A while back we had a good thread with stories of people running into troublemakers in the woods. It helped me be prepared for that kind of thing, and now I have another story of my own. I just want to get the discussion going again. Post any stories of people you've run into while outdoors that you've had to deal with.
I was out rock climbing the other day with my girlfriend. We were top-roping. This is when you walk to the top of the cliff to set up safety anchors that tie the rope to the top. Then both people go to the bottom. The middle of the rope is clipped to the top of the cliff, the person climbing on one end of the rope, and the safety person on the other end belaying.
I was setting up my anchors at the top when I hear a guy walking up to me from behind. This is a really safe, well-frequented area. The guy tries to surprise me from behind and makes some messed up kind of joke about jumping off. He's 6'2" and well built. He's wearing urban clothing in a place mostly full of climbers (right near a big town/small city though, so not 100% out of place). He talks to me for a minute asking if my rope is strong enough for a "marine corps repel". I ask him about this, and he talks about how you use bare hands to go down the rope. Instant bad vibe about this guy, but I don't think he was after anything at this point, and so there was nothing I could point to and say "this is why I don't like him". We're just two guys in the woods, I obviously don't have much money with me, if any. Cool.
My girlfriend is about thirty feet away and he notices her and starts walking over in her direction. She's also at the edge of the cliff, laying down. I get ready to put myself in there if there's a reason to, but I want to be "chill" and there's no reason to over-react right? I should have shouted something to my gf at this point, just to make her aware of what was going on (she was doing her own thing, oblivious to us). I was wrapped up figuring out the situation though, and only got as far as drawing a mental line around her, which if he crossed, I'd shout and assert myself in. I almost wish he crosses that line. He keeps a respectful distance and starts talking to her. Fine. (After this all happened, that line has gotten a hell of a lot further away!)
I keep my eyes on him, but keep working on the anchors. They walk back over to me, and he starts striking up the weirdest conversation I've had. He talks more about how he was in the Marines and is a novice climber. It's obvious he's bullshitting about climbing "Is your rope strong enough for a marine corps repel?" The rope is strong enough for catching a fifty foot fall, it wouldn't notice someone just holding onto it, dumbass. Similar bullshit that doesn't add up.
I'm talking with the guy to size him up. What's his deal? Who is he? I'd ask him to buzz off, but I don't want to make a problem if there isn't one. I have a cousin who's a knucklehead, he'd mess with me or strangers, weird sense of humor, and all-in-all a very good guy. This guy so far seems like the same kinda deal. Body-builder bullshitter. Whatever. Life's too short to waste worrying about the type right? We're out here to have a good time.
I finish tying the anchors. Two of them connected to the same rope (one as a back up). One is tied to a steel eyebolt at the edge of the cliff, the other goes 20ft back to a tree. Once I've set everything up, this guy starts asking stuff like "you sure it's strong enough?" "You check your knots real good?". Yes, I know what I'm doing and I'm putting me and my gf on this rope, I damn well know what I'm doing. I just say "yeah, it's solid."
He mentions how he'd repel down the rope but the last twenty meters would be scary. He's right, you can see most of the way down, but it drops to 100% vertical for the last part, so there isn't a line of sight from the ground to the top of the cliff. He mentions that. (his estimate of distance is off, another black mark)
I was supposed to set up my gf for a repel down the ropes (using the proper equipment, not some bullshit "marine corps repel", of course). Then I'd walk to the base of the cliff to control the ropes to make sure it was a safe descent. There's no way I'm leaving her up here with this guy, though, while I do the 10 minute walk, so I tell her to walk down. After a bit of confusion, she gets the hint, and leaves. I feel a lot better now that it's just me and this guy. Two guys in the woods, I don't have any money or anything, he's kinda friendly, whatever. But no, there's a bad feeling in my gut, and I should have paid more attention to it.
I wait until I figure my gf's at the bottom where I'm about to end up after stalling with this goon for ten minutes at the top. I wait until he gets bored and wanders off. End of the goon. Time to get on with a fun day.
I rap down pretty quickly, meet up with my gf. I told her I wasn't getting good vibes from the guy, and she agreed. She was worried that I liked him because we were chatting. She knows I respect the military, and thought I might have thought he was OK because he said he was in the marines. I explain that I was sizing him up, keeping things cool, and that I don't think he actually has any military service. I explain that he's gone, left down some random trail, and that should be the end of that.
She ties into the rope to make the first climb. I tied in to belay her. Before she starts climbing, I decide I want a view of the top, just in case, and tell my gf that it's so I can watch her for the whole climb (also true). Remember, the bottom section is perfectly vertical and the rest isn't, so no clear view of the whole run or the top from the bottom where we were standing.
By moving over twenty five feet I can see the top. Literally as soon as I get a view I see a red ribbon shoot off the side of the cliff. That was my twenty foot anchor line that had been going across flat ground and wrapped four times around a tree, put into a figure eight, and clipped with a locking caribiner to itself. I see the guy's outline up there, he's back. "Dude, what the heck?!" Leaves my mouth before I process anything else. He looks at me, doesn't say a word. I see him walk by the edge 90 feet up, with the most pissed-off looking face that I've ever seen. Seems I'd ruined his plan or something.
Tell my gf, "Untie. We're out of here." She doesn't get it for a second, "The guy's back, he cut our lines, we're leaving. Untie the rope from yourself."
The great thing is that I have a few minutes until he's able to get down here, unless he wants to grow wings. In the time my gf took to untie, I had everything else at the base tidied up, everything together, ready to roll. Weapon? I have my LM Wave, it fits nicely in my fist. Don't know where it is, no time to look through my pack. I pick up an oval rock that fits real well in my hand, and know exactly what I can do with it.
I really want to keep everything totally cool with my gf. Never been in anything like this with her and I need to make sure she stays really calm. She's wonderful. She knows that something's up and does everything I say quickly and immediately.
The rope is still set up, $300 worth. No time to get it. My only goal is to get my gf to safety. What's that? A 100lb girl in a 3,800 lb car with automatic transmission in drive is pretty safe. That's my goal. Ten minute walk away.
We start walking and walk past this one other small group within a minute. My first reaction is to tell them what happened to us. If they were any other climbers, I would have, without hesitation, but there was something off about them, too. It was a mother, some guy, and a 13 year old free climbing. Who the heck puts a 13 year old on a 100 ft sheer vertical cliff without an OUNCE of safety equipment? Scratch that, he's wearing a harness, just isn't using a rope, doesn't even have one. What the heck? Any legit solo free climber wouldn't be wearing a harness - there's no point.
Never before have I felt so clearly and coldly that everyone is responsible for themselves. My girlfriend is worth a hell of a lot more than the conversation with these morons. We keep going without a word, or maybe just a "hi".
My girlfriend is slow. How can a 100lb runner be so slow walking over some rocks, she's not even carrying anything, doesn't she know we need to get OUT of here? No time for thoughts like that; she's stepping very carefully, rushing, but not in a hurry, that's exactly what she should be doing.
I explain that what we're doing is getting to the car. That if we run into this guy, that she keeps going. Don't stop until the car is running. "This key unlocks the door, turn counterclockwise - left. This is the ignition key." Get ready to drive, then call the police.
By the time we hit the clearing, the guy's already there. He's fifty yards away and I want to keep it like that. Man, he looks PISSED. He looks at us, and I never take my stare off of him. He sees my crude weapon, and couldn't have missed that I meant to use it, if necessary. He picks a bearing, and lurches along in the direction of the parking lot.
I was out rock climbing the other day with my girlfriend. We were top-roping. This is when you walk to the top of the cliff to set up safety anchors that tie the rope to the top. Then both people go to the bottom. The middle of the rope is clipped to the top of the cliff, the person climbing on one end of the rope, and the safety person on the other end belaying.
I was setting up my anchors at the top when I hear a guy walking up to me from behind. This is a really safe, well-frequented area. The guy tries to surprise me from behind and makes some messed up kind of joke about jumping off. He's 6'2" and well built. He's wearing urban clothing in a place mostly full of climbers (right near a big town/small city though, so not 100% out of place). He talks to me for a minute asking if my rope is strong enough for a "marine corps repel". I ask him about this, and he talks about how you use bare hands to go down the rope. Instant bad vibe about this guy, but I don't think he was after anything at this point, and so there was nothing I could point to and say "this is why I don't like him". We're just two guys in the woods, I obviously don't have much money with me, if any. Cool.
My girlfriend is about thirty feet away and he notices her and starts walking over in her direction. She's also at the edge of the cliff, laying down. I get ready to put myself in there if there's a reason to, but I want to be "chill" and there's no reason to over-react right? I should have shouted something to my gf at this point, just to make her aware of what was going on (she was doing her own thing, oblivious to us). I was wrapped up figuring out the situation though, and only got as far as drawing a mental line around her, which if he crossed, I'd shout and assert myself in. I almost wish he crosses that line. He keeps a respectful distance and starts talking to her. Fine. (After this all happened, that line has gotten a hell of a lot further away!)
I keep my eyes on him, but keep working on the anchors. They walk back over to me, and he starts striking up the weirdest conversation I've had. He talks more about how he was in the Marines and is a novice climber. It's obvious he's bullshitting about climbing "Is your rope strong enough for a marine corps repel?" The rope is strong enough for catching a fifty foot fall, it wouldn't notice someone just holding onto it, dumbass. Similar bullshit that doesn't add up.
I'm talking with the guy to size him up. What's his deal? Who is he? I'd ask him to buzz off, but I don't want to make a problem if there isn't one. I have a cousin who's a knucklehead, he'd mess with me or strangers, weird sense of humor, and all-in-all a very good guy. This guy so far seems like the same kinda deal. Body-builder bullshitter. Whatever. Life's too short to waste worrying about the type right? We're out here to have a good time.
I finish tying the anchors. Two of them connected to the same rope (one as a back up). One is tied to a steel eyebolt at the edge of the cliff, the other goes 20ft back to a tree. Once I've set everything up, this guy starts asking stuff like "you sure it's strong enough?" "You check your knots real good?". Yes, I know what I'm doing and I'm putting me and my gf on this rope, I damn well know what I'm doing. I just say "yeah, it's solid."
He mentions how he'd repel down the rope but the last twenty meters would be scary. He's right, you can see most of the way down, but it drops to 100% vertical for the last part, so there isn't a line of sight from the ground to the top of the cliff. He mentions that. (his estimate of distance is off, another black mark)
I was supposed to set up my gf for a repel down the ropes (using the proper equipment, not some bullshit "marine corps repel", of course). Then I'd walk to the base of the cliff to control the ropes to make sure it was a safe descent. There's no way I'm leaving her up here with this guy, though, while I do the 10 minute walk, so I tell her to walk down. After a bit of confusion, she gets the hint, and leaves. I feel a lot better now that it's just me and this guy. Two guys in the woods, I don't have any money or anything, he's kinda friendly, whatever. But no, there's a bad feeling in my gut, and I should have paid more attention to it.
I wait until I figure my gf's at the bottom where I'm about to end up after stalling with this goon for ten minutes at the top. I wait until he gets bored and wanders off. End of the goon. Time to get on with a fun day.
I rap down pretty quickly, meet up with my gf. I told her I wasn't getting good vibes from the guy, and she agreed. She was worried that I liked him because we were chatting. She knows I respect the military, and thought I might have thought he was OK because he said he was in the marines. I explain that I was sizing him up, keeping things cool, and that I don't think he actually has any military service. I explain that he's gone, left down some random trail, and that should be the end of that.
She ties into the rope to make the first climb. I tied in to belay her. Before she starts climbing, I decide I want a view of the top, just in case, and tell my gf that it's so I can watch her for the whole climb (also true). Remember, the bottom section is perfectly vertical and the rest isn't, so no clear view of the whole run or the top from the bottom where we were standing.
By moving over twenty five feet I can see the top. Literally as soon as I get a view I see a red ribbon shoot off the side of the cliff. That was my twenty foot anchor line that had been going across flat ground and wrapped four times around a tree, put into a figure eight, and clipped with a locking caribiner to itself. I see the guy's outline up there, he's back. "Dude, what the heck?!" Leaves my mouth before I process anything else. He looks at me, doesn't say a word. I see him walk by the edge 90 feet up, with the most pissed-off looking face that I've ever seen. Seems I'd ruined his plan or something.
Tell my gf, "Untie. We're out of here." She doesn't get it for a second, "The guy's back, he cut our lines, we're leaving. Untie the rope from yourself."
The great thing is that I have a few minutes until he's able to get down here, unless he wants to grow wings. In the time my gf took to untie, I had everything else at the base tidied up, everything together, ready to roll. Weapon? I have my LM Wave, it fits nicely in my fist. Don't know where it is, no time to look through my pack. I pick up an oval rock that fits real well in my hand, and know exactly what I can do with it.
I really want to keep everything totally cool with my gf. Never been in anything like this with her and I need to make sure she stays really calm. She's wonderful. She knows that something's up and does everything I say quickly and immediately.
The rope is still set up, $300 worth. No time to get it. My only goal is to get my gf to safety. What's that? A 100lb girl in a 3,800 lb car with automatic transmission in drive is pretty safe. That's my goal. Ten minute walk away.
We start walking and walk past this one other small group within a minute. My first reaction is to tell them what happened to us. If they were any other climbers, I would have, without hesitation, but there was something off about them, too. It was a mother, some guy, and a 13 year old free climbing. Who the heck puts a 13 year old on a 100 ft sheer vertical cliff without an OUNCE of safety equipment? Scratch that, he's wearing a harness, just isn't using a rope, doesn't even have one. What the heck? Any legit solo free climber wouldn't be wearing a harness - there's no point.
Never before have I felt so clearly and coldly that everyone is responsible for themselves. My girlfriend is worth a hell of a lot more than the conversation with these morons. We keep going without a word, or maybe just a "hi".
My girlfriend is slow. How can a 100lb runner be so slow walking over some rocks, she's not even carrying anything, doesn't she know we need to get OUT of here? No time for thoughts like that; she's stepping very carefully, rushing, but not in a hurry, that's exactly what she should be doing.
I explain that what we're doing is getting to the car. That if we run into this guy, that she keeps going. Don't stop until the car is running. "This key unlocks the door, turn counterclockwise - left. This is the ignition key." Get ready to drive, then call the police.
By the time we hit the clearing, the guy's already there. He's fifty yards away and I want to keep it like that. Man, he looks PISSED. He looks at us, and I never take my stare off of him. He sees my crude weapon, and couldn't have missed that I meant to use it, if necessary. He picks a bearing, and lurches along in the direction of the parking lot.
Last edited by a moderator:
