Crime on the trail [Archive]

Miranda

08-17-2007, 12:27

Frolicking Dinosaurs

08-17-2007, 12:31

Welcome to WB, Miranda.

I advise you to go to the Trail Journal site (http://www.trailjournals.com/index.cfm)and read the day-to-day journals of hikers. Crime of any sort is very rare - violent crime is even rarer.

peanuts

08-17-2007, 13:13

like the she-dino said. i would sugest reading the female journals there are several that are here on the wb. liteshoe,barefoot sisters, 42, certains. persistent, and many others that i can't think of at this time. enjoy!!

Pennsylvania Rose

08-17-2007, 13:35

The trail is much safer than any city or town in the US. We've had many discussions on wb about it. You can search the forums or take FD's advice and read some trailjournals.

Miranda

08-17-2007, 14:22

Thanks so much for the replies, I have been cyber slacking on this site for about a week, and have some great information. But I think I wandered in my point a bit last post. I was looking for actual statistics on crime. I'm going to have to throw some hard #s at my Dad, and probably my husband, to even get this off the ground. My Dad is a confirmed day hiker, and My husband prefers long Drives in the country. :-) The general consensus so far is that I'm taking a plesent hobby and loseing my everlovin mind....
So do ya'll think the ATC would have info like that?

jettjames

08-17-2007, 14:37

Miranda, I just hiked this year, 700 miles, I saw no crime on the trail at all. (well other than the story of sleddog stealing donation boxes) I hiked with many women, quite a few couples and many single women, none of them were nervous or scared. Everyone is a littel nervous the first few nights, but then you realize that you are very safe. you find a group of people and pretty much stick with them. sometimes they are ahead and sometime they are behind but you tend to shuffle witht eh same group and eveyone looks out for everyone else.
to your specfic question, sorry, I don't know of any solid numbers to look at. You may want to check with the NPS for stats from the smokies or SNP, but even then I doubt they will be broken down by crimes actualy on the trail.
you may ask miss janet, she knows everthing that happens onthe trail :)
(hi miss janet!)

pt

Dancer

08-17-2007, 15:28

woodsy

08-17-2007, 15:37

I was looking for actual statistics on crime.

I suggest you do a google search, type in "crime on the Appalachian trail" and browse around there.

weary

08-17-2007, 16:41

Hi ladies! I am hoping to thru hike the trail in 09, but I am encountering a lot of resistance by my Dad who has worked for the park service for years. The way he makes it sound, the reason that only 300 of the original 3000 make it to Kathidin is because they are all raped, murdered, or robbed along the trail. Does anyone have any statistics on this?? The way he makes it sound, I'd be lucky to make it 20 miles without a rottweiler and an M16. Could someone please provide a reality check here? I have worked in very male centric enviroments my whole life and recently got out of the Army. I'm not exactly the type to be easily offended, but the again I don't want to go to sleep in fear for my welfare every night either. Info please!
Thanks
Miranda:sun
I walked in '93 in part to check conditions on the trail. One thing I was particularly interested in was crime on the trail. I met a number of single women on the trail, or in some cases two women hiking together.

For those that I got to know reasonably well, I would ask if they had ever felt threatened on the trail. The answer was always no.

One reason, I'm sure, is that few really hike the trail alone. Most hike with a shifting coalition of people they meet on the trail. It's almost never necessary to spend a night alone. There are groups of people at most shelters and campsites. And if one is uncomfortable spending the night alone, another few miles will almost always take you to a busier camping spot or a town.

Weary

buckowens

08-17-2007, 16:49

Hi Miranda,

Most rapists/murderers aren't going to hike 10 miles or more off the beaten path to find a victim. Do avoid shelters and campsites near trail heads, roads or that can be easily accessed when you are hiking alone.

AW

Miranda,

:welcome to WB!! The M-16 comment made me laugh!!! That's the way Dads are no matter how old you are... Amazonwomen is very correct IMO.

I just did a 5 day section hike alone from Bly Gap to NOC and felt comfortable the whole time. I did all of GA in June with my 9 year old daughter, and the people we met on the trail were spectacular, and we felt safe the whole trip. My background is in Law Enforcement, so I am always as careful as I can be. I will echo the fact that you want to keep your itinerary to "well I'm going to hike until I get tired" instead of specifics, and avoid road crossings. Most crossings can be seen from a distance and you can always be observant when you approach.

I am no statistician, but I would say you are in more danger going to your local Wally World than hiking the trail. Dirtbags are a lazy lot, and who wants an old smelly hiker anyway!!:D

weary

08-17-2007, 17:17

Here is what ATC says about the issue of crime:

"The Appalachian Trail is safer than most places, but a few crimes of violence have occurred. Awareness is one of your best lines of defense. Be aware of what you are doing, where you are, and to whom you are talking. Hikers looking out for each other can be an effective "community watch." Be prudent and cautious without allowing common sense to slip into paranoia. Remember to trust your gut—it's usually right. Other tips include the following:

Don't hike alone. If you are by yourself and encounter a stranger who makes you feel uncomfortable, say you are with a group that is behind you. Be creative. If in doubt, move on. Even a partner is no guarantee of safety, however; pay attention to your instincts about other people.

Leave your hiking itinerary and timetable with someone at home. Be sure your contacts and your family know your "Trail name," if you use one of those fanciful aliases common on the A.T. Check in regularly, and establish a procedure to follow if you fail to check in. On short hikes, provide your contacts with the numbers of the land-managing agencies for the area of your hike. On extended hikes, provide ATC's number.

Be wary of strangers. Be friendly, but cautious. Don't tell strangers your plans. Avoid people who act suspiciously, seem hostile, or are intoxicated.

Don't camp near roads.

Dress conservatively to avoid unwanted attention.

Don't carry firearms. They are prohibited on National Park Service lands and in most other areas without a permit, they could be turned against you or result in an accidental shooting, and they are extra weight.

Eliminate opportunities for theft. Don't bring jewelry. Hide your money. If you must leave your pack, hide it, or leave it with someone trustworthy. Don't leave valuables or equipment (especially in sight) in vehicles parked at Trailheads.

Use the Trail registers (the notebooks stored at most shelters). Sign in using your given name, leave a note, and report any suspicious activities. If someone needs to locate you, or if a serious crime has been committed along the Trail, the first place authorities will look is in the registers.

Report any crime or harassment to the local authorities and ATC. Contact ATC at (304) 535-6331 or [email protected]."

Tennessee Viking

08-17-2007, 17:26

For my section, Roan Mtn area in Tenn. is about the bad section I know of. Some yocals after US 19E like to ATV and ride horses on the section, and push hikers off trail. There has been vandalism to cars at Damascus, 19E (mainly), Watauga Lake, and Carvers Gap. But really any large parking area on trail is a prime target. Just keep valuables out of sight.

But not to alarm you, a woman was murdered at Vandaventer Shelter.

If hiking alone, and come upon another hiker or stranger creeps you out. Keep going or back track.

weary

08-17-2007, 17:40

The only statistics I've found are at this site:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1145/is_7_36/ai_76697424

gsingjane

08-17-2007, 17:57

Also, and this is totally not to slam your dad or anything, but sometimes people in law enforcement, because they are seeing people at their worst, develop certain feelings or views on everyone, which may not necessarily pertain. As an example, for many years my BIL was a New York City police officer. To hear him tell it, you'd have to be completely nuts to live there at all, you'd be a crime victim just breathing. Yet, I lived and raised 4 children there for 11 years and somehow avoided being victimized repeatedly. It isn't his fault he sees the world that way, it's just that's what he sees, all day, every day, so that's his "lens." It's accurate so far as his experience is concerned, it's just not everyone's experience, KWIM?

Just like I didn't let my BIL's fears and views keep me from living in, and loving, New York City, don't let your dad's issues wreck your hike. Accept that he is saying what he does because he cares for you, but also understand... when he implies that you'll be a crime victim before you eat your first packet of ramen, statistically, he's just plain wrong.

Jane in CT

Appalachian Tater

08-17-2007, 18:22

The way he makes it sound, the reason that only 300 of the original 3000 make it to Kathidin

He's a little off on the number who start a thru-hike as well as the percentage who finish.

http://www.appalachiantrail.org/site/c.jkLXJ8MQKtH/b.851143/k.C36D/2000Milers_Facts_and_Statistics.htm

Miranda

08-17-2007, 20:23

Thanks for the #'s everyone that's just what I had in mind!

weary

08-17-2007, 21:23

..But not to alarm you, a woman was murdered at Vandaventer Shelter. ... .
Of course. But the last person who was hurt anywhere near the AT by someone with crime as an intention, as near as I can determine, was in 1996.

Bodily harm on the AT as a result of criminal activity surely happens -- but so rarely that no one keeps any statistics as near as I can determine.

There is no doubt in my mind, based on 40 or more years of observing and analyzing such things, that the AT is probably the safest place you could possibly be during the months in which you would normally do a thru hike. As least from criminal activity. Hike in the winter and you would be even safer from a criminal standpoint, but the figures are statistically insignificant. Winter, of course, lessens the chance of being involved in criminal activities.

But that doesn't make it less dangerous. Over the decades far more people have died from the weather in winter, than have ever died from criminal activity, summer or winter.

But the difference is insignificant. Tell your Dad -- and husband -- that the chances of being hurt by whatever means on the trail, is far less than almost anything else you could possibly do during those 26 or so weeks.

My advice? Just do it.

I've had a bad spring. Age does that. But I've picked up quite a bit in recent weeks. Yesterday, much to my surprise, I managed to hike six miles, most of them a Bushwhack.

Anyway. If improvements continue, and my daughter promises to edit and prepare all the hiker newsletter's I;m commited to do, I may even see people on the trail in 2008. I took a lot of side trails in 1993, I have a few gaps to make up before I can apply for my 2000-miler patch.

Weary

Landshark

08-17-2007, 21:51

I hear you about the nervous dad, my dad is not aware of the amount of hiking I do alone. He thinks I should carry a gun, not just on the trail but in everyday life INCLUDING at work (I work at an elementary school, for crying out loud).

Anyway, in Bill Bryson's book "A Walk in the Woods" which I know is not the authority on the trail by a long shot, but I recently re-read it (listened to it on CD actually)... he goes into a rundown of the crime statistics, says something about there having been, oh, I don't know, 8 or 9 murders on the trail... and then he makes what I think is a very valid point by saying something like, "You could draw a 2000-mile line across any section of the U.S. and you'd probably go through 9 murders."

I personally take issue with any sort of advice about safety that includes a comment along the lines of "dress conservatively to avoid unwanted attention." I really need to stop hiking in a bikini and heels, I'm asking for it! The padded push-up bra does add to pack weight, I'll admit....

smokymtnsteve

08-17-2007, 22:56

does the crime at TRAIL DAYS count?

Frolicking Dinosaurs

08-18-2007, 17:58

::: threadjacking in progress :::

I've had a bad spring. Age does that. But I've picked up quite a bit in recent weeks. Yesterday, much to my surprise, I managed to hike six miles, most of them a Bushwhack.::: Dino seen doing happy dance because Weary is well enough to hike again :::

::: end threadjacking :::