Читать книгу Backpacking Washington - Craig Romano - Страница 28

Sadly, the topic of trailhead and trail crime must be addressed. While violent crime is extremely rare, unfortunately theft and car prowls are far too common at many trailheads. Our trails, however, are fairly safe places—far safer than most city streets. But common sense and vigilance are still in order. Be aware of your surroundings at all times. Leave your itinerary with someone back home. If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. Take action by leaving the place or situation immediately.

MY BACKPACKING MASTER LIST

Pack light and enjoy the hike, pack heavy and enjoy the night. I fall in the middle, using ultralight gear while carrying a few comfort items (marked in italics).

•Pack and cover

•Tent and footprint

•Sleeping bag and pad

•Headlamp and batteries

•Foam pad

•Collapsible water bucket

•Stove and fuel

•Cooking gear

•Spork and titanium coffee/soup mug

•Matches

•Food bag and food

•Boots and extra socks

•Shorts, briefs, and long pants

•Thermal shirt

•Short- and long-sleeve shirts

•Fleece vest

•Rain jacket, pants

•Puffy jacket

•Cap and sunglasses

•Gloves

•Camp shoes

•Bandanna or buff

•Maps and GPS unit

•Notebook and pens

•Safety pins

•Resealable plastic bags

•Rope

•Jackknife

•Collapsible water bottles

•Collapsible wine bag

•Duct tape

•Trekking poles

•First-aid kit

•Toiletries

•Toilet paper and hand sanitizer

•Magazine/book

•Sunscreen

•Bug spray

•Water purifier

•Washcloth and towel

•Camera

•Solar lantern

Sadly, car break-ins occur regularly at some of our trailheads, particularly those along the Mountain Loop Highway, where extreme vigilance must be exercised. Absolutely do not leave anything of value or that may appear valuable in your vehicle while out hiking. Take your wallet and cell phone with you. Consider taking your registration with you too. A duffel bag on the back seat may contain dirty T-shirts, but a thief may think there’s a laptop in it. Save yourself the hassle of returning to a busted window by not giving criminals a reason to clout your car.

If you arrive at a trailhead and someone looks suspicious, don’t discount your intuition. Take notes about the person and his or her vehicle. Record the license plate and report the behavior to the authorities. Do not confront the person. Leave and go to another trail.

While most car break-ins are crimes of opportunity, organized gangs intent on stealing IDs have also been known to target parked cars at trailheads. While some trailheads are regularly targeted, and others rarely if at all, there’s no sure way of preventing this from happening to you other than getting dropped off at the trailhead or taking the bus (rarely an option either way). But you can make your car less of a target by not leaving anything of value in it. And contact your government officials to demand that law enforcement be a priority on our public lands. We taxpayers have a right to recreate safely in our parks and forests.

Sunset at Aurora Lake in Klapatche Park (Trip 29)