Son robbed of all camping gear in shelter while he was getting water. Man was about 35, grey hoddie, black beanie. Heading to Hughs Gap
Son robbed of all camping gear in shelter while he was getting water. Man was about 35, grey hoddie, black beanie. Heading to Hughs Gap
You would think that a 17 yr old could catch him, especially carrying gear... What a bummer...
Perhaps he meant to say something like "last seen heading towards Hughs Gap",
because you are correct, a 17 year old ought to be able to catch up to him, if he knows where to look.
IMHO, a seventeen year old does not need to tangle with a 35 yo man that is bold enough to be a thief. Best to alert authorities.
Very sorry to hear of your sons experience. Be assured this is a very rare occurance. Most hikers look out for one another.
Order your copy of the Appalachian Trail Passport at www.ATPassport.com
Green Mountain House Hostel
Manchester Center, VT
http://www.greenmountainhouse.net
Sure would like to know the rest of the story.
Follow slogoen on Instagram.
In case you missed it Wolf, the OP posed the question on the wisdom of a 17 year old hiking on this thread and the responses strongly favored the young man doing the hike.
I never understand why folks want to believe that crimes such as theft would be rare on the trail. What makes the trail and the people on the trail any different than the rest of society?
igne et ferrum est potentas
"In the beginning, all America was Virginia." -William Byrd
I was hitch hiking cross country and camping in Canada when I was 17.
Yeah everybody did say he'd be alright. However, people need to remember that 90% does not equal 100%. So when something goes wrong you can't say, "well every one said it'd be ok...".
If this kid is a savvy and capable hiker and he wants to, he should replace his gear and get back on the trail. I hate it that he was robbed but it could have happened to anybody - the fact that he was 17 probably has very little relevance. I know of a 50 - something year old thru-hiker that was robbed at Uncle Johnny's (duh). I'm sure that in the future, he'll be exceedingly careful. I'm very sorry that this happened though. Nevertheless, I do maintain that the vast majority of hikers and trail people are trust-worthy.
I am so sorry to hear this. I hate to see a good hike ruined by this kind of incident.
But this has nothing to do with the victim being a 17 year old. His age had nothing to do with the crime. The 17 year old did what many hikers of all ages do. It's not smart to leave your gear behind when getting water but it is done all the time. I see unattended gear all the time at Gooch Gap. And geez, that it right at a road.
FatMan is right - we should all be more careful. I really hope he gets back on the trail. If he gets off or is pulled off by his parents then he will have a sense that he couldn't accomplish a goal and they will all have a poor opinion of the trail and its people - this was a random act by a random, rare thief.