Strangest trail activity you've observed?

[csprague]

While hiking the Franconia Ridge traverse yesterday, I came across the strangest thing just shy of the Lincoln summit: 3 people dressed in somewhat clownish clothing running a game of Bingo! This was complete with cards, chips, and a crank-driven cage to select Bingo balls.

I took this picture:

Did anybody else see that yesterday?

What's the oddest thing you've come across on the trail?

- Chris

 

[skibones]

The view wasn't enough entertainment?

 

[rhihn]

Not one, but two guys playing the didgeridoo. That has to be right up there for one of my strangest encounters.

 

[David Metsky]

The group on Lafayette was a Dartmounth freshman trip. Stuff like that happens all the time, that's pretty mild, actually. The folks with the dyed hair hiked up to meet and entertain the trippies who are headed to Liberty Springs for the night.

 

[Craig]

Ahh, to be young.
I'm surprised they weren’t cooking up lobstahs and steamahs.

 

[Raymond]

Back in ’97 Susan and I encountered a few dozen (more or less) Appalachian Trail finishers whacking golf balls off the top of Katahdin.

We met some college freshman on Street and Nye in 1999. The men were on Street, but the women had become separated from the guys and were on Nye. Nothing unusual going on otherwise, although one of the guys bellowed, “Blankin’ A!” when they reached the Street canister, except that he said the actual word, like you heard if you ever saw “The Deer Hunter,” for example.

 

[dr_wu002]

What's the oddest thing you've come across on the trail?

- Chris

You simply need to follow our group around for a few minutes.

-Dr. Wu

 

[Guthook]

When I hiked the AT, the Galehead Hut crew took some time in the morning to hike up South Twin with me all decked out in their skit costumes (capes and cowboy outfits). Here's the only pic I got of our odd summit group.

Not quite clowns and bingo, but I thought it was nice to finally be... not the oddest looking person in the group.

 

[dr_wu002]

Saw this hideous thing at Baxter last year...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVYoL9r8Hvw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLCUnZ2SSfg

-Dr. Wu

 

[bristlecone]

Most of the way up Allen on a brutally hot and humid day, met two guys coming down in full civil war uniforms, one confederate, one union. They seemed to be far too hot to worry about fighting.

 

[Tom Rankin]

Ones I remember (from news reports)

Hot tub on an alpine summit.

Piano on a summit

Canoe at Lakes of the Clouds

Costumes

No Costume (nudity)

The family who hiked the Dix range by leaving a trail of toilet paper.

Hang gliding off of Katahdin.

Glowing Devil horns for a night hike in the Cats

Baby strollers on rugged trails

 

[David Metsky]

The Canoe at Lakes (and the summit of Washington) is a Dartmouth thing as well. It was first done in 1976 as part of the Bicentennial celebrations (why not?) and has had reenactments every few years.

Here's the Mont Blanc jaccuzzi story.

 

[erugs]

The reenactment might be the answer for why I saw a guy hiking with a canoe paddle on Franconia Ridge about 10 years ago. At the time I thought he was just a wierdo!

 

[RoySwkr]

Push mower on Monticello Lawn on Jefferson, the FS seems to crack down on such fun nowadays

 

[pilgrim]

Eleven or twelve years ago, I met a small, loud man with big hair and big dog hiking down the Crawford Path between the summit of Mt. Washington and Lakes hut. Man and dog were both barefoot. A couple of years later, I met a large, quiet woman leading a girl scout group up the Old Bridle Path. She was barefoot; the scouts were not.

 

[Tobit]

Strangest thing so far for me has to be hiking behind MadRiver.

Old joke, I know.. but it's all I could come up with given my limited trail time.

 

[Chip]

Not human activity but when Jay H and I did Baxter/Katahdin in Feb '08 our group was hiking up the snow covered dirt road to Abol Campground when this huge snowshoe hare appeared further up the road running straight down the hill towards us. We all watched and kept hiking up, assuming the hare would veer off soon...but it never did, it just kept coming, soon running right straight through the group of us...I could have bent over and scooped it up. After it passed we looked up the road and saw why it was running; a big Pine Martin was heading down the road after it. The Pine Martin did veer off when it saw all of us.

 

[roadtripper]

In 2003, I saw a guy climbing the Abol Slide in Baxter in sandals just like these:

As we were leaving the summit, we passed the guy, so it looks like he did indeed climb the entire slide in them.

 

[Trainwreck]

A woman on Osceola in a bikini and flip flops. No pack. No water. Came up from the East peak,spent a few minutes at the summit, then trotted off down the trail. Husband was inthralled. I was worried that she had no water.

 

[The Feathered Hat]

Not in NH but in California many years ago I turned the corner on a trail and nearly walked right over a bare-assed couple actively engaged in flagrante delicto in the middle of the path. I was with a date too but, alas, the scene was not an inspiration for her.