Graffiti on the trail

[Madpaddy]

My wife and I decided we were getting tired of hikin' up north in the snow, so we took a break last week, headed down to Harpers and spent two days hikin' up thru the great state of Maryland to the Mason Dixon Line. We had a blast and enjoyed 60 degree weather on Saturday. We had heard that some idiot(s) had painted graffiti all over a section of rock north along the trail and were unpleasantly surprised to come across it in person. I believe it's at High Rock near the overlook...couldn't quite place it on the map for sure....beautiful spot before you start the descent into PenMar.....maybe this has been posted on here before, but I couldn't find it......what a stain on such a beautiful place...we were shocked and don't shock easy as a rule. I get that art has many forms and interpretation and I'm not oblivious to seein' it on subways or rail cars when I see those thing, but to scar the tapestry of tens of thousands of years or however long it's taken to carve out the natural beauty with aerosol cans!!!. Before I retired they used to pay me to hit people in the ring for a livin' ...I wonder if I would have come out of retirement if I had come across the idiots that did this live? So I guess I went to anger about it and the misses was very sad. Can't police the trail for sure but get a grip people if you can hear me.

[Sly]

No doubt they should be fined and made to do community service if caught.

My next new invention will be some kind of spray that adheres to paint and rocks and grows some type of algae to camouflage the graffiti.

[bfayer]

No doubt they should be fined and made to do community service if caught.

My next new invention will be some kind of spray that adheres to paint and rocks and grows some type of algae to camouflage the graffiti.

Maybe give the Chia Pet people a call

On a serious note. I despise graffiti no matter where I find it. It is simply a crime against peoples property. I truly despise it in nature and on public property. Graffiti is a symbol of disrespect no matter where it is found. It is sad to me that we so easily accept some peoples disrespect of others.

[Bagge Pants]

graffiti on natural landscapes is the worse kind and my stomach turns when I see it in an otherwise pristine spot.. hopefully they're kids/idiots who do it and they'll regret it at a certain point. I see a lot of year dates, like "'88" scratched huge into boulders. I'm happy that kind of stuff seems to not be popular with these recent years. But, we do still see people writing their names, usually small though. If an adult gets caught marring rocks/trees then we should throw the book at them, fine and short imprisonment. If they're, scratching their initials and a heart into a park bench then a fine and/or community service.

[gof]

I think there is an article about this issue in one of the ATC online magazines. They mention this very place if my memory serves me correctly.

[Lauriep]

The graffiti article can be found on ATC's website at www.appalachiantrail.org/docs/atj/atj-january-february-2014.pdf.

[lemon b]

Suppose the only reasonable thing we can do is hope to catch someone in the act. Than take the time to follow them at a safe distance to their car. Write down the plate number and pay a visit to the local police to fill out a complaint form. Than get to court and be a witness. The final outcome could than be placed in the hands of a judge. Wonder if it would be a Federal Complaint or local?

[MDSection12]

That's not new, or even close. High Rock has been a party spot for a long time, and with that comes graffiti. The really obnoxious one was when Black Rocks was covered last year. I haven't been back, but I heard most of it was cleaned up. I expect it when near roads, but when these idiots hike two miles with spray cans it really makes me angry.

[Weather-man]

I saw some bizarre graffiti just out of the NOC, maybe a mile or so NOBO. The "88" mentioned is Aryan Brotherhood slang for Heil Hitler as H is the eighth letter in the alphabet. That's sad on more levels than just defacing nature.



Took a pic of the graffiti out of the NOC. Caught me off guard but I guess it's close enough to the trail head where anything is possible.

NOC graffiti.jpg

[turtle fast]

The offenders should be fined, and forced to tediously scrape off the paint for hours under supervision.

[CalebJ]

Hay Rock (about 4 miles south of Daleville/220 on the AT) used to be covered up in graffiti. Not sure what kind of paint was used to camouflage it, but it's remarkably effective. Light brown color that blends very well with the rock and doesn't catch your eye significantly.

[Don H]

High Rock has been covered with graffiti for as long as I can remember. It's located along a road with a parking area and sees lots of use.
But your point is well taken, graffiti is wrong.

[Yankytyke]

High Rock is the local make out spot. Been covered in graffiti for decades. It's just 1/4 mile from site s a Federal site so suprised that it's so popular.
worst graffiti that I saw recently was some idiot scraping off blazes & trying to paint fake ones. These I saw last week just off Rattlesnake Road in PA.

[Teacher & Snacktime]

The offenders should be fined, and forced to tediously scrape off the paint for hours under supervision.

The "88" taggers should be forced to watch live footage of Auschwitz and other camp liberations until the reality sinks in. Many of the kids who say they support these things have no real idea of what they're endorsing. A reality check might help....ala Scared Straight. THEN make them clean it up.

[Don H]

High Rock is the local make out spot. Been covered in graffiti for decades. It's just 1/4 mile from site s a Federal site so suprised that it's so popular.
worst graffiti that I saw recently was some idiot scraping off blazes & trying to paint fake ones. These I saw last week just off Rattlesnake Road in PA.

Did you report this to the ATC?

[HikerMom58]

Hay Rock (about 4 miles south of Daleville/220 on the AT) used to be covered up in graffiti. Not sure what kind of paint was used to camouflage it, but it's remarkably effective. Light brown color that blends very well with the rock and doesn't catch your eye significantly.

This is awesome news CalebJ. I just asked the hikers that hiked by there yesterday if they noticed all the graffiti on that rock. They didn't see any, they said. The last time I went to Hay Rock, I felt sick looking at it... it was BAD!

[MuddyWaters]

I have heard of forest service personnel pressure washing graffiti off before.

[mikec]

There's probably 20 coats of alternating graffiti paint and the gray paint that covers it up on High Rock, MD. It's been like this as far back as I can remember.

[Yankytyke]

It's not bad enough that you'd get lost, just annoying. I've seen it in Gambrill state park down the road too on the Catoctin Trail. But your right I'll report it.

[squeezebox]

To hell with power washing etc, just push them off the edge