Horror on the Appalachian Trail

all right so I'm back in Duncannon Pennsylvania just kind of across the river from Harrisburg PA and uh this is the parking lot for the Hawk Hawk Rock overlook and a car and uh it's also Appalachian Trail access here in Duncannon Pennsylvania I've been here before I've been up to Hawk Rock before and uh there was a place down that way called the Duncannon stack they looked forward to one time but this time we try to get the two places I don't know there's another overlook up here called Cove mountain overlook but today it's pretty foggy so I'm not sure if we'll do that or not I was gonna do that first but uh I don't think so I think the first place we're gonna go to is we're gonna check out the The Cove mountain shelter back this way I used to be called the film of marks shelter I got shot they replaced it with the cove mountain shelter but we'll talk more about that when we get on to the trail up there look the gate is open to enter side probably I could have driven further down taking a trail up but I think I'm gonna just do some hiking today haven't been out hiking for a while it's just been pretty hectic been working a lot more extra and stuff so I think I'd go out get my legs and exercise so I will warn you that this video is not going to the subject batteries it can be really a pleasant topic so but it's one that it's good to talk about as well so for different reasons so we will we'll talk about that as I usually do we'll talk about that on our hike and when we get to the actual spot so right I'm gonna start heading up the treads access trail up to Hawk Rock in the Appalachian Trail like I mentioned so okay yeah get all moving and just like that we hook up with the actual Appalachian Trail so keep on going very misty morning here just stopping for a moment to catch my breath but you can see the movie sort of a view down there but the very foggy that's where he came from kind of a mostly uphill Trek this part like I said will be heading to hawk Rock overlook first once I get up there I'll start to tell you a little more about this story before we continue on what's her past talk Rock the trail gets a little easier I'll just walk along the ridgeline but we're still making our way up the mouth at this point so let's keep going it's like we're hiking in the clouds I guess we literally are cuz that's what fog is a cloud so we are hiking in the clouds and here is what Hawk Rock looks like today absolutely no view just standing up in a cloud literally but normally you would see another mountain over there and trees it's actually a river down there but uh not today so I think I might show you a clip of what this usually doesn't look like anyway we're not here for the Overlook it's like I said this is not a pleasant story I'm gonna start to store here and in a little bit I'm going to continue to make my way on to where - the shelter where I'm headed - this is a story about two people Molly and Jeff like 25 and 26 years old they were and they were hiking the Appalachian Trail I think they started in Maine and we're making their way down to Georgia South bounders and uh back in this happened back in 1990 so almost 30 years ago so I think it was July to check my notes but it was July 13th 1990 that they're staying that well what was then called the Thelma marks trailer which is about four miles from Duncannon where I parked and they were they were murdered in their sleep well there's more details than that but uh you know maybe in the early early early morning hours you know like 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning maybe by a by what articles just referred to as a drifter I'm not gonna mention his name I don't think the criminals names always should be mentioned I think the people that should be remembered in you know with crimes like this are the victims and not the person who committed it I like it myself with trouble but I think that's kind of problem sometimes with some of the crime that goes on these days with I gotta be careful what I say with there's a lot of certain things happening these days that you hear about in the news almost all the time I think the problem is you know why do people commit those crimes it's because you know they end up with their name and their picture you know plastered all over the media they get all kinds of attention it's almost like you know you're going out with a bang or something I don't know anyway I'll go off a tangent there so but uh yeah they were murdered here almost 30 years ago and we'll talk more about what happened as I'm at the shelter site I'll try to keep this as your PG as possible for different reasons about what happened to them and stuff like I said we'll talk about issues that are relevant to that today for people who are hiking today because a lot of people asking about safety issues when you're on the trail and stuff so we'll try address some of those issues as well but I just got making my way to the top of the ridge here and then maybe about a mile a mile or two to the shelter the shelter that they were murdered in is no longer there that's called the Thelma marks trailer they tore that one down thinking back in the year 2000 or something like that and they built another one right in the area which is out it's called The Cove Mountain shelter for obvious reasons for different reasons too so that gives you a little taste what we're gonna talk about I'm gonna continue on the 80 and make my way over to the other shelter the relevance of this topic was just demonstrated to me just a few moments ago - as I was sitting here looking at the overlooked uh a young lady came hiking up to look at the Overlook - and we kind of joked a little bit about what what great of view it was but she was a younger you know college aged girl and here she comes up trail here's this guy sitting up here you know what's going through her mind as far as safety issues you know you know it could be dangerous for you know young woman to be walking around like that you know Here I am I could be some kind of a you know I could be some kind of a horrible person I'm not I'm not a murderer but you know it was funny because making this video about what happened that the horrible thing that happened and about the safety issues about being out you're hiking that here comes someone up hiking like that you know if not that she wasn't doing anything wrong I'm just saying but it's a I just had to wonder what was going through her mind as she popped up the lip of the trail here and saw just guy standing up here - you know here she be alone with him you know what kind of guy am i you know what's going through her mind so this is a relevant issue so anyway okay yappin and start making a way to that trailer here's one more last view of view of this awesome view at Hawk Rock or not so awesome view huh alright we're on top of the ridge now it should be an easy about maybe a mile and a half hike to the shelter no we're going uphill and stuff so it's kind of a appropriate day for a video like this too with all the fog and kind of the glue eNOS because the story is kind of gloomy too so kind of matches the mood all I do like hiking on days like this there's just something about this we called the ambience of this kind of foggy conditions I've been hiking for like well over a mile now trying to keep my eyes open a bit more for signs for the shelter now should be coming up within a reasonable amount of time here but it is I think it's just getting even foggy or fog here up here kinda nice weather just very quiet and still this spooky fog all right so we finally come up on the sign for the shelter there's a little blue blaze trail that would take us to the shelter but there's a neat little spot here - looks like people just camp out right here little fire pit right there kind of a neat little overhang right here - hello nooks and crannies to explore over there but that's not what we're here for today so let's go let's go ahead walk down to the fish shelter down here and we'll talk more about what happened and about you know some things that you can do about safety as your for yourself as well okay I think I see it down there in the woods it was quite a bit further down the trail I expected we came all kind of down the mountain a little ways but I do believe I see it down there through the fog so we're almost there right here it is kind of shrouded in the fog Cove Mountain shelter here's what looks like from the other side cuz they have you can sleep an air just play a bunk area at the top you can sleep up top second floor if you're not familiar with these shelters they have these these are because this is the Appalachian Trail so they have these roughly you know a day apart from each other so you know you can use these as you're hiking obviously on the trail so if you plan things depending on your plan your hike you could spend every night and one of these trailers maybe trailer shelters I mean that trailers alright cozy little spot this one does have bunk beds in it even that's kind of cool I've never seen one with bunk beds in it before cool caution shelter steps shelter stairs have been removed maintainer czar trying to convince local porcupines to party in the woods not in the shelter so I guess they're trying to keep porcupines from eating the shelter here but you can suck it up in here I'll even have stuff looks like someone's sleeping bag and whoops not focusing there we go some people let their stuff up here right kind of cozy of course that's not why we're here we're here about the what happened besides I had mentioned this is not the shelter where the where those horrible crimes were committed the other shelter the Selma marks trailer was somewhere think down from here a little bit I'm not sure if there's a flat area over there but they I think it's back and maybe around the year 2000 that they built this one and then toward the other one down the other one was falling apart and mice were living in it plus there was the memory of what happened people didn't really want to stay in that shelter so they tore that one down and burned it actually and uh after they had built this one so I'm not sure where that exact spot was and I don't really need to know where that exact spot was it's probably kind of grown up now it's been like 20 years ago so as I said this happened in back in 1990 I think I got the date wrong I just checked my notes it was September 13th not July 13th I did bring some notes alongside double-check like I said except it wasn't in this shelter but the other one that was no longer here but they were you know I guess hiking and a that drifter came along like it was in the early morning hours so they were asleep they were fast asleep when he came upon them and of course you understand too that he had plenty of time to plan out or what he was gonna do you know he came up on them I think he saw there was you know man and a woman and you know he had time to think about what he wanted to do I think he had you know he had plans for the woman he had to get rid of the guy so but you know they were completely unsuspecting of what was gonna happen and that's not absolutely nothing against them you're sleeping you just doesn't matter what you have or how prepared you are if you're sleeping you know someone like that comes along what can you do well but he he shot the guy in the back of the head he had a pistol let dispatch the guy and then um of course I'm not gonna go into detail but he tied the woman up and did things to her and then killed her afterwards as well and I don't I forget it didn't take too long for people to find the bodies because people use these shelters all the time for the Appalachian Trail they were able to find him because you know he had hitchhiked up to this area and people remembered that and told the police and stuff so you know it kind of scars the hiking community when something like that happens because it takes away your security you know something like that happens you think oh you know something like that huh what something like that happens to me out here and if it's something to to consider if you go out hiking a lot I know one time they consider naming this new shelter after the victims but the parents didn't want that and I can understand it as well even to this day there are people who will not stay at this shelter just because of the memory of what happened here someone just done Canada's only four miles away and there's like a hotel I forgot it's called that a lot of hike it's like a hiker a hiker Hotel a lot of them stay I'll just continue the four miles in town rather than staying here I think there's a lot of hikers that yeah this was 30 years ago so a lot of hikers have forgotten about it don't know about it but there's plenty that still do it's part of the lore of the Appalachian Trail you know what happened here so I want to I thought about including this into my my haunted series of penciling but this place is really haunted just kind of the memory of this place is haunted and what happened here all right the moment I got talk a little bit about you know what we or you could do about you know situations like this how could you you know how can you avoid something like this happening to you and in some ways you can't just be honest but I know one question I often get asked is do you carry a gun with you when you go hiking and the answer to that is no I don't I've considered it I've talked to other youtubers and other hikers about it and you know there's different thoughts and concerns about that it's the very least I've considered getting some pepper spray recently just because you never know it's not just like I'm not I'm not afraid of animals out here in the woods people ask me how bears and snakes and stuff those things don't really bother me bear attacks in Pennsylvania are pretty rare I'd be but I'd be more worried about people maybe like dogs or something but most dogs they meet on the trail pretty friendly we go every what smile you encounter a dog that isn't with somebody and those can be kind of dangerous sometimes so and you know there are times I'm hiking when I do come across someone else's a trail that just gives off bad a bad vibe or a bad are and I'm like you know I don't know about that person but I just keep walking they they leave me alone of course you know a lot of times you know depending on these these people that attack other people out on the trail you know they they're looking for certain people to attack as well you know I don't always fit what they're looking for you know they're looking for someone that's easy an easy target you know a lot of times that depends on your gender and your age and other things that they're looking for when they attack you actually feel safer out here in the woods than I do like in town but there's pros and cons to that because you know there's more more crime happens in town because there's more people in town you know if you if you're looking to mug people and steal from people you're not gonna come out here in the woods and just hope that you randomly meet someone there's lots of people in the city to do that too but at the same time if you're attacked in town there's you can call out and that people can help you if I was attacked right now I could call out all I want to know what would know I was being attacked so there are pros and cons you know to that concept as well and like I was saying a lot of times it's depending on what your gender is and your age and things like that the pets determinance with whether people will attack you you know people that attack out places like this sometimes they see you in the parking lot and other places they kind of watching you they're seeing you you're someone they can get away with attacking I'm not a woman obviously so that canceled out a lot of potential attacks on me because unfortunately most of these kinds of attacks are a man attacking a woman you know for certain reasons and you know I don't have to worry about that it's kind of interesting you know the big difference between like when it comes like if if you're leaving if you got up if you're shopping somewhere at night and you gotta walk out to the parking lot to your car men and women have a completely different perspective on that my mom is talking about that before I've heard other women trying to explain it now they have trouble explaining to their husbands like when I walk out the parking lot walk out of the store into the parking lot at night I don't think anything I just saw there's my truck and I walk to it where's a woman there's so many other things going through her mind she has to worry about she just look around is there anybody else out there is there somebody it's gonna tack them you know what's the safest or quickest way to get to my vehicle you know even when they come in to park they'll park underneath there's big lights so it's well lit you know I never think about I just look for a spot park and going to the store so it's very different for women sometimes in sometimes for us men it's we're not used to thinking that way so it's kind of a different perspective we're not used to also your age if you're older you happy consider an easy target too so there's different things to consider let's be honest too in this situation where Molly and Jeff were killed by that guy having a gun wouldn't have helped them one bit really because they were asleep when they were attacked how do you you know you can't if you're asleep like I said the attacker had time to plan out what he was gonna do how it's gonna attack them so if you're sleeping and someone's shoots you in the back of the head you know what can you do you know and if you're the other person with them you know you might hear the gunshot you might wake up but the other the attacker is already prepared they've already dispatched yet person they're prepared for you I mean you're waking up I mean hope you're waking up you're kind of like Wragge and if even if you have your gun you gotta reach for you may not remember where exactly you left it cuz you're only half awake you don't have they didn't they wouldn't have had no time to prepare for the attack you know even if they had bear spray or a knife or anything you know it's just very difficult I mean maybe I know someone would carry that way call it a neck knife I've seen I've seen one youtuber i watch she hikes a lot she has a it's like a knife the Hanks are our neck easily unsheath that you could use maybe that would feel like that could help cuz if you're being attacked from behind you can grab that and like cut and slash up the guy's arms or something but so maybe you know but sometimes things like that happen so quickly I'm let's say you shouldn't have anything to protect yourself I think it's something to consider if you know like I said I am considering I I plan on getting some like at least some pepper spray for myself but I guess I don't really don't feel scared what about here right past people too much but pepper spray would still be a good idea or you know if you're a woman if you're a woman I would say you should definitely have some pepper spray or a knife or something that within reach that you can defend yourself real quickly with and also nothing to gets there - there is generally speaking there's safety in numbers when you're hiking if you don't feel comfortable hiking by yourself you know find a hiking buddy to go with of course you know what happened here there were two people but like I said they were fast asleep when they were attacked now if they were like the shelter was full of other people as well that that guy would not have done what he did because you know even if you're attacking people in their sleep there's like five six or the people in the shelter they're gonna wake up - and he necessarily can't take them all out like that so yeah so there is safety in numbers - you know if you're someone that attacker was thinking about a key but he sees that you're with someone else you know you'll probably you know fight an easier victim I hope - that this conversation doesn't dissuade people from coming out and hiking enjoying the outdoors I've heard people they're just scared to come out into the woods for fear of being attacked by people and it's kind of a shame that's just unfortunate - because it's so beautiful to be out hiking in the woods and stuff and there's people that are afraid to come out because of stuff like this that happens so you know and don't let the horrible things that happen to other people prevent you from enjoying your life you know there's a very low chance for you to be attacked in a shelter and have happened to you what happened to Molly and Jeff I mean you're probably just as likely to be attacked when you can lock yourself up in your home for the rest of your life if you're afraid of being attacked but you have just as likelihood of being attacked in your own home as they did out here as well so that's how they consider - all right well gonna start heading back I think about like a two-hour hike at least maybe or something like that but I gotta meet a pretty young lady in a couple hours so I can't stay out here forever yeah if I think of anything else to say on the way back I will you know feel free to add comments down below - you know if you are someone if you have your own ways that you try to be safe you know you can share that below now I'm not anti gun or anything like that you know I have considered getting you know a gun by just don't I don't really know yet there are other concerns and issues with that as well so I think I start heading back so thanks for watching this video and uh I think on this video here like I said I don't know if anything else to say or not but I'll see you around and as always you can you can find me on Facebook and you can also support me on patreon as well so I'll see you around [Applause] [Applause]

Channel: The Wandering Woodsman

Views: 310,170

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Id: 6GdIB4CQSdI

Length: 25min 42sec (1542 seconds)

Published: Fri Jan 04 2019