Wow, friend! That is definitely a strange experience. Jeb for sure was in protect mode. Great friend you have in Jeb. Something was up with this fellow. A hiker that has any experience at all would never walk through another person's camp. Thanks for sharing this experience. Great information on lightning safety. Glad you were able to camp safely. I have never had an experience that bizarre. Once I was camped well off the trail and asleep in my hammock. I woke around 2:00 am to voices coming from the direction of the trail. I sat up in my hammock and I saw a light shining through the trees. The voices and the light came closer and closer to my camp. I could tell they were heading directly to my camp site. I sat in my hammock with my pistol in hand and watched two guys walk right past me. I don't think they ever saw me since my hammock and tarp are very dark in color. At least they never acknowledged me. They continued on and as far as I know left the area. Definitely unsettling to wake up in the middle of the night to strange voices. Glad your experience ended well. Stay safe on the trail. Thanks for sharing.
Suffice it to say....I had no more problems. Jeb Is a great trail buddy. He has my back 100%. Thanks for watching and sharing your odd trail experiences.
Wow ! What a wild story, and Jeb is so cool. Doesn't sound so much like bad etiquette as much as this guy had some serious mental stuff going on. Glad it turned out ok. I've been up around 11,000ft in the Colorado San Juan Wilderness and been in some very scary lightning storms where the hair on the back of your neck stood out. Thanks for sharing Joe.
I actually was out bushwhacking in an area that surely nobody else was, when suddenly out of nowhere I find myself standing right in the middle of someone's camp. The vegetation was so thick that I literally didn't see it until I was standing 3 feet away from the tent. I stood there for a moment almost in shock from the unexpected find, then I announced myself and apologized for barging in. Fortunately nobody was home. I immediately left the area. I even decided to backtrack and totally abandon the whole hike because I was worried it could be poachers, drug activity, or even those crazy ginseng hunters. Once back in my truck and making my way down the rough road I came across a guy and he flagged me down. I lowered the window with one hand, pistol in the other hand LOL. Turns out the guy had been up there camping and was wandering around trying to get a phone signal because he wanted to leave a day earlier and needed to notify his ride. I agreed to make the call for him when I got back to town. Although that story ended "well" I still consider it very bizarre. Not quite as weird as what happened to you though. That was very strange, something definitely wrong with that guy. Good thing you had Jeb with you, plus the other camper that had your back. Thanks for the link on the lightening safety, I will definitely have a look.
Hehehe. I can't carry in the woods/trail but I have the pup and he has been very reliable. 99.9% of folks I encounter on the trail are very friendly and love Jeb. Maybe I've been lucky enough to not encounterd a lot of weirdos, but, goodness, Jeb had zero hesitation in this instance. I've been thinking about a "Who is Jeb" video for a while....I think now is a good time. He has always been loyal and protective. Chased coyotes, faced bears, but this was way different, it was a human. I'm still thinking about the whole encounter and monitoring Jebs behavior. That experience has the potential of making him very un-trusting of people on the trail. So far so good though, many day hikes. Believe it or not he was actually pretty stressed for a few hours afterwards. Hyper vigilant and agitated. When it's all said and done, I couldn't have a better dog.
Great story about that dude. I think people need to educate themselves before they get outdoors on proper etiquette but then again some folks just don't care anymore. Thanks for sharing
Real sorry to hear about that situation. Glad you had the dog. I never backpack in the Catskills anymore, because of situations like this. Too many weirdos and fools that have no backwoods etiquette. I had the same problem where you were. Same exact scenario. The Creeper had to be taken down the same way. This was 2018. I wonder if it was the same guy?
What that guy did was just rude...and dangerous. Some people, if ya come into their camp unannounced, will perceive a threat, as did Joe. So Joe did what needed to be done, he neutralized the threat. My dog, Gabi, is the same way, she protects, me, my wife, and my wife's daycare kids. If'n you're up to no good, dogs can be your worst nightmare.
Good information. You're very knowledgeable. Your dog protected you and sensed a dangerous individual with a dog's intuition -- awesome, but this individual seemed off. This person was hallucinating, drunk, and/or unable to cry for help properly, which almost meant he should have gotten some help. You didn't provide that help, but you were understandably defensive. What else could have been possible afterwards for such a person? He's likely a predatory type, but he may also be a victim of something or of foul play if he appeared so randomly. I know of faithful dogs that barked and snapped at people I know who weren't violent, but they reacted with fear or sudden surprise at the apparent stranger. You may have likely done the right thing, but you still can't justifiably say that person was evil or good by simply a few intuitive feelings, either.
Wow, friend! That is definitely a strange experience. Jeb for sure was in protect mode. Great friend you have in Jeb. Something was up with this fellow. A hiker that has any experience at all would never walk through another person's camp. Thanks for sharing this experience. Great information on lightning safety. Glad you were able to camp safely. I have never had an experience that bizarre. Once I was camped well off the trail and asleep in my hammock. I woke around 2:00 am to voices coming from the direction of the trail. I sat up in my hammock and I saw a light shining through the trees. The voices and the light came closer and closer to my camp. I could tell they were heading directly to my camp site. I sat in my hammock with my pistol in hand and watched two guys walk right past me. I don't think they ever saw me since my hammock and tarp are very dark in color. At least they never acknowledged me. They continued on and as far as I know left the area. Definitely unsettling to wake up in the middle of the night to strange voices. Glad your experience ended well. Stay safe on the trail. Thanks for sharing.
Suffice it to say....I had no more problems. Jeb Is a great trail buddy. He has my back 100%. Thanks for watching and sharing your odd trail experiences.
Great info! Being prepared for bad weather and bad situations is a good idea!
Take care -Chris
I cant believe he just wandered in right near your tent. Sounds like the keeper of the river was a few bricks short of a load. Glad it turned out ok.
Lets just say the elevator wasn't going to the top floor.
Wow ! What a wild story, and Jeb is so cool. Doesn't sound so much like bad etiquette as much as this guy had some serious mental stuff going on. Glad it turned out ok. I've been up around 11,000ft in the Colorado San Juan Wilderness and been in some very scary lightning storms where the hair on the back of your neck stood out. Thanks for sharing Joe.
Thanks for watching!
I actually was out bushwhacking in an area that surely nobody else was, when suddenly out of nowhere I find myself standing right in the middle of someone's camp. The vegetation was so thick that I literally didn't see it until I was standing 3 feet away from the tent. I stood there for a moment almost in shock from the unexpected find, then I announced myself and apologized for barging in. Fortunately nobody was home. I immediately left the area. I even decided to backtrack and totally abandon the whole hike because I was worried it could be poachers, drug activity, or even those crazy ginseng hunters. Once back in my truck and making my way down the rough road I came across a guy and he flagged me down. I lowered the window with one hand, pistol in the other hand LOL. Turns out the guy had been up there camping and was wandering around trying to get a phone signal because he wanted to leave a day earlier and needed to notify his ride. I agreed to make the call for him when I got back to town. Although that story ended "well" I still consider it very bizarre. Not quite as weird as what happened to you though. That was very strange, something definitely wrong with that guy. Good thing you had Jeb with you, plus the other camper that had your back. Thanks for the link on the lightening safety, I will definitely have a look.
Hehehe. I can't carry in the woods/trail but I have the pup and he has been very reliable. 99.9% of folks I encounter on the trail are very friendly and love Jeb. Maybe I've been lucky enough to not encounterd a lot of weirdos, but, goodness, Jeb had zero hesitation in this instance. I've been thinking about a "Who is Jeb" video for a while....I think now is a good time. He has always been loyal and protective. Chased coyotes, faced bears, but this was way different, it was a human. I'm still thinking about the whole encounter and monitoring Jebs behavior. That experience has the potential of making him very un-trusting of people on the trail. So far so good though, many day hikes. Believe it or not he was actually pretty stressed for a few hours afterwards. Hyper vigilant and agitated. When it's all said and done, I couldn't have a better dog.
Jeb and Joe Outdoors A video about Jeb sounds like an outstanding idea.
Great story about that dude. I think people need to educate themselves before they get outdoors on proper etiquette but then again some folks just don't care anymore. Thanks for sharing
Chris, the guy was just weird! Jeb is a very friendly dog on the trail. That he took the guy down with no hesitation...spoke volumes to me.
Hope all is well friend.
Hi Joe. Jeb is a good dog.
Real sorry to hear about that situation. Glad you had the dog. I never backpack in the Catskills anymore, because of situations like this. Too many weirdos and fools that have no backwoods etiquette. I had the same problem where you were. Same exact scenario. The Creeper had to be taken down the same way. This was 2018. I wonder if it was the same guy?
What that guy did was just rude...and dangerous. Some people, if ya come into their camp unannounced, will perceive a threat, as did Joe. So Joe did what needed to be done, he neutralized the threat. My dog, Gabi, is the same way, she protects, me, my wife, and my wife's daycare kids. If'n you're up to no good, dogs can be your worst nightmare.
Jeb took care of business.
Good information. You're very knowledgeable. Your dog protected you and sensed a dangerous individual with a dog's intuition -- awesome, but this individual seemed off. This person was hallucinating, drunk, and/or unable to cry for help properly, which almost meant he should have gotten some help. You didn't provide that help, but you were understandably defensive. What else could have been possible afterwards for such a person? He's likely a predatory type, but he may also be a victim of something or of foul play if he appeared so randomly. I know of faithful dogs that barked and snapped at people I know who weren't violent, but they reacted with fear or sudden surprise at the apparent stranger. You may have likely done the right thing, but you still can't justifiably say that person was evil or good by simply a few intuitive feelings, either.
That guy was weird, but nowhere near as weird as the Maple King. lol
th-cam.com/video/fafZ4W_8jSc/w-d-xo.html
Well, the Maple King is a whole different category. I think he and Jeb would get along fine. lol