Thread by @RobbersonJon

Let’s compare deaths on the Pacific Crest Trail (14 total) to the MURDERS on the Appalachian Trail (13).

The PCT navigates 700 miles of desert(including the Mojave)summits extreme elevations & is 500 miles longer than the AT yet has ZERO murders

Why the murders on the AT?

What about total deaths on the Appalachian Trail? Finding a single source number is almost impossible because it traverses 14 states & jurisdictions (the PCT is only CA, OR & WA) but mostly because it’s bad publicity.

The average number of deaths on the AT is 2-3 per year

When confronted with a complex question like “why are there 13 murders on the (shorter & technically easier) AT compared to zero on the PCT” I often look at the incidents themselves, the demographics of the area, the history, policies & protocols & how has the left screwed it up?

Trails are targets. It pangs me to say this (as my first backpacking trip was in 1981, Royal Rangers, Sierra Sunrise in Marin County) but it’s 2021 & criminals figured out that there are no cameras on-trail(like in town)& that dogmatic ‘bear bellers’ & ideologues are easy targets

The most annoying thing about the hiking community is that more so than other groups it tends to be full of virtue signaling chains who cook up some kooky ideas: poop in a tube, wear a “bear bell”, never carry a firearm, thirsty is more noble than carrying plastic water bottles🤨

On the Pacific Crest Trail there are long stints on-trail where there is nothing but sky, trees and trail. The only signage are the understated dark wood & yellow lettered trail signs confirming where you are. Once out of the southern desert and moving into the Sierra foothills,

the absence of that in-your-face impingement of a “Times Square” of signage on the AT versus the wilderness of the PCT is comparatively staggering.

Then there are the overnight camping rules. The bottom line is large swaths of the AT require staying in often creepy shelters

Like many democrat-led charges the shelters started out as a good idea on paper. “Let’s give bedraggled hikers a roof, a windbreak and fire pit-a place to dry out” Okay, fine. But then along came the next controllist and suddenly staying in them became mandatory. Crime followed.

On the PCT an unwelcome intruder has to actually enter your camp. Which is a violation and significant warning of possible mal-intent. AT shelters? Nope.

And some terrible things happen in those shelters

Why are the shelters problematic? Because all of the thefts occur in them and almost all of the murders have too. Any outdoors person will tell you that approaching someone’s camp in the bush-feels different than tromping into a communal shack. One is proprietary, one isn’t.

I am not going to enumerate all of the grisly shelter murders that occurred in these human crates but there have been several dating back to 1974. Several podcasts and youtubers have produced compelling stories

And it’s happened many times in states as diverse in laws as Maryland, Pennsylvania & Virginia. Regrettably many of these incidents involved torture and rape as well.

2/3rds of America’s population live east of the Mississippi. More people = more criminals who can read maps. They’ve learned that the AT is full of easy targets who can be relieved of thousands of dollars of gear (itself a potential death sentence) while sleeping👇🏼

& for the unscrupulous intent on theft or harm, the criminal who is no lover of nature, said deeds are as easy as catching a ride to a trail head, helping oneself to a free map & strolling to the nearest shelter on the AT.

It’s not that the PCT is “better”
Just less accessible.

After numerous crime scenes were cleared if the shelter is left intact they become macabre destinations so they’re often torn down & rebuilt on the same sight. One infamous locale is still sought out by the curious and foundational evidence is still there.

Should you carry on the AT? When it comes to firearms the reality is that if 2 men of equal stature are meandering down-trail,one wearing a bear bell while the other open-carries a .357,politics aside,bear-bell-boy is going to be the victim of a crime. Guns deter human predators

In summary I personally believe that ALL National Parks, forests, state parks and other wilderness recreational areas have become significantly more “desirable” crime targets in the past 20-30 years.

Please see Dave Paulides work for further details youtube.com/user/canammiss…

There are several safety protocols you should deploy:
1. Avoid solo hiking
2. Set a detailed map, itinerary & check in time w/ the most responsible person you know
3. Carry
4. Wear a GPS w/ text functions or sat phone
5. check to see if recent local crimes are reported

This thread was tough to write. I love the outdoors but we are in perilous times and instead of the wilderness being the peaceful sanctuary that it should be, far too often well traveled places (like the Appalachian Trail) have been the scene of heinous acts.

I could elaborate further details but years of penning threads proves that readership falls off to negligible 5-6 tweets ago.

In 2022 my new platform will occasionally examine true crime stories,their impact on our culture & politics from a conservative perspective.

END.

@threadreaderapp unroll

a friend here on twitter wanted me to see this. If any of you have similar stories about the AT please share them w/ me. I’m not trashing the trail. Bill Bryson’s book was so enjoyable I read it twice. But my gut tells me something’s up w/ that trail (and the book is 30 yrs old)

https://twitter.com/cfree001/status/1454974758035103744