i hope we're all enjoying the beauty of the winter in the pines! i was going to post this in the pinebarrens general discussion, but for some reason i can't start a new thread there..
anywho, i've always been a lover of camping, and the other day my boyfriend showed some concern for the subject. he said his family was sharing stories they've heard of people camping in the pines and getting killed, mauled, raped, or generally assaulted. he wants to teach me how to use a sword.. which is pretty cool, but i feel safe in the pines..
any thoughts? stories?
I have been in the big woods my whole life and I haven't been killed, mauled, raped or generally assaulted.
I would ask your boyfriend's family for some newspaper articles or other documentation on alleged incidents in the pines. (Body dumping doesn't count)
I would advise against carrying a sword since you can be locked up for having a deadly weapon with no legitimate reason to be carrying it.
If you would like to carry a weapon, you could attend a hunters education course and obtain a hunting license.
Then, you will be able to carry a loaded gun (outside of the vehicle) wherever you go in the pines for a good 7-8 months out of the year. That is based on the assumption that you will buy deer, turkey, rifle and coyote permits like I do.
I can even legally carry a gun on Sunday (.22 rimfire rifle with shorts) if I am checking my traps.
I really don't think you will want to go to all that trouble.
Use your head and avoid large groups of obviously drunk people gathered around a stuck truck or raging bonfire at 2 in the morning. (Radio from said truck blasting death metal not good either)
You should also avoid dishevelled looking old guys in street clothes that are walking through the woods 7 miles from the nearest tar road.
I would not recommend camping in the backpack only camps (like the Mullica River or Lower Forge sites in Wharton) by yourself because they are not patrolled very well or at all.
The woods are really very safe and I would rather be in these woods than waiting for a subway car underground in center city Philadelphia
Enjoy the pines and all that the natural world has to offer.
Stay happy.