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COT
climber
Door Number 3
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Topic Author's Original Post - May 3, 2015 - 11:15am PT
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ROBBED
Feeling bummed today as our hang board, that I custom made to fit on the roof of our van was stolen off our picnic table in the North Pine Campground in Yosemite this weekend.
Only climbers would know what it is (and want to steal it) and it would take some power tools to take it apart for anyone else to use it.
Little hope in getting it back, but figured I would post up just in case
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Capt.
climber
some eastside hovel
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Soooo weak. The climbing tribe is turning into a bunch of hoodlums just like the rest of the world. Best of luck.
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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The climbing tribe is turning into a bunch of hoodlums just like the rest of the world That process started about 35 years ago.
I used to be able to leave my rack on the picnic table in Camp 4 and never worry about it getting stolen. The first sign of change was when gear started getting stolen from the top of fixed lines on El Cap around 1980.
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MisterE
Gym climber
Being In Sierra Happy Of Place
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When climbing became just another "thing to do", and not a choice of lifestyle. That's when the tribe got infiltrated and disseminated.
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Bruce Morris
Social climber
Belmont, California
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C4 was always filled with ROBs. Even back in the liberal, groovy, hippy-dippy era. Especially when the streets of Berkeley migrated to the Ditch during the summers. They didn't call it stealing; it was "liberating".
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c wilmot
climber
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It is likely sitting in the DNC dorms right now.
But it could still be in the park- you should look around the parking areas, including the ones for the employees (around the ice rink, the camp 4 overflow).
since it is custom, and you have pics- it would be hard for someone to claim it was theirs, if you see it in the back of a car.
And the Rangers would LOVE to bust someone for stealing.
Also ask around- people might have seen someone with it. and perhaps check the double wide trailer next to the ice rink which (last I knew) is the DNC game/internet room. It has a wall where empoloyess post stuff for sale, and usually lots of dnc employees talking loudly.
You can be bummed its gone- or put some effort into trying to get it back
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rgold
Trad climber
Poughkeepsie, NY
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Sorry you lost your hangboard.
I had climbing gear stolen in Camp 4 in Yosemite and in the Needles in South Dakota in the '70's. Theft is a crime of opportunity and the thieves are not necessarily climbers. That said, there have been thieves among climbers and there's nothing even remotely new about that either.
I don't think the general climbing population has become any more criminal, in fact probably just the opposite on a percentage basis.
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Way back in the day someone stole my sleeping bag out of my tent. It was not camp 4 but another campground (can't remember which). Had my 8 year old nephew with me. It sucked
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COT
climber
Door Number 3
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Topic Author's Reply - May 4, 2015 - 06:37pm PT
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Thanks everyone for the words of sympathy and advice, no hang board, but hey I am in Yosemite!
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Climberdude
Trad climber
Clovis, CA
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COT,
Sorry about your loss. I will be in The Ditch this week. I will keep an eye out for a hang board.
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Spider Savage
Mountain climber
The shaggy fringe of Los Angeles
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Crim's are stupid.
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EdBannister
Mountain climber
13,000 feet
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You really can't be sure it was climbers… I know who else. or for what purpose you say.. but logic and thieves do not bedfellows make.
I had a whole store of stuff stolen, from over a hundred pairs od Gramicci pants to 34 ropes,
i found out more than a year later it was taggers getting access to freeway overpasses.
you just don't know.
be thankful it was just the board.
Ed
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WBraun
climber
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If you've never been robbed in Yosemite then you're still a n00b ......
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steve shea
climber
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I think Werner is right. We got initiated early. In 1968 climbing on the buttress above the Ahwahnee Hotel, Tim Harrison and Richard Jimmerson and yours truly watched my '62 IH Scout get broken into. You could see it parked below, through the trees. we yelled and cursed but we were some pitches up and could do nothing but watch our stuff get boosted.
We got some of stuff back a few months later. Two sleeping bags. I was never a regular in the Valley. Always just quick trips from Co for specific targets or maybe ten days max. My gear stayed locked up tighter than a drum, we learned early.
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Charlie D.
Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
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Yosemite Valley has been more like an urban park for as long as I can remember, it's beautiful but like any urban park be wary of the humans.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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A hangboard? Really? Try $15K worth of cameras and climbing/camping gear!
Effing rangers couldn't have cared less.
And you weren't "robbed".
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PSP also PP
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Maybe you did a few hangs after you ate some bacon; and , the bears got it!
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Tobia
Social climber
Denial
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In 1978 I got robbed by my YP&CCo. assigned roommate of everything I owned except my car; which I was in. I will never forget entering the tent and noticing a change; but it took a few minutes for it to sink in. He and his friend weren't too bright; as they were using assumed names; but when talking they used their given names; which led me to ask "what is with the aliases?"
His reply was that he was a fugitive and hiding from the law. He and his pal had been arrested for grand theft, robbing a warehouse that contained all types of musical equipment, most of which was amps and speakers. They had jumped bail and came up to Yosemite to hide out. They got jobs in housekeeping and were going to leave in a few weeks, about as long as they figured it would take the background check to be processed.
I drove to the NPS LEO office, to report the theft; but they told me there wasn't much they could do as the jerk(s) were probably long gone from the park. (I had worked all day, it was around 4 p.m. when I found my things missing.)
I ran into a friend and told him the tale. He said he saw the thieves with their thumbs out, trying to get out of the park. He thought it was strange because he noticed my gear and knew the guy didn't have any. They were trying to get to Fresno or Modesto, I can't remember exactly. I hit the 4 lane somewhere and drove all night back and forth on a stretch of fifty miles or so, hoping to spot them. I didn't think I had much of a chance; but I had to try.
At dawn, I was just about to give up and head back to the park, when I saw my bright blue sleeping bag in the green grass of the freeway cloverleaf interchange. I went to a pay phone and called the sheriff's dept. They met me there and after asking me a bunch of dumb questions such as "how do we know you didn't sell this stuff to them?", they decided I was legitimate. They drove over the curb right to the guys, got out and tapped them with their night sticks to wake them.
So after driving a few hundred miles; but never giving up, I got all of my belongings back except a pair of binoculars.
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skitch
Gym climber
Bend Or
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How many times did you actually use the hangboard???
Most likely it was just some punk kids that like taking sh#t that is laying around.
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Anastasia
climber
Home
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I have been for years putting everything back into my car. I only leave the tent out except for Facelift since we are surrounded by friends.
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Gunkie
climber
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...when I saw my bright blue sleeping bag in the green grass of the freeway cloverleaf interchange. I went to a pay phone and called the sheriff's dept. They met me there and after asking me a bunch of dumb questions such as "how do we know you didn't sell this stuff to them?", they decided I was legitimate. They drove over the curb right to the guys, got out and tapped them with their night sticks to wake them.
Wow, they should be happy you found them. If they stole from me and I found them in that state... well, I am on the east coast. Concrete makes every size shoe. Glad you got the vast majority of your stuff back.
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Ward Trotter
Trad climber
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On a backpack trip several years ago, due to a late start, I was forced to camp overnight in Little Yos Valley.The next day I decided to rest a sore knee for the entire day before moving on.
Sometime late that afternoon a big ruckus developed in the crowded campground.Not far away a bear was observed grumbling while going through the contents of a ripped up tent; and had spread most of the objects over a wide area. After the bored bear eventually ambled off, dozens of people converged on the downed tent --and as they did so, many ,if not most of those people began to slowly recognize their missing items, obviously stolen over the course of several days.Tons of food, rolls of film,a couple of cameras,knives,hatchets,etc..
The perps were a couple of inner city kids brought along on a youth camp out and were standing close by shuffling their feet as neighboring campers began quickly identifying and retrieving their items.
The bear, until then a frightening nuisance, suddenly became a staunch (if unwitting) ally in the never ending fight against crime.
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Tobia
Social climber
Denial
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Gunkie, i thought about that for a short period. Just drive right over them; but that is not my nature. My roommate was pretty handy with a knife as well as his fist.
Prudence told me that any altercation could leave me banged up, maybe the loss of my car, or in jail with them; if someone reported a "tussle at Exit_".
When I returned to the valley, i stopped by to brag a little on retrieving my goods. The Chief LEO, (who's name evades me right now), wanted to recruit me for LEO training.
At that time I had certain habits that would not lend to success in that arena, nor did I have any interest in law enforcement.
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Greg Barnes
climber
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Sucks, hope you get your hangboard back. Few people spend time in the Valley without something getting stolen (for me - headlamp and food in Camp 4, then an entire rack from my friend's truck in Upper Pines).
For the sake of clarity, you were not robbed - robbed means someone takes something from you in person, by force (or threat of force). Theft is super common in the Valley, but I've never heard of a robbery there (not that it hasn't happened to someone at some point).
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Tobia
Social climber
Denial
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rob:
verb \ˈräb\
:to take money or property from (a person or a place) illegally and sometimes by using force, violence, or threats.
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SofCookay
climber
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This was posted yesterday by a woman yesterday on Facebook:
"Just wanted to let you all know to beware of the potential for theft in the Yosemite Valley campgrounds. In all the years I've visited there, I've never experienced such boldness! I was sleeping solo in my tent on Saturday night, with my essentially empty backpack just outside the door (stove, small articles of clothing)...around midnight, I heard footsteps and thought, why is someone walking so close to my tent. I thought it must be a bear, but it wasn't breathing like a bear...I couldn't get my luci light on and I couldn't remember where I'd put my headlight since I'd used it earlier and I didn't want to open the door without a light, even though the moon was shining brightly. So I started yelling, "get, get, get out of here...get, get...." Finally my girlfriend did the same. Then I heard a voice in the distance, coming from the direction of the campground entrance/kiosk, hollering something but I couldn't understand - my heart was pounding in my ears! "I yelled, did you see it, is he gone?" The voice responded, he's gone I think, but I yelled my question again and he said he's gone. At that point I felt I could open my tent door and saw three lights coming toward me - I thought it was three people. Then another friend in another tent walk out, toward this man, who said "here's your pack, was putting things back in it and said where's your bear box?" As I struggled to get out of my tent, having some muscle cramps in my legs, I watched the two of them walk to the bear locker and put my pack away. I finally got out of my tent and walked over to the guy, as did three more girlfriends. I asked him, "Who are you? Are you a volunteer." He answered, "no". I asked, "Are you a ranger?" He responded, "no, I spend alot of time here and 'following' the bears is my hobby". We exchanged a few more words and then he said, I've got to get going to find that bear, and he disappeared on a bicycle. I was pretty shaken up so instead of going back to bed in my tent, I went to sleep in my friend's camper van. Later I heard another bump in the night - it turned out to be a coyote (which I did get to see!) rummaging around in our wood box - our trash bag had been stored there until we emptied it that evening so the odor of food probably lingered there. The next morning as I was preparing to pack, I noticed my stove was not in the outside pocket, the outside zipper compartment was open and empty, I thought "he stole my stove". There was no slobber on my pack, and we looked around for my stove, and then for evidence that my pack had been dragged away by a bear. Those footsteps were silent - there was no heavy breathing like that of a bear, just footsteps. Bears don't open zippers and bears don't pull Jetboils out of a side pocket. They rip and destroy packs to get food, which this bear did not do. We believe that man walked by my tent and lifted my pack. Fortunately no one was hurt and all my gear was returned. I should have stored my pack in the bear locker I know; I wasn't thinking as I had put my food sack in it. And I haven't been camping in a campground for a year - except for dispersed camping once where there were no bear lockers - and backpacking when I take a bear cannister and you don't have a bear locker to store your things and pack - where you don't worry about theft in the backcountry. Another reason to add to the list of why I don't like camping and why I love backpacking - even if not, it feels safer! The guy is about 5'6-5'8", bearded, probably late 50's-60's, wore big glasses, shorts (it was midnight and cool), plaid shirt, ballcap, and he was on a bike - not a mountain bike with super fat tires, but not super skinny tires. I reported it to the campground host who said he would report it to the law enforcement. He also said they were having some issues with transients living there, moving from campground to campground, but no reports of theft, but maybe people had an experience like mine and didn't realize. So if you are camping in the Valley before your trek, or just plain camping, (we were in the North Pines) BEWARE, BE CAUTIOUS, BE SAFE and please feel free to share my story."
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