"Self Proclaimed" Trail Angels (SPTA) who are not trail angels

[Oak Leaf]

There are reports of a person, as described in this post, masquerading as a trail angel who preys on young hikers in the Northern VA/West Virginia/southern Maryland area. This is a very real person who takes hikers to his home, gives them alcohol, and makes sexual advances on them. Please keep reading to see if you might be at risk from this SPTA.

Question 1: When a person announces himself to be a trail angel and offers to take you to his home and give you a free night’s lodging, do you think:
A. This is my lucky day
B. Is this on the level?

If you have answered B and turned down the SPTA, then you have a healthy amount of skepticism – you pass the test and get to keep hiking. Someone out there will protest that there are really nice people out there who actually want to give you a free place to stay. And I will answer, what did your mother tell you about getting into the car with a stranger?

If you answered A and get in the car with this SPTA , perhaps with your hiking buddy also just to be safe, then let’s get to the next question.

Question 2: At the house, when this person offers you a lot of alcohol, do you think:
A. He’s giving me free alcohol when I am underage so he must be cool
B. Why is a middle aged man giving alcohol to a 17, 28, 19, 20-something young man or woman?

If you answered B, and hightailed it out of there, then you gain 50 experience points and have learned a lesson before it became a painful lesson.

If you answered A, then you and possibly your buddy will enter the zone desired by the SPTA in which you are at the mercy of the SPTA. You think your buddy is there to back you up but he has already passed out.

This is no joke. I apologize to the real trail angels out there who give to hikers out of kindness and do not self-identify as trail angels though we know they are.

[R00K]

There should be a section for parents with minors or even college students attempting thru-hikes and tips like this should be included.

[Lone Wolf]

i've been around the AT for 25 years. and these men are out there between georgia and maine. quite a few actually.

[Tuckahoe]

"but, but, but everyone out there on the trail are good and kind hearted and wouldnt hurt anyone..."

[Carl in FL]

The Original Poster has (1) post.
That doesn't qualify for elitist slug.
Not yet, anyway.

Get real.

[harryfred]

Lotta good people all along the trail. If we hear of some one like the OP described we know how to handle it and we talk to each other. Noted this is the OP's first post

[trailangelbronco]

My name dates back to the 80's when I lived in Maine and helped folks on the trail and stuff like that. I was a Teen at the time, just to clear that up....

[GoldenBear]

Any time someone begins a story with

> There are reports

and gives not one reference or link, I usually translate these as "Rumors, with no basis whatsoever in fact, spread by people too lazy to bother to check the truth, continue to state..."
Note that the OP does not give any description of this "person," not even that person's ethnic background, height, or general build. Not much to go on!

Are there people who take advantage of naive, trusting people? Yes, in every place, whether in major cities or in wilderness. You should be cautious about someone offering you free liquor ANYWHERE, whether it's on the Trail or at a bar a block from your home.

Can I prove that there ISN'T someone doing this in the area (which IS a bit wide, don't you think)?
No more than anyone can prove I HAVEN'T read War and Peace. Proving a negative is usually next to impossible.

But the utter vagueness of this description of this "person," as well as the wideness of the location of his supposed residence (he takes people to his home, which is somewhere between northern Virginia and Maryland), can't help me conclude this is another urban legend, on par with

http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/perfume.asp

[Slo-go'en]

Just another fear monger - likely watches too much Nancy Grace and FOX news.

[harryfred]

Any time someone begins a story with

> There are reports

and gives not one reference or link, I usually translate these as "Rumors, with no basis whatsoever in fact, spread by people too lazy to bother to check the truth, continue to state..."
Note that the OP does not give any description of this "person," not even that person's ethnic background, height, or general build. Not much to go on!

Are there people who take advantage of naive, trusting people? Yes, in every place, whether in major cities or in wilderness. You should be cautious about someone offering you free liquor ANYWHERE, whether it's on the Trail or at a bar a block from your home.

Can I prove that there ISN'T someone doing this in the area (which IS a bit wide, don't you think)?
No more than anyone can prove I HAVEN'T read War and Peace. Proving a negative is usually next to impossible.

But the utter vagueness of this description of this "person," as well as the wideness of the location of his supposed residence (he takes people to his home, which is somewhere between northern Virginia and Maryland), can't help me conclude this is another urban legend, on par with

http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/perfume.asp

OK GoldenBear we are both trying to avoid saying TROLL. I am north of the OP's area and have heard nothing from the thrus.

[Sly]

i've been around the AT for 25 years. and these men are out there between georgia and maine. quite a few actually.

I feel slighted, no one ever tried to bribe me with alcohol.

[harryfred]

I feel slighted, no one ever tried to bribe me with alcohol.

Did they need to

[Lone Wolf]

I feel slighted, no one ever tried to bribe me with alcohol.

you weren't young and cute enuf

[WingedMonkey]

Or sober enough to bribe?

[Jack Tarlin]

The original poster has been called a troll, and it has been suggested that what he has posted here is an unsubstantiated "urban legend." In fact, what he posted is entirely correct and I suspect he left out pertinent details (like name, description, etc.) out of legal/liability concerns. But if it's OK for people to accuse this guy of making things up and posting unsubstantiated things, it should also be OK for someone to say flat out that he's entirely correct: There are indeed "Trail Angels" out there with ulterior motives, and there's nothing wrong with discussing this.

[Cosmo]

If OL has some concerns and can identify persons he or she thinks are behaving inappropriately, he/she should report them to the NPS Rangers. They will connect with local police to substantiate any rumors (and check the local listings for sex offenders), and can probably keep his/her name out of the picture--unless he/she wishes to file a formal complaint. There have been rumors of similar issues in my trail neighborhood, and the NPS Rangers made some progress in warning off the individual in question.

Cosmo

[BAG "o" TRICKS]

The original poster has been called a troll, and it has been suggested that what he has posted here is an unsubstantiated "urban legend." In fact, what he posted is entirely correct and I suspect he left out pertinent details (like name, description, etc.) out of legal/liability concerns. But if it's OK for people to accuse this guy of making things up and posting unsubstantiated things, it should also be OK for someone to say flat out that he's entirely correct: There are indeed "Trail Angels" out there with ulterior motives, and there's nothing wrong with discussing this.

Amen Jack, and some of us have been out there long enough to know who these 'swingin' jimmies' are.

[Toolshed]

Well I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope some hot luscious female babe SPTA brings me home and liquors me up to make sexual advances and take advantage of me.

[Toolshed]

On a more serious note, Is this about gay men or straight men???
I think we all grew up with the adage don't talk to strangers. Not looking for a war here, but if you are a 17-20 year old male, and succumb to this (especially in this day where Internet and news headlines access are everywhere, raising awareness), then you have probably been coddled too long. At some point, these young male hikers need to put their brains into gear. I am NOT giving a pass to sexual predators, but a hiker over 18?, you need to get your $hit together if you are falling for these ruses.

For women, there are extremely few and rare reasons for a single young female hiker to ever get into a car alone with a stranger at a remote trail head (or anywhere really).

[Jack Tarlin]

Toolshed: This is not about being gay or straight. It is about appropriate behavior, period, and the simple fact is that gay people are just as capable as acting inappropriately as anyone else. Without going into politics, it is indeed a fact (and anyone who's been around the Trail for awhile knows all about this), there have certainly been cases where inappropriate behavior by gay Trail Angels was essentially overlooked, often for years, in no small measure because criticism of these folks would have been viewed by some as homophobic, and regrettably, when it comes to the Internet, discussing things like this inevitably leads to vulgar, inappropriate, hurtful, and always anonymous remarks. And certainly, in many cases, the behavior or incident may have been exaggerated or wrongly reported, meaning subsequent discussion of it can lead to horrible things being said, good reputations being damaged, etc. But at the end of the day, inappropriate behavior is just that......nobody has the right to make another individual feel uncomfortable, let alone afraid, and unwanted sexual advances to hikers is wrong, period. And it doesn't matter who the perpetrator is, or their sexual identity. There are absolutely people out there who have ulterior motives when it comes to doing kind things for hikers, whether it's offering a ride, or offering a place to stay, and it is certainly OK to discuss these issues. Also, Toolshed, you seem to be a bit rough on the younger hikers, it seems like you're saying "If you're 18, you should know better." Fact is, people often let their guard down out here.....if you've hiked 20 miles, are kinda beat up, your friends have gotten ahead of you, it's rained all day, and a self-professed "longtime Trail Angel" offers you a meal or a place to crash, you're probably going to take him up on it, and not be overly worried about what might happen a few hours later. But I can't go along with the blaming the victim mentality.....inappropriate behavior is just that, and no, this isn't a gay/straight issue at all.