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Dangerous "Sicko" on PCT near Tehachapi
#4151 05/09/10 12:39 PM
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This is GREAT INFORMATION from BiletChick on WPSMB....Thank you very much!!!!!!!

I read this on another board today...if it's true, that's some messed up s--t!

The United States Forest Service temporarily closed a section of the Pacific Crest Trail after hikers discovered dozens of crude devices bristling with exposed nails on the trail on the south side of the Tehachapi Mountains at Tylerhorse Canyon, Wed., May 5.

The Forest Service, the Kern County Sheriffs Office and the Bureau of Land Management launched a cleanup and investigation, closing the section of trail between Hwy. 138 and Tehachapi Willow Springs Road.

"This closure is in response to the discovery of dangerous objects on the trail," the Forest Service, lead agency in the investigation, said in a press release May 7. "Although these harmful objects were found along approximately a quarter mile section of the Pacific Crest Trail near Gamble Springs, in Sequoia National Forest, a longer section of trail surrounding it must be closed due to geographic access points."

The press release said that a Forest Service crew would work over the weekend to remove the trail hazards, and it "will reevaluate the temporary closure on Monday, May 10, 2010."
A group of 13 hikers --the vanguard of almost 1,000 who are expected to pass along the trail in the next several weeks on their way to Canada -- came across the devices.

In about a 100-yard stretch of the trail, hiker Scott Williams said, someone had strung up barbed wire across the trail and posted numerous signs saying: "Warning: Firing range" and "No trespassing."

A shooting target was placed in the center of the trail, Williams said, and broken glass littered the ground.
"If a hiker stepped on (one of the devices) with a tennis shoe, it's like a booby trap," Williams said. "Most were lying in the trail. About five or six were buried. We kicked them up so people can see them."

He saw "20 to 30 " of the devices.

"The trail (there) is an absolute danger," Williams said.
Investigators ultimately found 50 of the devices.
Several investigators compared the devices to punji stake traps that caused so much harm to U.S. troops in Vietnam.
The devices -- nails and all -- were painted brown for camouflage in the dirt and shadows.
Williams brought one of the devices into Tehachapi and gave it to Sgt. Richard Wood of the Kern County Sheriff Tehachapi Substation.

Wood said investigators who went up to the remote site by Jeep to inspect the situation on the afternoon of May 6 found "about 50 similar spiked devices in the vicinity of the trail."

Wood said the 4-and-a-half-inch-high items are made of concrete poured into a cup topped with three small nails that stick out about two inches.

The Pacific Crest Trail in that section rides a ridge at about 6,000 feet in elevation.

The location of the discovery is at approximately mile 548 of the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail that runs from the Mexican border to the Canadian border. Trail locations are measured in miles from Mexico.

While no suspect has been named, the Sheriffs Office suggests a possible motive.

"It appears the devices may have been buried to discourage illegal off-road riding," said Sgt. Wood in a May 7 media release.

He said investigators "do not believe the devices were planted to cause harm to hikers or horses."
Residents in the area have been battling the illegal encroachment of off-road vehicles, but they have been scrupulous in adhering to legal means to keep the riders from devastating the landscape and obliterating the trail.
The organization ORV (Off Road Vehicle) Watch Kern County has organized a series of meetings over the past several years with state, county, federal and local agencies to address the situation.

The rmeetings have generated increased enforcement on targeted weekends and some arrests, but the level of frustration is growing.

"It's like the wild wild west," area resident Brandi Dunn said.

In Nov. 2009, ORV Watch Kern County told authorities about broken glass, rebar embedded in the ground, spikes and barbed wire traps in the same section, said organization spokesperson Mesonica Piecuch, but this time it's worse.
"It is booby trapped beyond belief. It's awful," said Piecuch, who hiked up Friday for a look.

She said the nails in the cups were "three or four inches long" and the cups were "buried just under the surface."
The nails could go through a horse's hoof, she said.
"They were absolutely meant to do someone some harm."
ORV Watch Kern County "absolutely condemns any actions that would harm people on PCT," Piecuch said in a press release.
The appearance of new devices on the trail, she said, "is one more indication of how serious and out-of-control the conflict between landowners and illegal riders has become. I wish that the agencies we contacted had acted upon this information sooner."

The Pacific Crest Trail hikers who approach the trail over the weekend will have to contend with the closure. The largest wave of the season's hikers is expected to arrive at the Tehachapi segment of the Pacific Crest Trail in the next few weeks, and the city of Tehachapi is a major rest stop.
The hikers -- dry and tired from the long stretch of desert -- usually hitch a ride into Tehachapi from the trail so they can rest in a motel, eat in a restaurant, pick up supplies at the Post Office and enjoy the amenities of Tehachapi before beginning the Sierra Mountains phase of the journey.
The close-knit PCT hiking family alerted others of the potential danger May 5, putting out a notice on the web sites that feature up-to-the-minute information about trail conditions.

The Pacific Crest Trail, Williams said, "is one of the premier trails of the world. People from every country in the world come to hike it...to come upon this is a black eye for an American international trail."

In spite of the unsettling discovery of the spiked cement cups, Williams, 57, of Martinez, Calif., is enjoying his first PCT attempt.

"It's a beautiful trail," he said. "I was stunned by the beauty of the desert mountains."


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Re: Dangerous "Sicko" on PCT near Tehachapi
quillansculpture #4153 05/09/10 01:37 PM
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"Sick" is one word to describe this crap. "Evil" is another that comes readily to mind. I hope these jerks are caught - preferably by some pissed-off hikers with an ice axe or two in their packs . . .

Re: Dangerous "Sicko" on PCT near Tehachapi
Bulldog34 #4154 05/09/10 02:34 PM
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Here's a link to an article about the "booby traps". It looks like they've found at least 70 devices so far.


Officials work to remove nail-studded devices from Pacific Crest Trail


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Re: Dangerous "Sicko" on PCT near Tehachapi
Bulldog34 #4156 05/09/10 02:43 PM
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I am Extremely suprised by the following statement in the article:

But in the meantime, investigators will try to determine who is responsible for the nail devices and whether they were buried on the trail easement or private property.

What would be illegal on the trail may not necessarily be illegal on private property, he said.


I don't find that to be anywhere near a true statement. I KNOW if my dog bites a child who comes into my yard, I am the one responsible and can be sued. I would believe that if I put booby traps in my yard, I would be responsible if anybody stepped on them. What the heck are we talking about. Since when did Tehachapi Law Enforcement start turning a blind eye to a definite criminal activity?


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Re: Dangerous "Sicko" on PCT near Tehachapi
quillansculpture #4157 05/09/10 03:02 PM
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Quote from the link:

"I have every god given right to ride my motorcycle anywhere I want to on public land. I'm a tax payer, it is my land, and I should be able to use it anyway I want to . Those tree-hugging commie hikers are the real problem. Wait till Sarah Palin is president, she will fix everything. Drill Baby, Drill."

THCH Tree Hugging Commie Hikers // Add this in to the Abbrevia?

And why is Sicko quoted? That's apostrophe abuse.
Anybody doing that is a real sicko. And evil.


Verum audaces non gerunt indusia alba. - Ipsi dixit MCMLXXII
Re: Dangerous "Sicko" on PCT near Tehachapi
wagga #4158 05/09/10 03:11 PM
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My local section of the PCT (Tahoe Nat'l Forest/Donner Summit Area) crosses several jeep trails, and every autumn, someone gets out of hand and decides to destroy large swaths of the PCT. Last season, it was so bad that anyone without a GPS or a good map would have been lost to go further up the trail -- it looked like a bomb had gone off. There is much tension over this.


The body betrays and the weather conspires, hopefully, not on the same day.
Re: Dangerous "Sicko" on PCT near Tehachapi
quillansculpture #4159 05/09/10 05:06 PM
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Originally Posted By: quillansculpture
I am Extreley suprised by the following statement in the article:

But in the meantime, investigators will try to determine who is responsible for the nail devices and whether they were buried on the trail easement or private property.

What would be illegal on the trail may not necessarily be illegal on private property, he said.


I don't find that to be anywhere near a true statement. I KNOW if my dog bites a child who comes into my yard, I am the one responsible and can be sued. I would believe that if I put booby traps in my yard, I would be responsible if anybody stepped on them. What the heck are we talking about. Since when did Tehachapi Law Enforcement start turning a blind eye to a definite criminal activity?


I live in what has historically been an equestrian area.We have dirt roads and horse trails that have been used until recently, exclusively by horses. Lately a new influx of people have moved into our quiet equestrian neighborhood with their dirt bikes and ATVs. Now instead of horses going up and down our dirt roads we have dirt bikes screaming back and forth kicking up dust and noise that invades the solitude that most of us in this area moved here for.Horse owners have been displaced by dirt bikes because the two don't mix.Most horses spook when a loud dirt bike screams by at dangerous speeds.Do the bike riders have a right to ride on mostly private roads? No they don't.
Does it stop them? No it doesn't.
I have my property fenced off but some don't.Back to the statement that what is illegal on public trails may not be illegal on private property.I find this to absolutely true.I am not codoning booby traps but I can understand the frustration of private property owners that have inconsiderate dirt bike riders who feel intitled to take their off road vehicles anywhere they can including on designated hiking trails or private property.

Last edited by Rod; 05/09/10 05:08 PM.
Re: Dangerous "Sicko" on PCT near Tehachapi
Rod #4160 05/09/10 05:50 PM
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Does your city have a violation report system like this?

We had a 12 year-old (?) kid in our neighborhood running up & down the streets on an un-registered dirt bike. When I contacted the police, they seemed to be far more concerned as to whether he was wearing a helmet or not. OK, I admit it, I fibbed a little. 10 minutes later, problem solved.


Verum audaces non gerunt indusia alba. - Ipsi dixit MCMLXXII
Re: Dangerous "Sicko" on PCT near Tehachapi
quillansculpture #4161 05/09/10 06:37 PM
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Quote:
I KNOW if my dog bites a child who comes into my yard, I am the one responsible and can be sued


I doubt that is true, it's when your dog leaves your property and bites someone that your screwed but these things are complicated from state to state and county to county.

I understand peoples anger with public lands, it makes me quite angry when roads and areas are closed off in general on public land like section D of the PCT where almost all of it is closed due to the burn last year, it annoys the hell out of me that I could not hike through there if I wanted.

Attacking individuals though is not going to help the matter.

Last edited by RoguePhotonic; 05/09/10 06:37 PM.
Re: Dangerous "Sicko" on PCT near Tehachapi
wagga #4162 05/09/10 06:39 PM
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Posted in another thread:

From the upcoming Abbrevia: MSM Mainstream Media // Totally ignores the hiking/packpack community unless something bad happens.

Hey wagga, ya mean like this?

Re: Dangerous "Sicko" on PCT near Tehachapi
RoguePhotonic #4163 05/09/10 06:49 PM
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From a statute in California Law:

The owner of any dog is liable for the damages suffered by any person who is bitten by the dog while in a public place or lawfully in a private place, including the property of the owner of the dog

This from dogbitelaw.com : California is a strict liability state, meaning that a dog owner is liable for injuries inflicted by his dog upon a human being, even if the owner was not negligent and the dog had never bitten anyone before.

With that in mind, there are cases in which burglars have sued and won when they tried to burglarize a property. So, I would think putting devices on your property with the direct purpose of hurting, injuring another individual, you would be liable, including manslaughter if a person was killed. With the right District Attorney, I would think they could argue premeditation....i.e. first degree murder - though if it was random, I'm not sure of that. But, when you think of the Oklahoma City Bomber, he intended to do harm and kill, it was premeditated....and he did NOT know his victims. In any case, the property owners who put what could be lethal devices on their properties are taking serious chances with their personal freedom.......and yes, they are "sickos".


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Re: Dangerous "Sicko" on PCT near Tehachapi
Bulldog34 #4164 05/09/10 07:25 PM
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Originally Posted By: Bulldog34
Hey wagga, ya mean like this?


Yup.

One of my cats, Radar, bit the cable guy (twice!), and another time chased the RE appraiser down the stairs. Awesome mog. And then there was the time a pomeranian got in the yard & he let fly a stream... soggy doggy!


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Re: Dangerous "Sicko" on PCT near Tehachapi
quillansculpture #4166 05/09/10 10:18 PM
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Very interesting quillansculpture, raises many questions to the nature of the defense of private property, seems more or less illegal to defend your land.

Lyric from a song: =P

"Land of the free and home of the brave land of the G's and home of the slave"

Re: Dangerous "Sicko" on PCT near Tehachapi
RoguePhotonic #4169 05/09/10 11:26 PM
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S
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I still say it sounds like a land owner (or someone living near the trail) is really ticked about illegal motorcycle access.

Those concrete cylinders with spikes would make a good tire puncture.

I'll bet the culprit didn't even know about PCT hikers coming through about this time.


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