While walking near my camp one day, I came upon a small trailer hidden back in the woods. The door was open so I said hello from a distance. An older man came out and said hi. I talked with him for a few minutes about the weather and the nice spot he had for a camp. I wanted to make sure I was on national forest and he assured me I was fine to camp where I was parked.
I asked him a couple more questions about how long he had been here and if he had a home nearby. He immediately became defensive and answered my questions with, “how can I help you?” That’s when I realized he was probably hiding from authorities.
I told him I wasn’t going to say anything and that I had overstayed my legal camp stay a few times. His camp was clean and neat. I saw no junk laying around or trash scattered about. Those are the kind of things that spoil dispersed camping for those of us that keep a clean camp. I try to leave a campsite cleaner than I found it.
A few days later I saw him drive out on a bicycle pulling a trailer. He didn’t return until later that day with the trailer full of supplies. I never saw the bike at his trailer; it must have been hidden behind the trailer or a tree.
I don’t know what his story is but I’m pretty sure he is living in the forest. There are a few locals that drive by and I’ve seen a few people walking dogs. His trailer can be seen from a couple places on the road. All it will take is someone from town to report him as a suspicious, abandoned RV or someone living in the forest and a law enforcement officer will pay him a visit. His evasive answers to their questions will not work on them.
Better be careful. That’s where the ranger warned us about homeless people who live in the forest. 😂