I think that happend at rock ridge,they pulled a #6Originally Posted by Samson
...and had the #2 scared right out of them.
Getting lost is a way to find yourself.
You have the best protection with you at your side, your wife.-Kinnickinic
:d..................
What's funny to me is that I'm planning a solo hike for three days next week. Everyone has told me "You know that is extremely dangerous. You need to carry your pistol for protection." Not one person questioned my intelligence when I drove cross country for the first time at 19 years old to report to 29 Palms, CA. I slept in rest areas and a gas station parking lot. Now I'm supposedly raving mad to be 40 years old and hiking solo for three days.
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Yeah, that's funny. But as is often the case, people are more afraid of the things they don't know anything about (the woods) and less so about things they do all the time (driving), even though the odds of injury or death are far higher for driving.
Point is valid.
On the other hand 5 THRU HIKERS have been murdered on the AT in the middle of their THRU HIKES.
One long-distance SECTION HIKER was killed in the middle of his AT journey, just this past year.
I think that is significant, too.
As for you statistics on automobile deaths, I want to thank you. Its a good reminder to wear a seat belt-- not because I fear driving, but because I need to remember there are ways to minimize the attendant risk.
It used to be you's see Cutter snakebite kits in every sporting good store. I think there is good reason you don't anymore.I also plan to bring a snake bite kit,
I would strongly suggest you research what is recommended in the case of snakebite before you purchanse some kind of kit. What is remarkable is how these recommendations have changed over the years. You might be surprised by the current protocols.
Absolutely. I think everyone should watch this quick video from Dave Canterbury, addressing snakes in the US and what to do in the event of a bite.
Formerly 'F-Stop'
If you don't like the road you're walking, start paving another one.
~ Dolly Parton
What makes this worse is that if you look at the number of people not just killed in vehicles, but also those that sustain life-changing injuries, i.e. very serious, such as crippling, amputations and severe brain damage... the number is much higher, but no one talks about it. Not only that but the bulk of them are called accidents, but they are very preventable, so in my mind that's not an accident...but I've said enough...this is one of them touchy subjects for me...
Suffice it to say, just go hike, you'll be fine as long as you don't kill yourself during the transportation phase
If ever an opportunity to misquote another member came up, I had to steal that one.
Has anyone summed up the number of deaths on the trail from self decided?
The trouble I have with campfires are the folks that carry a bottle in one hand and a Bible in the other.
You never know which one is talking.
Not the AT, but there is a mountain area where people go to die
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...de-Forest.html
Japan struggles with soaring death toll in Suicide Forest
HUNDREDS of police and volunteer firemen ventured into the Aokigahara forest in Japan last week, forming a human chain to look for the bodies of suicide victims.
They discovered four more to add to the 44 already found this year in what is now regarded as Japan's suicide centre - a dark, 3,500-hectare forest that covers the lower slopes of Mount Fuji. So many people kill themselves there that local authorities are now running out of space to store their remains.
A spokesman for Narusawa and Ashiwada, two of the three villages that border the forest, said: "I think everyone has the same reason for choosing this area. It's because of the novel by Seicho Matsumoto, Kuroi Jukai (Sea of Trees). After that was published 23 years ago the number of suicides around here increased." The novel tells the story of a woman who has a love affair with a young public prosecutor. He is blackmailed by the woman's husband, and the only escape for the lovers is a double suicide inside the dark and mysterious Aokigahara forest.
While the number of suicides may have increased because of Matsumoto's novel, the forest's roots as a venue for suicides go back even further. A Sixties novel, The Pagoda of Waves, featured a woman who killed herself in the Aokigahara forest; the story was later turned into a television drama series. Annual suicide patrols were set up in 1971 and last year found a record 74 bodies. Many people believe that the forest's proximity to the mountain - the most spiritual of all locations for the Japanese - and its vast and lonely interior, make it an ideal place for suicide.
The forest is described in the best-selling Complete Manual of Suicide as "the perfect place to die". Last year the manual sold more than 1.2 million copies. Nationwide, suicide rates are soaring in Japan with 33,048 people killing themselves in 1999, the second year running in which the number rose above 30,000. A record number of bankruptcies and rising unemployment are blamed as the main causes. Men whose lives are defined by their work tend to be most vulnerable.
The increase in suicide rates has put pressure on the three villages that border the forest and which have legal jurisdiction over the people who die there. According to Japanese law, they are responsible for disposing of unidentified bodies and that is taking a heavy toll on their finances.
The spokesman for Narusawa and Ashiwada villages says: "It costs 40,000 yen [£250] for the cremation, 25,000 yen [£160] for a funeral hearse and 20,000 yen [£128] for the urn and its storage. So the total cost is between 70,000 and 90,000 yen [£450-£570]. The prefecture is supposed to pay us back, but first it comes out of our budget." Last year so many bodies were found that the Yamanashi prefecture had to introduce a supplementary budget of 5 million yen (£32,000) to pay for their disposal.
The other problem is a lack of space. The remains of 119 bodies are kept in one 20-year-old building in Kamikuishiki village, while another built in 1992 in Ashiwada, is already full with 52 unclaimed remains. In Narusawa 60 remains are now crammed into an overcrowded charnel house and a new one is being built to contain the overflow.
In an effort to reduce the number of suicides the police maintain patrols around the forest, trying to spot potential victims before they enter. Men who are unable to shake off the habit of a lifetime and wear suits as they hike along Aokigahara's paths are nearly always picked up if they are spotted.
Attempts are made to dissuade others who venture inside through signs along the forest trails. "Your life is a precious gift from your parents," reads one. "Think calmly once again about them, your siblings and your children. Don't agonise over problems yourself - please seek counselling."
Finn
From where I'm sitting I think that if your wife dressed in full hiking gear is so incredibly hot that you have to worry about somebody sexualy assaulting her 60/60 /24/7/185 then the best thing that you can do to insure her safety ( and you enjoying your thru hike ) is to leave her home w/ your 2 Rottweilers
THREAD SUMMARY
In case you didn’t wish to read this whole thread;
Below is a summary of what we have learned so far:
1. When hiking, strap on a gun as you may need it.
2. You should not let your fears run your life.
3. Pray for the best.
4. Pink blazers don’t necessarily carry pink paint.
5. The trail is a microcosm.
6. A retired policeman might think he can legally carry a gun the whole A.T. but he is sadly mistaken.
7. Victims sometimes know their attacker.
8. If you bring your wife, understand that in shelters dudes will climb over your wife regularly.
9. It is unlikely that you will have a slip-and-fall accident in your bathroom at home if you are on the trail.
10. Rocketsocks has no idea what OC gas is, and probably should never own it.
11. Listen to your inner voice and enjoy your hike.
12. Hundreds and thousands of posts here in WhiteBlaze are about people who haven’t been murdered.
13. Probably should be carrying a weapon while driving too because that is a very dangerous activity.
14. You may slip and fall on the trail.
15. Fear is a powerful motivator.
16. Deranged people may not hurt you in a colorful way.
17. Some wives are afraid of nature.
18. Mentally ill hikers are not in touch with reality.
19. Growing up in Philly makes you more confident.
20. When shooting a hiker, don’t miss and kill another hiker accidently – this is bad.
21. Keep witnesses to a crime alive.
22. To preserve your sanity, plan for anything that might go wrong.
25. A rapist might be riding a bear and throwing snakes!
24. Research snake bites as the protocol for treating has changed!
25. Don't kill yourself in a Japanese forest.
You’re welcome, now have a wonderful hike!
I blogged on Hiker Safety
Also the backpack issue (my most recent one).
LOL Winds. You're hilarious. OK - After watching film, I'm pitching the Extractor and bringing an EpiPen instead. I actually run into rattle snakes all the time out here so that fear is conquered.
What is a lifetime permit to carry? Who issued it? Is it good in every state?
https://tinyurl.com/MyFDresults
A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. ~Paul Dudley White
Google up the Law Enforcement Officers' Safety Act.
Don't pack your fears - - your best weapon is the guns in your calves that propel you down the trail much faster than any sketchy dudes that hang out around roads and shelters (likely near roads).
Law Enforcement Safety Act is apparently federal law however there are two types of state laws that are not overridden by the federal law, these being "the laws of any State that (1) permit private persons or entities to prohibit or restrict the possession of concealed firearms on their property; or (2) prohibit or restrict the possession of firearms on any State or local government property, installation, building, base, or park. This should serve to make carrying firearms still unlawful on parts of the AT - - if you carry a firearm on the AT (as a backpacker) you are either:
a)silly and stupid enough to add the weight
b)have unreasonable fears
c) you are ex-military or cop with a screw loose
pick one
I would say that less than 1/10th of 1% of successful thru-hikers carry items for the purpose of using them as a weapon - - it's just un-necessary.
If you WORK in law enforcement and have law enforcement BUSINESS on the trail, then obviously, you are exempt from my comments.
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