Honeless on the trail

imported
#21

I had the same expeirence that Skyline metioned about Green Horn. He was very aggresive. I didnt feel comfortable staying in the shelter alone with him. I picked up a soda from teh trail magic about a mile before I met him at the shelter and gave it to him along with some food so maybe he wouldnt kill me in my sleep. I could have pushed on but it was soaked and it was storming out. Pf course nothing happen, Im still alive but, he was VERY agressive. He metioned that when he was goign to pass the trail magic tomarrow that I passed that day that he was goig to load up on it to make it to pearisburg, Which i thought was totally wrong, but said nothing so it wouldnt upset him.
KTR! prolly dont remeber me but i was at the Old mill the last night of your job and the goig away party at that house along the creeper trail. Hope you are doing well!

Burn, I think I may have met the same guy around Bob People’s sections of the trail. He was at the lake were the rope swings are and kept telling me not to go into the water becuase there was some kind of lake monster in there. He was obviously mentally ill. He also talked about spendig weeks at a shelter. The disturbing part was that he mentioned where he was from and it was teh same as my home town.
Papa Smurf… I think i met the naked hiker aswell. He was just wearinf sneakers and a fanny pack. He was in Ga around May, same one?

Manfire

#22

Smurf–

Just forget about the homeless and have a “beer and pizza”?

The homeless consist of: “[An] occasional person who chooses to spend his unemployed time on the Trail”?

Think man!

Conan.

Conan

#23

and long to return to our home in the stars.

Stardust

#24

While on my way to thruhike the PCT in 85, an unemployed psychologist wanted to interview me for being homeless. You know, that full sized pack fit the profile. I told him about the PCT and agreed to be interviewed. As the trail community grows,it too,will reflect many aspects of urban society and human diversity. While many hikers are ready to adjust their styles to innovations created by technology(like equipment,wireless comm. etc) the social evolutions seem to take longer. Stigma and social hierarchy still exist but fortunately to a limited extent.:rolleyes

2 spirits

#25

Manfire, the guy we saw was in '02 in Maryland. I’m sure there are plenty of strange people besides me on the trail. We met several on our journey. Our thru-hike was in '02 but I’ve hiked sections of the AT since '51. I started with my dad back then and even took my wife on a hike on the AT for our honeymoon. Over the years I’ve hiked all the section in VA to GA many times. And it is not rare that you don’t see something that is not in your realm of “normal.” But it is the trail and it is for everybody. I do draw some exceptions thought, I get tired of carrying large bags of trash out where idiots want to party and leave their beer cans, broken bottles, KFC boxes and cig buts.

If you think of the number of people and the number of days spent on the trail each year the number of problems is extremely low (and the number of homeless(?)). I remember some problems that have occured; Seiko tells of a fist fight he had with a section hiker, the problem a few years ago at 3 Pines hostel. But you are safer on the trail with the odd ball and homeless(?) than you are in your local grocery store parking lot.

PS. I forgot about the two guys on the trail in '02 from Arkansaw with the machetes, large Booie knives and a huge rope! When you came into a shelter there would be these large knives stuck in the middle of the tables. Usually nobody else was there.?.?! They got arrested at the Fontana Hilton Shelter. We met a hiker in the SMNP that said he was hiking because there were too many arrest warrants out for him in Chicago! I love the trail adventure!!!

Just hike your hike. Happy Trails

Papa Smurf

#26

Manfire, if Green Horn has the same educational background as you, then I am not surprised that he’s homeless. Use spell check! (Before everybody goes off, I’m just having a little fun)

Fly Boy

#27

Fly boy, I said he was from the same town not the same college i went to. I doubt he went to college and the person i was refering to was the man near Hampton, TN not Green Horn. Reading comperhension problem? I dont really think a post on her deserves a read over for grammer or spelling erors before posting. Its a casual site that isnt that impoarnt enough for me to do so.

Manfire

#28

Manfire: You went to college? Really? Oh My! Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

Fly Boy

#29

i lived on the trail for most of last year , will this year too.
i don’t believe in homelessness, take pride in your camp and wherever you are is your home, whether it’s a lean-to, tarp, or mansion.
a few of the blue-blazers have moved around, i can mention
a few other hikers who have no house to speak of.
the only thing that gets in the way is cold weather,
i settled down for the winter.
we really are all in the same mode/zone for our hikes,
what we do and how we live in our “other life” is ,i guess,
what sets us apart

Red Blaze

#30

we homeless types will have a big edge out there in the post-catastrophe jungle.

Bar hunter

#31

Bush should send all those Katrinans, who must be homeless by choice, to walk trail as tough love… perhaps then they would pull themselves up by their own swampstraps!

Disclaimer: that was a joke at the expense of never-had-an-honest-job-in-life-man… he should hike the trail & be cured of his fixation on one bible quote>>> “To those (aristocrats) that have much, more will be given”… this is a paraphrase & I know it refers to slaves being rewarded for making big bucks on the commodities market!

gingerbreadman