code3run
Mar 12, 2014Explorer
Camping Altercations?
Just looking for short stories of any camping altercation you have ever had with other campers? Just thought it would be fun to read thru them.
mowermech wrote:
I refuse to allow others to spoil my camping experience.
bigdogger wrote:TucsonJim wrote:An internet search quickly finds the story about the parents being killed by lightning at Crystal Lake Utah in 2003, however not a thing anywhere about a murder in the area during the same time period. Strange, since such a coincidental occurrence would surely have made local, if not national, news. Maybe two separate and unrelated occurrences have merged over the years, or maybe a little poetic license is being applied?
I think my son had the worst experience I've ever heard of.
He was camping at high elevation in the national forest of Utah. He took a hike, and met a couple and three kids while hiking in. While fishing, a terrible lightning storm came up, so he took shelter as best he could. As soon as the storm passed, he hiked back to the parking area. Both of the adults that he'd met were laying near the parking lot and had been fatally injured by a lightning strike. All three of the kids were injured. He used his cell phone to call for help, and after the authorities arrived, he returned to camp very shaken up.
Earlier, before he went fishing, the couple in the campsite about 50 yards away had been arguing, but he didn't think anything of it. When he returned to camp, the woman had been shot to death and the husband was gone. He raced back down to where the authorities were taking care of the lightning victims. Dozens of law enforcement personnel arrived around the campground to investigate the crime scene. Unfortunately, my son had his family with him, and although he tried to protect the children from seeing anything, they still understood enough to be traumatized. The whole family needed some counseling after these events, and they were pretty anxious during their next few camping trips.
They can all joke about it now as the recall the camping trip from hell, but that's an experience I never want to endure.
mowermech wrote:Happy Camper2003 wrote:
Not really an altercation but, several years ago we had some campers next to us that had injested too many adult beverages :E and decided they wanted to skinny dip in the lake right in front of a whole loop of campers. Later, the ladies started dancing on the picnic table...almost naked! Interesting evening to say the least :B
DANG!!
Free entertainment!
That kind of stuff NEVER happens to me!
Happy Camper2003 wrote:
Not really an altercation but, several years ago we had some campers next to us that had injested too many adult beverages :E and decided they wanted to skinny dip in the lake right in front of a whole loop of campers. Later, the ladies started dancing on the picnic table...almost naked! Interesting evening to say the least :B
dewey02 wrote:jdog wrote:JnJnKatiebug wrote:jdog wrote:JnJnKatiebug wrote:
When our kids were still at home my brother and I always took our families in the fall to the NF. We would camp and ride 4-wheelers for a week. We always stayed at the same spot at the end of a dead end road. We went up one morning and put up our tent and put the chairs around the camp fire ring then headed back for the travel trailers. My brother was first back because he lived closer. When he got there the tent and chairs were thrown out in the woods and three men and three trailer (from out of state) were set up in our spot. It got really ugly and they were threatening him. He told them they better sleep with one eye open. He was still mad the next day and went back with a couple of friends but they were gone. They had told him they were staying for a week but I guess they changed their mind. We always teased him about it, said you might be a redneck if you ever got in a fight over a camping spot.
Per the National forest service rules, you are required to occupy the site and not just leave something there to "reserve" the spot. What did you expect to happen?
That's nonsense. We had occupied the site by unloading our first load. You are saying you cannot leave camp. We setup camp (tent, chairs, firewood, tables)and went after the rest of our stuff. What about people that have camp setup and go out to hunt. Is it OK to throw their stuff out in the woods and move into their site.
Sorry, I was thinking of a Forest service camp site. Were you setting up a camp that was out in the woods like a deer camp and not a Forest service a camp site?
Boondocking on the NFs is allowed and common courtesy would dictate that if a site is taken, the second group should find another dead end road to camp on (there are lots of them). If at a campground, almost all require a fee. Once you've filled out the envelope and posted your tag, the site is yours. The rules are that you have to occupy the site that night with your person. This is to prevent someone coming on a Wednesday or Thursday and leaving a tent or trailer (even if they pay for those days), and then returning with their family for the weekend, when the campground may be full, effectively having guaranteed themselves a site. Since JnJnKatiebug did personally occupy the site that evening, he would have been ok even in a NF campground.
-Retired USFS recreation program manager