Vehicle vandalism in Whites

On my last two trips to the Carters and Wildcats, I have noted both a 15-passenger van (not AMC) and a car at the 19-Mile Brook Trailhead (Rt. 16)with windows smashed and radio antennae broken; neither appeared to involve theft, as packs and other gear remained on seats. I also noticed a lot of broken window glass at the Lafayette Campground parking area (west side of I-93) on Sunday. Normally one would say to keep all gear out of view, but these events appear to be malicious vandalism rather than theft.

That's why I have invested in a "Trunk Monkey"

I have also noticed glass at the Great Gulf TH. We all hike "to get away from it all", and it's sad that a few #$&#?'s have to ruin it...

Excellent link, Frodo!

agreed, trunk monkeys are the way to go...

This weekend I also noticed at the trailhead for rocky branch on Jerhico Rd there was automotive glass on the road from an apparent break in or vandalism.

Keith

I need a trunk monkey...but what was she holding?

Last week,at the Great Gulf trailhead,we left our car unlocked. I figured,let them rifle through it,there's nothing in it worth taking. It's easier than cleaning up the glass. We were fortunate-no problem.

Since this problem seems to be a big issue at the Carter Notch trailhead,I'm thinking it would be in the economic interest of the AMC to provide a shuttle from Pinkham to the trailhead. As the vandalism continues,I would guess that some folks might be reluctant to do a CN trip,if it means they will come back to a mess.

Short of having a gated parking lot with barbed wire and security lights,how does this problem get resolved?

What really rocks my socks is the USFS collecting parking fees to build heavy-duty bridges (i.e., Zealand Road over the Ammo) to subsidize unsustainable logging practices in the Whites. The USFS should be using our parking fees to install video cams at their trailheads to catch the vandals. Ditto for the AMC; what have they done for us lately?

The AMC doesn't own or maintain any of the trailheads. I'm not sure why you would expect them to do anything here. I don't think it would make any sense for them to get involved in what is essentially a law enforcement issue. Perhaps the shuttle from Pinkham could work but even though this happens too often for comfort, it really doesn't happen often enough.

The parking fees tend to go to trailhead and trail improvements. It's possible that some of the money went to bridges on the Zealand road, but I thought that came from the logging revenue? There are more patrols by USFS staff and local cops, and every once in a while people are arrested.

But CC TV monitored at the trailheads? The cameras would get trashed very quickly by the vandals, plus the cost of the police/staff to monitor them and be able to respond in time to do anything would be extensive. Having never had a problem at the trailheads in 20+ years of hiking in the Whites I'd object to increased fees to pay for something that seems awfully overblown. I know that vandalism and breakins happen, but this is rural NH. It's tough to implement suburban parking lot levels of security north of the notches.

-dave-

David Metsky said:

The AMC doesn't own or maintain any of the trailheads. I'm not sure why you would expect them to do anything here. I don't think it would make any sense for them to get involved in what is essentially a law enforcement issue. Perhaps the shuttle from Pinkham could work but even though this happens too often for comfort, it really doesn't happen often enough.



-dave-

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I wasn't saying that I would expect AMC to make trailhead parking changes,nor do I think that there is much in the way of security that can be done to a rural spot like the CN parking area. The problem is that it is so rural,that actually apprehending the offenders is a long shot at best.
My reasoning for having an AMC shuttle is that repeated vandalism incidents at the trailhead will eventually translate into a financial loss for AMC if attendance at Carter Notch is lowered due to security concerns. I know it's not the responsibility of the AMC to stop the vandalism,or apprehend the offenders. It just seems like good business sense to protect their own interest,particularly when there is a new plan to increase use of the facility.
Even if it doesn't happen very often,when it does,the word spreads as people hike out to find broken glass,and share the incident with others. Perception is often stronger than fact,and I would guess that a majority of CN users are repeat"customers",and may reconsider returning.

A convenient shuttle from a secure parking facility would be helpful to those who can live with a shuttle schedule but I thought parking at Pinkham was already a problem.

Last week I was hiking in that area, up the Stony Brook Trail, south on the Carter Moriah and out on the Imp Trail. When I was going down the Imp, a group hiking up told me that some cars at the trail head had been vandalized.

It took another hour or so to reach the car and I did not see any broken windows on the cars that were there. I decided to change before driving home and so was at the car for about 10 minutes. During this time the Gorham police drove by and stopped at the trail head to see what I was doing. I have heard of cars being vandalized in this area and it was nice to see the police adding it to the patrol route.

David Metsky said:

Perhaps the shuttle from Pinkham could work but even though this happens too often for comfort, it really doesn't happen often enough.

Having never had a problem at the trailheads in 20+ years of hiking in the Whites I'd object to increased fees to pay for something that seems awfully overblown. I know that vandalism and breakins happen, but this is rural NH.
-dave-

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perhaps its just my bad/good luck, but of the 4 times i have parked at the 19milebrook trailhead, including last weekend, i have never not seen fresh broken glass and have seen broken windows on parked cars there once.

actually that's not true though, the 2ed and 3rd times i actually parked at pinkham and hitchhiked to the trail head because of fear of broken windows/theft.

i have never had a problem at a trailhead ever either, but its kinda scary parking at that particular trailhead. i wish something could be done, but til then, i guess pinkham is the way to go.

has anyone ever seen broken windows there?

the starchild said:

has anyone ever seen broken windows there?

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Hard to remember, but the reputation for vandalism at 19MB goes back 20 years at least. In summer, you can park at the Auto Road and use Aqueduct Path for free but in winter there's a trail fee.

One place I often see broken glass is Rocky Branch trailhead on Rte.16, to the extent that I'm thinking of parking out on 16 next time, which will save $3 too

Parking Fee Patrols

How many problems have been avoided at the trailheads by the USFS checking for Parking Passes? That green pick-up truck comes in at least twice a day. Hopefully the vandals stay away.
IMHO

Walker

I would think that the local police would try to patrol those areas to prevent vandalisim. Any trouble should be reported to them so they become aware of these problems and make their presence know to these criminals.

skibones said:

I would think that the local police would try to patrol those areas to prevent vandalisim. Any trouble should be reported to them so they become aware of these problems and make their presence know to these criminals.

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There are pretty big distances involved and not many police in the towns up there. More patrols can and do help, but there's no way to prevent vandalism and break-ins completely. But yes, report any activity so the local police can try to prioritize things with accurate information.

-dave-

The main problem with 19 Mile is that it's very accessible from the road so a couple of vandals could pull in with a bat or other object & hit a couple of cars & be back on the road at 50 MPH in less than a minute. At night oncoming headlights would give you plenty of warning that someone would be approaching.

While other lots have more privacy, the quick escape if needed is more problematic. Leaving them locked or unlocked, IMO not really a big deal, it's not about getting your CD collection, it's about breaking the law, getting away with it & aggravating others.

(So a little bad birdie told me)

I'm 12 years without incident but not with the regularity of Dave. I've never left my car overnight at 19 mile either.

Had my car broken into a few years back at the Mt Clinton Rd trailhead.
As prevalent as this seems to be going on I think it would be fairly easy for the police to set up some kind of surveillance at known hot spots to catch these "locals"

I had the same problem this summer in the Green Mountain. I parked
my van in the parking lot on the side of highway 17 for the long
trail going to Mt ellen. We parked the van the thursday morning
and went hiking, the next morning went we came back the back
windows had been broken with bullet from an air gun. The side of
my van was broken too. It cost me $450 and my insurance $1,500.
Since that after each hike I am very scrare about if my van will be
there.