AITAH for refusing to answer calls from my father after he left me stranded in the woods?

Long hikes test your physical limits—and your trust in those you count on. For one adventurer, a 5-day, 74-mile hiking trip became a bitter lesson in reliability. The plan was simple: her father, who had promised to pick her up at the end of the journey and return her to her car at the starting point, would be there within a specified window on the final day.

With careful planning, she provided him with a time range between 2 and 4 PM, and he assured her he’d be there. After pushing herself hard to complete the hike in time, she finished at 3 PM only to find her father absent. With no cell service to reach him, she had no choice but to hitchhike back, feeling deeply let down.

That night, when she finally managed to contact him, her father claimed she hadn’t given him an exact time—so he had gone off to a friend’s place in another state and wouldn’t be available for days. Furious and isolated by the situation, she’s now left reeling from what she sees as a betrayal by the one person she trusted to be there when she needed him most.

‘ AITAH for refusing to answer calls from my father after he left me stranded in the woods?’

Expert Opinion

“Dependability in family relationships is crucial, particularly when promises are made for significant moments,” explains Dr. Terri Orbuch, a relationship expert featured in Psychology Today. In this case, the OP’s disappointment stems from a clear breach of trust.

She planned and communicated a specific time range for pickup, yet her father’s failure to honor that promise not only left her stranded but also shattered her expectations. Dr. Orbuch notes, “When a family member breaks a promise—especially in situations that require physical endurance and trust—it can have a lasting emotional impact, fostering feelings of abandonment.”

Dr. Orbuch further emphasizes that long hiking trips, while physically demanding, also require a reliable support system. “If a person is left alone in a vulnerable state, it can undermine their confidence and sense of security,” she adds.

The father’s excuse—that the given time range was not specific enough—ignores the fact that the OP provided a reasonable window and even adjusted her pace to meet it. His decision to be absent and seek company elsewhere reflects not only a lack of commitment but also a disregard for the emotional and physical toll such an ordeal takes on his daughter.

Moreover, Dr. Orbuch points out that consistent reliability is the backbone of strong familial bonds. “When one fails to meet expectations, especially after clear communication, it can lead to a breakdown in trust and long-term resentment,” she states.

This scenario highlights a broader issue of unmet responsibilities within family relationships, where the person in need—after putting in extra effort and planning—ends up feeling completely abandoned. Such incidents remind us that even when plans are flexible, the commitment to follow through should remain unwavering.

In light of this, Dr. Orbuch suggests that families establish clearer communication channels and perhaps even contingency plans for situations where exact timing cannot be predicted. “Setting a backup plan or confirming details the day before can mitigate potential misunderstandings,” she advises. Ultimately, the OP’s feelings of betrayal are valid, and her father’s actions may require further reflection and perhaps even professional mediation to prevent future occurrences.

Here’s the input from the Reddit crowd:

Redditors overwhelmingly agree that the OP is completely justified in feeling betrayed by her father’s failure to pick her up as promised. They emphasize that the father’s excuse—that the time window wasn’t exact enough—is unacceptable when clear communication was already provided.

Many commenters suspect he never intended to show up and view his actions as a pattern of unreliability. The consensus is that if a trusted family member lets you down in a critical moment, it’s fair to be angry and to reconsider how much trust to place in them moving forward.