Several weeks ago I presented this mystery to my readers because I was at a loss to figure it out myself. None of us found a logical explanation so on my latest Montana trip I decided to investigate a little more aggressively.
First a little background for those who may have missed my original post on the subject.
In the summer of 2014 I noticed an old Dodge Dakota pickup parked at a remote trailhead to the Continental Divide Trail near Paul Reservoir and close to the border of Montana and Idaho. It raised my curiosity because it looked like it had been there for a very long time but I soon forgot about it (almost) as I pursued my primary interest of photographing birds.
But a year later (July, 2015) on yet another trip to Paul Reservoir the pickup was still there (or there again). But now it was surrounded by an active electric fence (a solar panel and transformer were attached to the vehicle) that was barely large enough to enclose the pickup. There was a wooden stock rack in the bed of the vehicle but the Dakota isn’t a full sized pickup so it wasn’t large enough to haul horses or grown cattle. There were sunscreens on the windows, the tires were inflated and it had Colorado plates. There were no tracks in the grass to indicate that it had been moved recently. I was mystified as to why an apparently functional vehicle would be left there for so long and why the Forest Service would allow it.
So, when I returned home I emailed the Caribou-Targhee National Forest a link to my original blog post and asked them politely for an explanation. They never responded and that irritated me – especially because I was watching my blog stats when I sent the email and someone from Driggs, Idaho (they have an office there) opened that blog post within 30 seconds of me sending the email (and twice more within the next 30 minutes). So on this latest trip I made a point of visiting their office in Dubois, Idaho for two reasons – to solve the mystery and to let them know of my irritation when they ignored my email and questions.
Eventually I talked to one of their Forest Service field officers (Bill) on the phone and here’s what I found out:
The pickup is owned by a hard core back country hiker who apparently spends most of his summers on the Continental Divide Trail. The interior of the pickup is used as a food drop – friends occasionally bring food by and place it in the cab and he picks it up periodically. He hikes with 2 llamas (or alpacas, can’t remember) – thus the stock rack in the bed of the pickup. The purpose of the electric fence is to make the food-laden vehicle bear-proof (a method approved by the Forest Service).
Mystery solved.
Now if there was just some way to make government agencies like the U. S. Forest Service a little more responsive to the tax-paying public…
Ron
Now that’s a real hiker! Good sleuth work, Ron, interesting way to do things, though glad not everyone is doing this-it could get a little congested.
Thank you for your persistence.
I think I liked our suggestions better, perhaps because I am a tad jealous about the life he has chosen (and is able) to lead.
The term “hard core” usually implies an intensity of focus and involvement beyond the usual….someone dedicated to something and can’t be swayed from it very easily….
I’m glad you solved the mystery, which clearly didn’t need to be a mystery for so long. The whole situation sounds a bit weird to me. I agree with Jo Ann that I hope the guy is paying for the privilege of leaving his truck there.
Ron, good on you and your proactive attitude, so many would not take the time.
Hah, mystery solved! I was losing sleep over this … (just kidding).
My mother tongue is not English so I need some help here. Does “hard core back country hiker” means that someone is a professional hiker that hikes in the back country? Probably it sounds silly but for me “hard core” means something else.
Anyway thank you Ron for solving the mistery.
I’ll try to answer that Jorge,” Hard Core” in this incident probably refers to the fact that this fellow spends the summer living in the bush, or out and about, wandering the trails away from civilization as much as he can and only uses the truck when he needs to replenish his supply of food. I don’t believe he is doing this without the OK from Park authorities. If others added to this I’m sure it would be stopped, so I believe this is a specific case probably because it is so remote.
And, maybe Ron didn’t get an answer because authorities didn’t want attention paid to this situation. What authorities don’t realize is that by not addressing this to Ron, they have created more of a problem.
I think Dick has accurately assessed the situation – “maybe Ron didn’t get an answer because authorities didn’t want attention paid to this situation. What authorities don’t realize is that by not addressing this to Ron, they have created more of a problem.”. If they were to be informed of this blog’s comments, they might begin to get the message…
Thank you Dick. What you said makes sense to me.
Probably the authorities are regreting now the way they dealt with this problem.
To me “hard core” means that he or she loves to backpack in wilderness areas, does so as frequently as possible, stays out as long as possible, enjoys solitude and self-reliance more than “civilization”, is probably quite experienced at meeting all challenges (and expert at it)…also probably makes keen observations, and may keep an interesting journal…written or in memories. It can mean a combination of things…usually all good–and I’m jealous as heck!!! Hope this helps…Ron will have a better answer.
Thank you Patty.
Glad to know you got a response. And boo on the officials not even trying to contact you.
Glad you pursued it,:) Figured the fence was to keep wildlife out, BUT! I’d wondered about the stock rack. Would be nice if they were more responsive. A number of years ago we had a hunter here who wasn’t sure about something so we called the local game warden who told us to “get the book”.:( Most are good, but the ones remembered are the jerks.
I think Jo Ann raises a really valid point. Can just anyone do something like this? What if 100 people decided to park their trucks out there while they hiked? Or 1,000? Could somebody park an RV there? Just seems like this guy is breaking some kind of law with his truck there rigged up like that. Interesting.
Llamas are VERY curious, so they probably enjoy the trips–if they aren’t too heavily laden. They can’t carry very heavy loads. When I was lugging my pack through the mountains(mostly the Adirondacks, some Rockies), I sure thought how nice it woud be to have a llama or two along. That the hiker supposedly takes two of them, indicates his or her awareness of their load bearing limitations. They make pretty good “watch dogs, too”…
Thanks so much, Ron (alias Sherlock) for keeping at it until you had the solution. I do have to say I have mixed feelings about this arrangement. On one hand this person with the truck and llamas makes me think of the mountain man, Jeremiah Jones. But if he can do this why can’t anyone just park their truck and leave it there while out tramping thru the wilderness and does he pay for this privilege??!!! You also have my heartfelt sympathy while dealing with this particular area of the govt. Would it have killed them to respond to your e-mail since your taxes pays their salaries??! God grant us patience!!
The only way to make gov’t agencies “more responsive” is to stop paying them….then we all lose. Thanks for your tenacity. One of our daughters is from Colorado…worked witha neighbors llamas…they used a lot of them out there for backpacking…I did wonder if it was a backpacker’s truck, or used tontransport a couple of sheep, but didn’t know if he/she would be allowed to rig it up like that…and didn’t think of llamas (or alpacas)…..
Interesting explanation, many thanks for taking charge and finding an explanation.
Constant nagging pressure should get the appropriate response when you e-mail “Oh, it’s Ron Dudley, if you don’t get back to him pronto, he’ll make OUR life miserable!!”
But, you have better things to do than constant nagging a government agency.
Bottom line, tack it up to another or the same experience with a government agency.
Very interesting. I agree that some of the government folks aren’t very responsive.
Charlotte
Good for you Ron..The situation had me wondering as well. I hope he keeps the Llamas happy!