05/09/20: Required Entry: Adapted

About 5 days ago me and my mom had went on a little hike not really exactly a hike but rather a more nature walk and with this whole pandemic it has been very heavily trafficked on some trails but I thought because we were going early we would not have to exactly worry about that. So while we were on this walk of course I am looking around and enjoying nature and there was trail that led down to the water and my mom insisted we had to go down so there was maybe about 60 steps to the bottom but it was intense. As we go to the bottom we went to the water of course and just enjoyed it when my mom turned to talk to me she saw a man coming down as well . My mom gave me a face of somewhat suspicion but I’m used to going hiking alone so the thought of someone else on this hike didn’t surprise me. As I started to tell my mom no nothings suspicious I go to look at him and he is just standing at the end of stairs in flip flops and shorts. I felt that he violated the “norm” of hiking usually when you go on a hiking trail you don’t usually wear cargo shorts a polo shirt and sandals considering you’re walking through dirt and stuff. I felt that if someone was to go on a hike common sense you don’t go dressed like you’re on vacation. Not only that but because he was a man and us being two females my mom felt extra uncomfortable he was heavier set so he outweighed both of us and the age was about in his late 40s and it was weird to see someone a mile in and has flip-flops on. The situation would have been totally different if we saw him at the beach right before the hike considering he wasn’t hiking in flip flops but rather he just went down to the beach but rather he walked a mile and me and mom made several stops to look on the look out spots and never saw him he literally came from nowhere. Also during this whole pandemic many people wave on the trails I think because like we don’t get much human interaction anymore so its different now people have became in a sense more friendly. The weird feeling also continued because my mom get uncomfortable so I led her up the 60 stairs to a different look out and as my mom described to me how she felt he suddenly popped up from behind a tree again which led us to feel even more weird about the situation. I tried to sit back and think how other people can see me as weird and behave similarly . I told my mom that I hike all the time and many times I hike alone super early in the morning and when I hike I do not let anything really disturb my peace so I don’t always pay the best attention to my surroundings. A week prior to this hike I had went on a hike for sunrise and I was following a trail map but somehow I switched the maps and I was going on a different trail and I didn’t realize because it said I would end up in a parking lot so I did 6 miles although the hike I was supposed to go on was 3 but I assumed that I had went on a loop and did a bigger trail then I intended. As I got to the parking lot I realized that was not the parking lot I needed I looked on the map and realized my parking lot was on the whole other side of the big hills that I had just did 6 miles . I then told myself I am not going to hike another 6 miles so I started walking on this road and there was no service but another man walking his dog on the street. I went up to him and tried to explain the situation as best as I could and describe where I think my parking lot I’m supposed to be in is and it was already weird because I was standing 6 feet away trying to explain this. If I was in a situation like that walking my dog I would feel uncomftonarble and would be like this persons weird and probably cautious for my safety . But the man didn’t he told me how to get there and just do another 2 miles on the road and I’d end up at my car and he was right so I appreciate him for not judging me but rather helping me out although I probably came off crazy. Back to the situation I labeled him as weird because the way he carried himself he did smile or wave anything just stood there and the situation was already weird on its own. So instead of smiling or waving and sometimes on hikes many people talk to me about the surroundings like oh such a nice view and stuff but that didn’t occur I wanted to get as far away from him as possible because he was suspicious.