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But now that they were wrong about the husband or the birds, they must find fault with the woman. "If there was an attacker, why didn't she run toward her husband?" Really? You're right---if someone is being threatened (and I am not saying that she was, but let us say that she was) they are always thinking clearly and people are always able to run in whatever direction that they want!
They're not finding fault with the woman. They are trying to piece together the actual chain of events.
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It also appears that many people do not hike very often. It is VERY easy to get lost in the woods.
Yes, we know.
That's why so many eyebrows were raised at the "experienced hiker" designation. An experienced hiker knows that, so clearly the woman was not an experienced hiker.
Personally, I think the theory that a hawk grabbed the little crippled dog, and the woman gave chase and fell in a ravine was MUCH more believable/likely than the story that has now emerged. That in the blink of an eye, this avid hiker/normal woman was approached by a sex crazed knife wielding assailant hiding in the wilderness brush, who chased her into the ravine, at which time she spent 4 days trying to lose him after initially hearing her husband's honking horn, and emerged 4 days later about an hours hike from where she took off, her crippled dog running ahead of her and being located first.
That story just smacks of pulling our legs.
I cannot think of a rational response to what you just wrote.
I cannot think of a rational response to what you just wrote.
You know, I agree with Clara. Over the years, I've done lots and lots of hiking and backpacking and just being out in wilderness both alone and with small groups. The story doesn't make sense. Our local paper (the couple lives in the same county I do) reported that she "ran for hours" after encountering the man with the knife. She ran AWAY from her husband who was within earshot. That is inexplicable to me. He wasn't far away. She knew which way to go to get to him because she could hear him. Running toward him would be running toward safety; running the opposite direction into unknown wilderness until you are totally disoriented doesn't make any sense.
It seems to me that she must have been crazed with panic and completely unable to think rationally. Otherwise, having made the decision to run away from safety, the best thing to do would be to crawl into some hiding place (of which the area afforded plenty!), stay concealed until dark, and then make her way back toward the road which would not be that far away. But since she ran for hours and thereafter felt she could "only travel at night," she must have been convinced the man was still nearby and following her. Highly unlikely, as it would have to be one incredibly determined pursuer to keep on her trail for four days in a barren, semi-arid wilderness area with no food or water, but panic will do that to a person.
You know, I agree with Clara. Over the years, I've done lots and lots of hiking and backpacking and just being out in wilderness both alone and with small groups. The story doesn't make sense. Our local paper (the couple lives in the same county I do) reported that she "ran for hours" after encountering the man with the knife. She ran AWAY from her husband who was within earshot. That is inexplicable to me. He wasn't far away. She knew which way to go to get to him because she could hear him. Running toward him would be running toward safety; running the opposite direction into unknown wilderness until you are totally disoriented doesn't make any sense.
It seems to me that she must have been crazed with panic and completely unable to think rationally. Otherwise, having made the decision to run away from safety, the best thing to do would be to crawl into some hiding place (of which the area afforded plenty!), stay concealed until dark, and then make her way back toward the road which would not be that far away. But since she ran for hours and thereafter felt she could "only travel at night," she must have been convinced the man was still nearby and following her. Highly unlikely, as it would have to be one incredibly determined pursuer to keep on her trail for four days in a barren, semi-arid wilderness area with no food or water, but panic will do that to a person.
Logically, a determined pursuer that had been maybe a homeless person living in the area would have known the terrain much better than she did and would have had no problem in catching up with her rather quickly within minutes not hours or days. She had to run with her little dog strapped in a carrier on her slowing her down. The little dog isn't heavy but he's still a burden when trying to run on uneven ground and trying to keep your balance. The man couldn't have been more than a few yards away from her when he made his presence known. Logic plays no part in this story anymore.
It all would have gone away if she had just thanked everyone and admitted she became lost, confused and disoriented and just kept walking in the wrong direction, if indeed that was the case.
Last edited by marino760; 07-16-2019 at 08:53 AM..
I have no reason to doubt her story because there's nothing to gain by making it up. I also don't find it strange that she told her adult son what this knife wielding luny said, but I do find it a bit strange he put every word into a Facebook update. Details like that should probably have just been told to the police.
As far as shaming those with theories that didn't end up correct, what actually happened is far stranger than most of them. Hindsight is 20/20.
Just because her experience, and how she reacted, does not make sense to us, does not mean it did not happen as she says.
You don’t put yourself through such an experience without cause.
I hope we get more info on this, but until then, I take this woman at her word.
As a reminder, just yesterday, people here were speculating that hubby had harmed her. We now know this was not the case.
I agree, she has absolutely nothing to gain by making such a story up. If all she did was get lost through carelessness I'm sure that's what she would have admitted.
I will be interested to see if they locate this "threatening man." I find it hard to believe he was a homeless person who had been living there and therefore knew the terrain. Unless people were regularly carting in food and water for him, it would be a difficult place to survive. There is a campsite with pit toilets, but NO WATER. If you drink from the streams, you are probably going to get sick. The nearest place to obtain food is miles and miles away, 5000 feet of elevation down a mountain. If you're going to be homeless, that's not the place to be homeless in.
If this person exists, I would assume he was a fellow camper. But, since all of our guesses have been wrong so far, I may be all wrong about this too!
I agree, she has absolutely nothing to gain by making such a story up. If all she did was get lost through carelessness I'm sure that's what she would have admitted.
She might not necessarily admit the real reason for getting lost. I stated upthread a couple of possible reasons for making up an attacker.
About 20 years ago here in Atlanta, a young engaged woman disappeared on a nightly jog a few days before her wedding. A huge manhunt ensued, the fiance was under the microscope, it was a major story. Then the woman called and said she had been kidnapped.
When all was said and done, she was found in I think Colorado and had NOT been kidnapped. She had simply run away because she wasn't ready to get married.
Look up Jennifer Wilbanks.
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