Hiking Solo in Forest Park (Portland, Spray: live, cost, parks)

[SoloHiker1964]

Hey to everybody out there I just hiked from Germantown Road to Thurman yesterday and I didn't have any incidences with any strange people. I think I did see a squirrel but nothing gave me the impression of feeling my life was in danger.
Sadly Portland is a very weird city with a lot of weird personalities and a lot of drugs and medication so the most unpredictable creature to pay attention to does not have four legs, does not have wings, it is not a slimy thing on the ground but it has two legs, a cellphone and can be smart.
Having lived in multiple national parks, having close encounters with grizzly bears, cougars, moose, wolves and other wild animals they don't bother me but humans are a different story.
If you want to hike solo be smart, pay attention, take a compass with you so you don't get lost because you may not have cell service.
There were two items of protection that I always took with me when I went out into the Wilderness knowing that there were grizzly bears out there as well as other animals that may find humans on the menu. Those two items are (1) small air horn kicks out 150 decibels will cost around $10, (2) Bear Spray super effective on any air breathing animal and runs around $80.
Mace is ineffective, I downed a charging elk cow in Yellowstone NP on my way to work with Bear Spray. She was a good 600lbs +.
She recovered later on and walked back out into the woods but I'm sure she's probably thinking maybe if she sees a can of bear spray she'll actually run away.

I did speak to a Park Ranger and told the ranger that I hike solo what advice could he offer me? He just told me to be smart, alert to surroundings and be prepared.

I did notice some solo hikers yesterday but they weren't going very far they were literally doing a few miles Loop staying close to the populated trailheads.

To all the newbies who want to hike in the park your friends may tell you "oh don't read those forums those are just scared people or they're just trying to scare you" all I can offer is what I mentioned earlier about what the park ranger told me.

✌ ✌