carrying on the appalachian trail

[Devrbd]

Ever been in the Glass Mtns., West Tex ? ... if not, go ... I think you'd love it

Can't say that I've ever been to the Glass Mountains, but I was just looking at some pictures and it definitely looks like the type of terrain I love. Coming back to PA from San Diego, my buddies and I drove the southern route, camping the entire way. We may have stayed there and didn't even know it. I've been thinking lately of doing another road trip. Maybe head west along the northern route and back along the southern route. I will definitely remember the Glass Mountains as a place to check out. Thanks.

From what I've learned, when you're in the desert you're definitely not alone.....Everything with either fangs, venom or both comes out at night. Unfortunately, I can't confirm it was a mountain lion outside of my tent, 'cause there was no way i was poking my head out. But whatever it was it had an unforgettable deep purr.

[Edg]

[QUOTE=palabman;1151829]I love this quote from the NPS:

Carrying firearms is strongly discouraged. They are illegal on National Park Service lands (40 percent of the Trail) and in most other areas without a permit. The threat of them being turned against you or an accidental shooting may outweigh the benefit. An increased presence of firearms could also change the culture of the Trail. State laws vary on the carrying of nonlethal weapons, such as pepper spray; the possession and use of a defensive weapon is a big responsibility with potential consequences. A whistle may scare off a potential threat from humans or animals and will serve to alert others in the area to your location./QUOTE]

How can self-protection "change the cuture of the trail"?

Especially since if you read the rest of that link it makes the trail sound more like a pirate ship where you will get harrassed, assualted or worse.

[chauncey]

i recall about 15 years ago i did a 60-mile portion of the trail by myself from 183 to Harrisburg. i ended up alone at a shelter with some crazy, homeless guy who was talking to and feeding a bunch of doll heads.

i arrive too late and didn't have a lot of other options for places to go, and didn't want to slink off into the woods and sleep for fear he'd track and off me, so i crawled up on the roof of the shelter.

every time the guy got up i could hear him moving on the wood floor and woke up in a hurry.

at the time, i was armed with the most lethal weapon i could legally carry on the AT... an e-tool!!

[Orion0317]

I know how it sounds but a whistle is no joke on the trail. In a busy area like the Appalachian Trail everyone within ear shot will be running to your side as if it were life or death. It by no means takes the place of a firearm, but it is not a resource to be underestimated.

No lie. As an avid backpacker myself, if I ever heard the sound of a whistle on the trail, I'd be making my way over there, stat. It's just one of those things we don't joke around about. It's generally understood on the AT that we look out for eachother.

[RandomTask]

...In a busy area like the Appalachian Trail ...

Screw that. If the AT is busy, I'll pass. I go into the wilderness to get away from people.

[IronSight]

Screw that. If the AT is busy, I'll pass. I go into the wilderness to get away from people.

In PA, certain sections of the trail, like the parts around the Pinnacle, get really busy, especially on weekends.

If you're hiking, and not just camping out in one spot, you only really see people when you are passing them (or maybe when they're passing you, for the slow folk).

I've gone for miles, and several hours, without seeing another person besides my hiking buddies, on some of the PA sections.

[DC2.2GSR]

In PA, certain sections of the trail, like the parts around the Pinnacle, get really busy, especially on weekends.

If you're hiking, and not just camping out in one spot, you only really see people when you are passing them (or maybe when they're passing you, for the slow folk).

I've gone for miles, and several hours, without seeing another person besides my hiking buddies, on some of the PA sections.

/\ this.

the pinnacle gets super busy on weekends, as does the less attractive 'bake oven knob'. there are a lot of times when i'd rather get out for a few hours on a day hike to an easy to get to spot instead of taking 2+ days to hit anything really secluded. options around here are limited so hitting one of the few popular day hike sections of the AT is sometimes the only choice for a weekend hiker like myself.

the pinnacle is usually just families and couples, but if you've ever headed up to bake oven knob you know the crowd that hangs around there. it's a nice little hike up to the knob and backwards to Bear Rocks so i still do it on occasion, but you will never see me there without carrying. tons of shady people around there.

of all the AT hiking i've done, some of the creepiest people i've met on the trail are the ones i've met 10+ miles in in the really secluded areas. the obnoxious ones are at places like bake oven, but the real creepers lurk in the back-woods. lol.

[rmarkob]

[QUOTE=palabman;1151829]I love this quote from the NPS:

How can self-protection "change the cuture of the trail"?

I think the presence of the gun interferes with the singing of Kumbaya around the campfire at night.

[emsjeep]

Never been on the Trail emsjeep, and I don't doubt you for a minute ... I would prefer the security of knowing I needn't depend on others for my life, but would be all too thankful if someone came to assist, especially if Significant was along.

You ever hiked the App Trail emsj, I only know one person who did it and he had quite a time .. plenty of adventurous stories ?

Just some parts with Outward Bound and another group a few times. NH, VT area. I have been meaning to make it back. I don't think I will ever have the opportunity to do the whole thing, though I would jump on the opportunity if it came...

Besides BSA, when we first arrived at TIOBEC for staging the first thing we got was a whistle and a water bottle (the old white Nalgene (before it was cool)) and a lesson on clean water. "Keep this around your neck at all times, sleep with it, eat with it. This isn't a joke, if you blow this whistle your instructors and fellow students will be at your side in seconds along with any experianced hikers."

ETA: In fact....I still have it....I guess the phone number was in case someone found me?

[IronSight]

This isn't a joke, if you blow this whistle your instructors and fellow students will be at your side in seconds along with any experianced hikers.

If I only hear one whistle blow I may or may not investigate, if I hear three then you bet your ass I'm on the way. One whistle may just be some kid hiking with his parents bored from the hike and wanting to hear something different (comon, kids play with whistles all the time if you let them). Three and you know there's an issue. If there isn't one, and I find you making repetitive whistle bursts for your own enjoyment, I'm gonna be fuming mad and people down the trail are gonna be able to clearly hear me yelling at ya.

However, if you want a true life-saver, pick up a satellite phone and put together a simple first-aid kit. Nowadays they are cheap (comparatively), lightweight, and coverage is expanding rapidly. Just make sure you go with one of the top companies that actually has coverage where you're going.

Along the AT help is, at the absolute most, a few hours out (depending on bad weather), and the sections around here you don't even need a sat phone, any cell phone with AT&T or Verizon and you should be able to get a signal. We all know that in an emergency, seconds count, minutes feel like hours, and an hour feels like an eternity. A bit of preparation goes a long way.

And along the AT, I definitely recommend carrying if you can, there's some weird people around every now and then and the AT's an isolated place to have a bad run-in with someone.