Hiker Missing on Blood Mountain

“This is sad, but the fact that it happened to a hiker is a sidenote.

This type of thing occurs at the mall, in parking lots, at rest areas...etc.


I feel safer on the trail than I do at the mall parking lot at Christmas.”

“You got it, Chili.”

“I understand chili.. and you are right.. people come up missing every day.. I don't know -- this one affects me emotionally. I've always believed that everyone on the trail is not like the rest of the world.”

“Damn. I hate reading stories like this.”

“chili is right, this one just hits home because it is like having incident occurr in your neighborhood park. Murder is tragic in all cases.

The trail is still a safe place.”

“What a story dayhiker and nightlight! Nice happy ending.

Not a happy ending for Merideth tho, I hope her body is found quickly, for the sake of her tortured family.

And you all damnwell know if this guy killed all 3 of those ppl (or worse than "just killed"), he will NOT get a decent punishment here in the USuvA.... Perhaps the saddest part of all this woeful tale.”

“naked ape... from the work that I do in the prisons... I suspect that unless he is put in seg his life expectancy is somewhat less than five years. I suspect he is a goner if he is convicted.”

“No I'm afraid you'd be wrong rev. From what I've seen only child killers and rapers have limited life expectancies in prison populations. The old couple and the pretty woman won't be much uva prollem, regardless what he's done to them, to his inmates.”

“Perhaps we are looking at this from a different perspective. But I will not start an argument there. He hasn't even been tried yet, except by the court of public opinion.”

“The trail is a safer place if the women hikers carry handguns.”

“This is so terribly sad, and chilling. My prayers go out to the girl's family & friends.

Just carrying a handgun and knowing how to shoot it won't protect you, unless you're well-trained in the use of a handgun for self defense and know how to prevent yourself from being disarmed. It's better not to carry a gun until after you've had training & enough practice handling it to be confident in its use.”

“To rev, bob, and Bess: I her'dat!”

“The trail is a safer place if the women hikers carry handguns.”
idaho bob

How about the mall, church, workplace, streets and anywhere else we go? Women die in those placed too every day. Just turn on the news or open the newspaper and you can read all about it. Would those places be safer for women too if they carried handguns?

To live in constant fear is not to live a full life.
last edited: 1/07/08 11:33:47 AM”

“There is not any need in living in fear. We all should just be prepared to take action as and when needed. We all should carry a handgun of our choice and be eager to shoot down the no good for nothing human scum that is allowed to flourish in this country.”

“The arms debate needs to stop. The suspiscion needs to stop. This is an isolated incident, hence the widespread coverage.

This air of suspicion permeates every other aspect of society. The backcountry is one of the last remaining edens wheremongst we can find peace - hence the reason we go there.

We need to look out for one another out there, and not suspect that those we encounter might be another Hilton.

One a canoe trip in the early eighties, my bud and I offered two female rafters the opportunity to share our camp one night for their peace of mind. We had been leapfrogging with them that day, and had developed a friendly repore(?). They politely declined.

Next morning, Keith and I got underway, and discovered they had camped on the same bank around the first bend - only a hundred yards away from our camp, and within easy ear shot. Appearantly, they had taken us up on our offer without us knowing.

That was a smart move on their part. I think they wanted to believe we were trustworthy, yet opted to not take that chance except under last resort like curcumstances.

I have camped numerous times just to be close enough to others in the event of overnight emergencies, ie, bear attack, intruders, Kleetn appearance, etc, without their necessarily knowing.

Joshing, there, Kleetyface :)”

“Just carrying a handgun and knowing how to shoot it won't protect you, unless you're well-trained in the use of a handgun for self defense and know how to prevent yourself from being disarmed. It's better not to carry a gun until after you've had training & enough practice handling it to be confident in its use.”
I have a permit, I have a hand gun and have had it at the shooting range, I have taken speciality training through the police dept and I'm still not real confident about carrying it on the trail.”

“I meet hikers on the trail that I know are armed. Rarely do I see a gun in a shoulder or hip holster. If the gun is not immediately accesible it is probably useless in random confrontations. Common sense precautions and planning are probably the best defense.”

“rev - interesting stat about the 5 years. Is that a common number based on people of that age being incarcirated?”

“I'm still not real confident about carrying it on the trail.”
~windigrrl

Common sense precautions and planning are probably the best defense.”
~HillbillyHkr

Exactly.

You folks start filling the backcountry, and you are much much much more likely to shoot yourself, someone in your own party, or me making a night deposit after one of my Ramen and lizard suppers than you are in the highly highly highly unlikely event that you are assaulted, etc.

Just a few years years ago, a Blood Mountain hiker was shot by a hunter while taking an early morning pee.
A gut shot at that...
last edited: 1/07/08 12:00:51 PM”

“How sad for Meredith and her friends and family. It's such a bummer to hear these stories.

I've had a bad experience w/ creepy men in the backcountry when it was just a girlfriend and me camping out along a river during a canoe-trip. I slept (well, stayed in my tent, wide awake, all night) w/ a knife in my hand I've never been on a solo hike since that. And, I likely never will. It shook me enough to make me want to have the company of others, preferably at least one male. Sad but true.”

“the number is pretty much off the top of my head. But nut cases don't do well in stir. This guy, if convicted, is a real nut case. In my opinion... he's gone. If not by his own hand.. then by another. I am absolutely speculating, but I strongly suspect this guy if convicted will be seen as a rapist and child offender, nut case. I do suspect he is a goner. Unless he is put in seg for his own protection. And it won't be pretty.”

“CreekDancer nailed it.

If women have to go armed in EVERY segment of society, we have reached the end of time on this planet.

What happened in this case is not new...not novel....and it wasn't the only case to happen during this time period.

It happened on the trail, so we automatically want to assume it is a "trail" issue.

It is a society issue and it isn't new folks.”

“There have been plenty of times that a woman has defended herself with the use of a gun. Men have been abusing women for a very long time. Its nothing new, why trust someone who is not trustworthy. Kill them.”

“Just a comment relative to firearms. My wife was mildly accosted on the street many years back. When we consulted with police and self-defense people they told us to be very careful about firearms as they are the major cause of death to people who carry and use them _unless_ they are very proficient with their use and completely unconcerned about their ability and willingness to kill someone.

The statistics indicated then that a firearm in the hads of anyone who did not meet those qualifications was more likely to be taken away from the individual and used against them. I would never carry a firearm for that reason. Nor would my wife. I grant this was many years ago but I doubt the issue has changed much. I could not shoot someone to kill them even if my own life was in danger. I simply could not do it. DISCLAIMER: That last statement is an entirely personal statement having relevance and application to absolutely no one else.”

“Creek Dancer is right.

Hiking with at least one buddy, male or female, is a better idea than having everyone armed on the trail.

Careful who you shoot, killer.”

“I've always been one to not let a single incidence change a big picture issue, ie, this one incident should not change my behavior with hiking. chili's examples are true, this is getting play because it'a hiking thing. Statistically, this happens far more often in a mall setting. Those qualifications aside, it does make me think a bit more deeply when I go with my kids. One adult and 1 or 2 kids would be the same type of situation. I don't know if it will change my behavior, but it does give me pause.

rev - interesting about the guns. Also, I admire your prison ministry.”

“No new news?”

“This pretty much sums up the day. Nothing really new. I read on WB that the Florida authorities are interested in this case because they have an unsolved murder of a woman that was hiking on a trail down there.

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=5401449&version=43&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.1”

“Sounds like shady characters are not so unusual at certain trailheads, maybe due to proximity to where a lot of low lifes live. I would say for females not to go solo hiking at all, to always avoid known trailheads where shady people are not so unusual, hike with a male or two, and if you feel like it, carry a handgun.

In this case, it could not have hurt. I think the statistics are pretty much unreported about how often the shady character sees a handgun, and backs off.

Chances are a shady character would not jump a victim instantly, but would scope her out a bit before jumping her, and the victim should be scoping him out also, and if need be taking the pack off, putting the handgun on the belt or pocket within easy reach, and hiking with her hand on it until she felt safe.

Worst case, she is surprised and the shadoid takes the gun away from her and kills her. In this case that result is no worse than what happened to her.

Best case, the shadoid sees the handgun and decides to find an easier target, no shots fired. Plus instead of spending the night holding a Swiss Army knife, you can spend the night awake holding a handgun, but knowing you are not going to die without a fight.

Most trailheads and most hiking areas in the West have an extremely low risk of problems, but not all of them. Call me crazy, but I'm sticking to that theory. My wife works for the police department, and she doesn't advocate women carry a handgun, except for in the conditions listed in the earlier posts. Its a personal choice.”

“I am willing to bet the defense argument for this guy gets pretty complicated and somewhat unbelievable. And in no way am I supporting him. But I can tell you from experience that some, not all by any means, of people who kill do so at the demand of an "irresistible" impulse. Unless you have worked with the psychotic you may not have a good handle on what that looks like. Absolutely normal, friendly, cordial although often somewhat lacking in the social graces on minute. Crazed lunatic bent on destruction and vengeance the next. Is this the case here? I have no idea. But there is tremendous precedence in the history of serial killers to establish the pattern.”

“my bet its one of the two....
psychopath....antisocial personality disorder

either way..hope he gets whats coming to him.”

“GNM.. not to be picky. It is my understanding that psychotic is a third possibility. I believe there is a difference in the manifestation of the three. The psychotics I have known were neither psychopaths nor sociopaths. Not that it changes anything.”

“in my experience I'd put my money of psychopath. time will tell..and you're right..it changes nothing.”

“I bet that he gets not guilty by reason of insanity and then spend the rest of his life in a mental ward.”

“http://www.wsbtv.com/news/14995289/detail.html

Yup, his attorney is expect to enter a plea of insanity.”

“I don't know about GA but in many state the insanity defense is next to impossible to win. If it based on an abused childhood my guess is he can kiss it off. People are tired of that one.”

“not too impossible to win in NC this week
http://wral.com/news/local/story/2248036/”

“figures it was a judge and not a jury.... But interesting it was ruled on the basis of psychotic and not psychopathic. new twist....
last edited: 1/07/08 5:14:23 PM”

“a psychopath doesn't have delusions...this guy was clearly delusional on a grand scale.

I've about decided I have more sympathy for a psychotic than a psychopath.”

“Awwwww. Thank you!”

“Agreed GNM.. which frankly for means that the genral prison population is not the best placement for them... not that they take a walk. I think the whole insanity defense should redefined- guilty but not criminally responsible. Get them a treatment facility, not a warehouse.
last edited: 1/07/08 5:31:57 PM”

“LMAO at YOU nc....you little psychotic you!

the genral prison population is not the best placement for them
for a psychotic I don't think so either...so NC only the mental ward for you buddy.”

“Her body has been found.
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/gwinnett/stories/2008/01/07/missing_0108_web2.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab”

“Thank Goodness. As a parent it would be absolutely terrible, I can't even imagine how bad...but even worse not to have your child back at all.”

“The fact that found the body is one small blessing.”

“Sad. Very sad.”

“Condolences to her family and friends.

A sad day for all backpackers/hikers and outdoors people.

I hope the $#^%!@&^ killer fries!!!”

“This story really makes me sick, and I am not just saying it, but I actually get a knot in my stomach every time I read about it. I just don't know how anyone can do anything so bad to another person for no reason.”

“When someone commits a murder, I don't care what their reason was or what mental illness they have, they should also die.”