What are some of the dumbest things you have seen or heard on the trail?

[Mountain Mike]

Early on my thru, on a short rainy day a bunch of us holed up at the old leaky gooch gap shelter. One perspective thruhiker was complaining about how heavy his pack was. I asked if he had done much backpacking before. His response was, "No, but I read a lot of Ed Garvey!" That quote still makes me laugh! We went through his pack. Commercial first aid kit complete in its 2" x 12"x18" plastic box, full bath towel, 2 pairs of spare jeans, several books, 300 count pack of Q-tips,brand new top of the line silva compass in leather case... I helped him decide what to dump to reduce his weight. When it came down to the compass I said I'd send the case home & keep the compass. He then admitted he didn't know how to use it. When I asked him why he had it he said it was on the top ten essential gear list.

[WIAPilot]

This wasn't really "dumb" - it was really just funny. I was hiking in Sabino Canyon and a girl and two guys were hiking up the trail. They stopped to talk for a few minutes and then all of a sudden this young college-aged girl just leaps a mile in the air and yells, "snake!" I didn't move because I had been there long enough to let these hikers pass and knew there wasn't a snake. But it sure scared the other two guys she was with!!

[hikerboy57]

just a funny story. a few weeks abck i hiked mass from jug end SOBO and at the top of race mtn theres an intersection thats a bit tricky. i ws taking a break on top when 2 young kids were speed hiking through the section. took a break and set off on a trail they beleived was the right way and told me "maybe well see you furthr on" and i said Im pretty sure you will.( in truth it was just a game trail).the markings on top werent entirely clear, and at first i thought maybe they were headed the right way as they both seemed pretty sure of themselves and maybe i was wrong. so i figured id just wait it out. if they didnt return after 20 minutes, i would follow, otherwise i would trust my instincts and head the way i was pretty sure was the right way. within 10 minutes they were back, they smiled at me, i told them i knew id see them again.
ill take age and experience over youth and "potential"

[kayak karl]

came walking out of the Smokies near Cosby and there was a car parked and elderly couple in it. as i walked up in about 4" of snow (with my poles) she jumped out of the car and said "Oh my God! Did you lose your skis? Do you need a ride?"

[rocketsocks]

came walking out of the Smokies near Cosby and there was a car parked and elderly couple in it. as i walked up in about 4" of snow (with my poles) she jumped out of the car and said "Oh my God! Did you lose your skis? Do you need a ride?"

That's histerical...funny.I love the simpleness of some,I'm pretty simple myself,yep...am.I might have started treating you for shock!

[kayak karl]

this has always made me smile. wasn't the AT. just a Pine Barren walkabout. posted on HF........

went on a three day hike with my son in the pine barrens in NJ. hammocks got a lot of looks. when we got to hawkins bridge camp site, it was packed from the cranberry fest. a little girl in the site across from us just kept talking. they sleep in the trees, why don't we?, they don't have a car, they have small stoves, and on and on and on. at 7:30 my son could not find his camera case and we put on our head-lights and started looking around the site, but the little girl yelled at the top of her lungs, "the TREE MEN have lights in their heads!!!" and ran in her tent to hide.
just thought it was funny.
her parents didn't

[fredmugs]

This wasn't on the AT but I was heading down the South Kaibob trail in the Grand Canyon and about half way this woman asked me if they moved the trail.

[rocketsocks]

this has always made me smile. wasn't the AT. just a Pine Barren walkabout. posted on HF........

went on a three day hike with my son in the pine barrens in NJ. hammocks got a lot of looks. when we got to hawkins bridge camp site, it was packed from the cranberry fest. a little girl in the site across from us just kept talking. they sleep in the trees, why don't we?, they don't have a car, they have small stoves, and on and on and on. at 7:30 my son could not find his camera case and we put on our head-lights and started looking around the site, but the little girl yelled at the top of her lungs, "the TREE MEN have lights in their heads!!!" and ran in her tent to hide.
just thought it was funny.
her parents didn't

Oh man! that is precious.

[10-K]

I stayed at White House Landing with 2 SOBOs who were carrying a machete in honor of a 3rd friend who had to cancel his hike and couldn't come with them.

They also had big bottles of vitamins, ibuprofen and just tons of food.

I made the mistake of giving an unsolicited suggestion about bouncing a lot of their stuff down the trail so they wouldn't have to carry it and the rest of the time I was there they made jokes about carrying less weight.... "Let's send this tissue paper" and "let's send these 2 AA batteries". Just stupid stuff.

[hikerboy57]

i remember staying near a shelter in harriman st park on the long path, happened to see a rattler hanging out in the grass near a ledge maybe 20 or 30 yards from the shelter. a little while later, some young ladies from a girls camp came hiking up to sleep overnight at the shelter, asking their counselelor whether there were any snakes around, and the counselor insisted they didnt have to worry about snakes, there are none around. i took her aside, told her what i saw, and suggested she keep an eye out on the kids, especially for bathroom breaks. as i just love the company of 20 or so kids with me on an overnight hike, i moved on.

[rocketsocks]

strangley,I have no hiker stories...cause I've always hiked alone,yeah me and nobody else,you know when I hike alone bady,I prefer to be by myself....looking to change all that.

[Wise Old Owl]

[kayak karl]

putting on our packs one morn about 8am. a guy that had hiked past the day before came hiking up to us and said "how did you guys get ahead of me?" we said "we didn't"

[rocketsocks]

Not quite Clark Kent in a phone booth,but close....every super hero needs a gimick...wait I got in trouble last time I used that word.(place to change).

[TJ aka Teej]

The dumbest thing I ever saw on the AT was me, at 15.

[atmilkman]

The dumbest thing I ever saw on the AT was me, at 15.

You might say you were the dumbest thing you ever saw on the AT but it was probably the best move you ever made.

[tdoczi]

This wasn't on the AT but I was heading down the South Kaibob trail in the Grand Canyon and about half way this woman asked me if they moved the trail.

about 3 miles down the north kaibab trail once a woman with no equipment (she may have a had a water bottle, but i dont even remember seeing that) asked me "how much further to the river?" (north rim to the river is 13 miles or so if you dont know, and youd have to go another 9 ish to the south rim or turn around and come back, she definitely wasnt camping anywhere).

[verasch]

about 3 miles down the north kaibab trail once a woman with no equipment (she may have a had a water bottle, but i dont even remember seeing that) asked me "how much further to the river?" (north rim to the river is 13 miles or so if you dont know, and youd have to go another 9 ish to the south rim or turn around and come back, she definitely wasnt camping anywhere).

For some reason im having trouble remembering the name of the part, but there's a flat plateau right before o'neill butte where the trail continues down toward skeleton point. I was hiking out and I saw a woman in (i kid you not) high heels. She asked me how far it was to the river.

Another time, a buddy and i were walking up the switchbacks of the BA and we were passed by a family packed with the craziest amount of Ozark Trail gear. I mean, the dad was carrying a 4 man tent, pots, sleeping bags, probably everything from those 2 aisles at one of the walmarts in Flag. The mother and 2 kids were also packed to the brim as well. It was nuts.

[Odd Man Out]

about 3 miles down the north kaibab trail once a woman with no equipment (she may have a had a water bottle, but i dont even remember seeing that) asked me "how much further to the river?" (north rim to the river is 13 miles or so if you dont know, and youd have to go another 9 ish to the south rim or turn around and come back, she definitely wasnt camping anywhere).

A similar story. At about 10 AM, two young men from Germany were very upset with the Park Ranger at the North Rim Visitor's center who told them that no, they couldn't go swimming in the Colorado River that afternoon.

[tdoczi]

For some reason im having trouble remembering the name of the part, but there's a flat plateau right before o'neill butte where the trail continues down toward skeleton point. I was hiking out and I saw a woman in (i kid you not) high heels. She asked me how far it was to the river.

Another time, a buddy and i were walking up the switchbacks of the BA and we were passed by a family packed with the craziest amount of Ozark Trail gear. I mean, the dad was carrying a 4 man tent, pots, sleeping bags, probably everything from those 2 aisles at one of the walmarts in Flag. The mother and 2 kids were also packed to the brim as well. It was nuts.

ohhhh that reminds me, in march somewhere in northern VA, i think just on the north end of the rollercoatser, these people were camping and besides having a tent they had one of those big awning type things like youd set up over a picnic you were having at the town park. they had it set up over where they pitched their tent. why they thought hauling that up a mountain was wise and necessary i have no idea. it wasnt terribly far from the road but it was a couple of miles in and most defintiely not flat.