I agree as well. However, the agreement over the actions of non hikers is irrelevent on a hikers' site and does little good. See you guys in the next thread about increased regulations. I will make my points there too. No progress will ever occur when it is always someone else's fault.
Last edited by BirdBrain; 05-12-2015 at 16:51.
In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. - Abraham Lincoln
The day I got to Max Patch I got there at about noon and was so enchanted by the place I stayed all day. There was an awesome sunset there where the sky was blood red and the 20 or so of us that were still there got some awesome photos of black silouettes of people against that red sky. We hung out on top until about 10pm looking at the stars. At that point everybody left...most of the people camped just into the woods and I ended up night hiking to Walnut. I didn't see anybody camp on the bald itself, and I'm not really sure why it would be necessary to do so. Seems to me like you'd be exposed to more wind up there.
Absolutely agree with you. I don't understand the mentality of some here basically along the lines of "hikers are angels"!! I'm newer to hiking so have seen a lot less than many here, yet what I've already seen has me ill. Leaving trash everywhere, cutting down trees to use in newly made fire pits, leaving fires smoldering well after leaving the area, not to mention the postings on another blog site dedicated to the AT regarding hikers killing animals along the trail (groundhogs, chipmunks, snakes, etc) in very cruel ways and then bragging about it .
Hikers are not angels. We can, and do, make incredibly negative impacts on an area. Just because it's not you, or not something you've seen, doesn't mean it's not happening.
BirdBrain, IMO you've got the right idea
Those particular individuals were apprehended by the USFS Law Enforcement and were prosecuted. They had run through the wooden barrier gate in their 4x4 pickups and did other acts of vandalism. There used to be an information block there at the parking area stating that is was illegal to camp on the top of the Patch. The local thugs who damaged the area were also required to pay a hefty restitution fee for the damage they caused.
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I was there in May and I didn't see any signs saying you couldn't camp.
I love the smell of esbit in the morning!
I think what's confusing everyone is the No-Hammock rule on Max Patch. Traditional camping is fine.
Does there have to be a sign everywhere you shouldn't camp? Sure, camping on an exposed bald can be nice on a good night, but it can also be down right dangerous if a violent thunderstorm rolls in the middle of the night, which is a common thing to happen.
Reading a lot of trail journals this season it seems there is a disturbing trend for thru hikers to camp any damn place they please, regardless of regulations. This could be a result of the overcrowding forcing more dispersed camping in the south and forming bad habits which extend up the trail.
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Here is the thread confirming camping is allowed on Max Patch:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...g-on-Max-Patch
Sure, camping on an exposed bald can be nice on a good night, but it can also be down right dangerous if a violent thunderstorm rolls in the middle of the night, which is a common thing to happen.
and, fwiw, there was a death a few years ago of a lady who was struck by lightning up at max patch...
not sure if she was camping, but lightning dont care.................
ah, that was a sad story. the guy took his girlfriend up there to propose when it happened.