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Cookerhiker
11-18-2005, 10:29
Remember this incident- the hiker/thief re-named "Saved" first reported on WhiteBlaze by Miss Janet? The Washington Post Sunday magazine coming out day after tomorrow features a long article about it. I'll post the link as soon as it's available on-line. The article itself is too long to cut-and-paste. If for some reason the link doesn't post, log in to http://www.washingtonpost.com on Sunday the 20th and navigate to "Post Magazine" Access to the Post's website is free.

From Miss Janet's original post:

"It is with a certain amount of anger and saddness that I feel that I have to start letting the AT community know about a situation. I am angry because the authorities can't seem to catch this guy!! I am angry and saddened that one "hiker" can cause so much trouble to the AT community. It is a constant effort to educate our communities about who hikers are and why they should be welcome in our towns. Then, in just a few days, I am afraid that this "hiker" has hurt the effort to promote hikers as more than homeless vagrants and thieves. (I am thinking of all kinds of new uses for Duck Tape right now!!) I have double checked these details and I believe these to be mostly accurate.

Several weeks ago a hiker that was going by the name of "SAVED" was hiking southbound in PA and stole a girls food bag and some other items. He was later confronted by other hikers and forced to make restitution to this hiker. SAVED left hiking south.

A couple of weeks later a man wearing hiking gear broke into a home in Wintergreen where he traded his stuff for nice, newer, hiking gear...
( Wingfoot sent service providers a list of the gear that was stolen and a description of the man) He cooked himself some food, resupplied himself, stole a car and drove away. The car was later found near Bland, Va. A decription of the man seen in the area was put out by the Wintergreen police. Hikers identified him as SAVED. These hikers were able to give a very detailed description to the police:

Late 20's - Early 30's, 5'10. 160 pounds, very dark hair cut short and a black beard.
He is from Rhode Island and has a distinct accent.
He has numerous "Celtic or Japanesee type" tribal tattoos on his neck, shoulders, arms and legs. At one time he was carrying an ornamental machette. He is still believed to be carrying a bayonette.
Hikers have reported him as being very "friendly and nice" and he seems to have been well liked by some people. This may explain partly why he has not been caught.

For the last couple of weeks Southbound Thruhikers have seen SAVED many times and reported his whereabouts to the police. Despite several middle of the night raids on shelters in Southern Va by police with flashlights... they did not catch him. At one time a hiker told the police where and when SAVED would be at a road crossing. The hiker later saw Saved right there, when he said he would be there, but there were no police.

SoBo's have reported seeing him recently in both Catawba and Pearisburg. He is suspected of stealing a car ?? in Southwest, Va a few days ago. This car was found at Indian Grave Gap here in Unicoi County two nights ago. Yesterday a red, Nissan Pathfinder was stolen 9 miles south on the AT near the Nolichucky river. Police are still looking for SAVED and request that any information be directed to the Unicoi County Sheriffs Department.

Last night at 11"O clock on our TriCity wide local news the opening Headline was "APPALACHIAN TRAIL THIEF!". Within minutes I was receiving phone calls! The local radio station ran the story this morning as well as the local paper. More phone calls! This "thief" seems to have no concept of right and wrong and no respect for other people's things or the AT. I am afraid that this has already hurt the AT community... in the eyes of many in this area and I hope he will be picked up soon before he causes more damage. No one seems to think he is "dangerous" but he is certainly hurting every single one of us in the long run!"
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Cookerhiker
11-19-2005, 08:24
Here's the link
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/15/AR2005111501167.html

Looks like the author got his facts straight.

Lone Wolf
11-19-2005, 08:46
It's almost Thanksgiving. Let's give thanks the Ahole is in jail.

J.D.
11-19-2005, 08:50
Remember this incident- the hiker/thief re-named "Saved" first reported on WhiteBlaze by Miss Janet? The Washington Post Sunday magazine coming out day after tomorrow features a long article about it. I'll post the link as soon as it's available on-line. The article itself is too long to cut-and-paste. If for some reason the link doesn't post, log in to http://www.washingtonpost.com on Sunday the 20th and navigate to "Post Magazine" Access to the Post's website is free.
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Just posted this same "news"; but, you are way ahead of me...!

Yes, it seems to have all the facts straight.

Yes, I agree with LoneWolf's T-Day comment...<g>...!

SGT Rock
11-19-2005, 10:09
Good article find guys. A lot of good information there about the trail and the community, although I take exception to the statement "...or even tremendously scenic. It mainly winds through woods, woods and more woods..." I personally find the woods scenic in themselves.

Anyway, moral of the story is hiker beware. There are some possibly bad characters out there.

Nightwalker
11-19-2005, 15:49
Anyway, moral of the story is hiker beware. There are some possibly bad characters out there.
One more moral of the story is that anything you post here is liable to be printed in the Washington Post. I have no idea what the end of that actually comes down to, but remembering it being an amazingly wildd thing when we went over 500 members, that was very odd to me to see whiteblaze posts in the WP.

:D

Lugnut
11-20-2005, 00:53
Well, they could have at least been gracious enough to list the web site address since they used our quotes. We made end up being the un-named source. Since it's the Washington Post let's start some rumors about __________ (fill in the blank). :banana

Shutterbug
11-20-2005, 02:05
Yes, it seems to have all the facts straight.

<G>

Well, I don't like to nit pick, but "Samsonite Man" didn't get his trail name because of carrying a suitcase over mountain tops.

The way I heard the story (from Circuit Rider) was that Samsonite Man came to Miss Janet's hostel and asked, "Can you direct me to the closest shelter?" Miss Janet assumed that he was a hiker and asked if he was northbound or southbound. Samsonite Man responded that it didn't really matter, and asked, "Which is closest?" She directed him to the closest AT shelter to the south. As he left, Miss Janet noticed that he was carrying a suit case. She thought it was unusual, but it didn't occur to her that he might not have been a hiker.

A bit later someone from the local homeless shelter called and asked if she had seen a man and described Samsonite Man. They had been expecting him, but he hadn't shown up. By the time the local authorities found him, he was already situated at the AT Shelter. He enjoyed the fellowship with the hikers so much that he stayed there for a couple of days. Because of his suit case, he got the trail name of "Samsonite Man."

At least that is the way I heard the story.:clap

MedicineMan
11-20-2005, 03:12
"They also, after hiking day upon showerless day, develop a smell that would turn heads in a sewage plant. When a thru-hiker comes by on the trail, the heads of passing day hikers jerk like Frenchmen in a Pep Le Pew cartoon."

attroll
11-20-2005, 03:52
Well, they could have at least been gracious enough to list the web site address since they used our quotes. We made end up being the un-named source. Since it's the Washington Post let's start some rumors about __________ (fill in the blank). :banana

The article I read did list the web site address.

bogey
11-20-2005, 06:00
Well, they could have at least been gracious enough to list the web site address since they used our quotes. We made end up being the un-named source. Since it's the Washington Post let's start some rumors about __________ (fill in the blank). :banana
Actually they did give the plug: on page five.

"In October, Janet Hensley, the owner of a trailside hostel in Tennessee, posted a message on the hiker bulletin board www.whiteblaze.net. Its heading was one word: "Thief!"' (emphasis added)</NITF>

MacGyver2005
11-20-2005, 08:54
Well, I don't like to nit pick, but "Samsonite Man" didn't get his trail name because of carrying a suitcase over mountain tops.

The way I heard the story (from Circuit Rider) was that Samsonite Man came to Miss Janet's hostel and asked, "Can you direct me to the closest shelter?" Miss Janet assumed that he was a hiker and asked if he was northbound or southbound. Samsonite Man responded that it didn't really matter, and asked, "Which is closest?" She directed him to the closest AT shelter to the south. As he left, Miss Janet noticed that he was carrying a suit case. She thought it was unusual, but it didn't occur to her that he might not have been a hiker.

A bit later someone from the local homeless shelter called and asked if she had seen a man and described Samsonite Man. They had been expecting him, but he hadn't shown up. By the time the local authorities found him, he was already situated at the AT Shelter. He enjoyed the fellowship with the hikers so much that he stayed there for a couple of days. Because of his suit case, he got the trail name of "Samsonite Man."

At least that is the way I heard the story.:clap

I think that might either be a different individual, or a twist on the story altogether. The Samsonite Man I know of was hiking around Bear's Den heading south, and was certainly aware of the direction he was heading. I really doubt this guy could have made it to Miss Janet's this year, since he was lugging three bags and he essentially would have to complete three thru-hikes in one with the back-and-forth method he had. Was there more than one guy hiking with luggage?

Lugnut
11-20-2005, 10:03
The article I read did list the web site address.

I gotta quit speed reading. :o

CynJ
11-20-2005, 11:30
wow - great article! Go Miss Janet! :D

It really sounds like this man has some mental health issues. At least it ended peacefully with no one getting hurt.

MDSHiker
11-20-2005, 13:21
Thanks for the link to the article. Interesting story!

Tha Wookie
11-20-2005, 13:29
One more moral of the story is that anything you post here is liable to be printed in the Washington Post. I have no idea what the end of that actually comes down to, but remembering it being an amazingly wildd thing when we went over 500 members, that was very odd to me to see whiteblaze posts in the WP.

:D

It also shows that the Washington Post gets their news from blogs and forums.

This would be the same "news agency" that contributed funds to the Bush/Cheney campaign.

that really was a fascinating story....

Papa Razzi
11-20-2005, 18:55
Wookie, are you sure you're not thinking of the Washington Times as the newspaper that donated to the Bush Campaign? Irregardless, this article was a special feature in a newspaper supplement, likely written by a freelance writer (though I don't know that for sure). I don't feel that there's anything wrong with using blogs and forums as a way of researching how members of a community feel about an issue, which appears to be what was done in this article. Sure, there's all sorts of things likely to go wrong if one uses them as the primary source for an article, but this one certainly covered a lot more ground than I recall being discussed here on White Blaze.

Skyline
11-20-2005, 19:43
It also shows that the Washington Post gets their news from blogs and forums.

This would be the same "news agency" that contributed funds to the Bush/Cheney campaign.

that really was a fascinating story....

Well, maybe the Post's Bob Woodward, who it now seems covered the Administration's collective arses for two years, could have contributed to the Bush/Cheney re-election. But the publishers of the Post itself? I'd need to see the cancelled check. I bet it was the right-wing Washington Times if any DC daily contributed to that cause. But if it WAS the Post's publishers, a strange thing for what many call the top dog of the "liberal media" to do.

Anyway, a very thorough story and they got 95% of the AT-related facts, and the essence of the long-distance AT hiking community, right.

Nightwalker
11-20-2005, 20:44
Well, they could have at least been gracious enough to list the web site address since they used our quotes. We made end up being the un-named source. Since it's the Washington Post let's start some rumors about __________ (fill in the blank). :banana
The story I saw listed whiteblaze.net bigger'n snot. I dinna like it, no I did not!

Nightwalker
11-20-2005, 20:50
It also shows that the Washington Post gets their news from blogs and forums.

This would be the same "news agency" that contributed funds to the Bush/Cheney campaign.

that really was a fascinating story....
It all evens out. Post right, Times left, politicians suck. Pretty much all of them. Whichever party you don't vote for seems to suck worst. That's just human nature. 'Course since I voted Nader, you ALL suck!

(Nader is just a funny spelling for NOTA, or none of the above.)

:D

smokymtnsteve
11-20-2005, 20:52
vote for Nader was a vote for Bush!

hikerjohnd
11-20-2005, 21:41
Could the cabin that Nicholls offers to hikers be the "secret shelter" that people talk about in NJ? Just curious... :confused::confused:

Papa Razzi
11-20-2005, 23:26
Nope. If I recall correctly, they're at opposite ends of the state.

MoBeach42
11-24-2005, 18:25
The article also mentioned a hiker going South this year named Greenhorn. He started in New Hampshire (N Woodstock, I think) going south through the winter with an 80 lb pack. I met Greenhorn in Waynesboro, where we were both camping on the YMCA lawn. I bought us enough food for an excellent veggie BBQ, and he seemed nice enough. Does anyone know anything more about him or what happened to him?

the goat
11-25-2005, 11:45
It also shows that the Washington Post gets their news from blogs and forums.
this is true & shouldn't be a shock, many major news outlets do this, right or wrong. cnn is constantly quoting blogs as gospel truth.

This would be the same "news agency" that contributed funds to the Bush/Cheney campaign.
this is perplexing wook, the post endorsed gore in '00 and they endorsed kerry in '04:confused: . i believe you're mistaken on this one.