[pct-l] Night Hiking in the Mojave / Vagrancy Issues

[sarah estrella]

I camped alone in a grove of Joshua trees in the Mojave.  Around 12:30 am, I heard a truck drive by, stop, turn around, drive past me again, stop, turn around, drive past a third time.  I peaked out, fairly terrified, and saw that it was a circa 1960s pickup truck piled high with old tires. They drove around for about an hour.  I couldn't figure out why they didn't just dump the tires and leave.  Then I thought maybe they were collecting them.  Someone suggested later that they were planning on setting them on fire in an attempt to signal a plane for a narcotics drop.  Another suggestion was that they were setting up some sort of ORV course.  All I know is that I didn't get much sleep that night.
FreeRange 
>In 2005, H, Whistler and others were night-hiking across the Antelope
>Valley 
when a truck (without a driver's side door)
>slowly approached them. They were 
all a bit apprehensive. When the driver
>pulled up next to them all he 
uttered, in a an apparently
>somwhat Southern accent, was.... 
"Dummmbasssss".


>Squatch
>www.squatchfilms.com


On Tue, 
Nov 27, 2012 at 1:21 PM, Gary Wright <gwtmp01 at mac.com> wrote:

>
> 
On Nov 26, 2012, at 2:28 PM, BF wrote:
> > I was thinking that 
hiking
> > under the full moon for a couple of night might be a way to 
conserve
> > moisture.  Anybody ever done this out there?  I know that 
Mojave Greens
> > may be an issue.  They're usually bright green during 
that time of year
> > and pretty easy to spot during the day, but at 
night, that might be a
> > different story.
>
> I'm not a 
big night hiking fan but did hike for a couple hours under a
> very full 
moon around Kelso Valley Rd. in 2007. At one point I was
> hiking directly 
into the rising full moon and it required the use of my
> hat as a 'moon 
visor' because the glare/contrast was so great.  There
> was absolutely no 
need for a headlamp.
>
> I found Joshua Trees to be quite spooky in 
these lighting conditions!
>
> The trail is pretty open in the 
Mojave area and I doubt that many
> snakes would be out in the open at 
night. I never had a encounter with
> snakes at night.  During the day 
though...
>
>
> > I was wondering if the
> > 
opposite ever happens: have any of you PCT thru hikers ever had any
> > 
problems with being confused being homeless during your travels on and
> 
off
> > the trail?
>
> I was viewed as a 'hobo' by the 
driver who picked me up outside Mojave
> on that same trip. Some people 
don't seem to even comprehend what
> backpacking is never mind the more 
esoteric experience of long-distance
> hiking.
>
> 
Radar
> _______________________________________________
> Pct-L 
mailing list
> Pct-L at backcountry.net
> To 
unsubcribe, or change options visit:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>
> 
List Archives:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> 
All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> Reproduction is 
prohibited without express permission.
>