trail idiots

[Just Tom]

Glad to hear that...I think Boy Scouts get a bad rap on the trail.

[RockDoc]

The last few times I hiked on the AT annoying things like this were a chronic problem. Tents in shelters, all the time... And nobody ever took one down as more people filled the shelters. The tent weenies say it's the way they keep the mice/mosquitos/weather out.

It's a no-win situation.

Best to camp in the woods by yourself.

[George]

my experience with scouts: they usually cook too much food and I am glad to help

story I heard about tenters in a shelter on a rainy night: after a polite request to not monopolize the space was refused - in the morning on the way out the offenders boots were collected from the ledge and deposited in the woods a ways down the trail - if this actually happened' I doubt the same individuals tented in a shelter again

[George]

The last few times I hiked on the AT annoying things like this were a chronic problem. Tents in shelters, all the time... And nobody ever took one down as more people filled the shelters. The tent weenies say it's the way they keep the mice/mosquitos/weather out.

It's a no-win situation.

Best to camp in the woods by yourself.

a bivy does all those things and takes no extra space

[billnchristy]

I just don't want to get shot for accidently knocking over someones stove or such.

I know this is a few months old but I couldn't let it go.

If someone is going to shoot you because of an accident, that same psychopath would stab you, beat you up, impale you on a hiking pole, beat you to death with your own pack.

The tool is not what makes somebody unhinged.

Please remember that.

MOST people who carry avoid confrontation because they DON'T want to need their gun, not the other way around.

[moytoy]

I still like K K's Dr Seuss quote on the subject of obnoxious people. It says it all in my opinion.

[virginiagunny]

I know this is a few months old but I couldn't let it go.

If someone is going to shoot you because of an accident, that same psychopath would stab you, beat you up, impale you on a hiking pole, beat you to death with your own pack.

The tool is not what makes somebody unhinged.

Please remember that.

MOST people who carry avoid confrontation because they DON'T want to need their gun, not the other way around.

Thank you, Well said .

[Fredt4]

I know this is a few months old but I couldn't let it go.

If someone is going to shoot you because of an accident, that same psychopath would stab you, beat you up, impale you on a hiking pole, beat you to death with your own pack.

The tool is not what makes somebody unhinged.

Please remember that.

MOST people who carry avoid confrontation because they DON'T want to need their gun, not the other way around.

"Conflict Avoidance: Stopping the Fight Before It Starts" https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/con...-fight-starts/

Many years ago my car broken down on the interstate. A stranger stopped and offered to help but I advised him that the engine was blown. He insisted on taking a look but kept trying to get behind me. I didn't allow him to get behind me and kept my finger on the trigger of the gun hidden in my pocket. Don't know if he realized how close he came to getting shot, wonder how close I came to getting assaulted as I'll never know his intentions. But this incident convinced (confirmed) me that CC has it's place. As there's little to no crime on the trail I don't feel a need to CC. But as noted an angry individual doesn't need a gun, so I'll keep my situational awareness and choose whether to camp near others or just move down the trail.

[shrapnel]

Recently ran into a couple of idiots. At one shelter, there were 5 of us for a shelter that could really only hold four. At around 5:30 PM, this guy saunters up, says it is a really good shelter, then asks me about my sleeping pad. (there was about 1 foot of space between me and the next person) He said, yeah, I am going to sleep here and I was like "Are you serious?" The weather was fine and in my opinion, he arrived to late and needed to camp elsewhere. He would not budge, so I took my gear and left and actually ended up with a nice camping spot by a river. Another one came into another shelter and ruined the whole vibe of it - you could sense from his personality. Then he moaned and groaned all night, along with farting frequently. I met him on the trail later and he had some stupid comments to make. I went hiking to get away from A**holes, but apparently they are out there as well. In the future, I will go out of my way to avoid staying at shelters.

[tiptoe]

Scene: Springer Mountain shelter last Saturday night, and there were lots of people out for the weekend. I had set up my Hennessey hammock with old Jacks r Better 9x9 tarp and was sitting on the ground near it doing a crossword puzzle. A young women passed by me and noticed that the hammock had a tarp over it.

me: Of course it has a tarp. Doesn't yours?

her: Nooo.

me: What will you do if it rains?

her: Long silence, then... I'll just hope it doesn't rain.

Yikes.

[Heliotrope]

I have been called an idiot before. Given that we both avoid shelters, your luck might be running out.

Too funny!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Don H]

Boy scouts, nothing worse.

I take my Scout troop on the AT every year. In fact this year we will be hiking near Pine Grove Furnace SP. I make sure they are very respectful to others. We will pick up any trash along the way and we don't use shelters.

Often we bring extra food to share with the SOBOs Thru-Hikers we meet. My Scouts love to hear the stories the thru-hikers tell (they're tired of my stories!) so we often invite them to have dinner and talk to us.

If you meet us on the trail I hope you come away with a positive attitude towards Scouting.

[Mykneeshurt]

I don't want to participate in any wars. Win or lose.

[12trysomething]

Scene: Springer Mountain shelter last Saturday night, and there were lots of people out for the weekend. I had set up my Hennessey hammock with old Jacks r Better 9x9 tarp and was sitting on the ground near it doing a crossword puzzle. A young women passed by me and noticed that the hammock had a tarp over it.

me: Of course it has a tarp. Doesn't yours?

her: Nooo.

me: What will you do if it rains?

her: Long silence, then... I'll just hope it doesn't rain.

Yikes.

This story made a long day bearable. Thank you for sharing.

[appompa255]

Only twice have I changed plans or been apprehensive about a shelter mate. The worst case was in NJ. There were about 8 of us in the shelter. Later in the evening a man came in with odd gear - not regular hiker gear. He was often mumbling to himself, at other times would engage conversation with individuals, but not the group. While cooking his dinner, he pulled out a machete style knife and made several "jokes" about how effective it was a "sticking" people when necessary. One of the other hikers who this man spoke with, took it upon himself to attempt to evaluate his danger level, so managed to pull him aside for some one on one conversation.

Later, while the subject was at the spring filling his water, the hiker who had engaged him told us he did not feel there was any significant danger, but that the man had admitted that he was without some of his mental health medications, so knew he was coming across rather disjointed and possibly irrational. It was decided that the women would move to the outer areas of the shelter (the man had chosen a spot pretty close to the middle), and we would all just keep one eye open for the evening.

The evening and night passed without any drama, and the subject of our concern was an early riser and was packed and gone before most of us got up. Some of us felt some guilt over our discomfort, but all agreed caution was warranted - always trust your instincts, even if they prove to be wrong occasionally.

That's a scary story that could have gone either way. Glad to hear everyone was ok.

[shrapnel]

I was thinking a quick slice to their pack shoulder straps would make for an annoying day.