"Cheeky hikers moon Cog"

No, not today, a bit cold for that. This is the title of an article by Edith Tucker in current Salmon Press North Country newspapers. It answers some questions about jurisdiction--state police vs. USFS--raised in the long September '07 thread, "mooning the cog train on Washington." I cannot link to the article because it is accessible to subscribers only, so below is a paragraph-by-paragraph paraphrase, which does not infringe upon copyright. I am always fascinated by the interest in this subject and the culture clash it represents, and I'm equally interested in the fact that this stale news is running two months late, in mud season, or is it running late in mud season because of the subject?

"Cheeky hikers moon Cog" paraphrase:

1. Near Skyline Switch on two weekends at the zenith of tourist season, late August and early September, a special detail of NH state police from Troop F apprehended hikers who mooned the Cog.

2. Undercover NH state police, disguised as hikers, gave out federal [sic]summonses to several mooners. [See paragraph 8 below for state-federal matter.]

3. Disorderly conduct summonses were given out on the first weekend.

4. On the second weekend, public nudity summonses were given out

5. Demographics of those who were summoned: all men but one, most were AT hikers, some were AMC members.

6. Cases are now being processed in federal court.

7. Cog owners complained about the problem to police and USFS/WMNF.

8. USFS is able to hire and reimburse off-duty state police by means of a
"cooperative law enforcement program."

9, 10. Problem has been growing. Parents don't like it; retirees don't like it; cog employees don't like it.

11. Hiking websites and AT blogs have spread the word about undercover police and the summonses for mooners, and police hope that this will stop the activity next summer.

End of paraphrase.

Good luck with that.....

While it is of poor taste to moon the cog.....

.....I cough every time I look at the cog.

Toot, toot! Chugga, chugga!



"Don't trip over the leftover coal!"

As long as the black coal smoke belches out, the pale white butts will be mooning....

grouseking

PS Yes, I have mooned the cog, though I wouldn't do it again.

I do have an online subscription to Coos County Democrat as well as a print issue delivered a week later where I live. I'd post the link but I believe that would infringe on something legally.
Maybe they put in the papers now as there's more time to read indoors since DST is now over.

We could always stand there with huge signs, just outside the private property boundary, chanting and yelling to stop destroying the environment...

Isn't it awesome that all of the other problems facing the government are solved and no longer relevant - now they can utilize their resources to go after the true dangers of society - cog mooners. Will they start butt printing hikers?

MichaelJ said:

We could always stand there with huge signs, just outside the private property boundary, chanting and yelling to stop destroying the environment...

Click to expand...

I think this is an acceptible form of protest.

sapblatt said:

Isn't it awesome that all of the other problems facing the government are solved and no longer relevant - now they can utilize their resources to go after the true dangers of society - cog mooners. Will they start butt printing hikers?

Click to expand...

It's low-hanging fruit

Tim

This childish practice takes real guts up along the tracks where (up to now) nobody was around to stop it. Why don't some of the protesting 'environmentalists' take their mooning to the summit or base of the cog where the audience would be even bigger?
I think we all know the answer to that!

Mooning the Cog has a lot less to do with an environmental protest than is expressed. Lots of people do it because it's fun(ny). The older I get, the fewer chances I get to feel like a kid again.

Cough...



You can even see the smoke from North Twin on a hazy day



That just doesnt look healthy to me....


I guess tourism wins every time.

grouseking

I'm looking forward to one day riding the Mt. Washington Cog Railway. It's an engineering and an historic marvel.

Yes!!!

To succinctly reiterate points on the last "mooning" thread, there is no positive result to society or the environment from the childish act of mooning the cog. It won't make the cog owners change a single damn thing.

This is a base act of self-indulgence, from which some mooners derive a false sense of self-importance(common with the protest crowd), and others a juvenile thrill.

As long as the cog really goes over to cleaner ways of burning fuel, I won't have a problem. When is that supposed to happen? Soon, correct?

grouseking said:

As long as the cog really goes over to cleaner ways of burning fuel, I won't have a problem. When is that supposed to happen? Soon, correct?

Click to expand...

Last reoprt from Ed showed that they were entering the final stages if the build on the diesel engine and planes are for more. But they intend to run at least one of the steam engines still, at a higher ticket price than the diesel, for nostalgia sake.

Brian

OK, so as soon as my leg allows me, I am going to hike up there and bring a life size photo of my butt. Then I'll stand next to the tracks and hold up the photo like a sign. I'd like to see the ticket for public exposure of a photo of a butt...I think it would fall under the category of free speech if I put it on a sign.

- darren

Undercover Butt Busters?

sapblatt said:

Isn't it awesome that all of the other problems facing the government are solved and no longer relevant - now they can utilize their resources to go after the true dangers of society - cog mooners.

Click to expand...

Exactly. Score one for the prudes!

What a waste of money.

Tim Seaver said:

Exactly. Score one for the prudes!

What a waste of money.

Click to expand...

Well, it could be to combat global warming. Think about all the methane released into the atmosphere if the mooner accidentally lets out a few errant toots. This way, it'll all work out

Prude society indeed. Oh No! Run from the mooners! Hide yer gold!

-Dr. Wu

NewHampshire said:

But they intend to run at least one of the steam engines still, at a higher ticket price than the diesel, for nostalgia sake.

Brian

Click to expand...

Of course they will.....

grouseking

I am in the minority here. I am not a prude by any stretch, but what exactly is gained by mooning the Cog? It may not be yours or my cup of tea, but it is for a lot of people. I personally don't feel like seeing some thru-hikers hairy ass when I'm out enjoying myself.

dug said:

I am in the minority here. I am not a prude by any stretch, but what exactly is gained by mooning the Cog? It may not be yours or my cup of tea, but it is for a lot of people. I personally don't feel like seeing some thru-hikers hairy ass when I'm out enjoying myself.

Click to expand...

If you could make a list of "1000 bad things that could happen to you" where, seriously, would "someone mooning you" be on that list? Seriously. There are not many asses in the world that I'd want to see but their are a helluva lot worse things than seeing one of them... even up close, even like, 2" away from my face.

For some people mooning is a fun thing. For others it might be a form of protest. Some might find it offensive. Some might not care. However, how high in terms of "issues around the world" is mooning the cog that we need to have tax payer dollars go to paying for undercover cops staking out would be cog mooners? What's next? arresting people for peeing in the woods while hiking? Busting people for changing outta sweaty clothes at the trailhead? At some point we have to admit that this is a freakin' shameful waste of resources fussing over something like this when there are real issues in society to deal with.

Busting cog mooners:

Irrational
Illogical
Irresponsible

This has got to be the dumbest issue that I've ever heard in my entire life. Then again, check out my Thomas Paine quote below.

Maybe it would be best if mooners didn't do this seeing as so many people get offended. But oh, jezz -- undercover stakeouts? Get a grip.

-Dr. Wu