Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Most of the trail is US Forest Service property, gun free zone except during hunting season to licensed hunters......which I'd totally ignore if I was a hiker.
As stated, same nut was arrested locally last month for an assault on the trail, and apparently turned loose. Yet another failure of the criminal justice system.
BTW, I think both the victims lived from this latest attack.
National Forest allow conceal carry if you have a permit to do so per this link
Just too remote without people around....to consider using the trail.
I'd argue the exact opposite: the problem is that the trail isn't remote enough. It passes through far too many populated areas, allowing predatory creeps easy access to victims. They don't need to hike more than a mile or so to get to the trail and wait for a victim to come their way.
You rarely run into anyone, much less a murderous psychopath, in truly remote back-country areas.
but there are only a few people moving through the trail and no LE of course on any given day...no one to come to your aid in circumstances like this.
Exactly. It's become a fringe area, just like a parking lot at the local shopping mall or a city street late at night. Not completely isolated, but not lots of other people always around, either. Criminals love to use fringe areas as hunting grounds, for obvious reasons.
Quote:
does this incident and the others make you wary of the AT???
It wouldn't stop me from hiking the trail, but it does mean I'd be a lot more cautious about doing so (just as I'm cautious when moving through other fringe areas).
Exactly. It's become a fringe area, just like a parking lot at the local shopping mall or a city street late at night. Not completely isolated, but not lots of other people always around, either. Criminals love to use fringe areas as hunting grounds, for obvious reasons.
It wouldn't stop me from hiking the trail, but it does mean I'd be a lot more cautious about doing so (just as I'm cautious when moving through other fringe areas).
I'm just creeped out likely because the deaths I mentioned (3) and this recent incident of the guy being arrested/jailed/released with the machete were in my state, not that far from me....
don't have any plans to hike the AT....though I've done so long ago and loved it.
Well, it IS a horrific incident, there's no doubt about that. But realistically, my local shopping mall's parking lot is probably more dangerous than the AT. (I would love to through-hike it some day, but realistically that's probably never going to happen. I'm too busy now, and will be too out-of-shape when I'm less busy in the future.)
Status:
"I don't understand. But I don't care, so it works out."
(set 15 days ago)
35,658 posts, read 18,021,886 times
Reputation: 50699
Sad.
I do have to say I'm greatly relieved that it wasn't a fellow through hiker who did this - my experience is that hikers are some of the most morally upright, dependable people.
He was arrested in related incidents days earlier, threatening hikers with a machete, in NC and Tenn. Paid a fine, was released from jail.
Figures....
.
Threatening people with a deadly weapon is considered in many states to be "aggravated assault with a deadly weapon", a felony, and results in detention and a court case, not a fine. Do NC and TN have laxer laws regarding serious threats with a deadly weapon? A fine, really?? I guess the hikers didn't want to press charges and get involved in a local court case...?
Threatening people with a deadly weapon is considered in many states to be "aggravated assault with a deadly weapon", a felony, and results in detention and a court case, not a fine. Do NC and TN have laxer laws regarding serious threats with a deadly weapon? A fine, really?? I guess the hikers didn't want to press charges and get involved in a local court case...?
Saw it on tv here and no other info was given....likely more to the story of course. I too didn't get why he was released. Someone should have requested a psych eval....it would seem obvious he was dangerous or even unstable.
I'm sick of people like this, rapists, etc. not serving a sentence that is equivalent with their crimes....they get off if it's a "first offence"...
like a first rape doesn't deserve incarceration. (That occurred recently, a young man got off without serving time for his first rape...)
Anyway, SOMEONE had the opportunity to intervene with the psycho and didn't...
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
