View Full Version : Vandalism at Carver's Gap
I got this email from a friend this morning.
"One of my hiking buds just called.
He and a friend did a trip up to Roan for an overnight Sat night.
Left their car at Carver's Gap and hiked to the barn.
Horrible conditions, as you can imagine. 50mph winds on the balds, white-out--that night part of the barn roof blowing off.
Next morning hiked back to Carver's Gap only to find their car and several others with busted out windows, broken into and stuff stolen. He had left his wallet in the car and it was gone, along with a bunch of credit cards and $120 cash!
His cell phone also--but it has a GPS tracker on it, so he will try and trace it down today."
You'd think with the frequency of occurance, the authorities would set up a sting. Maybe a few hikers can instead. A stealth site within view of the parking area armed with..... :-?
Lone Wolf
01-16-2006, 11:55
...sling shots
orangebug
01-16-2006, 11:56
Those worked for David.
Yeah, slingshots! As a member of the National Slingshot Association I think that's a great idea!
Tha Wookie
01-16-2006, 12:21
Maybe a few hikers can instead. A stealth site within view of the parking area armed with..... :-?
Potato cannon and water balloon launcher!
bulldog49
01-16-2006, 12:45
I got this email from a friend this morning.
"One of my hiking buds just called.
He and a friend did a trip up to Roan for an overnight Sat night.
Left their car at Carver's Gap and hiked to the barn.
Horrible conditions, as you can imagine. 50mph winds on the balds, white-out--that night part of the barn roof blowing off.
Next morning hiked back to Carver's Gap only to find their car and several others with busted out windows, broken into and stuff stolen. He had left his wallet in the car and it was gone, along with a bunch of credit cards and $120 cash!
His cell phone also--but it has a GPS tracker on it, so he will try and trace it down today."
You'd think with the frequency of occurance, the authorities would set up a sting. Maybe a few hikers can instead. A stealth site within view of the parking area armed with..... :-?
Don't like to be harsh, but why would anyone leave their wallet with credit cards and cash and a cell phone in their car at any trail head, let alone one as notorious as Carver's Gap? Not very smart. :confused:
Lone Wolf
01-16-2006, 12:46
I was wondering the same thing bulldog. Sly?
wacocelt
01-16-2006, 12:54
Potato cannon and water balloon launcher!
Yeah, frozen potatos and water ballons would be more lethal than most small caliber hand guns. Not to mention it abusive to our potato brethren.
W is responsible for WMDs, aka potato cannons. Lets camp in a blizzard and wack these rednecks. Sat. night? Good grief. Did the friend have yankee plates too? Maybe a I "heart" AT bumpersticker.....?
Don't like to be harsh, but why would anyone leave their wallet with credit cards and cash and a cell phone in their car at any trail head, let alone one as notorious as Carver's Gap? Not very smart. :confused:
I don't know. This is a friend of a friend. Perhaps he wasn't aware of the nature of some of the folks in the area and/or thought his stuff was well hidden. Regardless of the lost valuables, the cars still had their windows smashed out.
yeah, hindsight, and the vandilism was regardless of the stolen property. Even so, a wake up to us who park at trailheads.
i can get a 5gal bucket of assorted size ball bearings for those sling shots. i like a cluster bomb of m80's too.
Miss Janet
01-16-2006, 23:48
The "notorius" Carvers Gap has rarely been a problem...
now I have to worry about the guys I sent up there to stay tonight!
Stoker53
01-17-2006, 12:58
I've left cars at Carver's Gap on three occasions for over a week each time with no problems. I have noticed that on several winter trips ( over a period of years ) there was an old RV w/Fla plates in the CG parking lot.
RV was occupied and appeared to have been there for quite a while. It was up on lifts so the tires were off the ground and the spring close to the parking lot had a temp cistern made from a rubbermaid sortage box. Generator was set up outside the RV.
Never saw anyone outside the RV but you could hear music coming from inside.
I say we do a dust off, nuke it from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.
The "notorius" Carvers Gap has rarely been a problem...
now I have to worry about the guys I sent up there to stay tonight!
I'll second Miss Janets remarks. I've got a close friend who was one of 4 cars broken into on that Sat. night. He and his wife have been going up there on a regular basis in winter since 1977. They have NEVER seen or heard of vandalism like this at Carvers Gap. Turns out that Jacks Grocery on the Tenn. side was broken into on Sat. night as well, and another car was broken into on Sunday night of the same weekend. I hope they catch the thievin S.O.B.'s.:mad:
CaptChaos
01-29-2006, 14:25
I thin kthat if you would look into it that the locals see the trailhead as a chance to get something for nothing and there is not much that is going to happen to them.
The breakins at the trailhead have always been an issue and that is why I decided to start my trips or end my trips when I go to the smokies at the Cades Cove Ranger station.
It was harder for someone to break into the car with the rangers around. But then that is their station. Get away from the station and its like anything else in life and their is no protection.
We park cars and backpack. We don't buy much, we are self contained and the locals know it. The paying public comes and goes and does not leave a car over night, easy mark that the car in the middle of the night is a backpacker and the car is a free ticket to break into.
Best advice I ever had someone tell me was to get a beat up car, chain the hood down so they cant steal your battery and put some lockable lug nuts on your tires so they are there when you come back. I always leave my glove box open and a note in the car that there is nothing to steal so they can move on to another car and jack it.
.....Best advice I ever had someone tell me was to get a beat up car, chain the hood down so they cant steal your battery and put some lockable lug nuts on your tires .....
I have a cousin who had his tires and car shot up at Deep Gap 7-8 yrs ago, he replaced the glass/tires and still uses it. I also chain/lock the hood and leave my old car empty. Nicer SUV's/cars have been stolen by wrecker or rollback's along the AT. I would park in a way that would make it harder for them to access.
carolinahiker
02-14-2006, 12:14
Well while i miss the wife on the trail she doenst hike a dedicated car camper she is but wants a shower and bathroom near she is the worlds best drop and pick up person in the world ask her to pick you up at a road junction on a certain date or a trail crossing and shes there , usually with the dogs and grandkids to they can say ewww grandpa you reek etc etc etc lol.
Don't like to be harsh, but why would anyone leave their wallet with credit cards and cash and a cell phone in their car at any trail head, let alone one as notorious as Carver's Gap? Not very smart. :confused:
VANDALISM has been a problem for years @ top of CARVERS GAP.
I agree...BAD MOVE leaving valuables in the car...
If you must...@ least put them in the TRUNK...out of sight of a..h..e vandals!
Yo Bulldog49...nice George Harrison quote!:D