It didn’t help herself that his victim taunted him. A reminder to keep drunk crazies at arm’s length, I guess. And no, of COURSE I’m not saying she brought it on herself. But it didn’t help.
When this event was posted I was in the midst of an exchange of vitriolic (wicked vitriolic on his part) e-mails with Moose over a comment I had e-mailed him. Unpleasant all around.
Jane
Jane
Her comment wasn’t really necessary. Not that his reaction was justified, that’s not what i’m saying. But she’ll probably think twice before making a comment like that again.
C-Giddy
If you’re interested in some journals from the '60s, I recommend “Hiking the Appalachian Trail” ddited by James Hare. It has several accounts of through hikes in the period 1969 to about 1972. The striking thing about the journals most seemed to take about 4 months to complete the trail. Several started in early May and finished in August. The journals themselves seem to be about evenly divided between north and southbound. Tube tents, blue jeans and external frame packs abound. Good reading.
Saluki Dave
There is no excuse for physical violence especial against a woman. I don’t care what she said there is no excuse to attack another person. Self-defense is not the same as unbridled aggression.
Darth Pacman
Nobody said anything about “excuse.” My point was and is: we have to be smart. Maybe it’s my city smarts raising this flag. There’s no excuse for mugging, but walking slow at night with your pocketbook on your shoulder is dumb.
Do you get what I’m saying? Or did you just want to use my comment as a jumping-off point to rant? If so, be my guest.
Jane
Jane
It greatly saddens me to hear about this incident with Fubar. I know that he hiked SoBo w/ my bro Yogi in '00 and I met him and he seemed alright. I had a simialr incident happen to me when I came back from my section hike this May.My old roomate Bonzo attacked me in a drunken rage while we where in his van in the Charlestown,WV Walmart parking lot waiting on some hikers that were shopping. I went and pressed cahrges after going to the hospital to get examined and to get CT scans after a retired policeman turned hiker named Coach strongly encouraged me to do so. Bonzo too has a previous record is 43 y/o and should know better. He showed up @ Trail Days but instead of repaying violence with violence he was shunned by the hiker community. These are the only two incedents of hiker on hiker violence that I know of. Strange thing is I was a victim in one incident and not only do I know Tripp and Fubar but I hiked w/ Tripp’s dad Wolfhound in '98. '98 was a wonderful year. Yes there were alot of hikers that drank like fish but there were NEVER any problems with violence. Some hikers may have got a bit rowdy but nothing like that. The founders and pioneers of the Trail like Ed Garvery and Earl Schaffer would be very disappointed to see things like this. I know Earl would as Yogi and I had the privilege of hiked over 1200 miles w/ him. What ever happened to the peacful happy vibe the AT once had?
BooBoo
I think that incidents like this one have occured for many years. The biggest change from before the 90’s is the sheer volume of hikers. Another factor is communication via the internet. It is unlikely this would have been publisised so quickly or probably at all. In my opinion the trail is much easier now because of the crowds and support along the trail. With that comes problems but it is more than balanced by support from fellow hikers. One final comment is that suggesting anyone should fear to talk indicates a severe problem. Also there is no way to know if no comments would have prevented the attack. So to bring that up is totally wrong and misses the point. This attack strikes at our individual freedom and especially considering the threats made afterward should be dealt with in a decisive manner. It may be time for hikers to band togther and work toward removing problem characters. I applaud Popsicle’s intent to testify as this could possibly prevent harm to someone else in the future. While it is hard at times to be rational, the trail is a relatively safe place, its just unfortunate that we need to use some “street smarts” at times to avoid bad encounters.
HokieBPacker
HokieBPacker is right on the money. Society watches, and walks around the troubled people of the world, afraid to say something to them after the drunks act in the rudest manner imaginable. FUBAR definately has a problem, and since he likes to live hard to be hard perhaps a little hard time is just what he deserves. I’ll be flying back with my wife to support her wile she testifies. Imagine the feeling of having your wife out 5,000 miles and get the phone call that some SOB has attacked her. Oh I’ll be there alright. I am not a violent person, but at 6’7" and 250 pounds I can protect my wife. She tried the AT two years ago and did not complete. It nagged her seriously until at the last minute she had to go in April 03. It breaks my heart to know her dream, one she had since a child, has been destroyed by the act of a person trying to live up to his name. I wish you all health and a happy hike, and thanks for your support of Popsicle.
Popsicle’s Husband
My sympathy goes out to Popsicle as well as her husband. This tragic incident must be very difficult and I too applaud Popsicle for staying in VA. to provide testimony against FUBAR. As for violence on the trail, I’m 47 years old, have hiked sections of the AT and many western states. I’ve never personally witnessed such sad behavior on the trail. I’ve got to believe it’s a rare exception. As for justice, I imagine FUBAR is in for some hard jail time. Drunk & disorderly, aggravated assault, resisting arrest, and probably assault against police officers. In addition, he has prior arrests. It wouldn’t hurt to e-mail the district attorney in Roanoke Virginia and appeal for a strong sentence. This FUBAR obviously has an alcohol problem and stiff jail time might be just what he needs to get straightened out. The hikers that I know are good, decent, law abiding and peaceful folks who love nature and just enjoy being on the trail. Our trails are generally safe. By staying in VA. to testify, Popsicle is taking action to maintain the safety and integrity of our trails. Thank you.
Tennessee
I agree strongly with Tennessee’s thoughts; doing a search of this page, I see that Roanoke is first mentioned in this last post. To those who were there, is this is the right city or county? What did the cops have on their badges? I wanted to be sure before contacting the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
Thanks.
Dan