Stranger in the woods

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This reminds me of a time I was on a trail with GF near Boulder. We were having a nice hike, about 5-6 miles in when we hear quick little footsteps. Around the bend of the trail comes some middled-aged shirtless man and goes onto jog right by us. Weird thing is we're pretty far into the trail and hadn't run into anyone the entire time and seriously it seemed as though the guy came out of nowhere.

Well, he proceeds to dissappear around the corner. We come to it and it was a straightaway and there wasn't any sign of the guy. I don't think he could've covered 75m or so in less than 6ish seconds. We thought that was kinda weird so looked at the trail (composed of sand and small aggregate) and there wasn't any fresh tracks or anything.

It gets a little weirder because we ran across a group of mountain bikers about 10min further down the trail and we asked them if they'd seen anyone come up before us. They hadn't seen anyone and they'd been there for about half an hour.

We both knda got a creepy feeling and I was really glad I was OC'ing that day. We still kid around about the 'ghost runner' for a few laughs nowadays.
 
The truth is most of us can decipher what does and doesn't belong in the environment we are comfortable in. Like the ghost runner or someone dressed in clothes that don't fit the situation it brings up a sense of awareness and helps to tell if somebody is on the level or not.
 
The guy was hinky. Putting LE onto him was not wrong.
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Ah, but there is the rub. From a personal safety standpoint, why would you give transportation to a guy you think is hinky and who may need attention from the cops?

I honestly would have patted him down
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Under what authority?

I dunno about you, but if some random person I come across in the woods tries to pat me down without showing police credentials, they'll be shown in short order why that's not going to happen.
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It would be under the authority of the guy who wants the ride. I see nothing wrong with telling the guy that if he wants to ride, that he has to first be pat down. If he declines, then he doesn't ride. No badge is necessary.
 
Been in jams before. I'm willing to help out others who find themselves in one. The fellow the OP described wasn't just some guy in a jam, though. His story didn't add up. Being willing to help doesn't mean deliberately put yourself in a situation that feels wrong.
 
I guess it depends on where you live.

I would have done everything about the same, especially calling the police.

The police do help people, you know? They are still capable of protecting and serving.
 
Years ago I was hiking/camping in a beautiful area of Tennessee called Big South Fork. The girl I was dating did not like handguns. It took about a day and a half to get where we were going. At about the end of the first day a guy appeared out of nowhere in front of us. Mind you we were way back in the woods. No houses, roads, or anything like that where we were at. The guy looked like he hadn't seen a bar of soap in years. He had on a green trenchcoat, heavy beard, and nothing else. No camping equipment. Just didn't make any sesne him being out there. Actually kind of looked like Charles Manson.
So as casually as I could I placed my hand on my G30 Glock. He started asking us where we were camping and other questions that just made the whole thing creepier. Anyways we left him standing there. That night after we made camp and we were ready to sack out we got in our sleeping bags.
After we put the lights out we lay quiet for a moment. She said "David do you have your gun"? Now normally it made her really nervous when I carried. So I expected her to start her whole anti-gun banter. Instead she said "after running into that guy way out here I'm really glad you've got your gun". That night she lost her aversions to handguns. Finding a person in the middle of nowhere without camping gear or any apparent means of keeping themselves warm and fed is really weird,
 
Once upon a time, I was having some minor car trouble and was looking under my car. I got tons of grimaces from people driving by who apperantly thought I was up to no good. Yes, I was wearing a sweatshirt and a beat up leather jacket - it was 35 degrees outside. Yes, I was wearing really short shorts and had sweat and mud on my face and I looked like I had just ran through the jungle - this was completely natural because I had just finished running in a 12k cross country race.

My point is, there may be more than one reason way someone does not fit the picture of what looks right. If you decide to give a guy ride, thats awesome. Its even more awesome if you have a plan you can fall back to if things go south.

Personally, I think you did the right thing, and I;m glad to see that not all of the good guys would always assume the worst.
 
My man/sense was jingling but I would have done what you did. Well done! (I would say spider sense, but that would give away my secret!)
 
if a guy said he was in the woods hunting, not wearing camo, no hunting rifle/shotgun, and generally not looking like he belonged in the area i don't believe i would have given him a ride. not saying the op was wrong for what he did, i think he acted as a good samritan. personally i would have tried to help him contact a ride, gave him some smokes and told him the best way to get back to the road, and honestly i would have felt a little guilty about not giving the guy a ride (but i'd get over it pretty quick). i'd rather have a moment of guilt than a moment of regret.
 
he didn't have any weapons that I could see
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Except a walking stick! :what:

I grab one when I hike through the woods even if I am armed with a pistol. It is probably a better weapon against things like snakes, rabid small game, or a pack of dogs and maybe even humans since it doesn't have to be unholstered to use.
 
i still pu hitch hikers sometimes. never when the kids are with me. and preferably when i have someone else with me hiker rides in front with my friend behind him.
 
Did I do the right thing by giving him a ride to the hard road and then calling the sheriff?
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You did good. If he was just a fella down on his luck that day you gave him a ride to the main road and it won't hurt a bit for him to chat with the sheriff. If he was another Ted Bundy type and thought you may have been a bit too much for him to take on, calling the Sheriff may have saved some lives.

Good call either way
 
Just remember that the next time it's you that is in a jamb.
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Been in jams before. I'm willing to help out others who find themselves in one. The fellow the OP described wasn't just some guy in a jam, though. His story didn't add up. Being willing to help doesn't mean deliberately put yourself in a situation that feels wrong.
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Ding Ding Ding!

From a personal safety standpoint, it simply does not make sense by helping out a guy, intentionally keeping him in close proximity to you, aiding him, all because you want to be helpful, and then call the cops on him because you think he may be a bad guy. Why they hell are you helping out a person you think may be a bad guy? If you think he is hinky, call the cops on him. If he checks out, THEN give him a ride.

If he was another Ted Bundy type and thought you may have been a bit too much for him to take on, calling the Sheriff may have saved some lives.
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If you think he might have been another Ted Bundy, then it would be a very bad idea to give him a ride.

If he was just a fella down on his luck that day you gave him a ride to the main road and it won't hurt a bit for him to chat with the sheriff.
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right to call the cops (if he's done nothing wrong, he's got nothing to hide or fear)
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I know we have all been quite supportive of citizens who have called the police on a person they spotted legally carrying a gun. After all, if the person hasn't done anything wrong, then the person has nothing to fear, right? We applaud said citizens for calling the cops. It won't hurt a bit for a law abiding gun carrier to have a chat with the cops. It isn't like the stop will cause any problem for the person being stopped, right? The cops would never hassle a person unnecessarily. I am sure the cops would never detain a person unnecessarily. :rolleyes:
 
Right or wrong we judge people by first impressions. I have raised my kids to keep themselves up in appearance and to at least wonder why or what causes others to not do the same. Many times it is an indicator to give them some room and stay away, that first impression also goes to who you give aid to. It may not always work but to me the same rules in finding a job go along with finding help.
Exceptions exist on both sides as Bundy proved and I'm sure there are very good people who are down on their luck but you have to begin evaluating someplace.
As far as calling the cops after helping, who knows that something along the way may have triggered more suspicion in the OP's view of the guy.
 
In my short life I've been that sketchy looking guy hitch hiking across the country. I almost always pick up hitch hikers and most of them aren't just in a jamb, they're in a life full of jambs. Drunks, drug addicts and crazies. Probably 75% of them have given me the creeps.

I was raised to help other people. Every time I do it I recognize that I'm taking a risk. Life is full of risks and I've been thankful that other people have, at times, taken a risk with me and helped me out when I need it. I have not once been a victim. I arm myself and remain alert so that I don't become a victim.

Calling in LE? I'd say they normally do more harm then good. Now if after the ride you believed he was dangerous then the LE was a good idea.
 
Just a thought, but perhaps the guy who was given a ride was also taking a risk with a stranger, and was in a jam that made it necessary, after all he didn't know the original poster, and the original poster was armed!

My truck got stuck on a fishing trip once, and I had to hike out 8 miles to a phone on an autumn day. A ride would have been nice.

It's right to be cautious, but it's also right to be human.
 
Under what authority?
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Under the authority that it's my truck, and if you want to ride in it, you can consent to my search, or, not have a ride. In non-inclement weather a ride is a luxury and my safety is paramount, so if you want the luxury of riding with me so you don't have to hump it out on foot my safety requirements have to be met first, it's as simple as that.

I am typically leery of people I encounter in the woods that don't have any gear on them. Gear can be as simple as a good coat, a sleeping bag or or a tent. If they look like they don't belong I generally avoid them.

Of course, most of the time these days I am on my own property in the woods and if I encounter someone there they better have a damn good reason for being there. I have no trespassing & no hunting signs posted.
 
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Loyalist Dave, these are the exemplary words of a man worthy of his oath and his uniform:

"If he's just a bit eccentric and out for a really long walk, talking to the guy is also part of the LE job; as a LE officer I work for all the residents, even the eccentric ones..., and you never know when the local eccentric will turn out to be your best resource for information when something bad happens..., he would probably notice more out-of-place stuff than 100 of the average folks out there."
 
I would never put myself in the position of being frisked by someone who offered to give me a ride. Spread my legs against the side of a truck and let some stranger rub me up and down? Now that's putting yourself in a dangerous situation.
 
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