Theft of pack at Pine Knob Shelter in MD on 5/8/13 at 11 am

[yushan]

Today at 11 am, a guest, who had stayed at my hostel in Harpers Ferry and who was hiking Northbound, walked away from his grey Granite Gear pack with blue stripes for 15 minutes at Pine Knob Shelter in MD. When he got back, it was gone. It had a silver ZPack tent made with Cuban fiber that was new plus other fairly new gear. He has given up his hiking trip.

Although he hadn't seen anyone around, he did see several fresh-looking candy wrappers, including Tootsie Roll and Snickers and a squeeze tube for a high-energy drink, on the AT shortly before the blue-blaze trail to Pine Knob.

He made a police report on the theft.

If you have any information about this theft, please contact the Greenbriar State Park rangers or Teahorse Hostel.

[Don H]

That sucks!

[MDSection12]

Very sorry to hear that. I'm over that way ​a lot. : (

[Trillium]

This saddens and angers me. Don't know the hiker but I have to believe the hiker is devastated. Very tough.

[WalksInDark]

Very sad tale. I still hold out (limited) hope that the person who took it...is looking for the rightful owner.

Inquiring minds want to know: was the owner's name/phone number/email address anywhere on the pack?

[Jeff]

Sad indeed....and with the Cuban fiber tent...very expensive loss.

[Ironbelly]

Very sad to hear, but your pack is your life. Leave it unsecured and bad things sadly can and do happen sometimes be it by 2 or 4 legged creatures. Same thing happened to me about 7 years or so ago. I never leave my pack unattended now unless its in a locked secure place.

[jj2044]

Very sad to hear, but your pack is your life. Leave it unsecured and bad things sadly can and do happen sometimes be it by 2 or 4 legged creatures. Same thing happened to me about 7 years or so ago. I never leave my pack unattended now unless its in a locked secure place.

!00% right.. would you leave you car running with your wallet on the dash at a Wall-Mart ? I feel sorry for the guy. but 15 min is a LONG time to leave.. well your life (food, shelter, money, phone) alone in an area you don't know.

[MuddyWaters]

Many packs contain gear that cost $1500 or more to replace.

Always, take all of your gear with you, wherever you go. Even to get water located downhill. Unless you specifically have someone you know and trust watching it for you.

I know Ive gotten some odd looks before at a shelter full of people, when I pick up everything after eating, repack my pack, get my hiking poles, and then go to get water. Just a habit though when by yourself.

[HikerMom58]

Aww... that's too bad!

[Coffee]

Just awful...

Two weeks ago on a section hike, I left my pack outside the Elkwallow wayside in SNP since they don't want packs inside and I really wanted a milkshake. It took maybe five minutes and was uneventful but went against my better judgment. Next time I will forego the shake and that's pretty sad.

[bfayer]

Pine knob is so close to a road crossing that if you get lost on the way to the privy you can get run over by a truck heading down I70. The hike past it to Annapolis Rocks is the most traveled chunk of the AT near Washington DC, so you get a non stop stream of big city day hikers. I was taking a nap in my hammock there a couple of years back and I heard a Zippp sound and looked over and found some kid unzipping one of our tents. I guess he didn't see me sleeping 20 feet away.

I hope they get their gear back, but I doubt they will. It's sad we have to worry about this kind of thing

[BostonBlue]

Any advice on how this can be avoided if you are traveling alone? Many restaurants will not allow you to bring your pack inside.

[BuckeyeBill]

BostonBlue

You can carry one of these Pack Safe nets. They only weigh a pound.

[maybe clem]

I can't even imagine, that's awful. It's a good reminder to the rest of us but really how many of us even think twice about leaving a pack in a shelter while we get water? I guess I'll be changing my hiking practices now.

[maybe clem]

Also... I was thinking earlier today about how businesses might be even less inclined to allow backpacks inside since the Boston marathon bombings. It sounds irrational but I can see someone going there.

[BostonBlue]

BostonBlue

You can carry one of these Pack Safe nets. They only weigh a pound.

Thanks Buckeye, I may just do that. For 1 lb. = Peace of mind.

[Coffee]

BostonBlue

You can carry one of these Pack Safe nets. They only weigh a pound.

The medium is needed even for relatively small packs like the circuit and it weighs 1.5 pounds. Plus I'm not sure how much security that really buys given that it is rare to see a locked pack and therefore criminals would get curious about what it is that is valuable enough to lock up. And the thin lines are no match for a small bolt cutter.

[Don H]

Any advice on how this can be avoided if you are traveling alone? Many restaurants will not allow you to bring your pack inside.

Always try to keep your pack in sight. If an establishment doesn't allow packs and doesn't have a secure place to put them then go elsewhere or have another hiker watch your gear while you're inside. In grocery stores I always put my pack in the cart with me, no one ever questioned me about it.

A few years ago some packs went missing in PA when people would leave them by the trail and go down the ridge to get water. Maybe a bear, maybe a person, who knows?

[MDSection12]

Pine knob is so close to a road crossing that if you get lost on the way to the privy you can get run over by a truck heading down I70. The hike past it to Annapolis Rocks is the most traveled chunk of the AT near Washington DC, so you get a non stop stream of big city day hikers. I was taking a nap in my hammock there a couple of years back and I heard a Zippp sound and looked over and found some kid unzipping one of our tents. I guess he didn't see me sleeping 20 feet away.

I hope they get their gear back, but I doubt they will. It's sad we have to worry about this kind of thing

Wow that's amazing. I would never, ever consider staying at Pine Knob. It's a shame because the tent sites are fairly nice... But my rule of thumb is generally avoiding any shelter within a mile or so of a road. I'm not sure Pine Knob is even half a mile. Also you are absolutely correct about the traffic through there; that parking lot has been full to capacity (and it's a big lot) every decent Saturday for the past two months. Day hikers also seem curious about the shelter. It seems many make the trip down just to see it. Combine all that with the road noise and you won't find me there.