Wilderness First Aid Training

Elizabethton, Tennessee's Elizabethton Star reports in its 25 January issue that the "ATC offers wilderness first aid certification training Feb. 27-28".

The details are that the Appalachian Trail Conservancy

is accepting applications for their Wilderness First Aid Course at the Twin Creeks Science and Education Center in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Gatlinburg. The public is welcome to take this training opportunity alongside Appalachian Trail Ridgerunners.

Cost: $150. Dates: 27-28 February. To enroll or for more information, please contact Andrew Downs with the ATC at (828) 254-3708 or adowns@appalachiantrail.org.

Hiker Food Is Not Bear Food

"Getting bears out of backpacker food fare" is the title of a story in the 25 January Smoky Mountain News. It highlights ATC grant of

$2,000 from its specialty license plate funds to the Friends of the Smokies group for the installation of poles and cables that backpackers can use to store food out of the reach of black bears.

This was done at the Spence Field and Peck’s Corner Shelters.

Speed Hikers, Women Hikers

Stephen Black uses Jennifer Pharr Davis's "record-breaking time of hiking the Appalachian Trail" as a jumping off point to caution women, all women, from venturing off into the woods alone. That's in his column titled "Women should not hike alone" in the 30 August 2008 issue of the Hendersonville, NC Times-News and preserved on their "Blue Ridge Now" web site.

He gets there through the point that

"She wanted to memorialize the death of the Bryants and Meredith Emerson who were killed while hiking in the woods.

"She hiked the trail to show that outdoor lovers won’t be deterred by one sick criminal. She hiked the trail to break the women’s speed record.

"Ms. Davis’ heart is in the right place. It is obvious she is a good, idealistic and decent person. I praise her for that. As far as her other reasoning however I totally disagree with it. As far as her speed record all I can say is this — Stop! Stop! Enough with the Olympics already!"

I kind of agree with him on this point. Does EVERYone hiking the Trail need to have a shtick of some kind? Whatever happened to hiking just to hike? (I know in my heart that most of the hikers are doing just that, not trying to be the first, oldest, youngest, fastest, or only SOMETHING to thru-hike. Maybe they just aren't worth a news story.)

On his main point, Black says he is just urging lots and lots of caution because one woman harmed is one woman too many. And there's no argument possible against that.

One Crazed Man....

Hendersonville, NC's Times-News Online called BlueRidgeNow.com has an article by columnist James Shea on 24 January 2008 titled "One crazed man can't keep me from the woods."

He reflects on the need for vigilance for one's own safety while in the woods - especially while there alone, and more especially in the wake of the Bryant and Emerson murders. Still, he says,

"I only hope, as the weather warms, and I get back into the woods more, my hesitancy will wane. I enjoy being out in nature too much to let one crazed man dictate my life."

Let the people say Amen.

High Adventure - Low Risk - Make Your Choices

The Times of Trenton (NJ) has a 22 January 2008 article by N.J. DeVico titled "Despite isolated tragedy, lone hikers have little to fear on the trail." Actually, it's more of a personal opinion piece.

She writes that a friend sent her an article about Meredith Emerson's murder "in case you went back on the trail. Do you want to do something that has very low risk but a very high cost if it happened?"

DeVico writes

"I hiked 1,500 miles of the AT and was alone most of the time be cause I was so slow that I couldn't keep up with anyone. I didn't always make it to a shelter before dark or before I was exhausted, so I just set up camp when I found a flat spot. I was alone many nights.

"Was I scared? The first time I did it, yes. Maybe spooked is a better word. It's dark out there. But I was more concerned with bears than people."

She also includes some safety words of wisdom from Laurie Potteiger at ATC headquarters in Harpers Ferry.

Guns and Hikers

A King Features Syndicate journalist named Charley Reese uses Meredith Emerson's murder as a platform for a 22 January 2008 opinion piece named "Arm Yourself" in which he suggests doing that -- even if, as he admits, it is illegal:

"The young lady recently murdered while hiking the southern tip of the Appalachian Trail might be alive today if she had tucked a pistol into her backpack or fanny pack. Yes, I know it's against the law to carry a pistol on the trail, but which would you prefer – breaking a bureaucratic rule or getting your brains knocked out and then being decapitated?

"I'm afraid too many of us have spent our lives in an urban environment and have thus lost touch with the reality of the outdoors. When you go into the woods by yourself, you leave not only your car behind, but the protection of the law. When you are by yourself, whether on an urban street or in a forest, and someone comes along with the intention of assaulting you, you are on your own. There is no help. Your choice is run or fight. And a fight is a physical thing, not an intellectual matter."

My opinion? Reese has indeed "lost touch with the reality of the outdoors"!

[Also appears in the Ft. Myers, FL News-Press under the title "Guns good for self-defense, but think about it" on 23 January 2008.]

Northeast Georgia Hiking Safety Tips

Tracy Armbruster, from WNEG-TV News channel 32 had a 21 January 2008 report on the station's web site titled "Hiking Safety Tips" which relies on standard hiking safety tips (which bear repeating) from Appalachian Trail hiker and Toccoa police chief Jackie Whitmire.

You know the drill: let someone know where you're going and when you expect to be back; don't hike alone; be alert for strange activity; take a whistle. Oh, and "weapons are not necessary."

Emerson-Related Articles from Atlanta

A website titled "The Sunday Paper: All You Need to Know" and, apparently, coming to us from Atlanta, GA, has three related articles in it all dated 13 January 2008. When I came across them, they were all on the same page.

The first is by Colby Dunn titled "The strange disappearance of Cayle Bywater". Bywater "disappeared just days before Meredith Emerson was reported missing." She was last seen in a local Athens, GA city park, also had a dog, and seems to have disappeared without a trace, leaving her apartment door open (or someone else left it open, perhaps).

Right under that there's an article by Josh Clark titled "Every family’s nightmare: The resolution of the Meredith Emerson case". It retells the whole story, as we know it, of Meredith's disappearance, murder, and discovery.

Then there's some background about Gary Michael Hilton in Stephanie Ramage's article "4169 Clairmont Road; Was Gary Michael Hilton really a “drifter”?" For this article Ramage visited the address Hilton gave when arrested. She spoke to a neighbor about Hilton. A police spokesman told her that "'It has no bearing whatsoever on the case or the investigations,' ... 'None whatsoever. It was just an address he gave where he could pick up his mail'."

Hiker Safety Articles Abound

Here is a gathering of news articles about hiker safety in, on, and around the Appalachian Trail in the wake of the murder of Meredith Emerson in Georgia.

The first is in the New York Times, 14 January 2008, by Brenda Goodman, and titled "Killing of a Young Hiker Puts North Georgia on Edge." The first part of the article focuses on self-defense classes in the region, then there's a rehearsal of the facts of the Emerson case, and finally there are some quotes from local hikers. The article includes this note:

"Trail-maintenance volunteers have planned a memorial walk and a smudge ceremony, which is an American Indian cleansing ritual that involves burning sage to rid a place of evil spirits, on Sunday to honor Ms. Emerson and to try to calm their own nerves."

Another article appeared in the Sarasota (FL) Herald-Tribune on 13 January 2008. It's a column by Laura Sperling titled "Murders in National Parks; Crimes against our birthright." Sperling writes:

"I can't count the times I've day-hiked the rural parks, hills and woods, usually with a dog and/or human relatives. These are the cherished memories I rely on to restore me when I'm back in the city, surrounded by overdevelopment that once was trees.

"When a hiker is killed, it diminishes me and anyone else who loves to be in the deep green bosom of America's parks and forests. They are our birthright."

Then there's the editorial from Chambersburg, PA on PublicOpinionOnline by Becky Bennett titled "Editor's view: Packing heat does nothing to break the cycle of fear." This is really an editorial about the right to bear arms - and whether it's also a wise thing to do - but it uses Emerson's murder as a jumping off point.

And, finally there's Nic Corbett's article "Hikers say recent attacks raise safety awareness" in the 13 January 2008 Tallahassee (FL) Democrat. Corbett talked with members of "a group of hikers tackling a 4.5-mile trail Saturday in the Apalachicola National Forest in Wakulla County." They expressed various safety concerns, of course. The article starts with a familiar sounding interchange:

"When Tallahassee resident Bill Snyder talks about how he's preparing for a six-month hike on the Appalachian Trail, people typically ask him this question: 'Are you going alone?'

"When he answers in the affirmative, they usually ask, 'Are you going to carry a weapon?'"

I think a lot of us have heard those two questions.

More Safety Tips for Hikers

Seems like all the southern papers are publishing articles about Trail safety. Or, more accurately, only southern papers. Here's an article from the Chattanooga Times Free Press. Written by Angie Herrington, titled "Managing risks part of hiking," and published 12 January 2008.

Herrington spoke to and quoted a number of people representing hiking clubs, the National Park Service, and a rescue organization. Their advice boils down to the same common sense advice we've know for years ... but some of us may have tended to ignore as we bank miles and hours of safe travel on the Appalachian Trail and elsewhere.

Trail Safety Tips

Atlanta, Georgia's WXIA-TV has a story by reporter Wes Sarginson titled "Wes Side: Safety Along The Trail" posted on the 11Alive.com web site on 9 January 2008 in which he touches on safe Appalachian Trail hiking. His experts say to "be mindful" of your surroundings. And, "The trail is safe if you follow common sense rules, tell someone of your itinerary, don't hike alone, avoid strangers. Don't wear jewelry or carry large sums of cash."