*content warning: I will be quoting words that were yelled at me, including the expletives*

“Fuck is that- it is! Oh fuck no! McGuyver, you little bitch! Spreading fucking lies dragging my name through the mud. I never did shit to you!”

All this was yelled at me by someone who I’m already completely terrified of, as he walked menacingly towards me. I had been on my way to my car, which was in between the two of us, but now he was too close, I couldn’t escape that way.

Fight or flight took over. I turned and sprinted back to the brewery across the street where my friends were hanging out. Once I got there I had the energy only to pant out that Rebel was here, and yes, he had seen me alright. I didn’t know if he was following, but I had a hunch he was. Luckily he had an armload of packages so he couldn’t run after me quite so quickly.

My friend Cricket agreed to walk with me back to my car, even as I took what seemed to be a completely irrational roundabout way to avoid the douchebro. Despite my obvious terror upon seeing this man, he insisted on detouring from his route to come shout at me. Would he have done more? I can’t say for certain, so I’m profoundly grateful to Cricket for standing on the other side of a tin shed and slowing him down just a little bit with her pleas for him to just leave me the heck alone.

He didn’t listen to her, but he was distracted just long enough for me to sprint away again and get back in my car. As I drove away I stopped briefly to thank Cricket. I saw douchebro off in the distance running towards me, but I have a car and he doesn’t, so I successfully escaped. No harm came to me aside from a small amount of terror as he chased me around Snoqualmie Pass.

My worst day on trail was because of the douchebro, and now I’m glad to be off trail because it means he can never reach me again. As I drove down I-90 back into Seattle I knew I’d never see him again, so despite the terror of this little incident, I felt calmer than I ever did before after seeing this guy on trail.