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  1. #21
    Registered User kayak karl's Avatar
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    ran into a cross-dresser in NH.
    I'm so confused, I'm not sure if I lost my horse or found a rope.

  2. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by kayak karl View Post
    ran into a cross-dresser in NH.

    Took yer eyes off the trail for a minute? Was he hurt?

  3. #23

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    Weirdest thing I ever saw was backpacking up the North Fork Creek in the Citico wilderness and crossing the creek and finding a big half-eaten dead horse laying in the creek with his head about 10 feet on the other side of his body. At first all I saw was the white bones of his ribcage and then the picture came together.

  4. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by scope View Post
    Was on the AT in Ga about midway in between Unicoi and Hogpen Gap when ahead of me I see a large duffle bag on the edge of the trail stuffed with something. As I passed it, in the small area that was unzipped, I could see heavy coleman camping equipment and books. Not too long after I'd scratched my head a few times and continued on, here comes a guy carrying another large duffle bag that appears to be full of more books and who knows what else. As he passes me he say, "Gotta have my books!" to which I politely smiled a little "of course!" smile and went about my way. Normally, I like to talk to people I pass, at least briefly, but this guy spooked me. I was totally hearing banjo music in my head - no telling what he had in those duffels. Found out later he was making about 4 miles a day and camping in the middle of the trail, leaving the evidence of the fires he was making right on the trail.
    Didn't happen to be a bald guy named "That Guy" in 2011 did it? That dude was weird. I remember he camped just short of a shelter one night on his own, and there was a huge storm. He showed up in the middle of the night with only his books (left everything else back at his camp site a couple miles back) and had them all laid out to dry. This guy was making about 4 miles a day as well.

  5. #25
    Getting out as much as I can..which is never enough. :) Mags's Avatar
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    Every time I look in the mirror...
    Paul "Mags" Magnanti
    http://pmags.com
    Twitter: @pmagsco
    Facebook: pmagsblog

    The true harvest of my life is intangible...a little stardust caught,a portion of the rainbow I have clutched -Thoreau

  6. #26

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    Don't know if it was when I stepped on a sleeping bear in CO.
    Or the cow moose following me too closely in WY
    or the black bear false charge in VA
    or that rattlesnake encounter I had in IDaho when I was bushwhacking tall grass and decided to look down at my feet, and sure enough......
    or lots of other memories.
    Griz coming my way and wind blowing towards me, 11 bears in one morning in WA, mountain lion 10' away in CA, mountain goat eating tuffs of grass right outside my tent in Idaho.

    But the scariest was definitely the ape attacking me in the jungle.
    I stayed out of the wilderness for 2 years after that one.

    Lots of memories.
    Yeah, lots of memories.
    Don't let your fears stand in the way of your dreams

  7. #27

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mags View Post
    Every time I look in the mirror...
    Ha ha.... the mirror can be a very scary thing while on the trail. Just don't be "That Guy" on any given day.

  8. #28

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    Quote Originally Posted by fiddlehead View Post
    Don't know if it was when I stepped on a sleeping bear in CO.
    Or the cow moose following me too closely in WY
    or the black bear false charge in VA
    or that rattlesnake encounter I had in IDaho when I was bushwhacking tall grass and decided to look down at my feet, and sure enough......
    or lots of other memories.
    Griz coming my way and wind blowing towards me, 11 bears in one morning in WA, mountain lion 10' away in CA, mountain goat eating tuffs of grass right outside my tent in Idaho.

    But the scariest was definitely the ape attacking me in the jungle.
    I stayed out of the wilderness for 2 years after that one.

    Lots of memories.
    Yeah, lots of memories.
    You've lived an exciting life...

  9. #29
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    Over 20 years ago, meeting my first marmot and not having the slightest clue what a marmot is. Not that "strange" compared to the other encounters but believe me it was weird to have what I thought was an oversized and very friendly "squirrel" sit near me and beg for food, and then noticing a few others pop up around me.

  10. #30

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    Quote Originally Posted by HikerMom58 View Post
    You've lived an exciting life...
    Still living it.
    Plans for this year: Borneo trip (again), and Kunming China (if I can talk my son into going along), but yeah, hopefully many more strange encounters comign up.
    Life is priorities. What are yours?
    Don't let your fears stand in the way of your dreams

  11. #31
    Thru-hiker 2013 NoBo CarlZ993's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by CarlZ993 View Post
    What was your strangest encounter while on a hike? Any hike.

    Mine was on a 6 mile day hike along Lake Tahoe. I rounded the corner on the trail and met a scuba diver in a full dry suit and re-breather apparatus on his back. He was hiking the 1/2 mile back to where he had parked his car. He looked like a monster from the lost lagoon. My wife & I were so astonished by this that we forgot to take a picture of him. Really weird.
    I also had a "It's a small world" encounter a few years back. In 2008, I was backpacking in Canada outside of Banff. I was talking w/ a young Canadian couple about different places to backpack in the US (they never backpacked here). I ran down the usual suspects: Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Utah Red Rock areas, Colorado, etc. I told them that our mountains were similar to theirs. They really needed to experience the Grand Canyon w/ possibly some nearby areas in Utah.

    In April 2009, I was backpacking in the Grand Canyon & I came upon the same couple. We chatted for a short time, amazed about bumping into each other. What are the odds of that happening?

  12. #32
    13-45 Section Hiker Trash
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    I was doing a week long section of the AT and was either in NY or NJ...I think it was NJ. It was raining, and trail was muddy. My buddy and I walked up on a pack laying right off to the side of the trail with a small tarp covering some other stuff all laying in the mud. I think the small tarp might have been a pack cover. Both of us were a bit concerned for the owner of the stuff hoping he/she was alright so we looked around for that person. We didn't see anyone so my buddy picks up a corner of the pack cover with the tip of his hiking pole just to see what's under it. Immediately we hear someone yell out out "Just move on!" The voice came from under the pack cover. Startled we started walking again and could hear the person (a woman I think...and apparently a small one at that) yelling at us to move on, and reprimanding us for "messing" with her stuff.
    Last edited by Berserker; 12-06-2013 at 13:08.
    AT: 2007-2019 (45 sections)
    JMT: 2013

  13. #33
    Clueless Weekender
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    Quote Originally Posted by Seatbelt View Post
    We came across a guy actually riding a unicycle on a trail and he was at least 1-2 miles from any road. It was a woods trail too, not a city park, smooth path.
    If it's Shug, (this guy), he's a big name on Hammock Forums:

    I always know where I am. I'm right here.

  14. #34

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    Quote Originally Posted by fiddlehead View Post
    Still living it.
    Plans for this year: Borneo trip (again), and Kunming China (if I can talk my son into going along), but yeah, hopefully many more strange encounters comign up.
    Life is priorities. What are yours?
    Sounds like more fun on the way for you, fiddlehead... exciting! You are def. still living it. Stick around and share... it's wonderful to hear about it.

    Okay, since you asked, my life priority #1 is this... I needed to figure out why I even exist, what/who created me (others & this incredible world around me) and what is the purpose/meaning for my life.

    After I got that straightened out in my mind, I aim to align myself with that world view. It's a beautiful thing. I get that it's not all about ME. Relationships are most important. Those relationships brings a person the most joy & meaning/fulfillment, in this life. The relationship, with my Creator, being the MOST important of all. I needed to figure all that out.. I put my faith in things unseen.

    For me,it's a good time living here, for a short while, exploring this world, meeting interesting people and even experiencing strange encounters like yours.. I would love to hear the the story of the ape attack.. *yikes*. :P

    I may never go all the places you do but I like to hear about your experiences in your life... it's just FUN to enjoy other people & what they bring to such encounters of this kind. Bring it!!

    I do have a bucket list of places I want to visit before I die, if I die in the usual time frame. I hope I do get the opportunity to travel to other places, I want to see more of this planet we live on...it's amazing!!
    Last edited by HikerMom58; 12-06-2013 at 13:39.

  15. #35
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    Quote Originally Posted by Another Kevin View Post
    If it's Shug, (this guy), he's a big name on Hammock Forums:

    I think the guy we met was considerably younger but that video is cute!!

  16. #36

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    MUNI, or mountain unicycling, is more common than you might think.

  17. #37

    Default Packa Pillow Talk

    Quote Originally Posted by FarmerChef View Post
    Did they hit their foreheads with boards by any chance?
    Quote Originally Posted by Another Kevin View Post
    If it's Shug, (this guy), he's a big name on Hammock Forums
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BOW-ZpsFCM

    Another video from Shug and friends.
    Cedar Tree

  18. #38
    LT '79; AT '73-'14 in sections; Donating Member Kerosene's Avatar
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    I was 10 years old and decided to bushwhack to the top of a big hill/small mountain in central New York State (Norwich area) visible from my grandmother's porch. I just took off, crossing fields and fence lines. in the last meadow before the base of the hill I saw a herd of animals about 150 yards ahead of me. For some reason I thought they were wolves and promptly turned around...a few years later I realized that they were white-tailed deer in flight!!!
    GA←↕→ME: 1973 to 2014

  19. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by HikerMom58 View Post
    After I got that straightened out in my mind, I aim to align myself with that world view. It's a beautiful thing. I get that it's not all about ME. Relationships are most important. Those relationships brings a person the most joy & meaning/fulfillment, in this life. The relationship, with my Creator, being the MOST important of all. I needed to figure all that out.. I put my faith in things unseen.
    Since my accident and my wife's resulting condition, I can totally relate to this HM. Backpacking has helped me with this.

  20. #40
    Registered User DeerPath's Avatar
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    I was on the Florida Trail and starting to set up camp for the night. A guy came to the site and ask if he could stay for a while. I said sure, and he started talking about himself and the UU Church (?) he was attending. He was wearing a rock on a rope around his neck, an Indian Dream Catcher, and a stone skinning knife. He talked for 2 hours without stopping. His sentences did not have periods. And at some point he mentioned what a good day he was having and thought it was his meds. He was very strange! I'm happy he did not spend the night.
    DeerPath

    LIFE'S JOURNEY IS NOT TO ARRIVE AT THE GRAVE SAFELY
    IN A WELL PRESERVED BODY,
    BUT RATHER SKID IN SIDEWAYS, TOTALLY WORN OUT,
    SHOUTING "HOLY CRAP....WHAT A RIDE!"

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