View Full Version : Rangers on the Trail
This poll asks how many Rangers/Wardens or other LEOs you saw on the Trail during your Thru Hike. Don't count the ones you saw in a building or parking lot.
Appalachian Tater
10-18-2007, 20:58
What if they're driving a car around a campground in the Shenandoah Park?
SGT Rock
10-18-2007, 20:59
How about ridge runners?
Lone Wolf
10-18-2007, 21:00
This poll asks how many Rangers/Wardens or other LEOs have you seen on the Trail on your Thru Hike? Don't count the ones you saw in a building or parking lot.
the only ones i saw actually on the AT in 16,000 miles of hiking were in the Smokys, pig hunters, and in SNP at a shelter once
They don't count if they are in their cars. And only those with power of arrest who are out walking on the Trail.
Thank you for asking.
Jan LiteShoe
10-18-2007, 21:00
Now the real question - how many saw ME?
;-0
nitewalker
10-18-2007, 21:04
only ranger i have ever seen was near a shelter just below mt marcy in upstate new york. she was warning hikers about a crazed bear. also she was packin and i aint talkin food....
The ATC has set up all sort of motion sensor cameras, Jan.
I think we all know why.
Its no coincidence that this happend with Bush in the White House.
Appalachian Tater
10-18-2007, 21:04
Well, then, none, but some of the Ridge Runners said that there really are Rangers out there. Probably they're mostly doing administrative things.
Lone Wolf
10-18-2007, 21:06
The ATC has set up all sort of motion sensor cameras, Jan.
I think we all know why.
Its no coincidence that this happend with Bush in the White House.
i own a motion sensor camera detector. i've been destroying cameras
The ATC has placed them all up and down the trail.
The shots they showed in the ATN were of cute animals. I wonder what else they have on film?
SGT Rock
10-18-2007, 21:09
Me and Carl totin' big old sacks of warsh.
Uncle Silly
10-18-2007, 21:24
Nokia needs to respond to this poll... I seem to recall a story about a SWAT team that surprised 4 hikers at a SNP shelter sometime in '05... I wonder how many were in the squad?
saimyoji
10-18-2007, 21:41
Not on a thru-hike, but I've seen a total of 4 (at different times) on my hikes in PA/ S.NJ. All carried rifles as well as side-arms, and though they were polite they all seemed like they had something important to do. :-?
How about ridge runners?
Ridge runners are not rangers. They are seasonal employees who give advice to hikers and remind them of the rules. They have no powers of either enforcement or arrest.
I have had encounters with Rangers on and near the AT in the Whites. Always friendly and professional, even when I was caught red-handed. Probably a few others that I'm not remembering...
nitewalker
10-18-2007, 21:52
one would like to question the phrase caught red handed?
There's only one AT "ranger" for the entire 2,175 miles, the last time I checked. There are rangers along the many publicly owned lands along the trail -- national forest, national parks and such.
But I've never seen one actually in the woods. For the most part, "rangers" live in offices and the lucky ones have a few trash pick up types to give them INformation.
Weary
one would like to question the phrase caught red handed?
Let's just call it a youthful indiscretion. It was a long time ago. My penalty was to spend the night in Madison hut.
SGT Rock
10-18-2007, 21:59
Ridge runners are not rangers. They are seasonal employees who give advice to hikers and remind them of the rules. They have no powers of either enforcement or arrest.
No duh. I was wondering what he wanted for his poll, not the definition of a ranger weary.
nitewalker
10-19-2007, 21:40
Let's just call it a youthful indiscretion. It was a long time ago. My penalty was to spend the night in Madison hut.
i suppose we all have had some youthful indescretion in our pasts...:eek:
The ATC has set up all sort of motion sensor cameras, Jan.
I think we all know why.
Its no coincidence that this happend with Bush in the White House.
And the award to the person bringing up Bush in the most obscure way possible goes to...
Hikerhead
10-19-2007, 22:04
We ran into a young attrative ranger gal in the smokies on the BMT. Very nice, and she was packing. She said she was suppose to shoot boars if she saw them but didn't know if she could.
Another ranger dude in SNP stopped me in a parking lot while I was getting my pack ready to hit the trail. He checked my itinerary and we discussed how not so perfect the form was. But he was very nice and even said I did good job on filling it out even though I keep two copies instead of one. He took my other copy.
Nightwalker
10-19-2007, 22:22
We ran into a young attrative ranger gal in the smokies on the BMT. Very nice, and she was packing. She said she was suppose to shoot boars if she saw them but didn't know if she could.
Another ranger dude in SNP stopped me in a parking lot while I was getting my pack ready to hit the trail. He checked my itinerary and we discussed how not so perfect the form was. But he was very nice and even said I did good job on filling it out even though I keep two copies instead of one. He took my other copy.
I thought that the rangers in SNP were extremely nice. I met 2 there this year, and both acted very pro-hiker.
I thought that the rangers in SNP were extremely nice. I met 2 there this year, and both acted very pro-hiker.
I think most rangers appreciate people who walk their parks and forests, as opposed most visitors that just drive through.
chiefdaddy
10-19-2007, 22:51
ok I met one in upstate ny packing and he tended to not leave me the hell alone for two days lol I couldn't shake ol barney hehe. Once I shook him I felt much better.
The other times were on trail or at shelters, just a month ago one at the Fontana damn parking checked us out when we were getting in late no problems though.
A friend once had a ranger bust him smokin at night in unicoi state park in ga, said he noticed the lighter lighting up a lot and came to see what was up. cost him 500 bucks and they took his stash.
I have never seen a Ranger, Trail Warden or Ridge Runner on the AT.
superman
10-20-2007, 07:44
Ranger, ridge runner...shelter nanny. On my last hike on the LT I avoided the shelter going SOBO just before Smugglers Notch. I'd had two sleepless nights because newbie UVM students were doing school sponsored bonding in the woods. Even though I was tenting I couldn't get far enough away from the shelters when I arrived at sun down. Apparently, UVM students loudly bond all night. So I stayed in a ski chalet sort of place on the third night and avoided the shelter. The shelter nanny was going by as I stood outside admiring the approaching rain clouds. He stopped by and we talked. In the course of the conversation he told me that he is a concert pianist. So I'm thinking "yeah right" (I've never met a concert pianist before). He gave me his web site, www.codymichaels.com (http://www.codymichaels.com/) , and told me to check it out. A couple weeks latter Pat and I went to his concert in Stowe, VT. It was outstanding. Is it just me or does everyone meet amazing people when they hike?
What is a Shelter Nanny??? I have not seen them. I have not even heard of them.
Saw one DNR officer tracking down a couple of people who had some questionably socialized Rotweilers (sp?) in PA. He was just about to them when he met up with me, asking if I had seen them. They had just scared the bejeebees out of me a few minutes earlier. It was in one of the rock scramble sections, I came around a large boulder and this dog lunged at me from above, snarling. I love dogs, and have no problem (usually) with well-behaved ones on the trail. But I do believe these two did not belong.
A humerous side note: While talking to me the officer got real interested in a ziplock bag that I had tucked into the mesh pocket of my P2 pack. He kept focusing his gaze on it while talking, and finally asked to see it. Apparently, he thought the M&Ms in my gorp looked suspiciously like some type of drug. After I pulled it out, he was embarassed and went on to tell me how he love's M&Ms while hiking.
superman
10-20-2007, 10:00
What is a Shelter Nanny??? I have not seen them. I have not even heard of them.
"Shelter nanny" is a personaly coined term for the folks that hang out around a shelter to collect the fees for the AMC or who ever gets the money. They inform people of the does and don'ts of that area, camp site or shelter. There must be a term for them but I don't know off hand what it is. I usually don't have much to do with shelters except as a water source.
Brushy Sage
10-20-2007, 10:08
Ranger Tammy McCorkle at Greenbrier State Park in Maryland regularly shows up on the AT in her section of the state. I saw one ranger in the Smoky Mts. Park.
Uncle Silly
10-20-2007, 17:57
"Shelter nanny" is a personaly coined term for the folks that hang out around a shelter to collect the fees for the AMC or who ever gets the money. (snip) There must be a term for them but I don't know off hand what it is.
"caretaker" or possibly "maintainer". tho "shelter nanny" would certainly fit some of those individuals.
LIhikers
10-25-2007, 16:05
A number of years back, while doing a section hike of the southern half of PA, the wife and I encountered 2 rangers (state, not federal) who were out tring to catch up to 4 woman riding their horses on the AT. They asked us if we'd seen the horses and seemed glad that it had only been about 10 minutes since the horses had passed us. I guess they were catching up to the woman and their beasts.
slowandlow
10-25-2007, 16:25
the only ones i saw actually on the AT in 16,000 miles of hiking were in the Smokys, pig hunters, and in SNP at a shelter once
I have only hiked the Southern half of the AT but this was my experience as well.
I noticed someone voted for "They were everywhere man!" ... they must've hiked in 1999. Eric Robert Rudolph. And from what I've heard? Yeah, they were everywhere, man.
sylvan, you beat me to it. rangers were all about GA and NC in '99. helicopters and all. one gent i was hiking with, bookboy, looked a bit like the aforementioned Mr. Rudolph. Made for some funny looks.
t
Saw 2 in CT. when I got a ticket for illegal camping at 2 a.m.,This was on an island on the Housatonic river.
Appalachian Tater
10-25-2007, 18:51
Saw 2 in CT. when I got a ticket for illegal camping at 2 a.m.,This was on an island on the Housatonic river.
That must be the same island I slept on. When I woke up in the morning and was rolling my tarptent up I saw the the two small "No camping" signs nailed up high where a tired hiker getting to the obviously well-used campsite just before dark would never notice them.
It's a good thing for the rangers you aren't one of these "shoot first" kind of persons, waking you up at 2 a.m. like that!
We joked that we should take a picture because they were harder to spot than a bear. The only ones we saw were taking photos with tourists at Clingman's Dome.
notorius tic
10-25-2007, 22:31
I ran into 1 outside of Standing Bear, he was on horse back son of gun snuck up on me while partaking in a little TRAIL SPICE..Didnt send me black an white blazing though. SCARED the brown blaze out of me<:
We dont see enough rangers on the trail.Their funding is very little,and is getting cut,again.However,social workers have been begging for all the moneys in washington,and they have been getting it.Just look at the trash on the AT compared to ten years ago.Every gap in Tenn. had trash in it.Yet, most of the state workers own two or three homes.Whats up with that,years ago one worked for the state because thats all they could do,now they steal from our parks.We need more rangers.
Ranger, ridge runner...shelter nanny. On my last hike on the LT I avoided the shelter going SOBO just before Smugglers Notch. I'd had two sleepless nights because newbie UVM students were doing school sponsored bonding in the woods. Even though I was tenting I couldn't get far enough away from the shelters when I arrived at sun down. Apparently, UVM students loudly bond all night. So I stayed in a ski chalet sort of place on the third night and avoided the shelter. The shelter nanny was going by as I stood outside admiring the approaching rain clouds. He stopped by and we talked. In the course of the conversation he told me that he is a concert pianist. So I'm thinking "yeah right" (I've never met a concert pianist before). He gave me his web site, www.codymichaels.com (http://www.codymichaels.com/) , and told me to check it out. A couple weeks latter Pat and I went to his concert in Stowe, VT. It was outstanding. Is it just me or does everyone meet amazing people when they hike?
I'll bet he played a Steinway piano!
We dont see enough rangers on the trail.Their funding is very little,and is getting cut,again.However,social workers have been begging for all the moneys in washington,and they have been getting it.Just look at the trash on the AT compared to ten years ago.Every gap in Tenn. had trash in it.Yet, most of the state workers own two or three homes.Whats up with that,years ago one worked for the state because thats all they could do,now they steal from our parks.We need more rangers.
We definitely need more money to go to our parks and a lot less to line the pockets of corrupt politicians who's countries we invade.
Lone Wolf
11-04-2007, 09:21
We dont see enough rangers on the trail.Their funding is very little,and is getting cut,again.Just look at the trash on the AT compared to ten years ago.Every gap in Tenn. had trash in it.We need more rangers.
trash at AT road crossings is not a hiker problem. it's local slobs and a local law enforcement problem
Yet, most of the state workers own two or three homes.Whats up with that,years ago one worked for the state because thats all they could do,now they steal from our parks.We need more rangers.
Yeap, most state workers rake in the dough at $30-40k a year. :rolleyes:
First of all,davenport gap was full of trash,as well as the shelters in the area,and thats in the GSMP.Second in RI the state workers make 40,000 grand a year w bennies ,retirement and dential.A nd they dont work their reg days to induce overtime,ex take monday out and work the weekend at time and a half or holidays double time.So,it really costs us,business owners,about 60,000 a year,and we pay for their oil in their homes.Lastly,fire half of them and give the money to the AT.:banana
Lone Wolf
11-04-2007, 10:33
give the money to the AT.:banana
why? to build more shelters?
saimyoji
11-04-2007, 11:02
why? to build more shelters?
Right. Give the money to the schools to educate our eweths on how to be better sheeple. :)
4eyedbuzzard
11-04-2007, 11:29
That's a baaaaaaaaad idea.
Dakota Dan
11-04-2007, 13:59
Naturally, 30 years ago you didn't see as many people, and even fewer law officers. Most of the people seen where locals, and most in cars; while road walking or in towns.
The moneys saved could be used to keep development away from the AT.We could buy more land to protect the trail , keep our water clean,give the aminals more room,and keep the rangers on the job.
The moneys saved could be used to keep development away from the AT.We could buy more land to protect the trail , keep our water clean,give the aminals more room,and keep the rangers on the job.
Yesterday you said fire half the rangers. Why the sudden change of mind?
I was saying fire the state workers,not including the rangers,because they use properganda,to aquire all the moneys for their own interests.Check out the funding that goes to social workers and than whats left for DEM.The socialists beg and recieve 100 million from the feds a year,just in RI.And the dem rangers are lucky to get enough money to pick up the trash.Keep the rangers and pay them a little more.
nitewalker
11-05-2007, 08:08
ok I met one in upstate ny packing and he tended to not leave me the hell alone for two days lol I couldn't shake ol barney hehe. Once I shook him I felt much better.
The other times were on trail or at shelters, just a month ago one at the Fontana damn parking checked us out when we were getting in late no problems though.
A friend once had a ranger bust him smokin at night in unicoi state park in ga, said he noticed the lighter lighting up a lot and came to see what was up. cost him 500 bucks and they took his stash.
i agree! the women ranger we ran into seemed to pop up thru the whole 5 day trip we were up there. she warned us not to cook around the shelters and guess what we did? yep we got caught red handed. i guess maybe thats why she kept showing up..needless to say she was not happy...ooooopps:(
Wise Old Owl
12-22-2007, 22:26
Can't say I seen one on the AT,
On my last trip in Algonquin National Park Canada, on the final day the Mounties were conducting searches for Alcohol as people geared up at a parking spot heading into the back country. I was surprised that this was done, They were stopping conoeists and others and confiscating the beer. They left me alone.
sasquatch2014
12-22-2007, 23:08
Saw 2 in CT. when I got a ticket for illegal camping at 2 a.m.,This was on an island on the Housatonic river.
They came and gave you a ticket out on the island at 2AM?
sasquatch2014
12-22-2007, 23:14
The ATC has placed them all up and down the trail.
The shots they showed in the ATN were of cute animals. I wonder what else they have on film?
I heard of some people seeing one of the cameras and really hamming it up and playing around I am sure it has some great shots.
Blue Jay
12-23-2007, 18:52
I'm glad I read this thread. I thought Rangers were like Yeti or UFOs and now....I still think that.
Patrickjd9
12-23-2007, 19:29
Two or three in Shenandoah Park, one in New Jersey.
On the other hand, I run into trail club volunteers all the time (have been one myself, inactive right now).
I have not seen a ranger or a rridgerunner on the tralm as of this date.