I've just emailed the Green Mountain Club Group Outreach Specialist, and I will be following that up with a phone call to the same person/office.
Is looking at women in an imaginative way after being in the woods for weeks and simultaneously wearing a headband a crime these days?? Gonna be a lot of guys in trouble if that's the case....
No it's not a crime. Of course Giggles was concerned about the situation though! What would you think if your wife/girlfriend called you from the trail and was in the same situation as Giggles?Originally Posted by Fur Queue
Sounds like this guy was doing a bit more than "looking at women in an imaginative way". And hopefully guys like this do get in trouble. They should be non-violently chased off the trail. But I'm OK with violence when appropriate.
Isn't this guy long gone? Or is it two guys or one guy moving up and down the trail? OP is a bit older I would have thought this guy would have been caught or chased off. The general rule of thumb used to be that every gal on the trail was my little sister, is this not the case anymore? Every guy was an older brother, any troubles in the past you told your brothers and people like this were made most unwelcome.
I hiked SOBO from Glencliff to Rt 12 in VT and heard the reports as stated above - that a creepy guy had been leaving offensive comments in shelter logs. I was on the trail from 5/24 to 6/1. The incidents had been reported in Rutland newspapers. I saw very few people during that week, non of whom fit that description. I do not stay in shelters and visit them rarely although I stayed near one and met Aloha and another guy (NOBO's) at that time.
Yes, Rolls Kanardly... that's better. I wish I remembered what hiker FB page, I saw Sue (giggles) post this pic and info about this guy. I know I remember she also started a thread about her experience on WB too. I can't find that thread.
I also remembered that this encounter she had caused her to get off the trail. She found it that upsetting. I don't think the females that hike alone are scared off the trail that easily. They are tough. Don't judge.
Also, lava, when I posted this pic and info about this guy, I didn't know if he was the same guy that the OP is describing. As I stated before, I couldn't find Sue's/giggles thread, so I put it on this thread just as an FYI.
Suggestions for vigilante actions are unacceptable here.
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Sleepin by the river just like he usually done
Call for his whisky
He can call for his tea
Call all he wanta but he can't call me..."
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I'm in trouble...I wear a headband Willie Nelson style (also have a gray beard) plus because of my poor vision, I sometimes look at people in a funny fashion. My kids think I'm as old as dirt. However, nobody has called me "creepy" to my face.
[QUOTE=Fur Queue;1510227]Is looking at women in an imaginative way after being in the woods for weeks and simultaneously wearing a headband a crime these days?? Gonna be a lot of guys in trouble if that's the case...
I'm in trouble...I wear a headband Willie Nelson style (also have a gray beard) plus because of my poor vision, I sometimes look at people in a funny fashion. My kids think I'm as old as dirt. However, nobody has called me "creepy" to my face.
Most people don't judge a book by it's cover on the trail so no worries for ya'll or any other harmless guys out there. It's more the "gut" feeling that you get that something isn't right with a person. Most of us trust our gut feeling or something that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. That's what we are talking about, here. The clothing, facial hair etc.. aren't the issue/isn't the point but is helpful in the identification of a person.
There may be some meaning to the bandana with the red circle.
Apparently, the behavior along with writings in the log books are causing concern.
When people take the time to post their feelings about an encounter with a "creepy" person. I take notice. That's just me.
I know a lot of people don't like these type threads. That's fine.
Creepy, strange and weird looking are all in the eye of the beholder. Most of us look that way to some people when we get away from the trail after a long hike. Perhaps we look like campers or backbackers when we are on the way to the trail via train or bus, but on our way home we may very well look like the folks who sleep under bridges and back allys. When we start we may be well groomed and clean. When we finish we may be a bit disheveled and ruff looking.
Lets not worry about how people look on the trail. Lets not worry, and in fact be accepting to a bit of strangeness and weirdness. Lets even accept what we as individuals may consider creepy. We have no idea why a person may be behaving the way they are. The important thing is whether that behavior indicates hostility or danger. That is a whole different story and may cause the need for other action to be taken by us as individuals or a group. Most of the time it is best to just move on and put some distance between you and the person you may be concerned about.
What can we do? How should we handle a situation. We are limited to what we can do. We are the law abiding folks. One would think the first action we can take is to report the individual to authority with as much information as possible. Perhaps we can get a photo of the person, the things written in registers and take note any tidbits of conversasion we may have with the person. We need to pass this information on to folks who can investigate and take action if it is deemed warrented.
Sounds to me like you're asking that we leave street smarts at home when we are on the trail. If my gut tells me that some dude is a creep, or worse, dangerous, I am going to treat him as such and act accordingly. Worse case scenario is that I hurts someone's feelings. I can live with that in exchange for my safety and the safety of those around me. In fact, I do it all the time here in Chicago where dealing with creeps on a regular basis is simply a fact of life.
3 different people?
To be clear, I think this thread has evolved into three separate people / creeps:
1) VT shelter guy (Nobo, May 30th)
2) MD Kamikaze guy (?, May 15th)
3) Maine: Richard "Brown Blazer" (?, July 6th)
I don't know enough about the northern states to know if any of these could be the same person. Perhaps entries in logbooks could tell us the direction #2 and #3 were headed in?...
I've seen obscene writings in the shelter logs down South, too. This practice seems unfortunately common. I suppose the trail is as good a place as any to have a psychotic break...
I'm a believer in the Gut Feeling, but you can only take that feeling so far. This thread has expired.
Not everyone has street smart as you call it. And one must define what is a dangerous situation where some kind of physical action needs to be taken, self defense because you or those around you are in danger. What is being talked about here are situations when no immediate and definable action is occuring that places a person in danger, but rather situations that indicate possible future situations. It's not for us to take action in those situations. We have folks out there with badges that are trained and more importantly, have the legal right to investigate and or take action.
Sure, a person with street smart skills can surround themselves with credible witness's, approach a problem person, push some buttones and manipulate the individual into first strike hostility and proceed to wup azz. Witness's will clear the azz wupper and get the target arrested for assault. But not many people have that skill.
Whoa. I'm not advocating violence by any means. That's the opposite of street smarts. If my gut tells me that somebody is a creep I avoid that person so as to avoid the possibility of fisticuffs. All I'm saying is that I don't give people who put off weird vibes the benefit of the doubt, no matter if those vibes stem from the way that they look, talk, smell, act etc.
I doubt the discription does justice to what the lady saw/experienced. Most of the hikers I saw on the trail looked creepy, I'd put myself toward the top of that list, but some people put off vibes it's hard to describe, you just know something's not right, God gave us instincts for a reason, they're not always right but 9 out of 10 isn't bad.
...sometimes when I smile, I scare people...
Had an airedale that did that too, looked mean as heck but was just being friendly....sometimes when I smile, I scare people...
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