[pct-l] More notes

[Tom Bache]

Jim,

As in all e-mail forums, the discussion eventually degrades and drifts off
topic.  This collection demonstrates the phenomenon.

Tom

> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Date: Tue, 4 May 2010 09:15:07 -0700
> From: "Bob Bankhead" <wandering_bob at comcast.net>
> 
> I could make the same erroneous assumption, but I would quickly re-think that
> when I saw what was in the box. While a hiker quitting the trail early might
> elect to abandon a re-supply box of food rather than pay to have it returned
> to sender and ask the holder to just put it out for other hikers (if that's
> the case, why wasn't it opened before putting it beside the hiker box? = clue
> #1), but who abandons an expensive tent and other gear? = clue #2.
> 
> Hopefully, I'd be thinking clearly enough to ask BEFORE I opened a sealed box
> addressed to someone else. I'd definitely ask the appropriate employee to be
> sure before I just looted the thing, and I'd write the sender's return address
> in my notebook so I could send them a "thank you" note (or monetary
> compensation if applicable) later.
> 
> Wandering Bob
> 
>   ----- Original Message -----
>   From: Jim Keener ( J J )
>   To: halfmile at pctmap.net
>   
>   Could I make that big a mistake? Yes.
> 
>   When I read Patti's message, my first thought was that someone
>   associated the hiker box and package and thought the package was put
>   there unclaimed and meant to be shared. Even though it was unopened.
> 
>   I don't know that I would have had that idea, but I might have - an
>   honest mistake.
> 
>   Jim Keener ( J J )
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Date: Tue, 4 May 2010 16:25:43 +0000 (UTC)
> From: enyapjr at comcast.net
> Subject: [pct-l] Warner Springs theft
> 
>> someone associated the hikr box and package and thought the package was
>> put there unclaimed and meant to be shared. Even though it was unopened.
>> 
>> I don't know that I would have had that idea, but I might have - an
>> honest mistake.
> 
> But in opening the box and finding a tent and microspikes, wouldn't that
> have made YOU think TWICE that the contents were 'meant' to be 'shared'?!?
> 
> I can see making the 'mistake' of opening the box IF it was not addressed
> and mailed to someone else, but simply a 'drop-off' with only a name on it -
> but in seeing the contents, common sense 'should' have taken over that
> something was 'amiss' and an inquiry should have been made before any thought
> of taking the items...  or is common sense totally nonexistent nowadays?
> 
> Happy trails (in the future for those 'missing' gear)!!!
> Jim (PITA)
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Date: Tue, 4 May 2010 12:36:46 -0400
> From: Steve McAllister <brooklynkayak at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Warner Springs theft
> 
> There are lots of different people hiking trails. They aren't all
> nice, reasonable, friendly, honest, ...
> 
> If you read many trail journals, you hear stories about some of the
> people on the trail.
> 
> An extreme example, the person that was running away from something,
> probably jail time and was stealing anything he could to survive along
> the way. He would steal things that he didn't need and lug them to the
> next town to sell the items. He would steal from trail angels, he
> didn't care who he took from.
> All the hikers knew him as friendly but weird. They eventually busted
> him and took him to jail, but he had already stolen a lot of stuff
> from a lot of thru-hikers by then.
> 
> I know there are a lot of homeless, desperate and unstable people near
> the AT who like to mix in with hikers as a source of booze,
> cigarettes, food and supplies.
> 
> You have the story of the runaway kid, who would sneak into camp at
> night and take peoples hanging food bags.
> 
> You have malicious thru-hikers who would steal things for kicks,
> vandalize their surroundings, annoy, threaten and harass other hikers.
> 
> You can see the burn marks and graffiti left in most of the shelters
> and picnic tables.
> 
> Basically, hikers are people and there are some people you don't want
> to be around, but you have to share the trail with them.
> 
> stevie
> 
> ------------------------------
 Date: Tue, 4 May 2010 16:47:26 +0000
> From: <gwschenk at socal.rr.com>
> 
> ---- enyapjr at comcast.net wrote:
>>> someone associated the hiker box and package and thought the package was
>>> put there unclaimed and meant to be shared. Even though it was unopened.
>>> 
>>> I don't know that I would have had that idea, but I might have - an
>>> honest mistake.
>> 
>> But in opening the box and finding a tent and microspikes, wouldn't that
>> have made YOU think TWICE that the contents were 'meant' to be 'shared'?!?
>> 
> 
> Not necessarily, you might think it's just more trail magic. It's part of the
> scene, free rides, free places to stay, free laundry, free water packed in for
> your convenience, etc.
> 
> Gary
>