If there were some kind of system INSIDE the trailer also, a series of hooks to hang packs on that were all in numerical order, that would make storage and retrieval fast and easy.
to say that "locals" or non-hikers are responsible for stealing packs and gear is BS. this was my 17th trail Days and i've lived in Damascus 6 years now. thieving has been going on since Trail Days started. i've never been confronted by a "local" trying to sell stolen gear. there's a certain element in the "hiker community" that are just low-life pathetic f cks who are on the trail to party and f ck other hikers over. i know what i'm talking about. i see them constantly. i agree with warren. Trail Days days are numbered.
Do you read it all?Originally Posted by NICKTHEGREEK
sorry , matt. Nick, Matt is on our side.
I agree with LW, to assume that it was locals that are doing the stealing is just plain ridiculous. I'm not saying that it could not be locals but to just jump to that conclusion with out definitive proof is just wrong.
Any time you have a large number of people congregating together you are going to draw a number of individuals for nefarious purposes. I know wrong but it is just the way things are. There is no way to stop it all together but it can be minimized.
As for Trail Days days being numbered I do have to agree to a point. If someone does not get a handle on the bad element then the sponsors will back out due to not wanting their names associated with this type of behavior. In my opinion one thing that can be done is for the PD to come down harder on the alcohol issue. More than a few complaints I have read and heard are alcohol related. And yes I do myself drink but not to excess.
A Fact Of Life:
After Monday and Tuesday even the calendar says;
W T F...............
KB3SYZ
-.- -... ...-- ... -.-- --..
http://shakeyleggs.wordpress.com/
Yes
DAMN RIGHT HE IS!Do you read it all?
Yes Sir!
YES THEY HAVE, EVEN BALTIMORE JACK HAS HAD HIS SAY ABOUT IT, BUT THEY ALL KNOW I'M JUST LAZY AND JUST LEAVE IT ON CAPS, BESIDES MY OLD EYES DONT SEE WHAT I'M SAYIN" IF THE TYPE STAYS SMALL FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME, AND I'M TO LAZY TO GO GET MY READERS FROM THE TV ROOM. PEACE MAN. WE AGREE ABOUT DAMASCUS ANYWAY. HAHAAHA FINE TOWN AND TOWNSPEOPLE THERE FOR WSURE. AND I'M PROUD TO HAVE THEM COME TO TENT CITY , ANYTIME THEY WANT. LIKE I SAID BEFORE, THIER PARTY, THEY ARE THE HOST, SO LET THEM COME ON AND FEEL WELCOME. THEY DONT GET MUCH THANKS ANYWAY, GOTTA LOVE EM! LATER MAN, KEEP ON GETTIN IT. HIKE SAFE!Has anyone ever told you that all caps means "shouting" in online communications? Maybe people are reacting more strongly because they think that is your intent.
P.S. For the record, Damascus is one of my favorite little towns in the world, not just as a trail town.
Yep
AMEN ! I'M AFRAID ITS SO, BUT I'LL BET THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SOME SORT OF CELEBRATION ABOUT THE TRAIL, AND IT WILL OCCUR IN MAY, AND WILL BE HELD IN DAMASCUS. HAHAHAHAHAHA!
hippity hop hopping along
Try keying in Cntrl and +
If there was to be a trailer storage thingamabob, i would say do a system like Leki's service center, the bag gets tagged, the hiker gets a copy, bag gets hung depending on its tag, all items must be in/secured to the pack, do a one time fee $5 for example, and the hikers can bring their copy and get their pack in and out as needed, only the volunteers running it can go in the trailer/storage device. do a final call at the end of the night, kinda like a bar.
if another security step is needed add in a polaroid or quick signature
kiss it = Keep it Simple & Sweet
has there been a count of how many packs were actually stolen?
Gaiter
homepage.mac.com/thickredhair
web.mac.com/thickredhair/AT_Fall_07
Wow. I had no idea my thread would spark so much conversation. I hope that this discussion can lead to reducing the amount of stuff stolen in the future. =)
The Damascus PD as of yesterday a.m. had only two reports of stolen packs. But I have spoken to five people (or their friends) who have had their packs stolen. None have been found. One daypack which fell off a car was picked up by a hiker (thanks, Terry) and turned in.
Three out of four arrests were of local people. The single trashed area in the campsite was done by local drunks (eyewitness report). People from the immediate surrounding area are increasingly drawn to Trail Days because of the availability of beer for teenagers, and the availability of gear lying around unprotected. No, this is not scientifically definitive, but no one on the local police force thinks that hikers are doing most of the stealing.
The other major assembly of hikers each year is ALDHA's Gathering, and there are hundreds who camp in a designated area--not that different from Tent City at Trail Days. Some of ALDHA's attendees are the same people who also camp at Trail Days.
The difference between Trail Days' camping and The Gathering's camping is that in Damascus locals and non-hikers (not just from Damascus, but from perhaps a 75 or 100 mile radius) interact with the camping hikers or at least "visit" the camping area. At The Gathering there are few if any local/non-hiker counterparts hanging out in the camping area.
The Gathering does not have the theft problems that Trail Days does.
Conclusion? IMHO part of the problem, probably the majority, is due to locals and non-hikers. Yes, there are low-life hikers and a few of them may also be involved, but how do you explain the difference between Trail Days and The Gathering?
Thanks for the info Local. As I stated more than a few things I have read and heard are alcohol related. One solution that I am sure I will get flamed for it to make Damascus a dry town for the duration af TD. No public consumption period, and have the PD come down even harder on alcohol related problems.
One thing about the Gathering that Trails Days do not have in common is location. Everyone know when and where TD's is each year it never moves. On the other hand the Gathering moves from year to year. Yes it is announced in advance but the bad element is out for the quick and easy they do not want to travel. Thus keeping the majority of the lowlifes at bay.
A Fact Of Life:
After Monday and Tuesday even the calendar says;
W T F...............
KB3SYZ
-.- -... ...-- ... -.-- --..
http://shakeyleggs.wordpress.com/
I skipped ahead after post # 91, but if the storage trailer idea is to be used, one simple suggestion would be to get large sacs with drawstrings (like the large sac that came with my WM sleeping bag to store it in when not in its stuff sac), number the bags, then the "renter" puts his stuff in the numbered bag, it is stored on a hook in the trailer, and he gives his name and the bag number to the volunteer who records it on a sheet. When he comes back for his stuff, the volunteer gets his name off his ID and the renter tells him the number of the sac, the volunteer goes into the trailer and gets the numbered sac off its hook, hands it over. The renter returns the empty sac for another user. The sacs could be stored in numbered order inside the trailer for ease of location, and the list of renting names could be kept on the list by the sac number.
Cutman
GA>ME 2000>2010..... Purist thruhiker in spirit, just with a lotta zeros during townstops;)
Many of us share the feeling that the commercialism, carnivals, and other irrelevant stuff are getting away from the original intent of Trail Days. We continue to ask hikers, both in residence here and in other areas, to participate in the planning of Trail Days.
(Warren, as you know, Banner Elk is 43 miles from Damascus, a little less than an hour if the roads are clear.)
We meet this Thursday, May 24th, 7 p.m. at Town Hall. Future meetings will be announced in this thread.
We particularly would like to hear from the Chicken Littles here ("The sky is falling! The sky is falling!") about how we can improve Trail Days, and specifically how we can make it more like the original planners envisioned.
It seems that two separate festivals are emerging, one at the campground for the hikers, the other in Town Park for the tourists and vendors. I may be wrong.
The Trail Days committee needs more expertise and advice, and fewer gloom and doom prognostications.
The Athens Gathering though has different variables than Trail Days. (I haven't been to one up North yet.) The local population isn't involved with the event. The camping area is drastically separated from the main daily activities. The camping area is very remote from any significant population. And most people drive to the Gathering and therefore have a reasonably secure place to store valuables. There aren't nearly as many fully loaded packs laying around to tempt people. The goods aren't on display.
"Sleepy alligator in the noonday sun
Sleepin by the river just like he usually done
Call for his whisky
He can call for his tea
Call all he wanta but he can't call me..."
Robert Hunter & Ron McKernan
Whiteblaze.net User Agreement.
this is the way I felt last summer. . . but occasionally I see some genius amongst the insanity. additionally, the poster seems to have a truly good heart.
attention whore. put on ignore.
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