Dangerous booby traps found on popular Utah trail

[Viva_La_Revolution]

Source: AP

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The 20-pound spiked boulder was rigged to swing at head-level with just a trip of a thin wire - a military-like booby trap set on a popular Utah canyon trail.

Any unsuspecting hiker exploring the makeshift dead-wood shelter could have fallen prey.

Two men arrested over the weekend on suspicion of misdemeanor reckless endangerment told authorities the traps were intended for wildlife, but investigators don't believe the story.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BOOBY_TRAPS_HIKING_TRAIL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[Drale]

1. Misdemeanor reckless endangerment?

How about attempted murder, maybe some charges of terrorism? This was an obvious premeditated attempt to maim or kill a human.

[freshwest]

2. +1

[bluedigger]

3. I'm glad they caught these assholes.

I hike in Utah!

[freshwest]

4. Utah wants to confiscate national park land. This would discourage people from using it as intended.

I don't believe this was set up for poaching. This may be 'lone gunman' territory and then again it may not. In other states privatization vultures have defunded the maintenance and security at parks so that it's not safe to visit them. This park doesn't look safe now.

Eventually they close them and they are sold off to the same entities, corporations, so-called non-profits, etc. and used as the 1% wants. Golf courses, country clubs, expensive homes. They often make a case for saving the environment or reducing state deficits or public safety. A good deal of parkland in many states have been surrendered to private interests and the public is then locked out. Theft of the commons.

The people that set these traps were breaking the game laws if they were poaching; they may have been hunting human prey; or they might be just that callous and stupid to think they will be allowed to indulge themselves in either sport on public land. We don't know and they're being let off easy.

[HotRodTuna]

5. Hate to say it but these kinds of traps are typically set by environmentalists

trying to punish mountain bikers. Stringing wires head high etc. My friends uncle had his throat slashed by a broken chainsaw blade when he cut into a spiked tree. Yeah, it happens.

The other main culprit would of course be drug dealers/growers but in the time I spent in Utah, that wasn't really an issue. Not the greatest place to grow weed.

[zeemike]

7. Yep blame the environmentalist...they are the real terrorist.

Heard that so many times now it must be true.
Right wingers never resort to terrorism now do they...well except for abortion doctors, gays and the government...and we all know they deserve it right?

[Dogtown]

10. Your agenda

is showing...

[obamanut2012]

15. +1

[HotRodTuna]

18. My agenda is for people not to get killed

These people identify as "environmentalists" but really aren't, more like "territorialists".

There was at least one case I can think of in California a few years ago where a guy was setting booby traps for mt bikers. But if you think that's all a fantasy, I guess you've got your own agenda.

Mt Bikers are well aware of this. I guess it's all part of their "agenda" of not getting their heads lopped off.

http://www.vitalmtb.com/forums/The-Hub,2/Trail-Booby-Traps-in-Utah,6464
http://forums.singletracks.com/viewtopic.php?t=7441&p=43133
http://www.safetrails.net/boobytrappedtrails.asp

[NoGOPZone]

23. Yet you referred to them as environmentalists

in you first post

[HotRodTuna]

28. First words that came to mind as that's typicall what they try and wrap themselves in

to defend their forced possesion of public lands for their own use at the exlusion of everyone else.

[NoGOPZone]

33. The first words that come to my mind

when reading about people attempting to harm others for political reason was the word you used later, terrorist.

[xocet]

11. Here, I'll post some more fiction in support of your point...

...

“The fact is,” Elliot told his wife, “I hate people who start the day cross-country skiing.”

She shook her head in denial and leaned her forehead on her palm and cried.

He looked into the kitchen window and saw his own distorted image. “The fact is I think I’ll start tomorrow morning by stringing head-high razor wire across Anderson’s trail.”

The Andersons were the Elliots’ nearest neighbors. Loyall Anderson was a full professor of government at the state university, thirty miles away. Anderson and his wife were blond and both of them were over six feet tall. They had two blond children, who qualified for the gifted class in the local school but attended regular classes in token of the Andersons’ opposition to elitism.

...

http://peter-mclachlin.livejournal.com/176264.html

Those damn mountain bikers!
Those damn wires!
Those damn spiked trees!
Those damn environmentalists!

Those damn anecdotes!

[bigmonkey]

12. I wonder how many "my friend's uncles" have had the same thing happen.

Not a lot of verifiability there. That's just the social distance for urban legends.

[HotRodTuna]

19. Well, I went to 3 years undergrad with him in the same geology program, I know his family

and the fact that his dad is the largest private landowner in Washington, plus his family is (was) in timber, as was my wife's father. But yeah, when he tells me his uncle was murdered by someone spiking a tree I should have just call him a liar spreading urban legends.

Feel free to quote your sources about how it didn't happen.

[obamanut2012]

22. How would a spike in a tree hurt a mountain biker?

I have never carried a chainsaw with me while biking.

[HotRodTuna]

27. This was in regard to my comment about a lumberjack who, I was told by

a close friend (his nephew), was killed when his chainsaw blade hit a spike and it broke off and slashed his throat.

Apparently I need a signed affidavit that this is true. Working on it.

[Octafish]

13. Hate to say it, but you sound like the Lord's Avenger. Do you remember Judi Bari?

She co-founded Earth First! For her trouble saving the environment so our kids might have a planet with breathable air and drinkable water, she and colleague got car bombed. Of course, the FBI blamed her for it.

[obamanut2012]

14. Links to that?

Because, I find that very, very doubtful, and I've mountain biked, hiked, and trail ran on many trails all over the US, and I have never heard a story about an environmentalist trying to maim or kill outdoors sportsmen and women. Especially since we are usually some of their biggest backers.

[HotRodTuna]

20. links.

Not saying it isn't extremely rare, but it's happened. If you haven't mountain biked much you can't appreciate how pissed of some people can get who think they "own" the trail and will do whatever they can to keep people off it.

James Hetfield from Metallica is an excellent example, but he actually owns the section of trail he shut down, and didn't try and hurt anyone. He's just a jerk.

http://forums.singletracks.com/viewtopic.php?t=7441&p=43133
http://www.safetrails.net/boobytrappedtrails.asp

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/metallica-singer-forces-county-to-build-expensive-hiking-trail-20110719

[obamanut2012]

24. I still don't see any links saying an evil enviromentalist did this

And, the only link you did give was for one incident in the UK.

If you own land, you don't have to allow people access to it.

I mountain bike, hike, and trail run a lot, and of course have friends who do so. I have never heard of evil environmentalists trying to kill us, especially since we all are environmentalists ourselves.

[HotRodTuna]

31. I didn't say an "evil environmentalist" did this

I said typically, when someone is sabotaging trails, spiking trees etc, they call themselves environmentalists, while they're really anything but.

I guess you really have to spell things out around here.

[Earth_First]

16. I wonder how many of your "friends' uncle's acquaintances" have run into these strung wires...

while trespassing on private property while operating an ATV or snowmobile when it turns out to be barbed wire marking property lines?

I agree with the abover OP, "your agenda is showing..."

[HotRodTuna]

21. I don't know anyone that's run into a wire, but there was a case in the UK

and I seem to recall one in Santa Cruz also.

As a Mountain Biker, this issue really pisses me off, so sorry to offend those out there that think sabatoging trails either a) doesn't happen or b) doesn't matter.

[obamanut2012]

26. You just said it doesn't happen

Or, at least happens so rarely you only have one link to a UK incident.

[HotRodTuna]

29. Well, it happened in Utah

which is why we're discussing this. Not a wire, a Conan-esque iron maiden on a rope. Motive is unclear although from the looks of it, it's just some jackwads wanting to kill something Rambo style.

http://www.vitalmtb.com/forums/The-Hub,2/Trail-Booby-Traps-in-Utah,6464

[obamanut2012]

25. My thought, too

Some snowmobilers are a menace.

[L. Coyote]

30. Love to say it, but these types of traps are not typical of anything but STUPID!

And the source of your scientific polling regarding this bloviation is???

[rhett o rick]

34. What the hell is a chainsaw blade? You need to come up with some kind of proof for this b.s. nm

[Javaman]

6. sounds like two survivalist morons. nt

[Hangingon]

8. These guys don;t want you near their pot plot

[atheous]

9. domestic terrorism

There's no other excuse. Charge them and put em away regardless of lame excuse..

[Omaha Steve]

17. Geez

[L. Coyote]

32. When did the AP declare "one" to be plural?