He said he was scared to do this, and asked if I had any advice about the merits of trails versus roads, and about the fear he felt about doing the trip.
Trails wind through woods, ascend high mountains, and enter dark valleys.
Experienced hikers know that this is often not the case. In fact, seasoned hikers know that the closer to a road you are, the more likely you are to have trouble with drunk or hassling strangers. The only time I had trouble with scary people on the Appalachian Trail was near roads. They were always people from nearby towns, never hikers. Seems like people who want to mug you, hassle you, or otherwise prey on walkers, are not inclined to walk 20 miles uphill in the rain, into the mountains, to find victims.