5-6 years ago, I was walking a couple of miles around some neighborhood streets near my house before dawn. These are large, wooded lots, no street lights, pretty “secluded” in a way, especially at 5:30 in the morning. I was hiking that early because it was the coolest time of the day & to avoid some ladies & their (uncontrolled) dogs that were a real pain if I ran into them on a street I had to take to get back home.
True confessions ... I was nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs until the sun came up to the point I didn’t need a flashlight. No one would have heard me if I’d run into someone ‘bad’ on those streets. Anyone could have driven up and tried or actually pulled off an abduction. Or, I could have been dragged into the woods (plenty of those in that area). Just DUMB. I finally realized that walking around the subdivision for a couple of miles a day was not like hiking 20-30 miles in the mountains/weekend and gave it up. I was actually relieved when I decided not to do that any more. No earbuds ... have never used them. I did carry spray, but I’ve never been super confident about spray. At the time, I had not yet acquired my revolver - if I’d had it, I would have carried it (small, 2” barrel so it will carry concealed).
> I did carry spray, but I’ve never been super confident about spray. <
Consider Sabre and Fox brands. They are available on Amazon. Avoid the junk they sell at supermarket check-out lines. There are good videos on YouTube showing how to use the stuff.
As a side note, I think good quality pepper spray is as important as a firearm. There are times when using a gun could be an over-reaction. Pepper spray is a good alternative at those times.
.