A video capturing a female solo traveler's "state of panic" during a challenging hike in Italy has gone viral on TikTok.
The video was shared by Katie Slee (@katie_slee), a 24-year-old sports nutritionist/restaurant worker in Perth, Western Australia, who is "passionate about food, health, fitness and travel," she told Newsweek.
The clip, which has received 3.1 million views since it was posted May 6, details the challenges she faced while hiking in the Val Gardena area of Italy's Dolomites, a mountain region, in early May last year.
A message overlaid on the clip says: "Me excited to go on a solo hike in Italy not knowing what I was getting myself into."
"I took this video last year when I was hiking in the Italian Dolomites," Slee told Newsweek. "I was hiking the Seceda [mountain] in Val Gardena, Italy, on May 7, 2023. I was hiking alone, as I was traveling with my mother, who was not able to hike with me. I had researched this hike but not before I left for Italy, where I did not intend to do much hiking, so did not bring hiking gear with me. What I was wearing was all I had."
The video goes on to show Slee pointing out a snow-covered path and a mountain view of the area, explaining how she hadn't realized the second part of the trail was "blocked off by thick snow." She is later seen in tears while looking at the journey ahead, saying, "I can't do this" before continuing the hike.
Female solo travelers "seek adventure, escape, social interaction, education, independence, and self-understanding," according to a December 2023 study in the Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism.
But research has shown that several factors discourage women from traveling alone, and the "most crucial issue" affecting their motivation is safety risk.
In 2023, 61 percent of female travelers named personal safety as one of the main obstacles to doing a solo trip. The fear of getting lost was among the other common obstacles reported that year, according to data compiled by Statista, the global data company.
'Out There All Alone'
The hike, which Slee initially anticipated would be similar to her previous solo hikes, soon turned into a challenging ordeal.
"I did the loop trail of the hike but definitely should've just gone back the way I came, as most of the second half of the trail and markings were hidden by snow. I had the offline map downloaded, though, so kind of knew where I was going," she said.
Despite her limited hiking experience, Slee was determined to complete the trail. "I had only done two or three solo hikes before this in Italy as well—my first time hiking at all—and they had gone perfectly fine and I really enjoyed them. I felt like this one would be similar, but it was not."
She recalled the trail was "very steep and very slippery as soon as there was any snow, ice, melted ice or mud, especially in my Adidas Ultraboosts [sneakers]."
Slee met two Italian locals on the way up, who let her borrow their shoe spikes briefly while they all trekked downhill in the snow. They later went back the same way they came while she continued the loop.
As the hike progressed, Slee began to feel the mental and physical toll. "I felt very determined to finish the hike, and it wasn't until over three-quarters of the way into it when I started to lose a bit of mental strength and panic," she said.
"This was onset by a few small things which ended up overwhelming me, such as the fact that I was so far into the hike and if I decided to turn around it would be many hours before I would finish and would likely be dark," she said.
The weather predictions also changed, and it looked as if a storm was approaching, "so I knew I couldn't turn around and the feeling of being out there all alone was starting to play a toll on me," Slee recalled.
The daunting conditions and the sight of a crucified Jesus statue further intensified her panic. Looking at the end of the trail on the AllTrails mobile app, she could tell it was going to be a very steep incline and decline through the snow, which was waist-deep at a few points.
The Jesus statue "sent me over the edge, and the thought of not being able to do it really set me into a state of panic, which is where the tears started to roll," she said.
"I tried very hard to control my breathing after my panic attack but it was very challenging, as I was freaking out but determined to finish. I knew I had to. I was not about to call a rescue chopper out there," which would be "embarrassing," she said.
She continued onward, "fighting through the mental barriers," and finished the hike. She ran the final leg of the journey when she finally reached even terrain, "as I just couldn't wait to get back home and crash and feel safe out of the mountains."
Despite vowing never to hike again, Slee found herself back in the mountains a few months later, in Northern Albania, "hiking in a storm but no panic attacks or tears, as I was with other people."
"The Seceda, Italy, hiking experience is one that made me tremendously proud of myself, of my mental and physical strength," she said. "It gave me a sense of accomplishment, and the feeling of finishing the hike was such a happy relief. I hope to return to Italy soon to do more hikes, hopefully even a via ferrata [a protected climbing route]."
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Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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