That's most true when hiking the PCT SOBO.Originally Posted by Carl in FL
i can predict most things. hell i know thats nuts dont worry. but true. wanna try me?everything i ever said would happen, did. or will. i predicted years ago that computers would be replaced by the workers they replaced by nessesty one day. thats my single wildest predidtion. still waiting for that one. but i also predict stuff about how we hike. and it keeps comming true. i predict one day, these three things will be virtualy obsolete for use on thru hikes going north in spring:
tent floors
groundsheets
pack covers
because it lightens the load too much to denie and makes for a better time. we will lay under tarptents with our raincoat and plastic bag and food bag under us. crazy? yes.
but as to this threds topic, i predict southbounding, the correct direction our trail flows, will be heavily preferred for the reason that it avoids the troubles we see here year after year that are due to the crowd being a target for trouble. thin straggely streams of southbounders will have a better time by far. they allways have . but will more and more.
matthewski
No he won't continue for now. According to his FB post he's headed home to Ohio to recuperate.
I love the smell of esbit in the morning!
Not likely to find it here.
Best to NB
"It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how." ---Dr. Seuss
What a shame. Wish him a speedy recovery.
My solution is to stealth camp far away from trail access points coupled with a Walther PPK loaded with .380 hollow points, always at my fingertips, especially when in my tent.
Because of the 007 association I wanted to buy a Walther PPK but after much further research decided to buy a Sig .380 instead. Evidentally the Walther will "draw blood" when fired more easily. I'm not thrilled with clearances on the Sig either. Get a light .38 revolver instead.
Can Samuel H. Gardner verify his whereabouts on the evening in question?
I know hindsight is 20/20,
but a few claymores and trip wires would have worked wonders.
that was the single coolest peice of a speed hike i ever saw.
matthewski
After all this time and posts I'm still fuzzy about the details, such as where exactly he was camped... But can anyone answer this one question: Did he report this crime?
should I be scared cause I kinda am now. I haven't told my husband about this incident yet.
Those that danced were thought mad by those who could not hear the music. George Carlin
If he was on the AT corridor, there could end up being a Federal investigation. If he was in the hospital, there should have been a report filed, at least with the local authorities.
Just a couple of thoughts on this....
I question that he was actually called by name when the crime occurred. It was 1:00 AM in the morning and he was asleep in his tent. I suspect they were saying "hey there boy" or something like that. Nature Boy may have mistaken that for his name, thinking they were actually calling him by his trail name. He was probably not alert enough to hear clearly.
For the old timers that remember a bit about the trail corridor, the original property owners granted permission for the trail to cross their lands. Occasionally there was a problem, but rarely. Sometimes land changed hands or was passed down to a new generation and the new owners did not want the trail crossing their property. At sometime later (I'm going to guess early 1980's), the feds decided to guarantee that the trail corridor would be permanent and they began condemnation proceedings to take a 100 foot corridor across certain private lands. This created a lot of animosity between the property owners and hikers.
When I was hiking years ago, I would hear stories of these angry landowners harassing hikers by setting their dogs out, hanging fish line with hooks across the trail, dumping garbage on the trail, smashing car windows for those parked at trail heads, and personal attacks on hikers. The local authorities seemed to be more sympathetic toward the land owners than the hikers, so the harassment continued for a number of years. Parts of North Carolina and Tennessee seemed to be some of the worst areas.
Most of this harassment subsided in recent times, but some of the next generation of families still carry this hatred from hearing stories from their parents or neighbors. We still see a lot of vandalism of cars on Hwy 19E near Elk Park. If you ever stop there, you will see an inch of broken car glass window pieces around the parking area.
I'm guessing that Nature Boy was a victim of this harassment, probably by older teens or young adults who still think that hikers don't belong in the area. I really hope they can send a Federal Marshall out there to camp in the area a few nights and find these criminals. I have hiked through these areas a few times (usually solo) and have not had a problem, but I always had my guard up and chose not to tent camp until I got well north of the Elk Park area (closer to Dennis Cove).
jbwood5, you didn't answer my question, but I'm ready for some more bloviating
It is probably best not to mention it. Look in your guide book and try to see where this area is at. Camp near the shelters where there will be other people around. If you are near the area, try to walk through with other hikers (everyone will be thinking the same as you, so it should not be problem hiking with a group).
The first time I hiked in the area (starting solo), I was unaware of any previous history of angry landowners and other hikers filled me in. We actually had a group of 6 people who did not know each other until the day we went through the bad areas.
I really think you will have no problem and it should not be on your mind. Many years have passed since those old days and this is the first time I have heard of such an assault. There will be people looking to get these bad guys and they may be caught way before you get there.
Just John
any update on Nature Boy? The old saying that all of us hear from time to time,"but what if someone attacks you while your sleeping in your tent" seems to hold true here with NB.
"I told my Ma's and Pa's I was coming to them mountains and they acted as if they was gutshot. Ma, I sez's, them mountains is the marrow of the world and by God, I was right". Del Gue
You should read before you post; he's headed back to Ohio
You're correct, thanks John, I seemed to have missed that fact that NB is headed back to Ohio. Thats tough for him, sorry to hear he's headed back, thanks for the update John.You should read before you post; he's headed back to Ohio
"I told my Ma's and Pa's I was coming to them mountains and they acted as if they was gutshot. Ma, I sez's, them mountains is the marrow of the world and by God, I was right". Del Gue
He said he reported it to a ranger. I forget his name but he even gave his phone no. on his facebook and said if anyone has questions, they should talk to said ranger"
I imagine his head hurt too much to answer everyone's questions.
This is so sad.
I hope he comes back to hiking again.
Don't let your fears stand in the way of your dreams
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