a bit more solitude but be aware that you may be more likely to encounter trouble with fewer people around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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