homeless on the trail?

[kayak karl]

i would say 3 kinds.................... Hard to distinquished between the two.

lol..............

[modiyooch]

many of us are only 4 paychecks away from these people. they are US. talk to them, get involved in shelters and kitchens. it may change your thoughts.

i lived on the streets, but it wasn't that bad. i lived in a refrigerator box. others only had smaller appliance boxes.
i was BETTER then them.................

I am involved. I'm just being honest whereas I can get discouraged. I do not consider myself better.

[JAK]

I read a really good story about these imitators in the NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/16/science/16crea.html

Nice reference.

[JAK]

I can tell you that hiking the PCT is my bag lady back-up plan for sure. Maybe the AT, too.

+1, but Canadian woods and trails and coastlines in my case.

[JAK]

I think trails are for everyone, not just for those that have "earned" it.

Should we keep more successful people off the trail because they might have caused more impact on our environment through their work and through their way of living? I think in many ways some of these lost souls of our society need the trail as much as our homeless people.

In many ways our trails are like our places of worship. They have to remain open to everyone. Sure, there have to be limits on behaviour, but there also has to be some compassion and understanding. If people are making an effort, you have to give them some latitude. You can't judge people based on their wealth, one way or the other. People with more money or less money than us are not neccessarily less responsible, or worthy. You can't judge a book by its cover.

[kayak karl]

I am involved. I'm just being honest whereas I can get discouraged. I do not consider myself better.

i was not posting to u. the 3 three types and only describing two was just a joke. i read YOUR other posts.

it's just funny that when i was on the streets i compared myself to other homeless and found myself BETTER. and as you know, if you are not involved you don't understand and YES we get discouraged. it's hard to do enough to turn a corner, let alone keep our/their heads above water.

in other threads the word BUM was used. if you called my grandpop a bum he would of beat them to an inch of their life. he was a HOBO

[ki0eh]

By federal law enforcement, you mean the NPS ranger?

I understand there's one ranger with jurisdiction on the entire trail, and that the local law enforcement, city police, sheriffs and the like, are the ones with jurisdictional authority at any given point on the trail.

The two shelters mentioned by the OP are on NPS property and located in a state where counties do not have road patrol, and in municipalities without local police. There are at least 2 NPS ranger positions on the A.T. now and one is stationed nearby.

Note that I did not say to call the state police or the ranger directly. The ATC regional office has folks who are capable and experienced at assessing situations like this that are fairly common in this area. The ATC staff can direct the ridgerunner or others to make an assessment, or if the actual circumstances sufficiently alarming, alert the ranger.

Please, make the ATC aware of the situation, hopefully there is no actual threat to hikers or other members of the public but let's let them make that call.

[JAK]

It would be interesting to know on what basis they make such calls.

[kayak karl]

It would be interesting to know on what basis they make such calls.

and you said it in 2 post. good for you and your right

[Miner]

When I was on the PCT, I met a guy who was really thru-hiking that was having to resupply by dumpster diving for his next resupply. He had drunk all his funds for the state of Oregon back at the very 1st trailtown in the state and was living off hiker boxes and food thrown out behind resturants until he got more money the next month. We were camping together in a trail angel's campsite who had fed us. After we went to bed, he stayed up drinking all the beer the trailangel had in their cooler and spent half the night talking to himself in a creepy way by the fire keeping us awake. By then, he only had 1 pair of socks with a large hole and his eyes had that "look" of someone who has lived a hard life which just added to the whole homeless aura he was giving off. But he did hike most of the trail before foot trouble forced himoff. Unlike most hikers, if I had seen him on skid-row, I wouldn't have known the difference.

[emerald]

It would be interesting to know on what basis they make such calls.

Wouldn't it? The people who make such calls don't ordinarily post here and it shouldn't surprise those who do. Their participation isn't welcomed. Besides, it wouldn't be good use of public funds.

[DapperD]

They can be the nicest, most honest people you will ever meet, but they can also be very unpredictible and dangerous. They dont mean harm, but their reality as they see it is not the same as ours. They need professional help (and sometimes medication) and do not belong hanging out in shelters.

Could not have said it better myself. The fact of the matter is, all through life you are going to meet people out in the world who exhibit some form or forms of mental issues. The problem is, out on the trail in an isolated type environment such as the woods, it is easy to see how people can quickly become alarmed due to a person acting strange, off, etc...The best thing to do as other's have said is to move on, get yourself to somewhere away from the individual, to where there are other people around if possible where you will feel/be safer . Dealing with homeless people is one thing. Dealing with someone acting in a bizarre, mental state is another. And if these people are acting bizarre like this, who in their right mind would want to spend the night camping out with them?

[kayak karl]

if i learned anything from this thread, i learned how to get a shelter ...all to myself.

[ToeJam]

if i learned anything from this thread, i learned how to get a shelter ...all to myself.

Best post of this entire thread! LOL

[Manwich]

Best post of this entire thread! LOL

THIS is the best post of the entire thread! Where somebody bumps the topic to tell everybody about the best part of the thread!!!11 then throws in their oh-so-quirky-yet-original tagline of how they felt: LOL!

[tnwolf51]

i really hope people dont think that just because a person has a homade pack and not many teeth that means there homeless.mils. of people in the world loose teeth and a good part that hike the AT are in a way homless but doesnt mean there not any better or worse then the next person.

[sbhikes]

I guess living in ground zero (just about) of homelessness I have a jaded idea of who the homeless are. Some guy, even with some mental issues, hiking a trail with crappy gear and no teeth wouldn't necessarily equate to homeless. It takes work to hike the trail and the trail becomes home. But just living in one place, in a shelter or in a canyon, with your trash strewn all around, maybe that's more like homeless. Not that it really matters much. People get so wound up about the homeless. They either want to rescue them or they hate/fear them. I say just leave them alone. Maybe they get such a rise out of people because they are showing that all is not rosy in consumption-land.

[turtle fast]

When it comes down to it the guy can't live in the shelter wacky or not. Local law enforcement have more connections to mental or life help services for this guy than hikers do. It could be also that this guy may have some warents on him...or he has a family looking for him. Whatever the case the guy obviously needs help....just looking the other way is not right nor compassionate. Informing the ATC is a good idea.

[Connie]

I hope I am never "helped" by someone who thinks officials are there to help.

That era ended with the attrition of the depression-era cops.

I sincerely believe the present officials only want their paycheck: exceptions exist, and are rare.

It is difficult to discern an alcoholic, drug-addict, and a mentally ill person. I can do it because I was in San Francisco, CA over 18 years of my life.

No matter what: If a public safety hazard, report.

If uncomfortable because their life repudiates what props up your world-view, shame on you.

I say this, because I sincerely believe "they" (alcoholics, drug-addicts and mentally ill) are the "canaries" of life, showing there is something toxic about the society they are in.

[Graywolf]

OK This is what really PISSES me off. This is just the thing I have always talked about in these kind of threads.. Today, I went back to REI to check on some equipment and while I was there, guess what happened?? I was complained about because someone thought I was homeless.. They went forward, asking for the manager, when one came to me and said I needed to leave. I asked why?? They said, "because I am homeless and this is an outdoor business". I proceeded to tell them I was a regular patron when. once again I was told, " Leave or we will call the police.." I asked on what growns. I spend my good money here. One of the employees who know me came up and asked what was wrong, they told her I was homeless and needed to leave. She laughed at them and told them I am a regular customer who is getting equipment to walk the AT. The reason they gave is because I do have a missing tooth, and I shake.. She told them I have esseintiail tremors and I am probaly the reason they have a job.. I was really pissed, but with her coming to my aid, I was ok. But this come to show what kind of judgement people take on folks they do not know. It was really embarressing and hope it never happens to any if you..Leave the poeple Alone!!

Graywolf