Group Member Oddly Geared Up

[erugs]

I read this in the NPS Morning Report today and wondered what others would do:

"Last week, a DC area hiking club contacted the park and reported that a member of their group had become separated from the party on the Lower Hawksbill Trail. The missing 53-year-old man had just joined the hiking club for the first time that morning, so the person who called had limited helpful information. Moreover, no one actually saw him with the group once they started on the trail. The parking area they started from serves numerous trails that go off in virtually every direction. With no information to work with, only hasty searches of the extensive trail system could be conducted on the following day. Those hasty searches did provide one lead, a possible witness who reported seeing someone along the Appalachian Trail above Timber Hollow with the one identifying feature of the missing hiker - he hiked with an ice axe, something not normally seen in Shenandoah in August."

It reminded me of other oddities I have seen or heard about, such as an overweight man layering down to his skimpy briefs on a hot summer day's group hike; a man overdressed in a heavy wool sweater on a hot summer's day hike, though the potential was there for it to get colder later on; a man hiking in winter with sandals (though with socks on) on a 4,000 footer.

I don't want to be overly judgmental... And certainly not prejudicial... though these four examples are all about men.

Oh, wait. I can think of one about a woman on Chocorua. We could smell her coming, her perfume was so strong, and she was wearing matching pink: tee, shorts, socks, nails, and lipstick.

The questions here are, what have you seen, what have you thought, what have you done about it.

 

[Elizabeth]

Interesting story. I am left wondering as much about the competence of the hiking group leader as about the sanity of the 53-year-old ice-axe carrier, though sometimes there is nothing you can do about a wingnut on the trail.

Years ago, when working as an Appalachian Trail Ridgerunner, I was at a campsite with a guy who had recently been released from prison and who had found religion. He had just started hiking south on the AT and was making about 6-7 miles a day. In his pack he had a cast iron frying pan, an axe, and a number of Bibles to give away on his journey. No stove. He tried to make a cooking fire using several large, green birch logs and no kindling - assuring me all the while that he had been informed that birch always burned well. I helped him out by letting him use my Whisperlite after I'd cooked my own dinner. I tried to give him a bit of advice; but soon gave up when it was clear that he had his own agenda and wasn't terribly ammenable to other opinions. The poor guy then slept an uncomfortable night on the shelter floor, as he allowed his dog to use his sleeping pad.

 

[Chip]

I once wore full army fatigues, backpack, molle belt with pouches, helmet and kevlar vest on a local hunting outing. Scared the bejesus out of some poor woman walking her dog near the parking for the state land I was entering. Fully licensed and legal, I just wanted to see what it was like for troops slogging through the woods with all this gear and a weapon. I did the same thing in full winter camo, bowhunting, in about -20 degrees, goggles, etc just to see if I could function. No animals were harmed on either outing.

As far as carrying an ice axe goes...maybe he thought it might be useful, or was the type of thing "real" hikers carry. Probably had it kicking around for years. I saw a YouTube of some guy summiting Marcy, swinging an ice axe out in front of him, goofing around, but he was carrying it.

As far as Group Leadership goes, the leaders should have gotten some info on this guy and managed the group tighter. Hopefully he just turned around and went home.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

When I was a frequent early morning winter visitor to the Joe Dodge Lodge, I'd often see one of the employees of the Mt Washington Obs in the dining room having breakfast before hiking back to the summit. On the hike back he'd wear light nylon running shorts - no additional leg coverings.

While I tend to run warm myself, I'd have a hard time getting across the parking lot in shorts, much less hike that mountain in winter wearing them.

 

[erugs]

: As far as Group Leadership goes, the leaders should have gotten some info on this guy and managed the group tighter. Hopefully he just turned around and went home.

The short story is: "He spent about another 48 hours in stormy weather until the search team found him."

He was separated from the group fairly soon in the hike.

The report further states: "The investigation however, led to a better understanding of potential problems this hiker may have been experiencing. He was described as an alcohol user who had a history of seizures that would leave him mobile but disoriented for hours at a time."

 

[Chip]

oh...Novemeber 2007, after a good snowfall and during a cold snap, me, Early Bird and Paradox had started a Carters loop and ran into a, probably 19 year old, girl in pajamas and slippers above the hut. She was quite happy to be hiking up from 19 Mile Brook to visit her boyfriend, caretaker at the hut.

 

[erugs]

I remember when mosquito net jacket and pants were first on the market and I saw someone dressed in one from head to toe. It was kinda startling.

 

[Elizabeth]

One summer I worked as the cook at an Adirondack family camp. On a hike with guests, I was stopped at a trailhead by a ranger, checking to see that hikers and backpackers entering the wilderness were properly prepared. When I declared that I was headed out only for the day and had in my (full) backpack 100 ginger cookies cut in the shape of the numbers "4" and "6" and six magnums of champagne, he let me go.

 

[Tom Rankin]

I've read 'they' do 'gear interventions' on the AT, and 'they' relieved a person of a pair of flippers once!

 

[Tom Rankin]

and six magnums of champagne, he let me go.

Surprising, as glass bottles are not permitted in the ADK back country...

 

[JacobH]

While doing a loop in the Squam range. Between Morgan and Perceival, my friend and I came across a guy in a full tux rock trotting along. He probably saw our funny looks and said "I usually don't hike in this". I assume he lost a bet.

 

[Paradox]

Saw a guy ungeared up, once in Vermont. Nothing, but boots and backpack.

 

[Tom Rankin]

Saw a guy ungeared up, once in Vermont. Nothing, but boots and backpack.

There are too many of those! I met a guy on top of Avery who was doing the NEHH - Naked!

He said, 'pardon my attire', and I said, 'Or the lack thereof!'

 

[MadRiver]

On my first trip to Katahdin I had heard that the rangers were pretty strict when it comes to hiking up the Hunt Trail, so I was loaded for bear on my first ascent. Just below the boulder field I came across a group of Colby College girls heading down all dressed in Hooters outfits. Now don’t get me wrong, I believe that Hooters makes a lovely ensemble for the outdoor enthusiast, just not in those particular conditions.

p.s. If you really want to see a group of people oddly dressed for hiking, just visit Lonesome Lake on the closest weekend to April 1st. It is not to be believed!

 

[TDawg]

While doing a loop in the Squam range. Between Morgan and Perceival, my friend and I came across a guy in a full tux rock trotting along. He probably saw our funny looks and said "I usually don't hike in this". I assume he lost a bet.

Now that you mention it, I had a similar experience in the Squam Range.

A group of about 10-15 young boys and a couple adults, all dressed in what looked to be their church going attire. Dress pants, collared button shirts, TIES, dress shoes, etc. doing the Morgan-Percival loop. We passed them initially near the start then they passed us when we took the spur to the true Morgan summit.

Nearing the Percival viewpoint, we began to hear their loud voices. Came out onto the ledges to see a few of them ripping up small trees out of the ground. Our thinking was they were obviously a religious group from a camp of some kind, so I said to one of them, "What would God think of you ripping up his trees?" Or something to that effect. They stopped.

They continued down through the area of boulders and caves below Percival and we watched in disbelief as a few of them climbed and jumped from 20 foot boulder to another 20 foot boulder across a wide gap in dress shoes. I mean, if I was the adult with them there's no way that'd be going on. A fall would have been very bad.

Still one of the more peculiar things I've seen in the hills.

 

[Elizabeth]

Surprising, as glass bottles are not permitted in the ADK back country...

This was in the mid 1980s. I never heard about the glass ban. Come to think of it, I don't think alcohol was supposed to be permitted; but I believe that the ranger understood that this was an exceptional occassion.

 

[daLunartik]

There is a group currently working on hiking all 35 of the Catskill High Peaks in Ballgowns. On the hike I attended, two of the three peaks were bushwacks, so we only encountered one other hiker - who couldn't quite suppress his grin at encountering 8 men and women in Formal Ballgowns.

 

[Tom Rankin]

This was in the mid 1980s. I never heard about the glass ban. Come to think of it, I don't think alcohol was supposed to be permitted; but I believe that the ranger understood that this was an exceptional occassion.

Ok, a long time ago, I got it. And yes, Alcohol and glass bottles are both verboten, but I must confess I've done similarly 'illegal' activities.

 

[mirabela]

Surely someone else here must have met Reuven, a Hasidic guy who circulated around the AT in the early 90's. He hiked in complete Lubavitcher getup -- the dress pants, the black coat, the wool hat, the dangling fringes -- despite temps in the high 90's in Virginia and jungle-grade humidity. He carried a pack that featured some type of huge and very traditional-looking bedroll (is nylon chometz, or is it the polarguard ... I don't know!) and had to weigh at least 80 pounds. I don't know what else was in there, but he had teffilin, a shawl, an array of candles, and a streamlined library of holy texts.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

There is a group currently working on hiking all 35 of the Catskill High Peaks in Ballgowns. On the hike I attended, two of the three peaks were bushwacks, so we only encountered one other hiker - who couldn't quite suppress his grin at encountering 8 men and women in Formal Ballgowns.

So ... were the men in Ballgowns also? Just part of the requirement? Cross-dressers?