View Full Version : "Crazies" on the AT
Gorgiewave
09-01-2013, 15:23
I'm planning a trip next year with my girlfriend (postponed this year because of an injury to her foot) to the AT and she is worried about "crazies". We'd be going from Delaware Water Gap to somewhere in Massachusetts, so Deliverance is not exactly what she has in mind, but maybe people with guns who use them too easily or drunk people or people high on drugs.
I know nobody can give me a "there is an x% chance you'll die on the trail" answer, but is there a high risk? As I picture it, one might spend hours or even a few days without seeing anybody, but as Stephen Herrero said about bear attacks, "once would be enough". Should we be worried? I walk faster than her, so we might be separate part of the time, but never for more than half an hour or so. I pepper spray enough? A knife? I am from Scotland and not even the police carry guns, so I wouldn't consider carrying a gun.
There is a 0.00086303% chance you will die a violent death on the AT.
Old Hiker
09-01-2013, 15:27
Need to search White Blaze, looking for things like "security", "Trail safety", etc. Very safe.
Good luck and come on down, ya'll !
P.S. - ignore my avatar picture. 497 miles after starting, I hit a totally flat mud puddle, slip and twist my ankle and fracture my fibula. Sheesh. I'm from flat Florida - it should have been no problem at all. !!
Old Hiker
09-01-2013, 15:31
There is a 0.00086303% chance you will die a violent death on the AT.
Rasty, you forgot to change the basic calculation: he's hiking WITH a woman, who "might be separate part of the time". Now, for MY wife, any separation from her while on the Trail immediately changed the % by an increased factor of at least 18.44 times that I would die if/when she caught up.
fredmugs
09-01-2013, 15:35
The craziest people on the trail are also on WB.
The Greenman
09-01-2013, 15:42
I have the DWG north into the Berkshires planned for next year - but don't worry if you bump into me, my therapist says I'm only "slightly" crazy.
I have more of a concern for ticks than the "crazies". In many years of hiking that section I never had a problem with people, but I've had to pull off a few ticks.
Gorgiewave
09-01-2013, 15:53
Of course, if I don't wait for my so beloved girlfriend, she will become the feared crazy. I know this from experience in hiking and non-hiking situations. I can't just stop at every window and marvel at the clothes/jewellery/houses on sale.
treesloth
09-01-2013, 15:57
It's the ticks you should concern yourself with. I've even read some reports about some real rogue ticks packing.. they're starting violent turf wars all up and down the east coast. Sometimes the humans get caught up in it. Scary stuff to say the least. I mean, who in their right mind wants a 3:00am visit from a Lyme-ridden tick with an itchy trigger finger? Not this guy.
Bring your deet. Permethrin too!
mtnkngxt
09-01-2013, 16:07
Ran into a real nut at Mt. Rogers shelter a few years ago during thru season. Fairly certain it was the same guy the authorities were looking for in central va a few weeks later. The eagle scout troop I ran into had been stopped by him and their leaders had marched them back down towards the Highlands to steer clear of the guy. Only time I've ever wished I had my gun on me while hiking in over 1300 miles.
Tuckahoe
09-01-2013, 16:08
We'd be going from Delaware Water Gap to somewhere in Massachusetts, so Deliverance is not exactly what she has in mind...
Deliverence was one hell of a documentary film. I would also be concerned hiking between Georgia and Virginia.
Hill Ape
09-01-2013, 16:12
i wont tell anyone not to carry bear spray. but i live here, and i don't.
i wont tell anyone not to carry a gun. but i don't.
deliverance. why is it always the southern folk?!! jeez
you'll be fine, no worries. you're safe, so is your girl. learn what poison ivy, sumac, and oak look like (don't know if yall have them)
the insects are a real danger, ticks and mosqs can carry all sorts of disease. the real security/safety issues on the trail are from microscopic crawlies. not bear and crazies.
i have been known to drink dmtea on the trail though. that more than qualifies for fear the crazy. just sayin
hikerboy57
09-01-2013, 16:28
theres a fine line between a "crazy" and a person who chooses to sleep in the woods for 5 or 6 months.
that being said. the at is much safer than your home town.
theres a much higher likelihood to get hit by lightning or contract lyme disease from a tick, than dying as a result of a violent crime.
kayak karl
09-01-2013, 16:29
i haven't met anyone that fit MY definition of crazy, yet!
hikerboy57
09-01-2013, 16:33
i haven't met anyone that fit MY definition of crazy, yet!
go figure .:)
Old Hiker
09-01-2013, 16:37
I have the DWG north into the Berkshires planned for next year - but don't worry if you bump into me, my therapist says I'm only "slightly" crazy.
Greenman, anything like this? Just askin'.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8KdtJOCzOU
I've sectioned a little more than half the AT, usually solo, and on the rare instances when someone isn't quite "right" or a stretch of trail is tricky, I've been warned by other hikers. If you hike that stretch in the summer, there should be plenty of other folks around for camaraderie and reassurance, if that's what your girlfriend needs. Most AT hikers are friendly, respectful, and helpful. Maybe you should just slow your pace for a while and walk together until she feels more confident.
i haven't met anyone that fit MY definition of crazy, yet!
That old avatar of an angry looking on a mission KK wearing that funky pink PFD came close though. Just Bill's avatar made me wonder about him at first too. Now I've realized you're just eccentric outdoors, ummm, people, trying to find your way in life, like me.
kayak karl
09-01-2013, 16:43
That old avatar of an angry looking on a mission KK wearing that funky pink PFD came close though. Just Bill's avatar made me wonder about him at first too. Now I've realized you're just eccentric outdoors, ummm, people, trying to find your way in life, like me.
it was faded red, not pink :cool:
it was faded red, not pink :cool:
Ohh, that changes things. :p
hikerboy57
09-01-2013, 17:00
That old avatar of an angry looking on a mission KK wearing that funky pink PFD came close though. Just Bill's avatar made me wonder about him at first too. Now I've realized you're just eccentric outdoors, ummm, people, trying to find your way in life, like me.
not crazy, eccentric.
yeesh, so many of us fit the bill.
Magic_Mack
09-01-2013, 17:01
I will still be in the south next year so you should be fine.
Slo-go'en
09-01-2013, 17:02
Anyone "high on drugs" is just a pot head and so stoned they are harmless. Drunks maybe a bit more troublesome, just keep in mind that they will pass out soon once at that stage. Most are willing to share, so just join in the fun and all is well. Rarely does it get out of hand. Most of the people you will meet there are collage students and middle class professionals.
The Greenman
09-01-2013, 17:07
Greenman, anything like this? Just askin'.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8KdtJOCzOU
Well .... not exactly! But I've seen some solo hikers shouldering 40 lb. backpacks and 4 person tents - now THAT'S crazy!
chiefiepoo
09-01-2013, 17:11
Deliverence was one hell of a documentary film. I would also be concerned hiking between Georgia and Virginia.
Went into the heart of the beast a few years ago with a Boy Scout Venture group. The Chatooga river through the Ellicott Wilderness. Nary a squeal or banjo but we saw no one for the first two days after being dropped off at Burrels Ford I believe.
There is a 0.00086303% chance you will die a violent death on the AT.
Oops......I messed up the math a bit. Your chance is actually 0.86303%
Tuckahoe
09-01-2013, 17:30
Since the OP pointed out that he is originally from Scotland and is concerned with the "crazies" here in the US. I'll suggest that the OP take the time to research UK and US crime statistics.
What he will actually find is the UK has a higher violent crime rate than that of the US.
Drybones
09-01-2013, 17:46
I have yet to see anyone on the trail that concerned me safety wise.
Gorgiewave
09-01-2013, 18:13
Since the OP pointed out that he is originally from Scotland and is concerned with the "crazies" here in the US. I'll suggest that the OP take the time to research UK and US crime statistics.
What he will actually find is the UK has a higher violent crime rate than that of the US.
According to wikipedia, quoting the UN, the murder rate in the US is four times that of the UK.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate#By_ country
In any case, Scotland is a worryingly violent place at times with unbelievable levels of drug and alcohol abuse (two boys from my school are already dead, one aged 29 and the other 13, yes thirteen, from drugs). I'm not at all point-scoring. I'm sitting under a portrait of Martin Luther King, Jr., that my girlfriend commissioned for me.
Since the OP pointed out that he is originally from Scotland and is concerned with the "crazies" here in the US. I'll suggest that the OP take the time to research UK and US crime statistics.
What he will actually find is the UK has a higher violent crime rate than that of the US.
According to wikipedia, quoting the UN, the murder rate in the US is four times that of the UK.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate#By_ country
In any case, Scotland is a worryingly violent place at times with unbelievable levels of drug and alcohol abuse (two boys from my school are already dead, one aged 29 and the other 13, yes thirteen, from drugs). I'm not at all point-scoring. I'm sitting under a portrait of Martin Luther King, Jr., that my girlfriend commissioned for me.
There is more to crime statistics then the homicide rate.
Gorgiewave
09-01-2013, 18:21
There is more to crime statistics then the homicide rate.
I know that. The general message seems to be not to worry. I dare say I run a much greater statistical risk in Madrid.
There is more to crime statistics then the homicide rate.
I know that. The general message seems to be not to worry. I dare say I run a much greater statistical risk in Madrid.
Much much more. Anyplace with huge unemployment numbers has big crime numbers.
Game Warden
09-01-2013, 18:28
You are safer in the woods than you are at the nearest streetcorner to your home.
Tuckahoe
09-01-2013, 18:30
According to wikipedia, quoting the UN, the murder rate in the US is four times that of the UK.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate#By_ country
In any case, Scotland is a worryingly violent place at times with unbelievable levels of drug and alcohol abuse (two boys from my school are already dead, one aged 29 and the other 13, yes thirteen, from drugs). I'm not at all point-scoring. I'm sitting under a portrait of Martin Luther King, Jr., that my girlfriend commissioned for me.
I said violent crime rate -- which include murder, assault, and robbery and their variants. The US may have a high murder rate, but the UK has a higher rate of violent crimes.
http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-24/u-k-gun-curbs-mean-more-violence-yet-fewer-deaths-than-in-u-s-.html
U.K. Gun Curbs Mean More Violence Yet Fewer Deaths Than in U.S.
By Robert Hutton
According to the Sydney-based Institute for Economics and Peace, the U.K. had 933 violent crimes per 100,000 people in 2012, down from 1,255 in 2003. In the U.S., the figure for 2010 was 399 violent crimes per 100,000 people. Still, while the U.S. violent-crime rate is less than half Britain’s, its homicide rate between 2003 and 2011 was almost four times as high.
From Wikipedia -- http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violent_crime
United Kingdom
Includes all violence against the person, sexual offences, and robbery as violent crime.[11]Rates of violent crime are in the UK are recorded by the British Crime Survey. For the 2010/2011 report on crime in England and Wales,[12] the statistics show that violent crime continues a general downward trend observed over the last few decades as shown in the graph. "The 2010/11 BCS showed overall violence was down 47 per cent on the level seen at its peak in 1995; representing nearly two million fewer violent offences per year." In 2010/11, 31 people per 1000 interviewed reported being a victim of violent crime in the 12 preceding months.Regarding murder, "increasing levels of homicide (at around 2% to 3% per year) [have been observed] from the 1960s through to the end of the twentieth century". Recently the murder rate has declined, "a fall of 19 per cent in homicides since 2001/02", as measured by The Homicide Index.
United States
The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Report (FBI UCR) counts four categories of crime as violent crimes: murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, andaggravated assault.[13] It should be noted that there are two methods of recording crime in the US. These do not look at exactly the same crimes. The UCR measures crimes reported to police, and classes violent crime as above. The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) measures crimes reported by households surveyed by the United States Census Bureau, and looks at assault, rape, and robbery. The UCR figures are those quoted for, "violent crime" rates.According to figures from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), the rate of violent crime victimization in the United States declined by more than two thirds between the years 1994 and 2009.[14] In 2009, there were 16.9 victimizations per 1000 persons aged 12 and over. 7.9% of sentenced prisoners in federal prisons on September 30, 2009 were convicted of violent crimes.[15] 52.4% of sentenced prisoners in state prisons at the end of 2008 were in for violent crimes.[15] 21.6% of convicted inmates in jails in 2002 (latest available data by type of offense) were in for violent crimes.[16]
ETA -- the simple reality is that you are just as likely to run into crazies in Europe as you are in the US. I have prepared for a trip to Europe by watching The Human Centipede and Hostel.
This one time I ran into a roving band of youths...there had to be about 30 of them, and they all had a similar style of dress...almost like a gang. I quietly and without trying to draw their attention walked past them. A few hundred yards up the trail I heard someone mention that they were part of an organization called " The Girl Scouts!!" Crazy!
illabelle
09-01-2013, 19:20
Rasty, you forgot to change the basic calculation: he's hiking WITH a woman, who "might be separate part of the time". Now, for MY wife, any separation from her while on the Trail immediately changed the % by an increased factor of at least 18.44 times that I would die if/when she caught up.
You got that right! I don't care how bad I messed up the food or how big the hole in the tent is. My husband knows better than to walk off and leave me standing there. It doesn't matter how mad he is. :p
Deliverence was one hell of a documentary film. I would also be concerned hiking between Georgia and Virginia.
My first 30 mile day was along the river where they filmed deliverance. If you hear the Banjo music hike faster.
to the OP.... The fear of crazies are far outweighed by other risks. My closest call was almost being hit by a police car just north of Front Royal. There is absolutely no rational way of countering an irrational fear.
Would you be afraid of "crazies" walking the streets of Madrid or any other city? Walking on the AT is no more dangerous than walking in a town. In fact it is much safer!
Lone Wolf
09-01-2013, 20:33
paranoia big destroyer
hikerboy57
09-01-2013, 20:34
all day.
and all of the night.
paranoia big destroyer
The kinks. Never would have thought it.
This one time I ran into a roving band of youths...there had to be about 30 of them, and they all had a similar style of dress...almost like a gang. I quietly and without trying to draw their attention walked past them. A few hundred yards up the trail I heard someone mention that they were part of an organization called " The Girl Scouts!!" Crazy!
LOL. Watch out when they meet up with their rivals the Boy Scouts though.
This one time I ran into a roving band of youths...there had to be about 30 of them, and they all had a similar style of dress...almost like a gang. I quietly and without trying to draw their attention walked past them. A few hundred yards up the trail I heard someone mention that they were part of an organization called " The Girl Scouts!!" Crazy!
LOL. Watch out when they meet up with their rivals the Boy Scouts though.
It will be a scene out of westside story.
No matter how many times it's said "the hiking trails in the U.S. are safer from violent crime than any major city anywhere on Earth" they just will not believe.
No matter how many times it's said "the hiking trails in the U.S. are safer from violent crime than any major city anywhere on Earth" they just will not believe.
Too many horror movies with crazed psycho killers.
Teacher & Snacktime
09-01-2013, 21:17
i haven't met anyone that fit MY definition of crazy, yet!
I can rectify that KK....we'll be hiking Batona in Oct w/ Rocketsocks...we'll give you a call! :D
Freddy Krueger, Jason, and Hannibal Lector like to hike that section of the AT. Other hikers BEWARE! Dr. Lector doesn't haul any trail food. He let's it come to him.
This is what happens when hikers get pissed.
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=braveheart+fight+scene&FORM=VIRE1#view=detail&mid=AB00F45B05A7F59C89EDAB00F45B05A7F59C89EDBraveh eart
Those are really sharpened trekking poles they are wielding and they left their packs behind the hill.
Check out the Battle of Stirling.
No matter how many times it's said "the hiking trails in the U.S. are safer from violent crime than any major city anywhere on Earth" they just will not believe.
Five thru hikers (yes, thru hikers) and one long distance section hiker have been murdered on the AT.
This is an acceptable number considering how many thru hikers have hit the Trail, and should give thru hikers comfort. According to the ATC and conventional on-line wisdom, anyway.
Me, I form a different conclusion.
Lone Wolf
09-01-2013, 22:03
a
Five thru hikers (yes, thru hikers) and one long distance section hiker have been murdered on the AT.
This is an acceptable number considering how many thru hikers have hit the Trail, and should give thru hikers comfort. According to the ATC and conventional on-line wisdom, anyway.
Me, I form a different conclusion.agree. you forgot to mention the rapes, assaults and robberies too that have happened over the years
You forgot to mention Lyme Disease, rabid skunks, big bad bear attacks, poisonous snakes bites, the potential for slip, trip, and falls, backpack thefts, dangerous fords, whiteouts, shelter roof collapses, meteorites, and global warming dangers too.
Train Wreck
09-01-2013, 22:27
As I picture it, one might spend hours or even a few days without seeing anybody, but as Stephen Herrero said about bear attacks, "once would be enough". Should we be worried? I walk faster than her
In which case YOU should have no problems if you run into a bear :D
....sorry, couldn't resist :D
This one time I ran into a roving band of youths...there had to be about 30 of them, and they all had a similar style of dress...almost like a gang. I quietly and without trying to draw their attention walked past them. A few hundred yards up the trail I heard someone mention that they were part of an organization called " The Girl Scouts!!" Crazy!
LOL. Watch out when they meet up with their rivals the Boy Scouts though.
It will be a scene out of westside story.
I was thinking more like the Warriors...
Hikers, come out and plaaay.
Train Wreck
09-01-2013, 22:33
Hikers, come out and plaaay.
I saw that movie just a couple of nights ago! I ain't never going to no New York City, no sirree!
Hikers, come out and plaaay.
I saw that movie just a couple of nights ago! I ain't never going to no New York City, no sirree!
NYC thru hike.....Van Courtlandt Park to Coney Island
Train Wreck
09-01-2013, 22:48
NYC thru hike.....Van Courtlandt Park to Coney Island
I admire their sincere attempt to speed hike that section, but they lost my respect when they resorted to yellow blazing via subway. Cheats!
chiefiepoo
09-01-2013, 23:24
Gorgiewave, I've hiked a lot of the AT and as previously noted, the "Deliverance" trail in NC, SC, and GA. Never a problem. OTH an early evening walkabout in say, Edingburgh, New Castle, UK, or Glasgow with the roving parties of young men who were quite drunk had me very concerned. One guy was shoved by one of his mates right into me on the sidewalk. I deflected him to the side and he fell. Looking for some payback, he eyed me for a second and decided there was no glory in beating down a 63 y/o man. His mates picked him up and we all went our way. It was scary being around so many drunk people. And I've spent 4 years with the fleet as a young man and seen a lot.
Trailweaver
09-02-2013, 02:14
You might want to read a few of the trail journals (trailjournals.com) and see what the hikers say about their experiences as NOBOs in the south. I think the "banjo music" thing is insulting and tiresome. Trail advice is that if you are around someone who makes you uncomfortable, hike on further. That's good advice both on the trail and in the city.
i've always told my friends (the ones who worry about me hiking solo) that criminals are lazy - no one with ill intent is going to drive miles to wilderness, then hike miles into the woods on the off chance he will find a female out there in the woods alone. It's just too easy to find one late at night in a parking lot, leaving work or a bar. "Crazies" are everywhere - but not so much on the trail.
Train Wreck
09-02-2013, 02:16
Your time would be better spent worrying about the rodent problem around a certain shelter on the AT. They can get pretty big around here. They've started accosting innocent hikers, demanding handouts and tummy rubs. In one incident, a shelter rat actually forced a shuttle driver to take him into town to the nearest pizza restaurant, where he ordered a large Triple Dipple Cheese Bomber pizza - and stiffed the waitress.
237702376923771
We're not going to tell you which shelter has the problem rodent. That would spoil all the fun. Hint: It's somewhere between Springer and Katahin.
You'll know it when you see this:
23772
Sarcasm the elf
09-02-2013, 02:36
Your time would be better spent worrying about the rodent problem around a certain shelter on the AT. They can get pretty big around here. They've started accosting innocent hikers, demanding handouts and tummy rubs. In one incident, a shelter rat actually forced a shuttle driver to take him into town to the nearest pizza restaurant, where he ordered a large Triple Dipple Cheese Bomber pizza - and stiffed the waitress.
237702376923771
We're not going to tell you which shelter has the problem rodent. That would spoil all the fun. Hint: It's somewhere between Springer and Katahin.
You'll know it when you see this:
23772
Thank you for posting those photos, they were much appreciated. Quite the R.O.U.S. you have there..
Teacher & Snacktime
09-02-2013, 02:44
You forgot to mention Lyme Disease, rabid skunks, big bad bear attacks, poisonous snakes bites, the potential for slip, trip, and falls, backpack thefts, dangerous fords, whiteouts, shelter roof collapses, meteorites, and global warming dangers too.
I got a nasty hangnail my last time out....it really hurt.
Teacher & Snacktime
09-02-2013, 02:47
According to Paul Simon: "Paranoia strikes deep in the heartland. But I think it's all overdone. Exaggerating this, exaggerating that...they don't have no fun..."
As a well respected man about town, doing the best things, I can assure you that any city poses more risk from humans than the trail, and I say that so conservatively. :)
The Mosquitos can drive you crazy.
(original OT post delegated)
As a psychologist I just have to comment. Yes indeed there are some "crazies" out there and some hike the trail. The real question is the level of danger that they present. Most of the folks that I met while hiking who fall into this category were paranoid and had some rather strange beliefs which they sometimes shared with others. This is akin to the hoof steps, leaf shuffling, and weird sounds we hear through the tent walls at night. There is probably some slight level of danger but our magnification of the threat makes it seem very dangerous when in fact it is not. If there is a bear lurking around the shelter move on. If there is a "crazy" homesteading in the shelter move on. I think that you will find the States a very pleasant, friendly and safe country in which to hike.
Gorgiewave
09-02-2013, 07:35
Oh so not everybody in America is a member of a millenarian sect with more guns than children?
I'll be darned.
scooterdogma
09-02-2013, 07:49
Deliverence was one hell of a documentary film. I would also be concerned hiking between Georgia and Virginia.
Hey, I'm from Kentucky and we thought Deliverance was a love story:welcome
Tuckahoe
09-02-2013, 08:15
Oh so not everybody in America is a member of a millenarian sect with more guns than children?
I'll be darned.
Well I am no cult member, but I have no children.
Tuckahoe
09-02-2013, 08:17
Your time would be better spent worrying about the rodent problem around a certain shelter on the AT. They can get pretty big around here. They've started accosting innocent hikers, demanding handouts and tummy rubs. In one incident, a shelter rat actually forced a shuttle driver to take him into town to the nearest pizza restaurant, where he ordered a large Triple Dipple Cheese Bomber pizza - and stiffed the waitress.
237702376923771
We're not going to tell you which shelter has the problem rodent. That would spoil all the fun. Hint: It's somewhere between Springer and Katahin.
You'll know it when you see this:
23772
Damn! See this is what happens when ya let foreigners Iinto the country.
Old Hiker
09-02-2013, 08:22
Damn! See this is what happens when ya let foreigners Iinto the country.
I'll betcha it (he? she?) has a valid visa. Just look closely - just past those teeth!!
On the other hand, looks like there's some pretty good eatin' on that thing.
Old Hiker
09-02-2013, 08:25
Oh so not everybody in America is a member of a millenarian sect with more guns than children?
I'll be darned.
I didn't start buying most of my guns until AFTER the kids were gone. Both boys know how and when to shoot, though. A shotgun blast close range on a watermelon graphically illustrates the power.
I don't trust them there "millenarian" type people. I mean, just look at what they've done to their native country of Millenaria !!
Gonecampn
09-02-2013, 10:38
You got that right! I don't care how bad I messed up the food or how big the hole in the tent is. My husband knows better than to walk off and leave me standing there. It doesn't matter how mad he is. :p
+1 :)
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Gonecampn
09-02-2013, 11:04
I'm a very small framed female and I do hike alone often. There have only been two times in my "career" that I felt threatened "scared". AND one of these just happened to be in the Mount Rogers / Grayson Highlands area. The time in Grayson was as simple as being approached by a young man asking me to remove his water bottle for his pack for him. It made me very uncomfortable. I had hiked for several miles without seeing another human and this made me VERY aware of my vulnerability when he approached me, there was just an odd feeling about it. I recommend everyone reading this book "especially" if you are a female! THE GIFT OF FEAR by Gavin DeBecker. I would almost pay women to read this book! It offers so much vital information as to how we ALLOW ourselves to become victims of crime.
The other time I felt a sense of fear was while hiking in Hanging Rock State Park, NC. I had traveled a couple hundred meters down a trail in late afternoon and a came to a picnic shelter that was occupied by 15 - 20 partying males. I could hear their snide remarks and hear them mumbling under their breath. The fact that I could see all the beer cans lying around was cause for great concern. Instead of jerking around and leaving, I hiked a couple yards past the shelter, took my camera out, appeared to take a photo of a plant of interest and turned around and made a blazing bee line back out to the parking lot.
As far as the ticks go. I spend A LOT of time In the Sipsey Wilderness / Bankhead National Forest, AL. I have NEVER seen any place as infested with ticks as this forest. I rarely escape without removing at least 10 from my body!! It gets to a point where I don't even think about them anymore. I talk EVERY precaution to keep them off of me but nothing works ..... However, the Sipsey is the most beautiful place on earth to me, so ill continue to have war with the ticks there :) Happy Trails .......
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Drybones
09-02-2013, 11:24
Hey, I'm from Kentucky and we thought Deliverance was a love story:welcome
Good one scooter.
As far as the ticks go. I spend A LOT of time In the Sipsey Wilderness / Bankhead National Forest, AL. I have NEVER seen any place as infested with ticks as this forest. I rarely escape without removing at least 10 from my body!! It gets to a point where I don't even think about them anymore. I talk EVERY precaution to keep them off of me but nothing works ..... However, the Sipsey is the most beautiful place on earth to me, so ill continue to have war with the ticks there :) Happy Trails .......
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Out of curiosity, have you tried treating all of your clothing with Permethrin as part of "EVERY precaution?" Works well for me and many others.
illabelle
09-02-2013, 12:21
Oh so not everybody in America is a member of a millenarian sect with more guns than children?
I'll be darned.
No, not all of us.
http://ts3.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4606594096565066&pid=1.7&w=115&h=174&c=7&rs=1
The OP will be hiking through New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts -- some of the most densely populated areas in the country. The trail corridor in this area is patrolled by rangers from various state and federal parks and many local law enforcement officers. As far as these things go, I am safer on the trail than in my mother's arms (Mom is getting on in years and can't kick butt the way she used to).
Of course, it is unlikely that the OP has ever seen an episode of Jersey Shore, Real Housewives of New Jersey, or Jerseylicious, so the OP may be unaware of the base level of insanity that exists in the US in general and in New Jersey in particular, It goes without saying that New York is comprised of the people the New Jerseyans consider crazy.
For what it is worth, I let my 17 year-old and 2 buddies hike the AT in NJ. Perhaps I'm just a lousy parent (or they are exceptional young men), but I didn't feel that they were in any more danger than in everyday life.
Game Warden
09-02-2013, 19:51
Teacher, check my Batona report...
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?95808-Batona-Trail-trip-report&p=1490346&highlight=#post1490346
It goes without saying that New York is comprised of the people the New Jerseyans consider crazy.
HEy!! I resemble that remark!! :)
hikerboy57
09-02-2013, 20:04
HEy!! I resemble that remark!! :)
yeah well hes from joizee
yeah well hes from joizee
Enough said!
The OP will be hiking through New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts -- some of the most densely populated areas in the country. The trail corridor in this area is patrolled by rangers from various state and federal parks and many local law enforcement officers.
Most hikers will never see a single ranger from any of the various state and federal parks and many local law enforcement in the backcountry. Ever.
Teacher & Snacktime
09-02-2013, 20:26
Teacher, check my Batona report...
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?95808-Batona-Trail-trip-report&p=1490346&highlight=#post1490346
I remember reading this before...thanks. I have no idea how much we'll do or what part, but I'm looking forward to ghost/jersey devil stories with Rocketsocks and whoever else joins the hike. I haven't been on those sandy paths for 40 years and am looking forward to it.
This is another red herring.
Your real problem is not falling and hurting yourself; this ends more hikes than any other single cause.
The OP will be hiking through New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts -- some of the most densely populated areas in the country. The trail corridor in this area is patrolled by rangers from various state and federal parks and many local law enforcement officers. As far as these things go, I am safer on the trail than in my mother's arms (Mom is getting on in years and can't kick butt the way she used to).
Of course, it is unlikely that the OP has ever seen an episode of Jersey Shore, Real Housewives of New Jersey, or Jerseylicious, so the OP may be unaware of the base level of insanity that exists in the US in general and in New Jersey in particular, It goes without saying that New York is comprised of the people the New Jerseyans consider crazy.
For what it is worth, I let my 17 year-old and 2 buddies hike the AT in NJ. Perhaps I'm just a lousy parent (or they are exceptional young men), but I didn't feel that they were in any more danger than in everyday life.
Most hikers will never see a single ranger from any of the various state and federal parks and many local law enforcement in the backcountry. Ever.
First, don't make the assumption that LEOs are only experienced as back country hiking Rangers directly on the trail! You may very well see LEOS in those states on the AT or near the AT at road crossings, when resupplying, doing short road walks, when and where you start/end the hike, at DWG(high likelyhood IMO), High Pt(NJ, fair likelyhood), Harriman SP, Bear Mountain(especially as you cross the bridge), Mt Greylock, couple of possibilities in Conn and Mass, etc
Second, assuming all new New Jerseyans or New Yorkers are like those portrayed in those made by Hollywood for TV shows mentioned or like Tony Soprano is naive and narrow minded. Even though I love Italians, NO, all the people in those states are not Italians like seen in those UN REALITY shows. As someone who was born in northeastern in NJ, moved to south central NJ(just a few miles from where Jersey Shore is filmed, I grew up on the Atlantic Ocean and in the Pinelands Preserve), and who has traveled and hiked extensively throughout the state IMHO the NJ culture where the AT is located is VERY different than anything portrayed in those TV shows. In 2006 there were some AT thru-hikers, who had never been to NJ or who had very limited NJ experiences(mostly who had flown into Newark Int. AP or ONLY had visited the northeastern corner Tri State area), who had formed the opinion that we would be hiking through people's backyards, along polluted rivers, and always in sight of refineries and interstates. It would be like me stereotyping all Californians as Valley Girls or Arnold Shwarzenegger. Or, stereotyping southeasterners as an ignorant Snuffy Smith living off the grid in a dilapidated shack in the Appalachian Mountains, the Clampetts, moon shiners, or as living in a trailer park shacking up with the cousins. It's BS. PLEASE, look behind the stereotypes or the TV for your reality!
BTW, I recently saw Snooki and JWOWW from Jersey Shore at a restaurant and thought OMG this is what some people think all of New Jersey is like!
Game Warden
09-03-2013, 19:16
I do foot patrols along the AT and side trails as my schedule permits. Since 1999, I've had very few "backcountry" incidents; most incidents occur in parking lots or road crossings.
I do foot patrols along the AT and side trails as my schedule permits. Since 1999, I've had very few "backcountry" incidents; most incidents occur in parking lots or road crossings.
Not sure if you say "since 1999" because that is when you started your service, or if you were involved in the investigation of the woman who was raped on the AT as it passes through the Michaux State Forest in 1998. I assume that since you are from Harrisburg, that might be one of the areas you patrol.
While crimes are not common either on or off the trail, I think both men and woman would be wise to remember that the AT is not immune from evil.
max patch
09-03-2013, 20:08
Joe Piscopo taught me everything I need to know about NJ on SNL.
Game Warden
09-03-2013, 20:17
I started my LE career in 1987, but 99 was the first year I was assigned to a district with the AT. Soon after I attended an ATC/NPS conference on crime along the AT. I know there have been horrendous crimes along the AT, including homicides, but in my patrol area. I can only recall one arson, a few vandalisms, and one sexual assault in the back country. I am unfamiliar with the Michaux incident, because I was never assigned to that area, and PA has separate LE agencies for State Game Lands and State Forests.
Yeah, Joe Piscopo and Joe Pesce, the two "Joeys", both from the northeastern parts of the state. I think from Piscataway and Newark/Belleville. DEFINITELY NOT representative of all New Jerseyans but still both stand up guys. I've seen both in various places in NJ.
Yeah, Joe Piscopo and Joe Pesce, the two "Joeys", both from the northeastern parts of the state. I think from Piscataway and Newark/Belleville. DEFINITELY NOT representative of all New Jerseyans but still both stand up guys. I've seen both in various places in NJ.
Piscopo is actually a gentleman, I did work for him when he lived in NY...
Not sure if you say "since 1999" because that is when you started your service, or if you were involved in the investigation of the woman who was raped on the AT as it passes through the Michaux State Forest in 1998. I assume that since you are from Harrisburg, that might be one of the areas you patrol.
While crimes are not common either on or off the trail, I think both men and woman would be wise to remember that the AT is not immune from evil.
You're right Rick the AT isn't immune from evil but there are some notable places where violent crime iis more likely to happen. And we might remember it's not usually committed by other hikers. It tends to happen near road access and by the VERY RARE individual who wanders a short ways along the AT. Hikers are a community that watch out for one another!
I am unfamiliar with the Michaux incident, because I was never assigned to that area, and PA has separate LE agencies for State Game Lands and State Forests.
I would have assumed the rape of a woman on the AT would have had a high profile among all agencies in the area. Perhaps the case was closed quickly. I don't recall that it was ever solved, however.
http://articles.herald-mail.com/1998-06-05/news/25103123_1_geoffrey-hood-stephen-roy-carr-claudia-brenner
Game Warden
09-03-2013, 20:31
Also, BTW, I was born in the Bronx and raised in NE New Jersey. Growing up in NJ gave me a profound appreciation of wild places and wild things. Palisades Interstate Park and Bear Mountain were my first boyhood hiking destinations.
I remember reading this before...thanks. I have no idea how much we'll do or what part, but I'm looking forward to ghost/jersey devil stories with Rocketsocks and whoever else joins the hike. I haven't been on those sandy paths for 40 years and am looking forward to it.
Batona Trail, short for Back to Nature, is a short flat trail through the Pinelands. I live part of the yr less than 30 miles from the eastern TH. Go mid-late Oct into as deep into Nov as you can AND BRING TICK REPELLANT!
Game Warden
09-03-2013, 20:44
Rick, I hate to say this, but inter-LE cooperation all depends on the people involved. For example, a lost hiker-search on PA state game lands works like this: Citizen calls county dispatch center cuz his hiker friend is missing. County dispatch sends a state trooper to meet the citizen. He calls the local fire department. The game lands people see it on the news the next day and show up. They call in the professional SAR people. SAR pros politely ask permission to run the search the right way; ditto back country crimes. This only works if ALL the people involved are diplomatic, well-trained, and non-partisan. Throw one knucklehead into the mix, and it breaks down even worse. PA has no clear assignment of criminal or SAR responsibilities in its wilderness areas. There have been several incidents were a particular agency has turned down offers of assistance from agencies with wilderness criminal and SAR experience. Ego makes idiots of us all, if not checked.
Also, BTW, I was born in the Bronx and raised in NE New Jersey. Growing up in NJ gave me a profound appreciation of wild places and wild things. Palisades Interstate Park and Bear Mountain were my first boyhood hiking destinations.
Me too, but raised just up 9W over the border in NY. My entire childhood was spent exploring the Palisades from GWB to Hook Mtn..and Bear Mtn and Harriman
You can tell Tri-State people. They usually refer to roads they live on, directions to their towns, and what exits they live off.:)
fins1838
09-04-2013, 06:58
Its been my experience that there are a lot of wackos with bushy beards that smell real bad. Oh yea.....nevermind.:banana
Drybones
09-04-2013, 14:36
Its been my experience that there are a lot of wackos with bushy beards that smell real bad. Oh yea.....nevermind.:banana
I'm pretty sure I saw that guy on the trail, he was at just about every shelter I stopped at.
bosborne
09-05-2013, 23:15
but is there a high risk?
Very low risk, except for sprained ankles, some kind of repetitive stress injury, ticks (Lyme), mosquitoes, maybe some dehydration, maybe some really smelly clothing.
As I picture it, one might spend hours or even a few days without seeing anybody
In summertime you'd be seeing people all the time. The AT in the mid-Atlantic is not wilderness, not even close.
but as Stephen Herrero said about bear attacks
Black bear attack? As soon as they hear you (in the mid-Atlantic states) they'll be running away from you as fast as they can, or climbing the nearest tree There are grizzlies in the West and black bears over on this side.
Should we be worried?
About what?
pepper spray enough? A knife?
Spraying yourself with pepper spray to repel ticks? Use permethrin. Stabbing a mosquito? OK, seriously, someone has some bizarre ideas about hiking in the northeast US.
Teacher & Snacktime
09-06-2013, 00:06
Batona Trail, short for Back to Nature, is a short flat trail through the Pinelands. I live part of the yr less than 30 miles from the eastern TH. Go mid-late Oct into as deep into Nov as you can AND BRING TICK REPELLANT!
Grew up in those woods...Batsto, Mullica, Wharton, Parvin...love the Barrens
Another Kevin
09-06-2013, 06:51
Its been my experience that there are a lot of wackos with bushy beards that smell real bad. Oh yea.....nevermind.:banana
Yeah, you can't trust those guys. A while ago, I even saw one of them standing in my boots!
Old Hiker
09-06-2013, 07:23
Yeah, you can't trust those guys. A while ago, I even saw one of them standing in my boots!
Ah, c'mon, AK. He's just trying to walk a mile in your boots. That way, when you stick your head out of your tent and realize your boots were stolen, he's at least a mile away!!
Another Kevin
09-06-2013, 09:29
Ah, c'mon, AK. He's just trying to walk a mile in your boots. That way, when you stick your head out of your tent and realize your boots were stolen, he's at least a mile away!!
No, it was really creepy. I think he was stalking me. Wherever I went, there he was.