Woman’s solo camping post sparks heated debate over safety

Karoline Smådal, 30, said her account of feeling afraid during her first solo night in the woods triggered a wave of angry responses online, Dagbladet reports.

Smådal had recently shared a post on Instagram urging men to make it clear that they are not a threat to women while hiking. She said she had hoped the post would lead to a constructive discussion about how people should behave around one another outdoors.

“I thought I was stating something obvious by sharing my experience, but I ended up in a dark hole on the internet,” Smådal said.

Her first solo trip took place on 13 July. She walked from her flat in Torshov to Grefsenåsen, carrying a backpack and a hammock. She often hikes and sleeps outdoors with her boyfriend, Brage, but wanted to complete a trip alone rather than wait for someone else to be available.

Smådal said she was not especially worried before setting out. However, when she reached the place where she planned to camp, she saw three men farther down the terrain and moved higher up to find more peace and quiet.

After she had set up camp, the men moved closer and began drinking beer nearby. Smådal tried to make contact by smiling and waving, but said they did not respond.

“When I got no response, I felt the fear growing,” she said.

She began packing up to move elsewhere, but the men then left. Shortly afterwards, two other men from a separate hiking group arrived. Smådal again tried to make contact, without success.

“I remember thinking that I wished they could not see that I was a woman,” she said. She added that her fear was a personal feeling, but that statistics on violence and sexual abuse meant it was not irrational.

During the night, Smådal wrote about the experience. In her Instagram post, she said the forest itself had not frightened her. What she feared was the men she encountered.

She also wrote that she had met several people drinking beer and camping, either alone or in groups, but no women. In her view, none of the people she encountered had helped create a safe environment for a woman travelling alone.

VG was the first outlet to report on her experience.