Oh I so hate that this has to be my first post here, but what the heck?
I needed a laugh today. Some people...
Oh I so hate that this has to be my first post here, but what the heck?
I needed a laugh today. Some people...
It just goes to show you that hikers are just a microcosm of society as a whole, complete down to the nutty guy with the lampshade on his head
Welcome to Whiteblaze, now go take a hike.
Most likely reincarnated under a new screen name within the past month.
"Hiking is as close to God as you can get without going to Church." - BobbyJo Sargent aka milkman Sometimes it's nice to take a long walk in THE FOG.
Dumb Bell and Sybil. Sometimes this place just totally cracks me up.
Sorry, but you are wrong. I just talked to the ranger at the Nantahala Ranger Station in Franklin who interviewed Roadside. Of course no one at the gap knew about it that night since Roadside went back to Franklin right after the attack. It was indeed posted on Trail forums and many hikers knew about it. I was at Brown Gap about 1 week after the robbery and plenty of hikers were talking about it! I would like to believe the Gap is perfectly safe, and I think it is. The ranger said that the Forest Service has not issued an alert at the Gap because they believe it was an isolated "event of opportunity", no one was physically hurt, and there have been 0 events since then. He mentioned that there were other problems south of Franklin with somebody picking up hikers and demanding more money than they originally agreed to. (I heard about that myself). The ranger is baffled that no one got a tag #. Anyway, the courteous ranger emphasized the the trail is basically very safe but hikers should use common sense as usual. apple (BG maintainer)
No, I'm still correct. My statement was "Just because something is reported doesn't mean it happened". If you've read all of Irish Bastard/Roadside's entries on Whitelblaze you'll know that he's a pretty pathetic character seeking attention. Sure, some hikers may have been talking about what Roadside told them or what they heard from someone else, but, just because a lot of people talked about it doesn't mean it happpened. If he turned around and went South on the Trail after the alleged incident why didn't other hikers between Burningtown Gap and Franklin write about it on Trailjournals, Whiteblaze, or Trail Forums. He would have passed many hikers and two shelters on his way back to Franklin and to not say a word to anyone or leave a message of warning in the shelter logbooks just doesn't sound right to me. It is not uncommon for a certain segment of our society to report crimes that never happened. In North Carolina, as I'm sure in most other states, it happens often enough that there is a law against it (NCGS 14-225). Unless there's an eyewitness other than Roadside or other physical evidence this incident should be given no crediblity.
"Hiking is as close to God as you can get without going to Church." - BobbyJo Sargent aka milkman Sometimes it's nice to take a long walk in THE FOG.