[at-l] Nobo No No

[Joel P. Urbine]

               I've been driving up to Port Clinton during the summer weekends for many years to help out the hikers and give Fred and Anna Kauffman and other Trail Angels in town a break over the weekend. This is what happened this weekend.  
              On Thursday evening July 19th two Nobo's BLACKFOOT (guy)  &  KEYMASTER (girl) decided to consume alcohol in town, probably at the Port Clinton Hotel, not sure. They were seen by two local trail angels who told me they were so drunk the male hiker was holding up the female hiker to keep her from falling in the street and both were literally staggering back down Penn Street to the Church Pavilion / Shelter.  After making it to the pavilion one or both of them, again not sure, got sick, threw-up and defecated "IN" the pavilion.
I guess instead of walking or staggering the 75yards across the street to the Little Schuylkill River to clean themselves up they decided it was easier to jump into the next door neighbors pool.  Around 10:30 pm the neighbors (Knoblaub's) came home with their two young children to find the hikers naked in their pool. The homeowner, Craig Knoblaub asked the hikers what they were doing in his pool and they told him they thought it was part of the pavilion / shelter. Craig asked them their trail names and they told him "Bluefoot" and "Scallywag" a lie, but he did not know this at the time.  Craig took the hikers clothes, called the State Police, and made them wait naked in the pool until police arrived, more than an hour later I was told. When police did arrive Craig and his wife told the police they wanted to press charges and as of Sunday 7/22 had not heard back from them as to what the hikers were charged with. The two idiots hiked out the next day, never cleaning up their puke and crap mess. Fortunately another responsible hiker named COACH did clean up much of their mess. Thanks Coach!  
         When I arrived Friday evening on the 20th Craig immediately called me over and told me what had happened the night before. He also said he was informing the Church of the incident. (A similar incident happened back in the late 90's and the church put a posting up about that incident and said that if anything happened like that again they would close the pavilion /shelter to hikers. I can't blame the church if they do, but I sure hope for sake of future hikers, that is not the case.) 
After hearing what had happened I decided to drive over to the Eckville Shelter to see if I could find these two idiots.  Just before reaching the shelter around 8:45pm I noticed three male hikers standing on the road, packs on, at the trail crossing. I wondered where the heck these guys were headed this time of evening and thought to myself they must be weekend warriors. I pulled over and asked if they had a second. I asked if they were Nobo's thru-hiking and they said yes. I then asked, "MY DUMB MISTAKE" if they knew hikers named Bluefoot and Scallywag, they all shook their heads no.  I explained to them why I was looking for them. After telling them what had happened in Port Clinton they said, "man, that's a shame", to which I replied, "it sure is, especially if the church closes that pavilion". They told me they were night hiking to get in some big miles. I told them I thought they were crazy and if they happened to cross paths with these two idiots that I and many others will be looking for them up the trail. Just as I was about to pull away a female hiker came walking out of the woods pack on and visibly tired.  One the hikers said "there she is, we've been waiting for you", basically grabbed her, said "later" to me, and headed back up the trail. I thought the whole thing was kind of strange as I pulled away and coasted the 100yards down to the Eckville shelter. I told Mick, (Lazee) the caretaker there what happened in Port Clinton.  We then went around asking all the hikers their trail names to see if these two idiots were there.  I told them all what happened and who I was looking for. A thru-hiker then told me "you've got their trail names wrong you're looking for "BLACKFOOT" &  "KEYMASTER"  they were the ones that swam in the pool". They then told me that BLACKFOOT was among the three hikers they just saw me talking with up the road at the trailhead and that the girl that came out of the woods was KEYMASTER. "Oh well", I thought, they got me today I'll get them tomorrow. Saturday around noon I drove over to the Palmerton "Jail House Hostel, not a soul there, good, it looked like they had not been there yet. I spoke with a town police officer and informed him of what these idiots did back in Port Clinton in hopes that should they show up, they would not be welcome there.  I drove back towards Port Clinton and stopped at the Blue Mountain Summit Bed and Breakfast to see if they had stopped there.  As soon as I walked in Ken Latik the owner and a good friend said he wanted to apologize to me because he had driven 3 of the 4 (BLACKFOOT and KEYMASTER among them) over to the Palmerton earlier in the morning before he heard from other hikers what had happened. Darn, missed them again, but I'm not finished just yet. I called pastor Karen over at the Church of the Mountain Hostel in  DWG and left a detailed message for her about the two idiots. Best of  luck to them the rest of the way up the trail, they're going to need it!
     I hope that Saint John's Church in Port Clinton does not decides to close the pavilion to all hikers due to the action of these two idiots. 
      I would like to ask for your help and support as responsible individuals in the trail community in getting this information along with their pictures (which I am getting) up the trail to every Hostel, Shelter, Trail Angel, etc.., North of DWG so that the welcome mat is not out for these two inconsiderate and irresponsible idiots .  


The neighbors  (Knobloaub's) are very hiker friendly. They help take care of the pavilion, cut the grass, and have also helped hikers in need. They put a soda machine next door to the pavilion a few years back and were even considering putting in a pay phone, which Port Clinton doesn't seem to have for some reason. In general they have put up with, and witnessed a lot of hikers shenanigans in the nine or so years that they have owned their home next to the pavilion. This pool incident and a few other minor ones this summer have really upset them. They are now questioning the behavior of the thru-hikers, Craig says "it seems to get worse each year", I agree.  He told  me he is "fed up with hikers" and that he "will do no more for them".  By the way their home is for sale (not due to this incident) and would make a great hostel. 

Bag'o'Tricks