Earlier today as I was leaving my work in Salt Creek on the South end of the Nebo Loop, I noticed an older gentleman walking his dog along the side of the road, not too far from his truck and trailer where he was camped alone. I decided to pull over and ask if there was anything I could help with or anything I should be aware of.
The gentleman then told me about an encounter he had earlier this morning with some rock climbers. Apparently this group of 4 or 5 young men, who were in their early 20's, had chosen to climb the rock wall that was immediately outside of this gentleman's camper door. While I could see the appeal of this particular rock wall, there was irony in the fact that the climbers should choose to recreate in the only occupied section of the canyon. As this old Vet put it so well, "If I had wanted to have other folks in my camp, I woulda invited Hank, Vern, Al and Bob to come along."
Having kindly asked the group to reconsider their chosen climbing spot, this old timer was met with attitude and hostility rather than the consideration he had hoped for. The climbers did chose to leave the area but not without glaring the man down as they pulled away. For this reason, the old Man was fearful of leaving his camper unattended to go for more supplies. After some conversation, I discovered that this man had once been in military service (where he gained skill with ropes and repelling), had volunteered his time with land management agencies to treat noxious weeds, and had been a volunteer campground host at one point.
Here was a man who had simply gone camping to get away from noise and to free his mind, only to have the exact opposite happen thanks to a group of inconsiderate young guys. I offered my apologies on behalf of the climbers and suggested ways he may deal with similar encounters in the future. He apologized for having taken up my time and we went our ways.
My point in sharing this encounter is to remind people to be considerate of other people using the Forest and to teach your children to do so as well. I have personally had experiences very similar to this one and continuously see user conflict year after year. Be an advocate for your user group and an advocate for good people in general. Be a good neighbor and put yourself in the other persons shoes. If civil discussion doesn't work, know that you can contact local law enforcement, whether it be a Forest Service LEO or the County Sheriff.
http://lnt.org/programs/principles_7.php
