Vandeventer shelter is haunted by Janice Balza I promise!

[Gambit McCrae]

I can see how my lol could be seen as disrespectful. I believe it was mostly added as a hint to how freaked out I was by my experience, as well as that I in some ways was skeptical that anything had even happened to me, like others have said, it could have been a bear or deer running down the trail.

I believe that many people feel that a time frame in means of years has to pass is a length in which new people have come into a topic that they can not directly relate to the story at hand. For instance Many years from now, if Inchworm is not found (we all pray that she is found) there will probably be ghost stories of her up in Maine and how if "you listen just close enough you can hear her singing in the wind" (I think these things are dumb) Mollies ridge has a story like this, Vandeventer, several places along many trails do.

[RED-DOG]

the only time I stayed their was on my 2006 thru, I tented behind the shelter their was about 6 of us there that night NO ghost but we did have an AWESOME " Blood Moon " i got some really great pics, now i just hike on to Iron Mountain just easier to get water, the only shelter i have any ghost stories about is at PunchBowl Shelter " Little Ottie Powel " ghost does haunt that shelter.

[flemdawg1]

[QUOTE=rickb;1898370]

"Anyone else have Vandeventer stories? Lol"
QUOTE]

No but the damn racoon at Iron Mt Shelter (next one NONBO) stole my pack. And took it 100 yds down the trail.

[rocketsocks]

How many years need to pass before such light-hearted and ridiculous threads can be posted about people who have perished on the Trail more recently? This one thread is dumb and in bad taste. No one would consider posting this crap in association with those who have lost heir live on the trail more recently. Some of the posts should be removed.

My last post is not so much directed at the Original Post, but rather at som of the posts that followed.

I wont attempt to say you are wrong or dismiss your feelings, clearly not enough time has past.

This article attempts to explain...Tragedy plus time equals comedy. Perhaps it's a coping mechanism to explain the things we cannot fully explain...Ghosts, so we laugh at them making them seem less scary, and then project that onto the tragedy that set the story in motion.

http://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/06/25/comedy-plus/

[Gambit McCrae]

This article attempts to explain...Tragedy plus time equals comedy. Perhaps it's a coping mechanism to explain the things we cannot fully explain...Ghosts, so we laugh at them making them seem less scary, and then project that onto the tragedy that set the story in motion.

http://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/06/25/comedy-plus/

Well put. What I ment to say just couldnt describe it so clearly

[Captain Bluebird]

Well said!


Sent from my Surface with Windows RT using Tapatalk

[Aussiebiker]

How many years need to pass before such light-hearted and ridiculous threads can be posted about people who have perished on the Trail more recently? This one thread is dumb and in bad taste. No one would consider posting this crap in association with those who have lost heir live on the trail more recently. Some of the posts should be removed.

I agree, Janice was family, and i need for her memory to be honored with respect. She was a huge role model with her activism, her love of nature and her independent spirit. She gave me my first bicycle and inspired me to be a long distance rider. I am not a young hiker/ biker, but it is my dream to hike to the shelter where she was brutly murdered, and place a marker there. I want her to know she is not forgotten.

[Aussiebiker]

Brutally, darn autocorrect!

[rocketsocks]

I agree, Janice was family, and i need for her memory to be honored with respect. She was a huge role model with her activism, her love of nature and her independent spirit. She gave me my first bicycle and inspired me to be a long distance rider. I am not a young hiker/ biker, but it is my dream to hike to the shelter where she was brutly murdered, and place a marker there. I want her to know she is not forgotten.

Sorry for your loss, it's a terrible terrible thing. I personally feel a spirit does not nessasarily have to be a scary thing, but rather a calming peaceful experience, again sorry your family's loss, I truly can't imagine.

[OkeefenokeeJoe]

Just my take. In the end my opinion matters little and the most important thing is that we don't forget the thru hikers who have been victims to violent crime on the AT-- even if in this one case it's been almost 40 years.

I have the same emotional, handwringing reaction when anyone laughingly mentions the Lizzie Borden murders.

We should talk love, not axes.

OkeefenokeeJoe

[MuddyWaters]

I have the same emotional, handwringing reaction when anyone laughingly mentions the Lizzie Borden murders.

We should talk love, not axes.

OkeefenokeeJoe

Theres too many atrocities occurring all around us every day, to linger on any for long.
They are also too innumberable to even hear of all of them, much less remember them.
So we become...desensitized

[Bubblehead]

Yeah, the shelter is definitely in a poor location. On my NOBO last year, in May, it was cold, windy, and rained all night. Wind and rain blew straight in to the shelter. But I had heard about the bad water source before I got there, so I had cameled up before I got there, and got more from a creek the next morning a couple of miles north of there...
Being on the ridge, I'm sure it has a great view down into the valley, but didn't get a chance to see that view due to the stormy weather...

[Whosthisbroad]

I did a zero day at Vandeventer in 2012. I knew of the history; two nights and nothing spooky to speak of. Getting water sucked for sure, but otherwise I had a very pleasant stay. After I got situated and rested a bit, I meditated and tried to imagine her encounter, her last moments. It was a very emotional experience. We actually arrived early and waited for other hikers to catch up. We all packed in like sardines for the night and woke up at 3am and hiked the relatively flat-ish 33 miles into Gatlinburg. Arrived early enough to shower have a 3 hour dinner feast. When I asked, none of the other hikers reported experiencing anything.

[JC13]

The ghost must have carried you close to Gatlinburg overnight, Vandeventer is mile 436-ish.

[Gambit McCrae]

I did a zero day at Vandeventer in 2012. I knew of the history; two nights and nothing spooky to speak of. Getting water sucked for sure, but otherwise I had a very pleasant stay. After I got situated and rested a bit, I meditated and tried to imagine her encounter, her last moments. It was a very emotional experience. We actually arrived early and waited for other hikers to catch up. We all packed in like sardines for the night and woke up at 3am and hiked the relatively flat-ish 33 miles into Gatlinburg. Arrived early enough to shower have a 3 hour dinner feast. When I asked, none of the other hikers reported experiencing anything.

The distance on the Appalachian Trail between
Vandeventer Shelter, TN and
US441-Newfound Gap, TN
is 229.3 miles.

[Whosthisbroad]

Ha oh my... It would most certainly have to be a genie with a magic carpet to pull off that feat!
Naturally, I meant Damascus. I read your posts I even thought to myself, "Who said anything about Gatlinburg/Newfound Gap?"
Thats my cue to get back out there. Here is a photo from the night I mentioned. Not all of us from that night are in it. 545924_3611701783602_47160362_n.jpg