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HerpLad
03-13-2011, 11:08
Okay so I'm 17 and just graduated high school and was thinking of thru hiking the AT. My one concern though is other people. I know it's probably pretty silly to think about, but it's kind of been holding me up. My question is, has anyone had problems with other people stealing/making confrontation out on the trail? If so does anyone have tips on how to avoid it other than the standard do unto others yada yada?

Any and all help is appreciated,
-HerpLad

Joey C
03-13-2011, 11:13
These issues are very minimal on trail. Less so than walking around a town or city. Basic rules: keep and eye on your stuff, be friendly, enjoy your hike!

johnnyblisters
03-13-2011, 11:21
Do you know how to use a knife?:eek:

HerpLad
03-13-2011, 11:22
Alright thank's a lot. Was just kind of nagging at me lol.

rickb
03-13-2011, 11:26
Its the snakes that you have to worry about most.

HerpLad
03-13-2011, 11:40
Yeah bro master knife fighter right here! Nah I'm actually very good with reptiles lol.

dragoro
03-13-2011, 12:00
Never ran into any confrontations or met anyone who did last year. Did hear of one camera getting stolen though.

TheCheek
03-13-2011, 23:23
Hardly anyone out there is looking to cause trouble. hiking the AT will more than likely give you warm and fuzzy feelings about how good intentioned humanity is in general.

as rare as it may be, stay away from anyone that creeps you out, since you are talking about a thru hike then you are.bound to run into people who creep you out at least once in the 4-6 months. Just develop a good creep detector and don't hang around talking long if your detector goes off.

Toolumpy
03-13-2011, 23:25
Just hike smart like not camping close to roads and high traffic areas and so.

Penguin
03-14-2011, 03:10
Have you heard of the Chupacabra.

jesse
03-14-2011, 03:43
Its the snakes that you have to worry about most.

Ticks..........

Tenderheart
03-14-2011, 12:42
Hikers won't steal from you. They may give you some stuff they're tired of carrying. As for locals, be aware at road crossings. I would say the problem is practically non existent.

litefoot 2000

Sickmont
03-14-2011, 13:07
Its the Jersey Devil you gotta worry about.....ooops, wrong forest!

Ashevillian
03-14-2011, 13:15
One thought, is there any problems being a minor? Getting medical care, etc.?

Wobegon
03-14-2011, 14:06
You sure got a pretty mouth

HerpLad
03-14-2011, 15:35
Rofl *banjo battle music*
Yeah I would be doing the hike solo, so I just figured I'd ask lol.

HerpLad
03-14-2011, 15:37
And ticks? Any tips on how to keep those bad boys away?

dragoro
03-14-2011, 15:43
Bug spray with diet in it. Long pants. Checking yourself once in awhile.

Sickmont
03-14-2011, 15:54
And ticks? Any tips on how to keep those bad boys away?

Stay out of the woods?

LDog
03-14-2011, 16:08
Its the snakes that you have to worry about most.

He's a herp lad, so he is one with the snakes ... :D

LDog
03-14-2011, 16:13
Have you heard of the Chupacabra.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Chupacabras.JPG/292px-Chupacabras.JPG

sbhikes
03-14-2011, 16:15
Bad people -- give them the brush-off
Ticks -- give them the brush-off

weary
03-14-2011, 22:35
Do you know how to use a knife?:eek:
A knife is handy for cutting summer sausage for trail lunches, and carving fire starters for evening campfires. A knife is pretty useless and unneeded for trail safety.

At least no one to my knowledge has ever posted an incident where a knife helped with their trail safety.

Torch09
03-14-2011, 23:12
One thought, is there any problems being a minor? Getting medical care, etc.?

I was 18 (turned 19) on my last hike and I was turned away from motels occasionally. Apparently, they wouldn't rent a room to anyone under 21 :confused:

Skid.
03-17-2011, 08:27
There are strange characters everywhere, but in the woods it can be more intimidating. Check out your local high school or community college for a short course on self defense. Not judo or karate, just a few hours training on how to respond to a confrontation and how to get out of it. You will be amazed at some simple things, that will make you feel a lot more prepared.

blitz1
03-17-2011, 08:42
I've been hiking and backpacking for more than 40 yrs and I can't recall any unpleasant confrontations, though there were a few folks I just decided not to hang around. The world has changed since the solo backpack/hitchhiking trips I did as a teen, and I sure wouldn't do that today, but along the trail I think it's still very safe, as noted above.
I've only ever heard of a handfull of petty theft cases, and there was one time my $$ disappeared from my pack side pocket and the only time I could recall it had been out of my sight was I had left it at a trial junction while running up a mtn to watch the sunrise :(
Now if I'm leaving my pack somewhere I hide it in brush, but there are way more thefts at my kids school or my health club than I've ever heard of along the trail.

weary
03-17-2011, 11:04
I've been hiking and backpacking for more than 40 yrs and I can't recall any unpleasant confrontations, though there were a few folks I just decided not to hang around. The world has changed since the solo backpack/hitchhiking trips I did as a teen, and I sure wouldn't do that today, but along the trail I think it's still very safe, as noted above.
I've only ever heard of a handfull of petty theft cases, and there was one time my $$ disappeared from my pack side pocket and the only time I could recall it had been out of my sight was I had left it at a trial junction while running up a mtn to watch the sunrise :(
Now if I'm leaving my pack somewhere I hide it in brush, but there are way more thefts at my kids school or my health club than I've ever heard of along the trail.
I've also been hiking and backpacking for more than 40 yrs and I can't recall any unpleasant confrontations .....

Bare Bear
03-17-2011, 15:16
Take a good attitude and ommon sense along and you will be fine.

Penguin
03-18-2011, 15:24
The chances that you will ever actually be far from awesome friends is slim on a popular hiking trail. Even if you start alone, after a few miles on trail you will start to meet some seriously good people who will always have your back in any and every situation that you could find yourself in. In town someone mentioned hotels not renting to people under 21, but you will probably end up splitting hotel rooms with other hikers. Almost everyone on PCT split rooms with at least 4 hikers. There will be tons of other ladies out there too that are close to your age or slightly older that you will probably hike with too and will make you feel more comfortable camping, and in towns. Don't worry about a thing out there. The trail is one of the safest places on the planet to be, and people place way to much worry concerning it.

Many Walks
03-18-2011, 17:01
Problem people are pretty rare on the trail, but incidents do pop up occasionally. The good thing is every shelter has a register for hikers to write in and generally if there is a problem on the trail word travels like lightning. We did spot a person who was ripping off hostels and hikers along the way, but his description spread like wildfire. When we ran into him we watched our gear really close until we knew we had a lot of distance between us. By far, most hikers watch out for each other and if you keep aware of your surroundings you'll be fine. Enjoy your hike!