Nature Boy Hiking Assaulted

[leaftye]

Can Samuel H. Gardner verify his whereabouts on the evening in question?

Yes.

___________

[DapperD]

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.

I remember reading Colonel Chaco's thread about his hike where he was nearly assaulted by some rowdies in North Carolina:http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=34757

[OutdoorsMan]

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.

That's an awfully heavy weapon for backpacking IMO. I would suggest something like a Ruger LCP instead.

[leaftye]

That's an awfully heavy weapon for backpacking IMO. I would suggest something like a Ruger LCP instead.

Make sure you attach a bayonet to that thing.

[Old Hiker]

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.

I thought all law-abiding UK citizens gave up their handguns??

[DavidNH]

This has to be the saddest story I've ever read on any hiking forum. How any one could beat up a hiker is beyond me.

I hope this lowlife gets caught and sent to jail asap.

David

[Cookerhiker]

I too hope that he reported the crime. If crimes, especially violent ones like this and the one last year outside Damascus go unreported and unprosecuted, it will only embolden bullies who perceive that hikers are easy pickins' because they're too timid to report to authorities and face the perpetrators.

I'm confident that law enforcement personnel along the AT corridor will do their utmost to solve the crime; the Damascus police's investigation was outstanding.

[Lord Helment]

agree with cookerhiker

[Carl in FL]

This has to be the saddest story I've ever read on any hiking forum. How any one could beat up a hiker is beyond me.

I hope this lowlife gets caught and sent to jail asap.

David

Agreed. The second saddest aspect of this affair, after reading some of
the history of that region, is that potential newcomers will be discouraged,
or just decide to find another "safer" pastime.

If so motivated by the past, this sort of thing rises above a random
assault and becomes a targeted hate crime, at the very least, and could
be considered domestic terrorism, as harsh or extreme as that sounds.

Let's hope this gets nipped here and now, before the potential for an area
feud becomes real.

[max patch]

This has to be the saddest story I've ever read on any hiking forum. How any one could beat up a hiker is beyond me.

Agreed. The second saddest aspect of this affair, after reading some of
the history of that region, is that potential newcomers will be discouraged,
or just decide to find another "safer" pastime.

The third saddest part of this affair is that some losers felt the need to call Nature Boy a liar and that his whole story was a lie.

[nufsaid]

If so motivated by the past, this sort of thing rises above a random
assault and becomes a targeted hate crime, at the very least, and could
be considered domestic terrorism, as harsh or extreme as that sounds.

Carl, get a grip. And yes, it does sound extreme.

[nufsaid]

I too hope that he reported the crime. If crimes, especially violent ones like this and the one last year outside Damascus go unreported and unprosecuted, it will only embolden bullies who perceive that hikers are easy pickins' because they're too timid to report to authorities and face the perpetrators.

I totally agree.

[weary]

The third saddest part of this affair is that some losers felt the need to call Nature Boy a liar and that his whole story was a lie.

The fourth saddest part of this affair is that it has renewed calls for sleeping with loaded fire arms, while on the trail, a practice that if carried out enough, sooner or later will result in a firearm accident in which an innocent person will be killed or injured.

[hikerboy57]

The fourth saddest part of this affair is that it has renewed calls for sleeping with loaded fire arms, while on the trail, a practice that if carried out enough, sooner or later will result in a firearm accident in which an innocent person will be killed or injured.

The last thing needed on the trail are untrained people carrying firearms for protection, shooting at noises in the night.Better that these crimes be reported to the authorities. Hopefully, capture and successful prosecution would add a deterrant.
But , what if it were you assaulted while on a thru, they catch the perpetrator(s) and prosecute. are you taking time off the trail(or later, from work) to go to trial?I think this might be part of the reason crimes go unreported.

[leaftye]

It's time we pull some random land owner out of his house and beat him brutally. I'll bring the pitchforks. Who's bringing the torches?





Seriously though, sucks for Nature Boy, especially if he did nothing whatsoever to instigate this event. I still have to wonder if he's entirely innocent, especially since he hasn't filed a criminal report, not that that warrants the type of beating he got...maybe.

[hikerboy57]

Ill bring the feathers, who'll bring the tar?

[Toolshed]

I thought all law-abiding UK citizens gave up their handguns??

Not all of us.....

[Toolshed]

The last thing needed on the trail are untrained people carrying firearms for protection, shooting at noises in the night.....<snipped>

Really???
Right to untrained people shooting in the night at noises???

[bfitz]

should I be scared cause I kinda am now. I haven't told my husband about this incident yet.

No, you shouldn't be. This kind of thing is so rare on the AT that even one single mostly unverified account gets this much attention. For all we know the person who was all about setting records and being the fastest just wanted a face-saving excuse to go home, or some some personal business was at play...a completely random night-time assault of that nature without a robbery or other motive is extremely unlikely ANYPLACE, especially someplace like the trail. Statistically speaking, you're far safer on the trail than you are right now in your home reading this. Predators go for easy prey...they lurk in malls and parking lots, they don't hike 40 miles into the woods in the hopes of finding the perfect victim (which the kind of people hikers tend to be aren't even when off the trail). And brains are better weapons than guns, and there is no place on earth you NEED a gun if you have a brain. That doesn't mean don't bring one, it just means your gun is useless anyway if you don't have the requisite intellect to get by without it.

[jesse]

...this sort of thing rises above a random
assault and becomes a targeted hate crime...

Aren't all crimes hate crimes?