creeps on the trail- how do you tell?

[titanium_hiker]

well, I figure we can start using this forum to see what happens... ladies, what are your biggest concerns about creeps on the trail? what are your warning signs? I know gut feeling and hair on the neck are good indicators, but what are some visual signs that freak you out? what do you do if you meet a creep on the trail?

titanium

[Mouse]

Well, when I encountered a man approaching me near Bake Oven Knob who was not dressed as a hiker and he immediately started making hand signals to a second man behind him who then ducked quickly out of sight into the bushes, I took it for granted that they were up to no good.

I slipped free my hands from the wriststraps of my poles and turned one around the other way with a good firm grip on it ready to fight like hell if needed. I gave the first man a neutral "hello" as I passed, then kept my face straight ahead as I watched out the corner of my eyes, looking into the brush where the second had disappeared just in case he was lying in wait rather than hiding. Then once I was out of sight I sped up like crazy to get as far away from them as I could get.

[Lucy Lulu]

Oops...

Lack of normal hiking apparel is a good sign.

I've also bypassed locations when the guy just seems a little odd, ie., he speaks very little or talks to himself a little too much, doesn't make any eye contact, etc.

No matter what the tangible indicators, gut will always steer you in the right direction. If you have even the slightest doubts, just move on. Better safe than sorry.

[Red Hat]

The creepiest guy I met on the trail this year was wearing khaki shorts and a polo shirt. He was pulling several wheeled suitcases along. He made no eye contact and avoided conversation. Scary!

One of my hiking buddies was uncomfortable when she came into a shelter where the only other person there was a kilted guy with a ponytail and huge knife. Turned out to be Bramble and she found out he was really a teddy bear.

[gsingjane]

For me the warning signs are when a guy can't raise his eyes as far up as my chin (if you get my drift) or if he gets too personal or acts too friendly, too quickly. Any sign that he has been ingesting substances during the day is a very bad one. Plus the good ole' gut, as the others say.

Jane in CT

[Toolshed]

Gut instinct - Pure and simple. It will tell you long before your mind tells it that you might be over-reacting and to stop acting so foolishly (we all do that little reality check, don't we???)

[CynJ]

I really try not to judge anyone soley on an initial appearance -sometimes the "all american boy" is really the creep.

For me its about someone's demeanor. If I smile and say a polite "hi" and I get no sort of response it generally sends my creep-dar in to overdrive as most folks will either say hi back or at least give you a nod or something.

ALWAYS trust your gut and the hairs on the back of your neck - they will never steer you wrong.

[sliderule]

ALWAYS trust your gut and the hairs on the back of your neck - they will never steer you wrong.

I often get the feeling that I am perceived as a threat, even though I am not. I recently shared a shelter with two young ladies in their early twenties. After a bit of discussion (which I could not help but to overhear) they decided that they should collect some rocks so that they could "bash my head in" if I decided to cause trouble.
Their hiking schedule was a bit more ambitious than mine, so for the next few days I encountered opposite direction hikers who had heard the story of these two ladies and their night of terror.
One couple even warned me to be on the lookout for a wierd guy. After hearing the rest of their story, I realized they were talking about me. They had quite a laugh when I confessed that I was the "suspect."

[Hammock Hanger]

There were two times I was a little leery or uncomfortable with my "sole" companion in the shelter. Each time after eating and just feeling unsafe I decided to move on. I said I just couldn't settle down and that I might as well use that energy to get in a few more miles. -- One guy turned out to be an okay guy just wired a little different, today we are friends. -- The other one seemed to disappear from the trail community and I heard from others, males included, that he was "shifty".

I do not regret getting up and moving on even though I was tired and that was the last thing I wanted to do. I don't regret moving on and then finding out the guy was really okay. Better to find out later that he is okay then to find out early on that he is dangerous and harmful.

As said before go with your gut. No need to to spread "stories" but okay to share factual events and feelings with others that you think may need to know.

Sliderule, at least you were famous for awhile. Don't blame the women too harshly. There is a strong bases for our fears. I know I've been there.

[poison_ivy]

I'll repeat what others have said... just follow your gut instinct. If a place or situation doesn't feel quite right... even if you can't put your finger on why exactly... just hike on. I've only had to do this once or twice, and slept easier knowing I had put some distance between myself and the other person.

That said, I've never had any troubles with meeting creeps on the trail (or confirmation that my bad feeling was anything actually true.) But it's just better to be safe than sorry, especially when you're traveling solo.

- Ivy

[Smile]

Redhat: the creepiest guy I met on the trail this year was wearing khaki shorts and a polo shirt. He was pulling several wheeled suitcases along. He made no eye contact and avoided conversation. Scary!

Ah ha! Luggage man, LOTS of stories about him this past summer, he ended up turning around and going the other way, I must have hear ten or fifteen different hikers talk about this guy.

[ATSeamstress]

Ah ha! Luggage man, LOTS of stories about him this past summer, he ended up turning around and going the other way, I must have hear ten or fifteen different hikers talk about this guy.

Was this the guy just south of Bear's Den in mid-June? I saw him too. I thought he was possibly an artist or filmmaker who was lugging equipment out to the woods for inspiration, but he told others he was "hiking".

I hike solo a lot, but I always try to go during peak thru-hiker season. I usually stop at a shelter for dinner, and if no one else is there by the time I get my chores done, I move on and stealth camp. I never set up in a shelter unless there are others there that I feel comfortable with. Not that I don't want to be alone, but people know where the shelters are, but after dark, no one can find your stealth camp.

Trust your instincts, always. Better to overreact than get complacent.

Ragamuffin

[sliderule]

Gut instinct - Pure and simple. It will tell you long before your mind tells it that you might be over-reacting and to stop acting so foolishly

Translation: Irrational behavior is a rational alternative.

[rambunny]

In 7,000 miles i was freaked out 3 times,once in a full shelter-plenty of back up,the guy left the trail soon after, once while hitchhiking-the fur on the back of my neck went up so i asked him if he was going to the town in his opposite direction and apologized and skampered off into the woods.Another a guy in full military camo big cell phones gun lots of keys came around a rock, i was polite but probebly set a new trail record finding another hiker to hike with for a while. On the other hand there are some people on trail with some lets say problems that are probebly only harmful to themselves and deserve to be trated like any other hiker. Who of us hasn't gone to the woods to find ourselves. I agree with the above follow your instinct,don't camp near a road or where obviously a party has been,and how near town are you? After a while on the trail when babylonian distractions are gone-you'll be amazed how fine tuned your radar is-use it.

[Ridge]

I only occasionally hike with my husband, and once in a while with some girlfriends. I've had too many problems with male hikers and locals especially if alcohol is involved. I do know that trail towns, trail heads, roadbeds are the worst place to camp. I tried to backpack with an organized group once, turns out this was a mistake. The worst experience I've ever had was waiting to pick my husband and friend up at Wayah Bald(NC), a jeep load of creeps came up and starting asking me questions, getting out and offering me beer, they had me blocked in by parking close behind me. Soon a truck load of hunters drove up, I told the bums in the jeep my husband and friends had arrived, I approached the hunters and ask them to act like they knew me, thankfully the creeps took off. Two things I learned, 1. Park your car so you can't be blocked in 2. Carry a cell phone and use it. Also, try not to travel alone. Hikerwife.

[Big Dawg]

especially if alcohol is involved. roadbeds are the worst place to camp.

I was hiking w/ a friend (both of us white males), & the camping spot we had planned just happened to be right off a back road,,,, we hiked on the road 1/4 mile just to reach a bald mtn top. The road near our "wooded" campsite seemed to just curve & go into a deep ditch. Mistake #1----we didn't go into the ditch, cause we figured that's where it ended. Unfortunately, had we traveled down the ditch, we would have realized that the road turned sharply left, & into a backcountry campground for hunters. Not knowing this, we set up camp, & shortly after, a truck load of hunters came cruising down the road, noticed us, & drove partly into the woods near our campsite. Now don't get me wrong, I've hunted a few times & have many friends who are hunters, but these guys were scary. All seemed drunk, were fiddling w/ their guns, & were picking on our camp attire, & then suggested we join them later for dinner/deer, etc. We politely declined, but they insisted. Realizing we needed to act cool & calm, figuring they were just good ole country boys, we said ok. Once we went down to the campsite, many more hunters were there. We felt out of place, but tried to blend, & we did pretty well. However, one subject that came up was that we were "good" w/ them,, but had we been "not white", or "not male",, they'd have had some fun. They were pretty vulger about what they would have done w/ some hiker chicks, & discussed how they would have killed some "N". Me & my friend have repsect for all man/womenkind, so these conversations made our skin crawl. They may have just been talking sh_t, but were playing w/ their guns the same time they were making these vulger & disrepectful comments. Luckily, I'm 6'5", 280 lbs, & look pretty mean in the woods when I'm scruffy & dirty, so this probably helped our situation,, but I think about all of the wonderful female hikers & the few great black hikers I've met on the trail who might have had a problem w/ these guy's. Who knows. Lesson learned,,, never camp anywhere near any kind of road.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

Most of my experience with people on and along the trail has been wonderful. However, I met a few fellows in my earlier years that thought a woman hiking alone was fair game for some pretty physical sexual harassment (can't remember where I buried the bodies ).

[CynJ]

Most of my experience with people on and along the trail has been wonderful. However, I met a few fellows in my earlier years that thought a woman hiking alone was fair game for some pretty physical sexual harassment (can't remember where I buried the bodies ).

lol......99% of my friends my whole life have been men - so I learned at an early age how to get even for crap like that ......most of the time I'm so good at it that it takes them a few minutes to realize that they've been zinged back

[Doctari]

From a guy's POV:

As stated many times above: If you feel uncomfortable, move on. I have felt that "Gut feeling" a few times, I have been wrong a few times, but right enough to continue to listen to that gut RELIGOUSLY!

I'm in a business that, well, I need to be parinoid. I must assume the worst will happen & take care to prevent it. So, even if your "Gut" tells you it's OK, have a high suspision of anyone you don't know. If you meet me on the trail, and I freak you out, I really won't be offended. I have done that from time to time. I am, as the Hitch hikers guide says; Mostly harmless. No respectable person should critisize your fears, if they do, perhaps you should add them to your list of ones to avoid.

So if you see a mostly bald, older man in a dark green kilt & white blaze TEE , , , ,

Doctari.

[Toolshed]

Gut instinct - Pure and simple. It will tell you long before your mind tells it that you might be over-reacting and to stop acting so foolishly (we all do that little reality check, don't we???)

What the Heck!!???!??
Did I post this on the chick only forum....Grrrr.