bizzar people encounter/safty on thru hikes..real experiences that where unsafe!

[nighthiker]

Reading lots of unsafe people appraoches on thru hiking news around the internet on different sites.

Looking for (thru hiker vets ) with TRUE experiences of [ Lucky not to be harmed or taken advantage off situations ] I.E hitches, gear taken, night time approaches, other then the old stand by answers,,,,,just tell them your group is coming up behind you!

[DBRIGGS9]

What are you asking?

[Slo-go'en]

I think he is asking if anyone has had an encounter with a strange or dangerous person(s) while on or near the trail and what did they do about it.

[So Far]

You will be so tired sore and hungry you wont even care if someone harms you.

[Buzz Saw]

So Far, this guys trying to get a handle on the trail and you who claims to be a thru can only give a dumb a** answer. If you can't give constructive help why don't you just leave it along. As the saying goes nobody likes a smart A**.

[Red Hat]

There was not one time in my hike from GA to ME last year where I felt uncomfortable on the trail. I did get a hitch with one guy who wanted to show me where trail went that made me a little uncomfortable, so I asked if he would just take me to town and he did.

[sbhikes]

I never felt uncomfortable on the PCT except for one time. I met a man carrying an axe walking toward me on the trail. He seemed a little odd. He said he had just done some trail maintenance. He was wearing an old t-shirt that said US forest service but he didn't look official. I had seen a truck parked at the last road crossing so I figured he must have been legit but I wasn't sure. There was just something wierd about him. I didn't talk to him for very long. Soon after I passed him, I saw where he had removed a big tree from the trail. I felt a lot better then.

[Luddite]

"bizzar people encounter"? Thru-hikers.

Hitchhiking sounds scary in theory but once you do it you'll realize its not dangerous at all.

[Iceaxe]

I heard about some scary hitches my fellow thru's had on the PCT. I myself have never had sketchy experience on a hitch or on the trail. Although I was a bit intimidated by some of the traffic on the CDT in Wyoming where it follows roads.
My defense was to hike a little past dark and camp off in the grease brush away from the road or trail. It helps to have a small tent of a pale color. Generally if you camp at least 50 feet from the trail, out of site, you are going to be alone and safe. If you go 100 feet you might as well be invisible. On the PCT and CDT I almost always hiked until it was dark, camped off-trail, and cowboyed (No tent) a lot so maybe that was why I never felt in danger as it would be near impossible for anyone to stumble upon me.
Sometimes the few people I met would ask the usual questions but then also ask where I would be camping that night. This always raised warning flags especially since I was alone for 95% of the CDT. I believe they were just innocently curious but I would just tell them "Where ever my head hits the sand" which was not a lie. Also it is kinda hard to tell them anyways cause I rarely chose a site ahead of time and did not know where myself!
When Resupplying:
Before every hitch I would get my wallet out of my pack and keep it on me the whole time I was in town resupplying.
Another good rule I learned from other hikers on the PCT is: Never let your pack out of your site. If you get a hitch in a small car and the person wants to put your pack in the trunk just say your superstitious and you'll keep your pack on your lap.
A lot of times you might end up with your pack in the back seat while you ride in the front. Always tell the person "I am going to get my pack from the back" when exiting the vehicle and be sure to leave the passenger door open while you do this.

I always think the best of people first but that does not mean I take foolish risks with strangers.
Although looking back now I really never had a bad hitch or met a sketchy person on the PCT or the CDT. On the Pacific Crest most folks you meet are other thru's, section hikers, dayhikers, and overnighters (with HUGE backpacks!) and their is a real feeling of cameraderie on the trail. On the Divide I would go weeks without seeing another person on the trail. I went from Pie Town New Mexico to Far Northern Wyoming without seeing another CDT'er of any kind. There just are'nt a lot of folks out there. The only time I worried there was during resupllies in towns. These long trails have restored my faith in humanity.

Okay, I am going to say something kinda metaphysical here so i put this down at the bottom of my post. Take or leave this, it is just my opinion.
I believe you get back the same energy you project. If you are scared and guarded the folks you meet are going to seem sacred and guarded. I am not saying you influence them since you only just met them. I am saying your emotions color your judgement. If you see the world as being full of people trying to rob you at every turn you just might get robbed. It is like a self fullfilling prophecy. If you project fear the "sharks" are more likely to be drawn to you. Okay, I know folks are saying, "He's a wingnut from California." Yea maybe thats true. I also don't deny there are folks in the world that would take advantage of us. What I am suggesting is: Your attitude and what you project are the first line of defense. Agression begets agression etc. Okay I will go back to my hippie commune now and eat some organic granola flakes while I bliss out and meditate. OOOHHMMM!

[sbhikes]

It's true, Iceaxe, no matter how hippie-dippie it may sound.

I went out there with the attitude that magic was always going to happen to me. I got rides from people who NEVER give rides to people. And I would sometimes get them simply by seeing the car approach and thinking, "Hey! There's my ride!" They'd turn out to be really nice people. They'd say "we're nice people and we never pick up hitchhikers." Some were old, which was even more amazing.

As long as I had that attitude I seemed to get everything I wanted. On the otherhand, I met a young lady who would storm around in a big huff because nothing ever went her way. And nothing ever did. I never saw so many bad things happen to someone. Everything from chafing to not getting rides to getting stuck in a town vortex for over 2 weeks.

Attitude does matter a lot.

[DBRIGGS9]

One time I hitched a ride from a younger girl, 25 perhaps, who had relatively fresh cut marks on her wrists (not completely healed) and was driving us about 60mph down these winding mountain roads in North Carolina. Most scared I've been in a while.

[max patch]

Hitchhiking sounds scary in theory but once you do it you'll realize its not dangerous at all.

It depends on who picks you up.

Like everyone (except for the one guy who did not get in a car at any time during his thru) I hitched into many towns. The only time I was scared on my thru when I was picked up by a 20ish male who literally drove 100mph on a fairly busy road and kept turning around to see who was behind him. I demanded he stop and let me out and he did. There was also the group of 4 thrus and a dog who got a hitch from a guy in a pickup. They sat in the bed. The driver took a corner too fast and overturned. Luckily everyone was thrown clear with no injuries except a few bruises. Lucky everyone wasn't killed.

[Jester2000]

So Far, this guys trying to get a handle on the trail and you who claims to be a thru can only give a dumb a** answer. If you can't give constructive help why don't you just leave it along. As the saying goes nobody likes a smart A**.

Actually, lots of people like smartasses. What people don't like are people who get offended on other people's behalf.

I saw a post asking for a clarification, one that interpreted the original post for that poster, and a post that was funny mainly because there was a kernel of truth in it.

As far as my experiences go, I've had one instance where I didn't feel good about the two people I met as I approached a shelter. It was the two of them and I. When they asked me if I was staying, I said that I was just signing the register for my friends behind and moving on, which ended up involving some night hiking. Almost all of us have tents with us -- and those who don't should have some kind of shelter. It's easy to walk away from this kind of uncomfortable situation.

But it's important to trust your gut. If you're wrong, you haven't really lost anything as a result.

As far as hitching goes, I've never had a problem. The one time I had a guy pull up who was drinking while driving, I asked him if the direction I was hitching led to a town I knew to be in the opposite direction. He said no, and I thanked him and pretended to start hitching that way.

As I think was already mentioned, although I frequently have my wallet in my pack while hiking, I remove it & have it on my person while hitching. You never know when someone might try to drive off with your pack.

Despite the seeming rise in on-trail crime, I think it's still incredibly safe to be out there. Just pay attention to your surroundings.

[Moose2001]

The only time I've been scared was during a hitch in Vermont. Guy in a pickup stopped for us. One of us in the cab....one in the back. After he pulled out, I figured out he was drunk! And I mean REALLY drunk. He couldn't stay between the lines. Quickly found a spot for him to pull over.....damn, we forgot something back there....and sent him on his way.

[Torch09]

In tenessee on the northbound leg of my 2009 flip flop, I met a young girl (23?) hiking sobo who claimed to have been 'trail stalked' by an older guy (50?) who i had met a few days prior. Appearently, she was able to lose him by getting an early start one day and staying in a town, while he continued hiking thinking he would catch her at the next shelter.

[kayak karl]

use your city street smarts, if you from the country, God help you.

[DBRIGGS9]

use your city street smarts, if you from the country, God help you.

hahaha, i like that

[greenmtnboy]

In tenessee on the northbound leg of my 2009 flip flop, I met a young girl (23?) hiking sobo who claimed to have been 'trail stalked' by an older guy (50?) who i had met a few days prior. Appearently, she was able to lose him by getting an early start one day and staying in a town, while he continued hiking thinking he would catch her at the next shelter.

Sounds like paranoia to me, what was her fear based on?

"Everyone in the world is quite mad, except for me and thee. And sometimes I have my doubts about thee."

[So Far]

Wow i guess someone didnt get the joke...I have idea people shouldnt take everything so GD serious...Which i learned on my 2010 Thru-hike...When did u thru???

[Sugarfoot]

In 17 consecutive years of hiking the AT, I've met one questionable gentleman, aside from Ward Leonard. In May 1998, I came into Peters Mountain Shelter in PA during a nasty thunderstorm. I had nearly been hit crossing the highway just before the shelter (before the overpass (or is it an underpass?) was constructed) and I was not in a good mood. There was a guy pacing in front of the shelter having a conversation with himself and waving a pistol around. A hiker I had met in Duncannon was cowering in the back of the shelter. I don't know what possessed me, but I walked up to the guy and told him to put the gun away, that he was scaring my friend. He did and quickly left the shelter area. I'm a little guy and not threatening to anyone, so I don't know why he did. Other than that, I've never felt unsafe on the trail, except maybe in electrical storms. I don't think I was brave, merely stupid.