I'm a female solo hiker, 30s, and I've been attacked by a man hiding behind a tree. He came at me with a knife. I screamed for help, but no one came.

This is a personal story that I've never shared with anyone and I don't know if I'm ready to. It's not too heavy to talk about, but it's very difficult to think about, especially for the last few years. <br><br>I was 21, in the summer of 2014. I'm from a big city in Europe and I went to do a solo hike in a small village in Eastern Europe. It was my first time in the mountains and I was completely clueless about hiking. <br><br>I went to a local outdoor shop and the people there recommended a route for me. I was a total beginner and didn't have any proper equipment, but I did have a few items such as a tent, sleeping bag and a sleeping pad. I didn't have a backpack, so the shop people gave me a small rucksack. <br><br>I had been hiking for a few hours when it started getting dark and I looked at my phone. I had 20% battery left. I was exhausted and decided to stop for the night. I had never set up a tent before and it took me a long time to figure it out. The small rucksack was terrible for carrying the tent, so it was a challenge to open and close the bag while trying to set up the tent. <br><br>I had to pitch the tent on a very uneven surface and I was worried that it was going to collapse during the night. <br><br>I went inside my tent, closed my eyes and fell asleep almost immediately. <br><br>I woke up at 4am and heard a rustling sound outside my tent. I tried to ignore it, hoping that it was just a stray animal. Then, I heard footsteps. It sounded like someone was walking in a circle around my tent, probably checking if anyone was inside. <br><br>I was so terrified that I couldn't move. I just lay there and froze. <br><br>I remember that I had a knife with me that was attached to my backpack. It was a small knife that was designed for cutting plants, not for self-defense. But I was desperate. I slowly turned my head to my right side and looked at the backpack. I tried to reach for the knife, but it was too far away. I was paralyzed with fear and couldn't move. <br><br>I heard the footsteps again and I screamed for help at the top of my lungs. I don't know if anyone heard me. <br><br>The rustling sound stopped immediately and there was complete silence. I heard footsteps again, this time coming from a different direction. <br><br>I was terrified to look outside and I just lay there, frozen with fear. I didn't know what to do and I just hoped that the person would leave. <br><br>Then, I heard a voice. "Who's there?" It was a woman. She was walking in my direction, slowly and cautiously. I couldn't see her, as my tent was pitched in a small depression and the terrain around it was very dense. <br><br>I heard the woman getting closer and closer. Then, she was right next to my tent. "Is anyone there?" she asked. <br><br>I still didn't know what to do. I didn't know if I should scream again or if I should stay quiet. Then, I heard her open my backpack and grab the knife. She was looking for the knife inside my tent. <br><br>I slowly turned my head and looked at the tent door. I saw her hand reaching for the knife. It was a large hand with very long fingers and I remember thinking that it looked like a man's hand. I felt a surge of adrenaline and my fear turned into anger. I was sure that she was going to stab me with my own knife. <br><br>I screamed at the top of my lungs. "What the f*ck do you think you're doing? Leave me alone!" I was angry and I was trying to sound scary. <br><br>She ran away immediately and I heard her footsteps disappearing in the distance. I waited for a few minutes, but she didn't come back. <br><br>I slowly opened my tent door and looked outside. The terrain was still dense and I couldn't see anyone. I grabbed my knife and checked my surroundings. The knife was big and heavy and I remember feeling very relieved to have it in my hands. <br><br>I waited for another 20 minutes and then I decided to go back to sleep. I had to wake up early the next day to catch my train and I was exhausted. <br><br>I slept for another hour or two and then I woke up and started packing my tent. When I opened the bag, I saw that my sleeping bag was missing. <br><br>I started searching my surroundings and then I went to the local shop to ask if anyone had turned in my sleeping bag. I was told that someone had found a sleeping bag in a forest a few miles away and they had taken it to the police station. I went there and picked it up. <br><br>When I got back to my hometown, I told my friends what had happened and they were all shocked and angry. I was angry too and I wanted to find out who had attacked me and what had happened to my sleeping bag. <br><br>I went to the police station and asked to see the security cameras. They showed me footage from a camera that was pointing at the forest and I saw a man wearing a hoodie walking in the direction of my campsite. He had a bag with him and he looked like he was hiding something. <br><br>I asked the police if they could zoom in on his face and they said it was too blurry to make out any features. I offered to pay for the footage to be enhanced, but they told me that it would cost a lot of money. I was frustrated and angry, but there was nothing I could do. <br><br>I never heard from the police again and I gave up on finding out what had happened. I never went back to that village again and I stopped hiking for several years. <br><br>It took me a long time to forget what had happened. I still have flashbacks and nightmares about it sometimes. I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to forgive myself for not being more careful. <br><br>I don't know why I'm sharing this story now. Maybe I want to talk about it for the first time. Maybe I want to write it down before I forget some of the details. Maybe I'm just bored and I want to distract myself from my daily worries. <br><br>I'm sorry for making you read such a long post. It's not easy to read and it's not easy to write either. I'm grateful for all of you who took the time to read this and I'm glad that I could finally share this story with someone.