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Posted by rdavis on March 10, 2008 at 6:31:39 pm EDT
In reply to what is the reality of the dangers from other humans on the trail? posted by Backcountry (Guest) on December 14, 2007 at 1:13:16 am EST

I'm staying _mostly_ out of this one, but there's a couple things to note about the article that I think are being left out in the discussion and not making a snap judgment about someone's intentions--if the author's recollections are correct, which they may not be 100% due to the stress involved.
Good people are usually quick to assume good in others, an enviable trait, but sometimes things and people just aren't right. From reading the article, there are three things that (again, if recollected correctly) set off warning bells in my head for a potential threat: 1. The stranger continuing to rummage the owner's truck after being aware of his presence. 2. After knowing the owner of the truck was armed and had fired a shot, they stranger deflated both tires and punctured his fuel containers 3. Continuing to flee after the officers had spotted him, even taunting them. There are lots of warning signs here. Disregard for personal possession after being yelled at, much less fired out, is serious anti-social behavior. Being malicious and, frankly, dumb enough to vandalize someone's property right in front of them when they're armed and had fired a shot is crazy. A person in their right mind would have stopped and backed away, not taken instant revenge. Guns and being shot at should be frightening. Add blatant disregard for authority and I think you have more than enough to justify the man's behavior in this instance. You can say he didn't know enough before he fired a warning shot, but instincts are there for a reason and I think, this time, they were used correctly.
With that said, I think the wilderness is more safe from two-legged predators than any urban environment ever will be.

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