Bad behavior

[Wheeler]

Ah, General, what a charming fellow you are.

And your last post is instructive, especially when we think about the possibility of people telling stories about other hikers that are just plain exaggerated or false.

For example, the delightful story about pork chops and cigarette ashes in the food is untrue from beginning to end; just for starters the story allegedly took place last April in Franklin, and I haven't smoked a cigarette in almost three years.

But thanks for making a good point: People should be leery of repeating stories they don't have all the facts on, and if they insist on telling tall tales about other folks, they should realize how childish and petty they look when they don't get their story right.

yep, the wrong facts don't serve any good purpose. Too easy for that to happen.

Have a nice day.

Lastly, General, laws get enforced on the Trail all the time. A few weeks ago a whole lot of hikers got cited and almost arrested for drinking in the Fontana Hilton, despite at least three signs telling them not to do so. So if you actually think that there aren't quite a few areas of the Trail that aren't regularly patrolled, well this is merely something else you're wrong about.

There are authorities out there, and I think often, the trail is somewhat self-policing. Jack's post summed it up, no good reason to name people online.

[Wheeler]

I seem to have inserted part of my comment into Jack's. Where it reads "yep, the wrong facts don't serve any good purpose. Too easy for that to happen", was my comment, not Jack's Sorry, Jack.

[10-K]

Ignore it/them.

[wcgornto]

"There is no law" in the woods?

What planet are you from?

Try burning down a bridge or defacing a shelter or intentionally starting a forest fire.

Lots of alcohol stoves burn a ring into the shelter every time they are used, yet the owners of such stoves, fully knowing that they are inflicting permanent harm, use such stoves daily anyway. I categorize this as intentionally defacing a shelter.

Note that this is not an indictment in general against all alcohol stoves, just the type that cause damage to shelters and the hikers that knowingly and carelessly use them.

[Jeff]

Knowing when to be "on guard" for potential trouble at our hostel has helped me several times in the past few years. It is especially important to hear about hikers who repeatedly make women uncomfortable along the trail. I welcome these threads on Whiteblaze.

[general]

well, jack, i was there, i saw it with my own eyes and you sir are a liar. unfortunately for you, there were many people that witnessed your socially unacceptable acts. you think about the folks that were there. you may not mind saying that i am FOS, but do you really want to accuse those others of the same. go ahead and burn those bridges if you want. i'm sure it wouldn't be the first match that you've struck. and the fontana hilton would be one of those places that is patrolled by law enforcement that i was referring to. law does exist there, proven by the many stories of harassment by law enforcement, which i also witnessed myself back in 2000. law does exist in towns and at road crossings and places of population. if you go back and read my posts, you will understant that i was explaining the lack of law in the WOODS.

[Spokes]

Lots of alcohol stoves burn a ring into the shelter every time they are used, ..............

Nope, those are old MSR Whisperlite doughnut (donut) rings. They ought to be outlawed.

[Jack Tarlin]

General:

1. I haven't had a cigarette in nearly 3 years, so I don't care what you
think you saw with your own eyes.
2. So yeah, since you mentioned the phrase, yeah, you're pretty much FOS.
3. As I said above, people that repeat false stories about other folks end up
looking petty and childish. But have at it some more if it makes you happy.

Have a nice day!!

Oh, and we seem to be beating a dead horse here, but if you contact the NPS or ATC in Harpers Ferry, they'll be happy to tell you all about laws and law enforcement in the woods, which you seem to think doesn't exist.

I think this one's sorta played out.

[turtle fast]

It is one thing to hear of a problem hiker second hand and to see a problem hiker causing problems firsthand. We hikers have to guard our good will because those hikers coming behind that problem hiker can suffer too. Hike your own hike, but do it legally and responsibly!! I think sometimes some trail justice is necessary for these folks. I am not advocating anything illegal...but a little information can go a long way.

[general]

There are authorities out there, and I think often, the trail is somewhat self-policing. Jack's post summed it up, no good reason to name people online.

how is the trail self-policing? unless a person is post certified, and carries a badge and a gun they are not the police. without that, what authority do they have? all someone can really do is ask another do please not conduct themselves in that manner. other than that, a person could practice some vigilantism or attempt to make a ctitzens arrest, both of which could result in an undesireable outcome. you can slander that person to others resulting in the mistakes that were previously stated, or you could just beat the hell out of them to prove your point. all things that the po-po can't do, because it is againt the law. the simple thing to do would be to move on up the trail especially if you're outnumbered. i'm not looking for conflict when i hike. part of the point is to get away from the common every day conflicts that we all encounter.

[Wheeler]

I meant that to some degree, you will often see people correct their behavior. Sometimes it's enough to have other hikers in the vicinity to call them out on their B.S. I'm not talking about serious stuff, of course, and I'm not about to take the law into my own hands, beat anybody, or practice any "vigilantism" myself. Obviously some people just don't care and will ignore other hikers requests. The key word was "somewhat". If somebody is causing disturbances, you often hear about it, and news does travel fast. Hostels already do contact each other about potential problem guests already. And these people are often made aware of their growing reputations; often that's enough to curb their behavior. I guess that's what I meant. I realize that it's not always the case.

[general]

General:

1. I haven't had a cigarette in nearly 3 years, so I don't care what you
think you saw with your own eyes.
2. So yeah, since you mentioned the phrase, yeah, you're pretty much FOS.
3. As I said above, people that repeat false stories about other folks end up
looking petty and childish. But have at it some more if it makes you happy.

Have a nice day!!

Oh, and we seem to be beating a dead horse here, but if you contact the NPS or ATC in Harpers Ferry, they'll be happy to tell you all about laws and law enforcement in the woods, which you seem to think doesn't exist.

I think this one's sorta played out.

you know what you did and didn't do, i'm sure. and, i don't need to call the NPS or the ATC (which is by no means a law enforcement agency) for the simple fact that i work for georgia DNR every day. i know exactly what laws exist, it's part of my job. once again, read the previous POSTS. there is no-one to enforce those laws in existance. in georgia, someones word is not enough to make an arrest. it is enough to start an investigation and that's it, unless a crime is witnessed directly by a law enforcement officer. how many USFS law enforcement officers or game wardens in uniform have you seen more than 3 miles away from a road on the AT?

you sure don't mind jabbing at others but you sure do get your panties in a wad when someone takes a justified shot at you don't you?

[max patch]

well, general, seems you lied to once already:

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...16&postcount=1

[turtle fast]

You would be suprised how many times if you ask someone causing a problem to cut it out stop.

[Jack Tarlin]

Aw, General, I only jab at people when they insist on saying things that just aren't true.

As for letting them make fools out of themselves with their posts, I'm also content to let them do that as often as they wish.

And yeah, I've seen plenty of folks with badges and guns on the Trail.

If you'd hiked further than half the Trail, then perhaps you'd have seen them, too.

See ya, this is getting tiresome.

[chiefduffy]

This thread reminds me of a journal by a guy from down under on the AT last year (Boy from Bellpost Hill). He was amazed how much we 'suffer fools' in this country. ' Said in Australia they tend to "mow down the tall weeds" or something like that....and he wasn't talking about the cops.

[general]

well, general, seems you lied to once already:

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...16&postcount=1

that's feakin' awesome, i had forgotten about that. thanks for reminding me. that was a good one. you made my day. i figured that it was time for a return with a vengeance. you should welcome the voice of reason.

[general]

Aw, General, I only jab at people when they insist on saying things that just aren't true.

As for letting them make fools out of themselves with their posts, I'm also content to let them do that as often as they wish.

And yeah, I've seen plenty of folks with badges and guns on the Trail.

If you'd hiked further than half the Trail, then perhaps you'd have seen them, too.

See ya, this is getting tiresome.

later tater, come on back when you want some more ya hear. just remember when you sit on a high horse you always run the risk of getting knocked off.

[Tipi Walter]

i'm not looking for conflict when i hike. part of the point is to get away from the common every day conflicts that we all encounter.

Yeah, the Appalachian Trail is not the only place in the country to backpack. From the stories I hear here on Whiteblaze the Trail often sounds like car campers in some RV campground. Clustering around shelters certainly contributes to the mess of too-much human interaction. Backpackers do not need to camp at or near the shelters, and often winter backpacking on the AT is pretty empty of other humans. In the spring and summer? Camp between shelters or avoid the AT altogether.

Solitude though is not what people are looking for, generally, on the AT. Knowing this, ya just have to put up with the riffraff. Or do a 4 or 5 month backpacking trip thru the Nantahala and Cherokee National Forests. No one says you have to backpack the AT. There's a thin tiny line across the mountains called the Appalachian Trail, and it's a linear tourist trap that is easily avoided. Go a hundred yards off this "motor mile" and you'll find seclusion.

[Don H]

I try to avoid people exhibiting rude or inappropriate behavior. That's easy on the trail, just pick up your stuff and move down the trail. Illegal activities should be reported to the authorities.