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  1. #1

    Default Beech Gap squatters

    Howdy Folks,

    Just got back from doing the Standing Indian Loop.

    Thought it was pertinent info to know that there is apparently a group of very interesting people that seem to be living at the water source at Beech Gap in North Carolina near Standing Indian Mnt.

    This information was relayed to me by some thru hikers that set up camp and got so spooked out that they decided to leave at 9pm.

    Heres what they told me...

    There is a group of people that look to be living at the water source at Beech Gap. They were sharpening large knives, had a very rough appearance (missing teeth, pot holes in their skin;indicative of meth use) were acting very erratically (shouting and yelling non sensical words) and seem to have been there for some time.

    The hikers all got very bad vibes and decided to pack up at 9pm and find another place to camp.

    I did not witness this first hand, so take it for what its worth. But I would not camp there knowing this info. Hope this helps!

  2. #2
    Registered User kestral's Avatar
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    Perhaps local authorities should be contacted. That area is very hiker friendly and this is not the image they wish to portray.

    Not wanting to hate on alternative lifestyles, but if your creep-o-meter is going off, and you feel compelled to leave at hiker midnight for safety, probably these folks are of concern. Always listen to your gut when it comes to safety. HYOH, but safely.

  3. #3

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    The hikers were a group of 2 young females, a 45 year old male, and a 55+ year old male that were set up to camp in beech gap. They all decided to get up and move after it was dark. 3 of them thru hikers. Most long distance hikers are asleep long before 9. So the fact that they decided to get up, pack up and hike in the dark to feel safe is a pretty serious concern.

    One of the females wrote a comment in Guthooks App. You can read her comments there

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    Registered User 4eyedbuzzard's Avatar
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    Maybe they should call or email the county sheriff or state police? If they are dangerous, posting comments in an app or on a website only warns a minority of people.

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    Default Beech Gap squatters

    very interesting. I've been planning a trip there with a bunch of scouts in a few weeks. was planning on camping at beech gap. I'll be watching this thread I guess.

  6. #6
    Registered User soilman's Avatar
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    Report to the ATC. There is a page on the ATC website that gives pertinent information.
    http://www.appalachiantrail.org/home...rt-an-incident
    More walking, less talking.

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    Quote Originally Posted by soilman View Post
    Report to the ATC. There is a page on the ATC website that gives pertinent information.
    http://www.appalachiantrail.org/home...rt-an-incident
    report what? "some campers make me feel uncomfortable while on my vacation" non-issue

  8. #8
    Registered User soilman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lone Wolf View Post
    report what? "some campers make me feel uncomfortable while on my vacation" non-issue
    It is illegal to camp more than 14 days in a month long period on national forest land.
    More walking, less talking.

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    Quote Originally Posted by soilman View Post
    It is illegal to camp more than 14 days in a month long period on national forest land.
    Continuously....in one spot

    And no one knows how long they been camping...at all.

    Lotta jumping to conclusion, prejudiced by peoples appearance. By people that think only people like themselves should be there, is what it is.

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    When i read "sharpening large knives" and "acting erratically", that's enough for me to jump to conclusions. It is not the appearance, it is the behavior.

  11. #11

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    Don't count on ATC's incident reporting page. Over the last couple of years I reported two trail misuse/vandalism issues. I never got an acknowledgement on one and they apparently never took action to address the issues. One is still an issue - three years later. I had begun to suspect that they do a better job of self-promotion than trail administration and this pretty much confirmed it for me. I let my membership lapse.

    If a hiker encounters people that appear to be threatening, its better to handle it locally by avoiding a confrontation and notifying local law enforcement. Let them handle it.

  12. #12
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    Here's what was posted on Guthook, dated 4/28/19:
    "There was a large group of people hanging out at the water source at Beech Gap. Some were chanting and digging holes and sharpening long knives. They looked liked they were under the infulence of some kind of drugs so we decided to pack up and head 2 miles north to the next gap. I wouldn't recommend staying for the night for safety."

  13. #13
    Registered User scope's Avatar
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    No jumping to conclusions as far as I can tell, just an FYI for the bad vibes. Appreciated.
    "I wonder if anyone else has an ear so tuned and sharpened as I have, to detect the music, not of the spheres, but of earth, subtleties of major and minor chord that the wind strikes upon the tree branches. Have you ever heard the earth breathe... ?"
    - Kate Chopin

  14. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by scope View Post
    No jumping to conclusions as far as I can tell, just an FYI for the bad vibes. Appreciated.
    associating how someone looks with meth use is jumping to conclusions

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    Registered User 4eyedbuzzard's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by trailmercury View Post
    associating how someone looks with meth use is jumping to conclusions
    True, the open festering sores, rotted teeth and sunken wrinkled skin could just be due to bad hygiene and a poor diet. Or maybe it's a hospice camp.
    Last edited by 4eyedbuzzard; 04-30-2019 at 19:30.

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    Quote Originally Posted by 4eyedbuzzard View Post
    True, the open festering sores, rotted teeth and sunken wrinkled skin could just be due to bad hygiene and a poor diet. Or maybe it's a hospice camp.

    Did you see the people up there?

  17. #17
    Registered User 4eyedbuzzard's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TNhiker View Post
    Did you see the people up there?
    No, but you know I didn't. The physical affects of meth use, appearances and behavior are widely known by everyday people, not just LEO and medical. If multiple people reported appearance and behavior that resemble that, and enough so that they left the general area due to safety concerns, I'd probably trust their judgement that something was rotten in Denmark until a "welfare check" by police proved otherwise. In a perfect world everybody deserves the benefit of the doubt. But we don't live in a perfect world, so not everyone gets the benefit of the doubt. If it looks like a meth head, swims like a meth head, and quacks like a meth head...

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    Quote Originally Posted by trailmercury View Post
    associating how someone looks with meth use is jumping to conclusions
    During my many years of EMS and Law Enforcement I have never been wrong when I assumed that someone was a meth user based on their appearance. When you use meth certain things happen to your body so how people look can be a great indicator of meth usage.

  19. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by dwcoyote View Post
    During my many years of EMS and Law Enforcement I have never been wrong when I assumed that someone was a meth user based on their appearance. When you use meth certain things happen to your body so how people look can be a great indicator of meth usage.
    and that's part of the reason there is a huge disconnect between law enforcement and the general public in a lot of places. Being stereotyped by law enforcement. You are contributing to the problem. And as an EMS, how does your ability to "spot" a meth user help you take better care of people? Probably doesn't.

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    Quote Originally Posted by trailmercury View Post
    and that's part of the reason there is a huge disconnect between law enforcement and the general public in a lot of places. Being stereotyped by law enforcement. You are contributing to the problem. And as an EMS, how does your ability to "spot" a meth user help you take better care of people? Probably doesn't.
    Not sure why it's so hard to understand that long term (and it doesn't take that long) meth use has certain effects that are almost guaranteed to occur. You can use other drugs and maybe not incur visual changes to your appearances but meth is not one of those drugs. When you see these signs day in and day out it is not stereotyping people, when you see it, you know it. And as far as EMS, the possible of drug involvement in someone's condition is paramount in their treatment, again not a real hard concept to understand. Again, when I see these signs and have asked a person they have always admitted to being a meth user so there has to be a lot of basis for my assumption.

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