I Was Raped Hiking 18 Years Ago-I Mark Each Anniversary With a Solo Walk

A woman who was sexually assaulted while hiking alone 18 years ago now marks the anniversary each year with a solo walk.

Winnie M. Li, who was 29 at the time, told Newsweek the tradition began in the immediate aftermath of the assault, when even the idea of being alone outdoors felt overwhelming.

Once someone who loved nature and travel, she found herself unable to enter a park by herself without triggering panic.

"In the immediate aftermath, I had pretty bad post-traumatic stress disorder," Li said. "Anything that reminded me of the situation… would bring back panic attacks, so the very thought of walking in a park on my own was terrifying."

Her first attempt at returning to the outdoors was gradual. In the initial year, she asked friends to accompany her on a short walk. The following year, she ventured out alone-but only in a small city park.

Those early walks, she explained, were about proving to herself that she could still do something that had once felt natural.

"It was about trying to reclaim that [part of myself]," she said, adding that she consciously tried to hold two opposing feelings at once: the anxiety tied to her trauma, and an appreciation for the beauty still present around her.

Over time, the significance of the ritual shifted. Like many survivors of trauma, Li said the anniversary itself (she marks the anniversary as the second Saturday of April each year) remained an emotionally charged date, a fixed point in the calendar that prompted reflection.

"In the earlier years, it was obviously kind of a dark and sad day," she said. "But then as I eventually recovered… it became more of a reminder of how far I'd come."

Now, nearly two decades on, Li is a mom to 6-year-old son. She said the day is less about the assault and more about acknowledging survival and growth.

"It's become more of a celebratory marker of how I've rebuilt my life," Li said. "I don’t really think about the rape anymore these days. It's a day where I appreciate nature and enjoy being on my own."

This year, Li chose to walk part of the Southwest Coast Path in Cornwall, traveling from Penzance to Land's End. The multi-day route marked a step up from her usual shorter walks.

"I wanted to do something bigger," she said, explaining that the decision was shaped partly by a demanding year at work and a desire to spend extended time outdoors. The path, known for its dramatic cliffs and coastal views, offered a sense of escape from her everyday life in Birmingham, a city in the west midlands of the U.K.

Although she described the scenery as rewarding, the experience also reflected how her relationship with risk has changed since the assault.

Certain sections of the trail felt uncomfortably close to the edge, and she noted that both her past experience and becoming a parent have made her more cautious.

"That sense of invincibility you might have in your youth-that went away after all this," she said. "I'm never going to be an entirely carefree traveler, but I can still enjoy adventure despite having this knowledge that bad things can happen."

Reclaiming that balance has been a long-term process. Li said she pushed herself early on to travel again, including a solo backpacking trip through Southeast Asia less than two years after the assault-an experience she now looks back on with a mix of pride and disbelief.

Recovery, she emphasized, was neither quick nor linear, but over time she has rebuilt a life that includes travel, a family and a career as a writer-the hardcover edition of What We Left Unsaid is available wherever books are sold, with the paperback publishing August 25, 2026, now available for preorder.

If she could speak to her younger self, she said, her message would be simple: It gets better.

"There will come a time when you can do the things that you want to do," she said. "Life is short. I'm not going to spend time doing things that aren't worth my time. Because of that awareness, that lack of tolerance for unsatisfying situations, is a reminder that I am alive, and I need to go for the things that mean something to me."

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This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 5:00 AM.