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sloopjonboswell
06-22-2008, 00:52
he went home, sucks.

weary
06-22-2008, 01:15
he went home, sucks.
We need details to make sense of this post.

ToyYoda
06-22-2008, 01:40
I'm gonna go out on a limb here...

His pack was stolen, so he quit a thru and went home.

Panzer1
06-22-2008, 01:57
he went home, sucks.


You must be a man of few words.

Panzer

Frolicking Dinosaurs
06-22-2008, 06:37
Sorry to hear this

Kilo1
06-22-2008, 06:58
There's a lot of theft where you suddenly end up with no pack on the AT?

modiyooch
06-22-2008, 08:44
where did this happen?

Rain Man
06-22-2008, 09:48
We need details to make sense of this post.

Yeah. We're just being jerked around with this thread starter, er, non-starter.

Rain Man

oldfivetango
06-22-2008, 15:32
So I guess my facetious comments about the poor theif
were not funny?:D
Oldfivetango

modiyooch
06-22-2008, 15:37
I'm gonna go out on a limb here...

His pack was stolen, so he quit a thru and went home.

Ok, let's make a story.

It was stolen by a bear and....

oldfivetango
06-22-2008, 15:46
Ok, let's make a story.

It was stolen by a bear and....

Well,that changes everything!
If the thief was a bear then he wasn't a thief
at all!He was just taking what was rightfully his
to begin with.After all,Serial was in the bears hood.
Right?

Now I have an answer to my original post(deleted:confused:)
as to what kind of person could be in dire enough
staits to resort to stealing from smelley old hikers-
now I know!!
It was simply a case of survival your honor-that's my
story and I'm sticking to it.
Oldfivetango

rcli4
06-22-2008, 16:57
doesw nanyone know Serial? I have everything a thruhiker needs. I will loan them mine so they can finish.

Clyde

Jack Tarlin
06-22-2008, 17:13
Nice offer. Get the details first. I know a guy whose pack got stolen cuz he left it outside the Doyle on the sidewalk for three days. :rolleyes:

But nice offer in any case.

Toolshed
06-22-2008, 17:41
Nice offer. Get the details first. I know a guy whose pack got stolen cuz he left it outside the Doyle on the sidewalk for three days. :rolleyes:

But nice offer in any case.
Lasted 3 days on a sidewalk, huh??? (in Duncannon no less.) Mustabeen a pretty crappy pack....or he was still attached to it??!!
:D

Two Speed
06-22-2008, 18:04
Nice offer. Get the details first. I know a guy whose pack got stolen cuz he left it outside the Doyle on the sidewalk for three days. :rolleyes:

But nice offer in any case.Stolen, or the garbage man dealt with it?

Jack Tarlin
06-22-2008, 18:09
Nope, it was stolen all right,and amazingly enough, it was recovered. (Tho truth be told, leaving one's goods on a Duncannon sidewalk for 65 hours might not be a particularly prudent thing to do. :rolleyes:)

Now don't get me wrong....I sure hope this guy is able to get back onand can finish his trip. All I'm saying is that sometimes, there's more to these tales of woe than first appears.

Survivor Dave
06-22-2008, 18:15
I hiked with Serial from Wayah Shelter all the way to NOC. He was hiking with Matty and a few other of his crew.

http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/7/6/4/7/img_0433.jpg






doesw nanyone know Serial? I have everything a thruhiker needs. I will loan them mine so they can finish.

Clyde

mrc237
06-22-2008, 18:38
Nice offer. Get the details first. I know a guy whose pack got stolen cuz he left it outside the Doyle on the sidewalk for three days. :rolleyes:

But nice offer in any case.

That's great Jack:D:D:DLMAO

Jack Tarlin
06-22-2008, 18:40
It's also perfectly true....... :D

mrc237
06-22-2008, 18:42
No boutadoutit! Was he pissed off? And did he throw a tantrum on WB?

sloopjonboswell
06-23-2008, 16:47
why would you really need any details? serial, middle virginia, boneheaded pack-stash, serial, gone back to detroit. jerk that around. funguy.

Jack Tarlin
06-23-2008, 16:57
Very revealing comment. What was "bone-headed" about where he stashed his pack?

In my experience, true pack theft is very rare, and it frequently involves packs that have been left in poor locations, left somewhere for too long, or were seemingly "abandoned."

Once again, don't get me wrong. I feel bad for this guy and I hope he can continue his hike, but if Mr. Boswell knows more details on this, he should share them with us.

This could be instructive for other people if we knew more of the details.

Lone Wolf
06-23-2008, 16:59
he left his camera somewhere and stashed his pack in the woods near a road crossing. he went back to get the camera, when he returned the pack was gone

MOWGLI
06-23-2008, 17:03
Could have been a bear if there was food in it. Probably a human though.

Don't ever leave your pack unattended in the woods. Unless you're willing to part company permanently with it.

Jack Tarlin
06-23-2008, 17:04
Like I said, this could be constructive.....

kanga
06-23-2008, 17:05
doesw nanyone know Serial? I have everything a thruhiker needs. I will loan them mine so they can finish.

Clyde

****ty luck! nice offer, tho. that's straight up.

max patch
06-23-2008, 17:16
why would you really need any details? serial, middle virginia, boneheaded pack-stash, serial, gone back to detroit. jerk that around. funguy.

If "BONEHEADED PACK STASH" means he "hid" his pack in the woods, then it needs to be repeated that this is something you never, never, never do.

Jack Tarlin
06-23-2008, 17:20
As previously noted, details would be interesting. :rolleyes:

4eyedbuzzard
06-23-2008, 17:32
If "BONEHEADED PACK STASH" means he "hid" his pack in the woods, then it needs to be repeated that this is something you never, never, never do.

And sometimes boneheaded pack stash means exactly that - smoke a lot of bones and stash pack and um, er... Wow, man, my pack is gone...

rafe
06-23-2008, 17:43
And sometimes boneheaded pack stash means exactly that - smoke a lot of bones and stash pack and um, er... Wow, man, my pack is gone...

You have personal experience with this sort of event? :D

FWIW, I've done a fair amount of pack-stashing on my section hikes (those involving a bicycle to get between start and end-points.) Never had a problem, but maybe I was just lucky. All of these pack-stash events were in New England, on the AT and on the MA Mid-State trail.

Jack Tarlin
06-23-2008, 17:46
I personally know of folks who have had packs stolen in Duncannon, Rutland, and Hanover. Just cuz one is in the mid-Atlantic area or New England doesn't mean you should get careless. Pack theft can happen anywhere.

max patch
06-23-2008, 17:47
The PG -- 20 years ago -- warned:

"To someone watching the trailhead with evil intent, a person with the distinctive Thru Hiker "look" who comes out without a pack and hitches a ride into town means a stashed pack worth hundreds of dollars somewhere back on the Trail. BE CAREFUL!"

John B
06-23-2008, 17:52
I have no experience with stashing a pack, but I seem to recall several saying that it was a common thing to do when going to town or restaurant for a short time. No? Why is it stupid -- the risk of someone seeing where it's hidden and ripping it off?; risk of bears?

Jack Tarlin
06-23-2008, 17:54
Um, yeah.

The reason it's stupid is because it can easily be found and either pillaged or carried off.

This is very rarely done by bears. :rolleyes:

4eyedbuzzard
06-23-2008, 17:57
You have personal experience with this sort of event? :D

Well, duh. I quit smoking that stuff back in the 80's. Doesn't stop me from putting things in a "safe place" though and not being able to find them again. Let's see where'd I stash my pack again? Oh yeah, behind that big tree - next to the big rock!;)


FWIW, I've done a fair amount of pack-stashing on my section hikes (those involving a bicycle to get between start and end-points.) Never had a problem, but maybe I was just lucky. All of these pack-stash events were in New England, on the AT and on the MA Mid-State trail.

Never had anything stolen. But I'm admittedly pretty anal about just leaving stuff lying about. I think people are overall extremely honest. I just don't like to tempt anyone.

rafe
06-23-2008, 18:14
I really do feel for the hiker in question, and I agree that "pack stashing" involves serious risks. In my case there was only a pack at risk -- not a thru-hike.

I have left my pack in hostels on a few occasions, and I was sometimes nervous about that. I'd always take the most valuable items along with me, however (camera, diary, etc.)

Panzer1
06-23-2008, 18:57
why would you really need any details?....


Because this is a chat room. Thats what we do here is chat about things that happened. We can't chat without the details.

Panzer

Panzer1
06-23-2008, 19:03
I have no experience with stashing a pack, but I seem to recall several saying that it was a common thing to do when going to town or restaurant for a short time. No? Why is it stupid -- the risk of someone seeing where it's hidden and ripping it off?; risk of bears?

When you find a good place to stash your pack remember that hikers have been hiking this trail for decades and many others have probably stashed a pack right where you stashed yours. Over time these places become widely known by thieves. So when thieves sees you walking down the road into town without a pack they know right where you left it. Then they go and get it.

Panzer

Chance09
06-23-2008, 19:05
Because this is a chat room. Thats what we do here is chat about things that happened. We can't chat without the details.

Panzer

:D It's post like that that get me thru the day lol.

Panzer1
06-23-2008, 19:16
QUESTION:
Do you think that people who have been on the trail for a while can become naive about crime?

Panzer

NorthCountryWoods
06-23-2008, 19:26
QUESTION:
Do you think that people who have been on the trail for a while can become naive about crime?

Panzer

More likely delusional in their faith in the rest of the human race.


I've never had a pack swiped, but have run into plenty that have in some of the most unlikely places. Devastating to your moral to say the least.

4eyedbuzzard
06-23-2008, 19:50
QUESTION:
Do you think that people who have been on the trail for a while can become naive about crime?

Panzer

Absolutely. There's very little crime on the trail once you get away from trailheads and more easily accessed shelters. But hikers often forget that the real world is only as far away as every road crossing.

Most criminals/thieves that do this type of thing quite likely know that there is usually no police presence near the trail and most road crossings and that there usually are no witnesses around. They also know that cell phone coverage is pretty spotty or non-existent and/or that police response time will be pretty long if they're observed in the act. Add that many hikers hike alone or only in pairs, and most carry no weapons. It all makes hikers and their gear easy, low risk prey for a thief/criminal.

Given the cost of gear and ebay as an easy fence, it's honestly surprising there isn't more crime. A WM bag will fetch 75% of retail, so will Osprey, Granite Gear, and other packs. Tents, stoves , cookware also bring a high price as does technical outerwear like Goretex.

A thief can come away with close to $1000 from stealing 1 pack if it's high end gear with very little chance of getting caught.

Blissful
06-23-2008, 19:55
We did stash packs a couple of times last year. Not on major road crossings but dirt road areas where the rhodo is thick and not near the trail. Hubby also stashed his bike too a few times. In VA too. I didn't like doing it, but it worked out for us.

Panzer1
06-23-2008, 20:20
....Given the cost of gear and ebay as an easy fence, it's honestly surprising there isn't more crime. A WM bag will fetch 75% of retail, so will Osprey, Granite Gear, and other packs. Tents, stoves , cookware also bring a high price as does technical outerwear like Goretex.....

I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to sell stolen gear here on WhiteBlaze. How would we know?

Maybe if Serial would post a description of some of his stolen gear here on WB we could keep our eyes open for that and let him know if we see anything suspicious.

Panzer

Appalachian Tater
06-23-2008, 20:24
I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to sell stolen gear here on WhiteBlaze. How would we know?

PanzerI have been a little suspicious a few times when a newly-registered poster is trying to sell something that is brand new on here. My guess is either it is stolen or else they got it on Steep and Cheap or similar or they would just return it. Especially if it is from REI or another major retailer that has a liberal return policy. Why would anyone sell something they got from REI that is still new on here for 70% of what they could get for it if they returned it?

You can bet that a lot of stuff on eBay is stolen, that is no secret. A lot of the buyers there are thieves, too.

4eyedbuzzard
06-23-2008, 20:27
I'd keep an eye out on ebay and craiglist(s). Police are getting much more cooperative with catching and prosecuting thieves who sell stuff on the internet.

4eyedbuzzard
06-23-2008, 20:28
... A lot of the buyers there[ebay] are thieves, too.

I ain't no crook - just a sniper!:D

Alligator
06-23-2008, 21:05
I hid my pack too well one time and it took an hour or so to find it:o. It didn't help that it had gotten dark when I got back:(.

Pepper Beard
06-23-2008, 21:20
The biggest crime threat along the trail actually isn't to you. It's vandalism to cars parked at trail heads. When lived in PA a few years ago, it was almost a weekly occurrence that a car got broken into parked at Pen Mar park or along PA 16 near Blue Ridge summit.

Bulldawg
06-23-2008, 22:22
This serial guy, did he have a dog with him? I think I spent some time with him at Cloud Nine back the first week in May. He was taking a few zero days because of blisters? I don't know for sure! Nice guy there at Cloud Nine anyway.

Cool AT Breeze
06-23-2008, 23:10
No he dosen't have a dog. He is a good guy.He gave me my first beer on the trail this year.I hiked with him on and off untill I came home.

modiyooch
06-23-2008, 23:29
why would you really need any details? .
Why bother to start a thread, if you don't give the details. I would think that the purpose of this thread is to alert someone else to the same danger.

modiyooch
06-23-2008, 23:33
In 1980, I boarded a bus at the end of my hike. Everything that I owned was in my pack and I was headed to Florida instead of home. I witnessed the workers loading my backpack onto a different bus. I mentioned it to the driver, and he got my pack for me. I truly believe, now, that they were trying to steal the pack. I was 21 and naive at the time.

weary
06-23-2008, 23:39
I'm not naive about crime. Just lazy. I mostly stopped locking my car since living in Chicago nearly 60 years ago. Someone had started breaking into my $150 car almost every night. Since there was nothing in there except junk, I stopped locking the doors. It worked. I never had another breakin.

I do the same with my house. If anyone wants to get in, all they need to do is break a window, so why bother with fumbling with keys.

For years I've stashed stuff on trails without a problem. Once I did all of Maine without a town stop. I just stashed stuff at trail crossings. Neither man nor beast ever bothered anything.

When I worked the night shift at the newspaper someone began stealing the beer I had kept in my car for the long drive home. I solved that by dumping a bottle of tabasco sause into a bottle and replacing the beer cap. Well, it worked until one night I took a big swig from the only beer I could find.

Weary

Panzer1
06-24-2008, 00:54
I do the same with my house. If anyone wants to get in, all they need to do is break a window, so why bother with fumbling with keys.


Because some burglars are also lazy. Some just test the door lock and if its not locked they go in. If its locked they move on to the next house. Locks can be calculated to deter a certain percentage of burglars.

Panzer

modiyooch
06-24-2008, 07:37
I lock my house. A broken window would indicate that someone was either in the house or had been in the house. With an unlocked door, you never know for sure if you our surprising a thief in action which probably wouldn't end well. There are thieves that are only looking for perscription medicines.
Weary, I did grow up in a house that the doors were never locked, But, I do lock my doors at night and when I leave.

Panzer1
06-24-2008, 08:28
I have been a little suspicious a few times when a newly-registered poster is trying to sell something that is brand new on here. My guess is either it is stolen or else they got it on Steep and Cheap or similar or they would just return it...

There's a new thread right now here on WB where someone is trying to sell all kinds of equipment. And the poster only has 7 posts.:-?

Panzer

Jack Tarlin
06-24-2008, 08:38
Get real. Ever look at a hiker's stuff by the time they're a third of the way thru?

You think anyone would WANT their stuff, much less be willing to pay for it?

Sorry, Panzer, you basically just called a guy a possible thief, with no justification whatsoever other than the fact that he's new here.

Sorry, but that's really not cool.

Freeleo
06-24-2008, 08:51
There's a new thread right now here on WB where someone is trying to sell all kinds of equipment. And the poster only has 7 posts.:-?

Panzer

i jsut wish he would have posted all the items in one thread.....

weary
06-24-2008, 08:56
Because some burglars are also lazy. Some just test the door lock and if its not locked they go in. If its locked they move on to the next house. Locks can be calculated to deter a certain percentage of burglars.Panzer
If and when that happens I'll think about changing my practices. Let me guess. You also don't think it wise to broadcast my practices on the internet.

Weary

Jack Tarlin
06-24-2008, 08:58
Lots of stuff you advocate here isn't particularly wise.

Why should this be any different? :D

sloopjonboswell
06-24-2008, 11:02
ok, heres what i know, it was somewhere near amherst, va. the police werent real happy with him hanging around after a few days, he got some money wired, and went home. as LW said, he was going back to get his camera and stashed his pack near a road. its a real shame as serial is an awesome person whom i have hiked a couple of hundred miles with. the reason for this thread was to let people know what happened, not to spark a national debate or discussion. enjoy your trolling.

Pedaling Fool
06-24-2008, 11:06
There are bad things that happen to you during your lifetime, as there are good things. So the question is, does life suck or is life good?

Jack Tarlin
06-24-2008, 11:08
Um, nobody's trolling, Boswell. You friend, unfortunately, made a mistake.

But hopefully, folks have learned from it, and this is why it's important that we had details on the incident.

Um, by the way, if you didn't want to spark a debate or discussion on this subject, then why on earth did you start the thread? :rolleyes:

DesertMTB
06-24-2008, 13:22
When I worked the night shift at the newspaper someone began stealing the beer I had kept in my car for the long drive home. I solved that by dumping a bottle of tabasco sause into a bottle and replacing the beer cap. Well, it worked until one night I took a big swig from the only beer I could find.Weary

Why does that story sound so familiar????

Jack Tarlin
06-24-2008, 13:25
If Weary was drinking and driving, I think he deserved what he got. :D

sloopjonboswell
06-24-2008, 13:41
discuss all you want. i thought serials friends should know.

sloopjonboswell
06-24-2008, 13:44
Yeah. We're just being jerked around with this thread starter, er, non-starter.

Rain Man
you dont know me. jerk.

Jack Tarlin
06-24-2008, 16:17
Boswell:

Please don't mis-understand people.....it's GOOD that you said something about this and it's GOOD that we're discussing it. You might have just prevented something similar happening to someone else.

So thanx for letting us know about this.

NorthCountryWoods
06-24-2008, 16:38
you dont know me. jerk.

Nice.

Ever think this guy just faked having his pack stolen so he didn't have to hike with you?

Walk On Boy
06-24-2008, 16:40
I hiked with Serial last year and a mutual thru-hiker friend of ours got an email from him about this theft situation. If he had replied the email or had a cell phone I would have gone to find him and given him gear and money - he was only a couple hours away. Sorry to hear he went home.

Lauriep
06-25-2008, 18:15
If anyone is in touch with Serial, please encourage him to report the details of the theft to ATC at [email protected].

I can also email an incident report form to whomever might be interested (the form is not on our website). There's also an abbreviated version of the form in the back of the A.T. Data Book.

Laurie Potteiger
ATC
[email protected]

Appalachian Tater
06-25-2008, 18:21
Get real. Ever look at a hiker's stuff by the time they're a third of the way thru?

You think anyone would WANT their stuff, much less be willing to pay for it?Yes, people not only buy used junk, they overpay for it. Good used stuff they really overpay for. Go to any thrift shop and look at the prices and crowds.

I know from my own experience on eBay that people will actually pay more for something used than they could get it for new elsewhere, or even on eBay. With me it was specifically computer parts from my old non-working computer: RAM, hard-drive, etc. Unbelievable. People would pay up to 1 1/2 times what new parts cost.

ChinMusic
06-25-2008, 18:23
If Weary was drinking and driving, I think he deserved what he got. :D
It sounds very much in charcter to me.

Wise Old Owl
06-26-2008, 00:43
So let me get this straight, We won't see Serial doing Geocaching
anytime soon.:-? Sorry to hear about his loss.

4eyedbuzzard
06-26-2008, 00:53
Yes, people not only buy used junk, they overpay for it. Good used stuff they really overpay for. Go to any thrift shop and look at the prices and crowds.

I know from my own experience on eBay that people will actually pay more for something used than they could get it for new elsewhere, or even on eBay. With me it was specifically computer parts from my old non-working computer: RAM, hard-drive, etc. Unbelievable. People would pay up to 1 1/2 times what new parts cost.

I watched a WM highlite bag get bid up to $400 on ebay this spring. You could buy it at several places online for $250 at the same time, and yes they had it in stock. I see it all the time. Used stuff selling for more than what you can buy it for new. Lots of people are simply idiots when it comes to shopping.

Jack Tarlin
06-26-2008, 00:59
Re. people being idiots when shopping:

Buzzard is exactly right. Back when there was an Outfitter in Hanover, they sold these great storm shells from a company called "Solstice." These cost about 215.00 bucks and were just as good....or better......than the perennially popular North Face Mountain Light jacket, which then cost 345.00.

Needless to say, the Mountain Lights sold ten times as often as the Solstices.

Basically, you could have put the North Face logo on a petrified turd and some Dartmouth kid would have bought it.

Lots of shoppers are indeed idiots.

4eyedbuzzard
06-26-2008, 01:14
Well, if Daddy can afford the tuition to Dartmouth, one simply MUST have a TNF logo on their jacket. :rolleyes:

weary
06-27-2008, 21:14
If Weary was drinking and driving, I think he deserved what he got. :D
Let's have show of hands. Everyone who has never driven after having had a drink, raise their right hands.

Hmmmm. Just as I thought only a few hands were raised. Not even Jack's. Though I agree drunks should be banned from highways, if possible. Maybe, even trails, though the latter is not terribly apparent, nor as important.

Weary

angewrite
06-27-2008, 21:33
discuss all you want. i thought serials friends should know.

Thanks Pike. Really sucks for Serial though, would have been nice if he could have finished.

I hiked with Serial in 2007. He's a great guy.

Jack Tarlin
06-27-2008, 21:57
Hey, Weary, I've never driven after having a drink. Ever.

You know why I know that's not true?

It's cause I don't drive.

All sorts of people can confirm this....Wolf, Rock, Janet, Bob Peoples, you name it.

So there goes your theory.

I lived in Boston for many, many years, Weary, didn't have a car, and didn't have a license, even. This continued after I left Boston. Anyone that knows me will confirm this......I don't drive, Weary, not because I'm not allowed to, but because I don't choose to. Therefore, your comments in your last post are simply wrong, your comments about me are wrong, in fact, just about everything you said in your last post is wrong.

Weary said that drunks should be banned from highways. I agree with him that folks shouldn't drive drunk, on highways or elsewhere.

Well fine. And silly old grumps shouldn't make speculative comments about people they don't know much about, either. Whether or not they should be banned...well, I'll withhold judgment on that.

I used to have a motorcycle license, I let it go. I used to have a drivers license, I let it go, too. Right now, I don't have a license, don't need one, and I don't drive.

So Weary's last post is basically FOS.

Like a lot of his posts...... :D

urbansix
06-28-2008, 06:58
Hikers are some of the nicest people.

DapperD
11-16-2008, 16:19
There's very little crime on the trail once you get away from trailheads and more easily accessed shelters. But hikers often forget that the real world is only as far away as every road crossing.

Most criminals/thieves that do this type of thing quite likely know that there is usually no police presence near the trail and most road crossings and that there usually are no witnesses around. They also know that cell phone coverage is pretty spotty or non-existent and/or that police response time will be pretty long if they're observed in the act. Add that many hikers hike alone or only in pairs, and most carry no weapons. It all makes hikers and their gear easy, low risk prey for a thief/criminal.

Given the cost of gear and ebay as an easy fence, it's honestly surprising there isn't more crime. A WM bag will fetch 75% of retail, so will Osprey, Granite Gear, and other packs. Tents, stoves , cookware also bring a high price as does technical outerwear like Goretex.

A thief can come away with close to $1000 from stealing 1 pack if it's high end gear with very little chance of getting caught.One thru-hiker said it best when he stated that, "Where he went, so did his pack and gear". I think that, for thru-hikers who have invested so much time, effort, and money in researching and purchasing their gear, and, without being certain of the security of their gear, that this pretty much needs to be the order of the day.