camping near roads

[tagg]

Someone in another thread advised the OP not to camp near a road in order to avoid being harassed by non-hikers/campers. For the record, I totally agree. I've had to camp near a road before and was concerned about it all night, despite the fact that nobody payed me a bit of attention. I was wondering, though, if any of you have had an actual run-in with some unsavory character or have had some otherwise unpleasant experience while camping near a road that you would be willing to share...?

[max patch]

Back when the old Stover Creek shelter was right on usfs 42 a couple miles south of Springer I was in the shelter with 5 of my friends when a car stopped about 11:00 pm and 3 young men -- all drunk -- got out, walked to the shelter, and asked if we knew how to get to Doraville (a suburb of Atlanta about 100 miles away). This was 4 of my friends first time on the AT; scared them to death.

[emerald]

Not only can it be unwise, there are places where it is specifically prohibited including Pennsylvania State Game Lands, where only A.T. through hikers are permitted to camp and then only 500 feet from public access areas. Yes, that does mean only through hikers are permitted to camp in shelters on SGLs, but there are only 2 of them and the term as defined by Pennsylvania Code is different from conventional usage.

I will edit and post the link later today.

[Tipi Walter]

One time I was stealth camping in a small town by a creek in the treeline and it was in the middle of winter so in the morning I got up and left camp to sit in the sun for awhile to do some morning yoga. In the distance some people saw me sitting still and thought I was "tied up" and called the police. They came to check me out and we exchanged information, or at least I gave them mine. Have a nice day.

Another time I was stealthing it on top of a little hill inside a bunch of laurel with a road nearby. About 3 in the morning I woke up in my tent and heard a police radio. A cop drove up and parked and sat in his car for several minutes before leaving but he never saw me or my tent.

One time I was bedroll sleeping under a big maple tree next to a church in the middle of a small town when around midnight shouting and yelling started a hundred feet away in some apartments and gunfire broke out. Pistol shoots. I scurried behind the big tree.

One time in Millers Creek, NC I was visiting a friend in a trailer court and set up my tent next to his trailer. A neighbor called the police as I sat next to my tent in yoga and a deputy spun gravel in a big donut around me and jumped out and yelled, "Where do you belong!!" I said, "You're looking at it!!" We worked out the details.

TWO KINDS OF CAMPS
There are two kinds of car-close camps, those near well known camping spots like on the AT or in the National Forest, and those in random brush and treelines which get no foot traffic, especially at night. One time I was hitching interstate 40 and it got dark so I moved a hundred feet off the road and into some trees around sunset. Set up the tent but other than the traffic noise I might as well have been in the middle of Glacier NP.

When the Rolling Couch Potatoes know about a spot, like on the AT with a shelter very close to the road, they come in with their usual useless detritus, litter, alcohol and noise and well, it's my least favorite place to camp. Maybe not as bad as under an 18 wheeler outside an airport in Sacramento, but bad enough to not seek it out. And you always know when the pitiful rolling couch potatoes are out and about, they leave their turd piles and stained toilet paper.

[brooklynkayak]

The most common problem is that drunk parties form in camping areas near roads. That means no sleep, possible vandalism or theft and rarely violent encounters.
These areas are also places where homeless people hang out, a small percentage have mental disorders that can lead to violence.

Examples that have happened to friends:
1) Shooting fireworks near the tent
2) Stolen stove fuel
3) Gun shots
4) Being woken up several times by people looking for booze or cigarettes
5) Name calling and threats
6) Waking up to the trash left behind

Camping near bodies of water can be a problem if power boats are allowed.Power boaters can be as bad as car campers.

[Alligator]

I had some locals running coon hounds while they drove up and down the road in their truck and later that night a gang of young people partying about 25 yards from me near a forest road in VA. I knew better but it was a late winter afternoon and I thought it best to stop.

[Trailweaver]

I camped near USFS 42 one night without knowing it and about 9:00 I heard a group of people - obviously drinking/drunk - come in and set up a camp below me. I was afraid they'd discover me later so I stayed very low profile until mid morning. I heard them pack up and leave a little later. I hiked on northbound and discovered where they had been - a campsite they'd made for themselves in one of the clearings along the road. It was covered in beer cans, food wrappers, etc. I'm so glad they never knew I was there. I was alone that night (I'm female) and there were at least 4-5 of them.

[Many Walks]

I recently posted the advice on another thread. While thru hiking we stopped for the night near a place where three roads met. Lots of great campsites there, but while we were leery it was time to stop so we took the chance. About 2:00 AM a car came by, spotted our tent and and backed up. They drove off the road about 50' to within 20' from our tent and parked there with their headlights shining on us. We waited for them to get out and approach or shoot at the tent, but after sitting for 15 minutes and doing nothing they just backed out and left. No real harm was done, and I've no doubt others have experienced much worse in similar situations. We believe it's just wise to avoid such places no matter how good the campsites look. Hope this advice helps someone in the future.

[Tipi Walter]

The most common problem is that drunk parties form in camping areas near roads. That means no sleep, possible vandalism or theft and rarely violent encounters.
These areas are also places where homeless people hang out, a small percentage have mental disorders that can lead to violence.

Examples that have happened to friends:
1) Shooting fireworks near the tent
2) Stolen stove fuel
3) Gun shots
4) Being woken up several times by people looking for booze or cigarettes
5) Name calling and threats
6) Waking up to the trash left behind

Camping near bodies of water can be a problem if power boats are allowed.Power boaters can be as bad as car campers.

The gas guzzling car-addicted drunks think they're getting their god-given nature fix by hauling out a case of beer into the woods for the night and so they dance around the fire in their mis-shapened chortling daze, but they are incredibly easy to avoid, mostly, just by pumping some nylon deeper into the woods. Most of the places I go backpacking would kill your normal inbred road-craving campfire loving drunk.

Most homeless people like to sleep in town and under bushes or behind churches or up on a hill overlooking a town. They hardly ever carry any gear worth a good night in the woods although one time I was in the Conehead forest many years ago during a "backpacking trip" and stumbled in on an old homeless camp in the middle of a clump of rhodo. Chairs, an old foam mattress, etc.

Another time I was camping atop, yes, a hill overlooking a town, when in the middle of the night(it's always in the middle of the night), a homeless drunk showed up and didn't see me in my bivy sac under a bush. He yelled out, "God! Why don't you come to me!! Where are you!!" and a few seconds later I felt a wallet hit me in the face. He flung it threw the air in a fit of renunciation and it happened to hit me.

[Tipi Walter]

I had some locals running coon hounds while they drove up and down the road in their truck and later that night a gang of young people partying about 25 yards from me near a forest road in VA. I knew better but it was a late winter afternoon and I thought it best to stop.

What amazes me are the number of backpackers I meet in the middle of nowhere(i.e.wilderness)who are humping booze in one form or another. The two worst encounters I've had of late were in the Slickrock wilderness up at about 5,000 feet in the middle of winter storms.

FIRST GROUP OF MISCREANTS
The first group of about 4 came up in 10F weather and passed by my camp and then started arguing about how to set up their tents. Then one of them pulled out a radio with speakers and turned it on so I introduced myself and told them to pay attention and turn the stupid thing off. Be men and go w/o for a night, etc.

While all this was going on they pulled out their pacifiers and started nursing their whiskey and rum. And of course, it was an earplug night as they chortled, whined, yelled, screamed, and hollared into the cold air. The next morning I got up early and thought about making some payback noise like yelling and whining but it was too cold to do anything but cook up oatmeal.

SECOND GROUP MORE OF THE SAME
A group of six backpackers pulled into a high elevation camp after parking about 4 miles away and proceeded to pull out their alcoholic teats and start sucking. A blizzard with fierce winter winds came in but this didn't stop their all night heaving yells and screams. I woke up with all my hair pulled out, my ears chewed off, and one earplug pushed into my brain. Anything to stop the incessant baying of the inebriated mongolians.

[Gray Blazer]

What amazes me are the number of backpackers I meet in the middle of nowhere(i.e.wilderness)who are humping booze in one form or another. The two worst encounters I've had of late were in the Slickrock wilderness up at about 5,000 feet in the middle of winter storms.

FIRST GROUP OF MISCREANTS
The first group of about 4 came up in 10F weather and passed by my camp and then started arguing about how to set up their tents. Then one of them pulled out a radio with speakers and turned it on so I introduced myself and told them to pay attention and turn the stupid thing off. Be men and go w/o for a night, etc.

While all this was going on they pulled out their pacifiers and started nursing their whiskey and rum. And of course, it was an earplug night as they chortled, whined, yelled, screamed, and hollared into the cold air. The next morning I got up early and thought about making some payback noise like yelling and whining but it was too cold to do anything but cook up oatmeal.

SECOND GROUP MORE OF THE SAME
A group of six backpackers pulled into a high elevation camp after parking about 4 miles away and proceeded to pull out their alcoholic teats and start sucking. A blizzard with fierce winter winds came in but this didn't stop their all night heaving yells and screams. I woke up with all my hair pulled out, my ears chewed off, and one earplug pushed into my brain. Anything to stop the incessant baying of the inebriated mongolians.

Sorry, I didn't know that was you.

[Tipi Walter]

Sorry, I didn't know that was you.

Hmmm . . . .

[Alligator]

What amazes me are the number of backpackers I meet in the middle of nowhere(i.e.wilderness)who are humping booze in one form or another. The two worst encounters I've had of late were in the Slickrock wilderness up at about 5,000 feet in the middle of winter storms.

FIRST GROUP OF MISCREANTS
The first group of about 4 came up in 10F weather and passed by my camp and then started arguing about how to set up their tents. Then one of them pulled out a radio with speakers and turned it on so I introduced myself and told them to pay attention and turn the stupid thing off. Be men and go w/o for a night, etc.

While all this was going on they pulled out their pacifiers and started nursing their whiskey and rum. And of course, it was an earplug night as they chortled, whined, yelled, screamed, and hollared into the cold air. The next morning I got up early and thought about making some payback noise like yelling and whining but it was too cold to do anything but cook up oatmeal.

SECOND GROUP MORE OF THE SAME
A group of six backpackers pulled into a high elevation camp after parking about 4 miles away and proceeded to pull out their alcoholic teats and start sucking. A blizzard with fierce winter winds came in but this didn't stop their all night heaving yells and screams. I woke up with all my hair pulled out, my ears chewed off, and one earplug pushed into my brain. Anything to stop the incessant baying of the inebriated mongolians.

This a camping near roads thread.

[emerald]

Most of the places I go backpacking would kill your normal inbred, road-craving, campfire-loving, drunk.

It's a good thing too. Wildfires near roads started by drunks are easier to extinguish and are more likely to be caught early.

Most people know what happens when fire and alcohol are mixed. Drunks forget. Beyond a certain point, they don't drive well either. Actually, there isn't much they do well, save for maybe make asses of themselves and cause problems for other people.

[saimyoji]

What amazes me are the number of backpackers I meet in the middle of nowhere(i.e.wilderness)who are humping booze in one form or another. The two worst encounters I've had of late were in the Slickrock wilderness up at about 5,000 feet in the middle of winter storms.

FIRST GROUP OF MISCREANTS
The first group of about 4 came up in 10F weather and passed by my camp and then started arguing about how to set up their tents. Then one of them pulled out a radio with speakers and turned it on so I introduced myself and told them to pay attention and turn the stupid thing off. Be men and go w/o for a night, etc.

While all this was going on they pulled out their pacifiers and started nursing their whiskey and rum. And of course, it was an earplug night as they chortled, whined, yelled, screamed, and hollared into the cold air. The next morning I got up early and thought about making some payback noise like yelling and whining but it was too cold to do anything but cook up oatmeal.

SECOND GROUP MORE OF THE SAME
A group of six backpackers pulled into a high elevation camp after parking about 4 miles away and proceeded to pull out their alcoholic teats and start sucking. A blizzard with fierce winter winds came in but this didn't stop their all night heaving yells and screams. I woke up with all my hair pulled out, my ears chewed off, and one earplug pushed into my brain. Anything to stop the incessant baying of the inebriated mongolians.

i never would have pegged you as a tea-totaler.

[Tipi Walter]

i never would have pegged you as a tea-totaler.

We're all addicts in one form or another. Nature-addicts, food addicts, couch addicts, gossip addicts, comfort addicts, ego addicts, etc etc. I was a non-backpacking booze hound back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but even back then my infant brain told me to stop. A little voice said, "You'll be dead by 35" and so I quit. I know, this has nothing to do with camping by a road. Or does it?

[Doctari]

Tonight (I leave in about an hour) I'll be camping by a road: about 50' from a road that is now a parking lot for a MtBike trail. I have camped there many times before, its where I stay when working my weekend job at the fair for several reasons: I live 55 miles one way from work, It's quieter than staying on site, It's free.

I know it is not a through road. I know I'm well hidden. I know that even if they saw me, the people that use this lot won't bother me. I know the Rangers regularly patrol this lot/dead end road. I know its NOT a party site.
I still don't sleep as well as I do far from the road or in my back yard. In part because I am so close to the road, even taking in to consideration all I know above, it is still enough to put me on edge if just a little bit.

I have been camping in the exact same spot (same 2 trees) for at least 3 years, so I know the site well. Based on my experience there, I think I will never camp near a road that I don't know the area. Even if that means a longer hiking day to find a suitable spot to hang.

[dreamsoftrails]

The gas guzzling car-addicted drunks think they're getting their god-given nature fix by hauling out a case of beer into the woods for the night and so they dance around the fire in their mis-shapened chortling daze, but they are incredibly easy to avoid, mostly, just by pumping some nylon deeper into the woods. Most of the places I go backpacking would kill your normal inbred road-craving campfire loving drunk.

.

it sounds like you have something against beer drinkers.

some of the best parties my crowd had in high school was out near hawk mt, on the AT. not the shelter, but one of the clearings that the trail scoots by.

we had no more or less a right to go out there and hang out as you do on your yoga trips or extended hikes. its out there for people to enjoy so long as they respect it. a pile of beer cans hardly qualifies. the next group will get it.

your nylong humping trips are no more special than a group of high school kids enjoying the woods. get used to it.

[dreamsoftrails]

Most of the places I go backpacking would kill your normal inbred road-craving campfire loving drunk.

What amazes me are the number of backpackers I meet in the middle of nowhere(i.e.wilderness)who are humping booze in one form or another. The two worst encounters I've had of late were in the Slickrock wilderness up at about 5,000 feet in the middle of winter storms.

sorry, just had to point this out. sounds like your rugged adventures aren't so far off the beaten path afterall.

just pokin fun at ya pal.

[Tipi Walter]

we had no more or less a right to go out there and hang out as you do on your yoga trips or extended hikes. its out there for people to enjoy so long as they respect it. a pile of beer cans hardly qualifies. the next group will get it.

your nylong humping trips are no more special than a group of high school kids enjoying the woods. get used to it.

"The next group will get it" about sums it up for me.