View Full Version : Crowds?
jamie313
06-29-2008, 20:22
Does anyone know if the Harper's Ferry (up to Delaware Water Gap) area is heavily traveled this time of year? I'm going up there soon, alone, and am hoping to see a few smiling faces to keep me sane...
I won't lie, I'm also a bit nervous to be alone in the woods- I'm a 23 female and not super experienced. Plus, my friends keep reminding me about the recent kidnapping and murders on the AT!
Lone Wolf
06-29-2008, 20:26
Does anyone know if the Harper's Ferry (up to Delaware Water Gap) area is heavily traveled this time of year? I'm going up there soon, alone, and am hoping to see a few smiling faces to keep me sane...
I won't lie, I'm also a bit nervous to be alone in the woods- I'm a 23 female and not super experienced. Plus, my friends keep reminding me about the recent kidnapping and murders on the AT!
right now? yes, heavily traveled. your concerns are valid. just be aware at all times. i am as a fat, old male :) you'll be ok.
saimyoji
06-29-2008, 20:34
Young superhuman martial arts world champion here....I am wary and suspicious of everyone I meet. Especially fat old guys with beards.... :-?
Cookerhiker
06-29-2008, 20:41
Does anyone know if the Harper's Ferry (up to Delaware Water Gap) area is heavily traveled this time of year? I'm going up there soon, alone, and am hoping to see a few smiling faces to keep me sane...
I won't lie, I'm also a bit nervous to be alone in the woods- I'm a 23 female and not super experienced. Plus, my friends keep reminding me about the recent kidnapping and murders on the AT!
I doubt you'll ever be alone if you camp in or at the shelters in this stretch and I think "in the woods" you'll be safe. You will encounter fellow hikers every day.
Regarding safety, what you need to think about - and you may want to pose a question on this subject in the "Female Hiking Forums" - is that you're passing through 3 towns - Boiling Springs, Duncannon, Port Clinton plus other places where the general i.e. non-hiking public is prevalent e.g. Cumberland Valley. I believe most incidents involving problems for female hikers stem from road crossings and towns. So you need to keep a wary eye out in those settings.
Have a great hike.
I wish all the world were like the WhiteBlaze crowd, especially the fat old crusty bunch.
We especially need more men like Lone Wolf.
Not too many.
wilconow
06-29-2008, 21:04
Hot Springs?
Blissful
06-29-2008, 21:26
Just be mindful of your surroudings. Watch road crossings. Don't camp near roads. If something or someone makes you wary, then follow through on your instincts. And don't hike with your IPOD playing so you can listen and watch.
Also, check out the female hiker forum as well for threads about this.
Bulldawg
06-29-2008, 21:39
I would suggest doing your dead level best to cross busy road crossings with a group of hikers if at all possible.
Bulldawg
06-29-2008, 21:40
I would suggest doing your dead level best to cross busy road crossings with a group if at all possible.
jamie313
06-29-2008, 21:41
Thanks! You guys are super helpful. I appreciate the good-will and encouragement! I'll check out the female threads too.
Jack Tarlin
06-29-2008, 21:52
Jamie:
I'm actually IN Harpers Ferry and have been for awhile,, so I think I'm equipped to answer this....
There are TONS of people either in town, just North, or just South of here. In fact, the town is alive with hikers. If you leave Harpers anytime soon, you'll have plenty of good company. (However, it'll drop off a lot in a few weks, in fact, after 10 July, most of the thru-hikers have passed thru here).
But if you're leaving here anytime soon heading North, you'll be around some very fine people. For most people, Harpers to Delaware Water Gap takes about 17-23 days, tho these are folks that have been hiking for almost three months already and are in really great shape, so it may take you a bit longer. For information on how long each stretch of this section is likely to take you, and for some ideas on shopping; Re-supply, lodging, etc., you might want to look at the "Articles" section of this website, which has information that many folks have found useful.
Have a great trip!
Cookerhiker
06-29-2008, 22:03
Hot Springs?
Thanks - I fixed it.
Of course if it's boiling, it's also hot.:o
In addition to all the good advice here, trust your spidey-sense. If someone gives you the creeps, be extra cautious and have an "escape plan" in mind.
It’s not fat, it’s gravitationally challenged. Have to be politically correct.
modiyooch
06-29-2008, 23:31
Jamie, I would never advertise on a public forum where and when I was hiking alone!
Jack Tarlin
06-29-2008, 23:34
If she's heading out of Harpers anytime soon, she won't be alone. Probably twenty people are leaving every day, so calm yourself.
modiyooch
06-29-2008, 23:39
jack, I am a female that has hiked alone for many years. Not necessarily by choice. I try to be "street smart". It wouldn't hurt for her to learn this early. When I did that area, alone, I didn't even stay at the designated campsites in MD.
When I did that area, alone, I didn't even stay at the designated campsites in MD.
And that is safer how?
Jack Tarlin
06-29-2008, 23:45
Point taken. But there's no need to overly alarm anyone, either. There are easily four hundred hikers on the Trail right now between here and Delaware Water Gap. Stating that one will be leaving Harpers soon is not a risky thing to say......I know of a dozen folks who did just that today.
It is possible to give wise and prudent advice about safety and security on the Trail without scaring the bejabbers out of people. Meaning being aware of security concerns is all well and good, but it's nothing to obsess over. One is statistically safer on the Trail than in one's school, workplace, or home.
modiyooch
06-29-2008, 23:51
And that is safer how? you don't know where to find me. I don't want someone wandering into my camp in the middle of the night. I'm so use to being alone, that I don't even stay at the shelters. I had to be wary of any shelter close to a road. Don't get me wrong, it's not my fellow hiker that I am concerned about.
modiyooch
06-29-2008, 23:55
Point taken. But there's no need to overly alarm anyone, either. There are easily four hundred hikers on the Trail right now between here and Delaware Water Gap. Stating that one will be leaving Harpers soon is not a risky thing to say......I know of a dozen folks who did just that today.
It is possible to give wise and prudent advice about safety and security on the Trail without scaring the bejabbers out of people. Meaning being aware of security concerns is all well and good, but it's nothing to obsess over. One is statistically safer on the Trail than in one's school, workplace, or home. was it the big ! that scared her? I didn't tell her not to go, which is what people tell me all the time. Yes, I feel safer on the trail than walking to the parking lot after work each evening, but I still exercise caution whether it be school, work, home or play.
you don't know where to find me. I don't want someone wandering into my camp in the middle of the night. I'm so use to being alone, that I don't even stay at the shelters. I had to be wary of any shelter close to a road. Don't get me wrong, it's not my fellow hiker that I am concerned about.
I would think a stalker with some back country skill would find a stealth camper an easier target than one camping with a crowd. That is if the campsite is busy that night. I agree about avoid camps close to roads.
modiyooch
06-30-2008, 00:04
I would think a stalker with some back country skill would find a stealth camper an easier target than one camping with a crowd. That is if the campsite is busy that night. I agree about avoid camps close to roads.
hey, this works for me. don't scare me now. I have 530 more miles to do.
hey, this works for me. don't scare me now. I have 530 more miles to do.
just be careful and you'll be fine... probably ;)
modiyooch
06-30-2008, 00:10
It's also different now. I started in 1980, by myself, about the age of Jamie. There weren't crowds of people. There weren't even hamburger stands in SNP.
jamie313
07-02-2008, 10:34
Wow! A lot of great advice (and some disagreements). I generally have good instincts and am learning to trust them more...
I've given myself a month to do this section, and am in pretty good shape. So no worries on time. I am, however, still trying to figure out how to get back to Harpers Ferry when I finish. Bus, shuttle, hitch?
Cookerhiker
07-02-2008, 10:44
From Delaware Water Gap, you can catch a bus to Philadelphia (there's a link from the National Park Service website for DWG or just google grayhound) and thence AMTRAK to Washington DC and AMTRAK or MARC (http://www.mtamaryland.com/services/marc/schedulesSystemMaps/2-08BrunswickInsidePanel.pdf) train to Harpers Ferry. Timing-wise, you need to arrive in DC early enough in the afternoon to not miss the last train. All the DC-to-HF trains are afternoon.
Wise Old Owl
07-02-2008, 10:52
A year ago folks here would of expressed little to worry about, if you search old threads there was "nothing to worry about" The odds are there is more to worry about in towns than the trail, most we had to deal with is a stolen pack or two. The offending people in recent events are in jail or have died. And members will become complacent again in a year or two. Please continue to be street smart on the trail, And not everyone can be a "Harmless Hiker" - but don't be too quick to judge who you bump into on the trail.
take-a-knee
07-02-2008, 11:26
Not staying in campsites right now is easier said than done right now, at least down south it is. There are places where you will walk for miles on the AT in GA/NC where you will see nothing but brush 3-4 feet tall on both sides of the trail. If you are will to abuse a hiking pole you can wade out into it and whack the brush down enough to camp but it ain't much fun and it won't be a pleasant camping experience.
Of course if it's boiling, it's also hot.:o
Until you climb in these!:D 52 degrees year round per this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling_Springs,_Pennsylvania (and feels colder)
Cherokee Bill
07-02-2008, 15:13
Does anyone know if the Harper's Ferry (up to Delaware Water Gap) area is heavily traveled this time of year? I'm going up there soon, alone, and am hoping to see a few smiling faces to keep me sane...
I won't lie, I'm also a bit nervous to be alone in the woods- I'm a 23 female and not super experienced. Plus, my friends keep reminding me about the recent kidnapping and murders on the AT!
:-?Safety on the AT. I can assure you, that you are safer on the AT, than most Main Streets of most US cities after dusk :mad:
Don't worry, be happy and enjoy yourself :D
modiyooch
07-03-2008, 07:20
Not staying in campsites right now is easier said than done right now, at least down south it is. There are places where you will walk for miles on the AT in GA/NC where you will see nothing but brush 3-4 feet tall on both sides of the trail. If you are will to abuse a hiking pole you can wade out into it and whack the brush down enough to camp but it ain't much fun and it won't be a pleasant camping experience.
Well, it has worked for me. I have completed the south and other than Fontana Dam, and two shelters in the Smokies; I don't recall staying at any shelters in GA/NC. I do remember a lot of mt peaks, and sites near streams.
What I do have to factor in now, is the amount of people night hiking. A couple of years ago, I did camp in an obvious spot because it was getting dark and I was having a tough time finding a level spot. I literally pitched as it was getting dark and I thought I was safe because of the sunset. The next day, it occurred to me the amount of people that may have passed by my tent during the night. It was extremely hot, and people were taking advantage of the nights and/or they just had a preference to walk at night. I am not a night hiker.