Some idiot on the AT named Colin Phillips graffitied the entire face on the Chatfield Shelter in VA. He was kind enough to leave his email colinphillips30@yahoo.com and his phone # 203-910-8594. Won’t you give him a call and sign him up for some nice unsavory emails to let him know what a GD moron he is for making such a mess. If I knew how, I would post a photo of the mess he made here for all to see.
Captain Avenger
Captain Avenger
It’s just a shame that people that do this senseless nonsense can’t be held accountable for it. I’m sure his mother & father must be real proud of him!
Poptop
Are you certain Colin Phillips did the graffiti? Sounds more like someone else did it and left his email and phone number to point the finger in his direction. I can’t imagine someone defacing a shelter and leaving their contact info there as well. Doesn’t smell right to me.
Phreak
Well, sometimes people do. I hit 10 mile river shelter this year right after some dudes were there vandalizing the place. They even turned over the privy. I found a freeze dried dinner dumped in a mud puddle in front of the shelter and when I looked in the register 2-4 people had signed saying what a great place it was to get drunk and get high. And one signed his name as taking the dinner and throwing it out. I felt like they had violated my bedroom.
Medicare Pastor
Like Phreak I too smell a rat. I question if the poster is trying to set someone up as a sick joke. Has anyone else seen this graffiti at the shelter?
Big B
Try googling his email address. Seems this person is from CT so if it wasn’t him would it make sense for someone to do this to him all the way done in VA when he is from CT?
Googled It
This sounds like a prank. I think trail forums need to edit out the email. For two reasons. One, if it is a real email, that person wants to read knee jerk reactions. If it is a prank email, some innocent victim is going to be harassed.
Shawn
Looks like the vandals have accomplished their mission twofold: At the shelter, and here.
Mr. Phillips will be changing things soon, either by his own idiocy, or by being a victim.
Hiker Jack
I am retired from Law Enforcement. Hence the trailname. It seems to me if you can find out who owns the shelter they would be able to call the Sheriff or police for the area and have a report made. They would then also be able to call the number and see if this person was really involved.
I know some criminals are really stupid, but I agree with Phreak that this seems highly unlikely this person did the damage. Graffiti is vandalism, but the owner needs to press charges if the person is found. It is a misdemeanor out here in CA, but I don’t know about back east.
Robocop
The AT shelters are the property of NPS and/or USFS. But the problem is existential and the solution is not law enforcement. As suburban encroachment and casual, non-hiking-oriented use of the trail corridor continue to increase, so too will the ills of society. The solution to graffiti in urban areas is to remove it immediately and repeatedly until the vandals ultimately move along to an easier target. And I suspect that would be the only productive approach along the AT as well.
tron
Well I see there is some skepticism here about this vandalism. I can assure you it is real and if you would like an emailed copy of the photo took of it, email me from the link in this posting. Unfortunately, the dummy continued on with his magic marker and has hit the next few shelters. Knot Maul has the same musings writtien along the sides and Chestnut Knobs fireplace was hit , again with his name and contact info. I have decided to email the photo and his contact info to Lauri Potenger at the ATC to see if she can get ahead of him and slap him around. It really sucks having to see his continuing rants written along the trail. It is the worst I have seen.
CA
Captain Avenger
Capt Avenger, I don’t doubt it is real. But what I do question is if the email address graffited is meant to get a knee jerk reaction or to get some innocent person blamed for the graffiti. It’s too late now, but the trailforums.com mods should have deleted the email posted of the graffiti for the reasons I already said. It’s too late now.
Shawn