I don't know that I agree one person is in more danger from a psycho than a couple or a group is. First they have to spot you, and they're more likely to spot a group than a solo. Second, they have to approach undetected, and a solo hiker is more likely to be alarmed at the sounds of someone approaching than is a member of a group, who is hearing others on the trail anyway. Third, a member of a group is more likely to be distracted by talking or other interaction with his/her group, and the psycho can take advantage of the distraction to get close enough for his chain-saw atack. Fourth, as any beach monster movie watcher can tell you, when danger is near, one member of the group is likely to hear something strange and go off alone to investigate. Fifth, the most numerous known psycho population near our hiking trails (mother bears foraging on one side of the trail with cubs on the other side) are more likely to be alarmed if a group of people come between her and her cubs than if a single person does.

I'm not trying to talk you into doing something you don't want to do. If this risk makes you uncomfortable hiking alone, then I agree you should stick to groups. It's no fun being scared, even if somebody else thinks you have nothing to be afraid of. But for women who are trying to make up their own minds, I would encourage them to evaluate the risks in the woods RELATIVE to the risks in the rest of their lives. If you were evaluating a neighborhood to live in, one double murder 10 years ago would probably rate as a pretty safe neighborhood. Why be 100 times safer in the one, small part of your life that you love, than in the rest of your life?