Window smashed at Ethan Pond TH today

[Tim Seaver]

Car break ins and car vandalisms are a chronic problem in the Whites.

Yes, but unfortunately all the police are very busy posing as hikers and riding the Smog Railway so they can arrest those awful people that moon the cog. ( and yes, I do know the cog isn't running)

Gotta have priorities!

Sorry about your break-in - something I am tooo familiar with.

 

[skiguy]

What is the foundation for a "hiker hate crime"?? What kind of person hates hikers enough to target them for vandalism? More likely than not, it is just some kids out for vandalism and a remote parking lot is an easy target. I don't see the hiker + hate connection.

Tim

I think that Sabrina as stated made this comment when she was tired and also within the heat of the moment. As already stated remote Hiker parking lots are a good "TARGET" for this sort of thing. Sorry this happened to you Sabrina as I too have been victim to this sort of behavior.

 

[cbcbd]

It really sucks when bad things happen to good people

 

[una_dogger]

It really sucks when bad things happen to good people

Well, gee...thanks! Down coats, mittens, blaring heat and tunes, a Leonid meteor shower and even a pit stop for coffee and ice cream made this a memorable ride home...despite the smashing.

 

[Frodo]

This was an infortunate incident. It does suck to finish a fun hike with good people only to find your vehicle vandalized.

The fact that her window was smashed, but nothing was stolen (with about $500 of stuff there for the taking), leads me to believe that the likely scenario was the person was in the act, but was scared off. How many people cruise the remote parking lots just to vandalize vehicles for kicks? Seems like a waste of time any money...

I also don't buy the out-of-stater theory. This has been happening for years, and in numerous parking lots. I think it is a few locals doing rounds...

Anyway, not much can be done to stop it. The best bet is to take any valuables with you and to leave your doors unlocked (might save a broken window).

And no matter what, Always look on the bright side of life...

Also, ice cream after a long tough hike (even when riding home in a windowless vehicle when it's 24 degrees out), is STILL awesome...

 

[ColdRiverRun]

Couldn't they install some cameras or web cam recorders at some of the more violated trail heads? Just like in stores they help to serve as a deterrent if nothing else. To save some money they could have fake ones and real ones.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Couldn't they install some cameras or web cam recorders at some of the more violated trail heads? Just like in stores they help to serve as a deterrent if nothing else. To save some money they could have fake ones and real ones.

I'm not sure a camera is an effective deterrent. Who is the person in this photo?

Taken in broad daylight, and the subject was posing. Now pretend it is dusk, or dark, or the perps wear hats and/or ski masks. Now what? The technology involved to get an image capable of tracking the thief down would be expensive to purchase, install, maintain and operate. They could literally wave at the camera, hold up a crow bar, walk over to the car, break a window, steal stuff and walk away long before any car would be able to arrive at the scene. The remote nature of the trail heads is why cars get broken into. They are really easy marks.

I really hate to break it to everyone but the police generally do not care about small burglaries like this. My car has been broken into four separate times (never at a trail head, but outside various apartments) and all four times the police did not care. Wait, I take that back -- once the car was stolen and they came by for that, but didn't get out of their own car. I found my car, running, ignition busted out, two apartment buildings over, after the police left. All four times they told me "That's why you have insurance. The police report is necessary to file your claim."

What I will take away from this story is to keep a few sheets of plastic and duct tape in my car to cover up the hole should one appear.

Tim

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

The fact that her window was smashed, but nothing was stolen (with about $500 of stuff there for the taking), leads me to believe that the likely scenario was the person was in the act, but was scared off. How many people cruise the remote parking lots just to vandalize vehicles for kicks? Seems like a waste of time any money...

Anyway, not much can be done to stop it. The best bet is to take any valuables with you and to leave your doors unlocked (might save a broken window).

There is a similar thread from last year, I think, where I posted a reply suggesting that vandalism as opposed to theft indeed might be the motivation in some instances, based on the vehicles I observed at the 19-Brook traihead that had most of their windows smashed, along with antennae and wipers bent and twisted, but with gear apparently untouched, at least in the case of a 15-passenger van (not an AMC van). But, I agree with Frodo, never leave wallets or anything of value in a vehicle parked at a trailhead. In any case, sorry to hear about the damage to your vehicle, Unadogger.

 

[Rick]

It' time for us to stalk our own trailheads and take them back.

Park a vehicle at a TH and step off 25 yards into the woods and hide. Wait for a day or an afternoon - Whatever it takes. Get them on Camera, chase them down and get their license plates (Or if you are like me and truly have no patience for this sort, but have no shortage of tire irons, confront them. )

I gotta think that if this happens a few times and the vandals/thieves get caught and get their names published as well as fines and/or jail time, the incidences of future vandalism occurring would drop due to the risks.

 

[Maddy]

What I will take away from this story is to keep a few sheets of plastic and duct tape in my car to cover up the hole should one appear.

Tim

Don't count on it. They will probably take that to!
Call Mad River!!!

 

[Waumbek]

It' time for us to stalk our own trailheads and take them back.

Park a vehicle at a TH and step off 25 yards into the woods and hide. Wait for a day or an afternoon - Whatever it takes. Get them on Camera, chase them down and get their license plates (Or if you are like me and truly have no patience for this sort, but have no shortage of tire irons, confront them. )

I gotta think that if this happens a few times and the vandals/thieves get caught and get their names published as well as fines and/or jail time, the incidences of future vandalism occurring would drop due to the risks.

That's the theory, at least, of the undercover police who are staking out the cog mooners. Some are skeptical that it will deter the thrill seekers.

One thing that will definitely help is not to advertise on boards like this that hikers are leaving wallets full of money and expensive gear in cars at remote trailheads--and, more importantly, NEVER to leave them in cars anywhere. LNW--leave no wallets--should be the hiker credo that petty thieves see when they read VFTT. They should also not find a list of popular trailheads to raid--the "where my car got jacked" anecdotes--when they read VFTT. It's sufficient to put out a general notice that you were hiking in the Whites and came back to find car windows smashed as a reminder to others that parking lots in the Whites are not wilderness and should be treated like any city street.

I learned my lesson the good way one time when I locked myself out of my car and called a local garage. It took an experienced guy about 10 seconds flat to get into the vehicle. From then on, I have never assumed that locked car doors mean anything and never leave valuables. (Please do not list here new ways to break into cars! There are enough out there as it is.)

Actually, my car was broken into much earlier at a VT trailhead. I expect that here at home with all the outtastaters but not in rural VT. I don't know what it is about VT; I guess they just don't have anything better to do over there .... (In other words, it's always easy to point fingers.)

 

[Technetium]

This reminds me of something that happened this weekend when my brother and I had just finished hiking. As we were packing our things into the car, another car pulled into the lot at a very fast speed and came to a stop. After a minute, the car turned around and sped back out at the same speed. Reading this thread makes me wonder if this was someone who was looking for a target and gave up because there were people in the lot. This was at the trailhead for Old Speck Mountain.

 

[Tim Seaver]

But I thought YOU packed the bag of meth...

They'll grab any cash, of course, but the main goal is drugs.

Odd thing that. Who would forget their drugs in the car?

 

[sapblatt]

Odd thing that. Who would forget their drugs in the car?

steal the cash - buy the drugs - please do not ask how I know this...

Sabrina - real sorry to hear about this - Bobby and I chose to park at the Willey House/Kedron Flume lot in early October out of the fear that it is easy pickings at Ethan - off the road etc...

As far as hating hikers - I have a friend who hunts that hates hikers because his F & G dollar goes to rescue hikers who pay nothing...I am not endorsing his position - just reporting...

 

[Nessmuk]

As far as hating hikers - I have a friend who hunts that hates hikers because his F & G dollar goes to rescue hikers who pay nothing...I am not endorsing his position - just reporting...

Interesting position he has... I have hunted and fished since I was a small lad and I don't feel that way at all. I still buy a full sportman's license every year, but some years I don't exercise portions of it at all. Why doesn't he consider the cost of his sporting licenses payment toward the "free" table fare that he harvests from public land? Regarding rescues... I am a SAR volunteer and in my area we get called out on by far many more lost hunter searches than we do for lost hikers.

 

[KayakDan]

These morons aren't targeting hikers. They have a convenient easy target,knowing that most hikers won't be returning to their vehicles until late in the day. Some trailheads like Carter Notch,or Lonesome Lake are particularly vulnerable,as they are overnight destinations. I won't park at CN anymore,I park at an "undisclosed location" and hike back.
Sadly,it doesn't appear that the local police can get it under control,and probably don't have the will/manpower to stake out the trailheads.

Maybe AMC would consider running the shuttle year round if there was enough interest and participation. It's not an ideal answer,but it beats coming back to broken windows and a long ride home.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

May I should start booby-trapping my car. I could super-pressurize it so when the windows are broken the glass flies outward and fills the vandals face. Oh wait, in America, the vandal can turn around and sue me for injury damages

Tim

 

[SAR-EMT40]

May I should start booby-trapping my car. I could super-pressurize it so when the windows are broken the glass flies outward and fills the vandals face. Oh wait, in America, the vandal can turn around and sue me for injury damages

Tim

Yeah, you have to be careful about stuff like that now.

I had a friend that lost a couple of car stereos in the '70s. He decided to tack weld razor blades to the underneath of the unit so that when they jammed their hand underneath to grab it there would be a deterent to slap back. It worked, but that much blood isn't easy to get out of a car's carpet.

Those people didn't sue, but that was in the days when criminals didn't know about the big payday they could have gotten.

Keith

 

[DaveSunRa]

My vote would be to have a mad pet bull in the car, just waiting.

 

[--M.]

How would you fit one of those in there?