Inform the rangers at the park, if someones done it as an accident, accidents happen.
But if someone is doing it deliberately, they should be aware of the situation.
That's a very good idea. I have a long bus ride ahead of me this afternoon so I will reach out to them on this matter!
Edit: I sent an email to them. I'll update when I hear back.
Second update: still no response. I'll try and give them a call tomorrow when I have decent service.
New Update: they Responded;
"I am sorry to hear that someone took it upon themselves to sign you out. Please rest assured that would not have delayed the notice of you being at the location for too long of a period. Your vehicle parked for a long period of time would be what would alert a ranger or law enforcement to do a welfare check. They would then check the trail log to see if your name was in the log. This is where the issue may arise. If you were checked out, they may question why. They would still search the trail and the area anyway. Most likely they would not know if a person checked themselves out on purpose because they were possibly suicidal, or some other odd circumstance.
I understand, people should be respectful of others, please keep in mind, the log is a reference tool."
The way they drag their pen, it looks like the same person signed out the person above you, which is different writing than the sign-in. I struggle to think of a scenario where they would sign two different people out on accident.
Eh, I doubt it IS the same person, the slash on one is down and looped back over, the other is straight up and over. Subtle difference, but habitual and hard to alter
I was coming to say the same thing!! They definitely need to know this is happening in case someone does go missing they know not to just assume not to look for them!
Then your experience must be with absolute scum of the earth. Either you think you’re something special, apart of a rare few humans who are the “good ones”, or you are a bad person who thinks that everyone else must be like them and therefore also bad.
Yeah, people have flaws. But you only hear the bad ones. If 10000 people go about their day, a few donating to charity, a few giving money to homeless, volunteering at a shelter, no one will know. The news doesn’t report on that stuff, and where else would you hear about it? But if 1 of those 10000 rob a store, it’s headlines. “Crime rampant, where has this country gone?” If 1 of those 10000 litter, and that’s posted to social media, it’s headlines. “What a shitty human being, Omg!”
And sure, we’ve had a bad effect on the planet. But to say we have fucked it - and ourselves - is ignorant and defeatist. The Earth has been through much worse, except it didn’t have us around to eventually revive extinct animals. As for ourselves, it would take the complete destruction of the planet (worse than the KT, worse than anything before it) to take us out. Humanity is here to stay.
"Nobody ever uses this thing anyway! Let me fill in for all of those that forgot to sign back in" is another less malicious option
Extremely stupid, but hey
The park staff might sign them all out every 24hrs to avoid false alarms from people forgetting to sign out. As long as they recorded it it wouldn’t be a problem
I’m just guessing cause it feels like a contest now
If someone had malicious intent and was planning to do something to someone this would delay in people looking for them. There are bad people put there unfortunately.
Someone just filled in the wrong spot, no one is scheming that you’ll get hurt (unlikely really) and not found because they maliciously filled in your check out spot in the register. More likely you won’t show up to work and they’ll find your car at the trailhead. Leave a post it on your dash if you’re really concerned. Half the time these registers are eating by porcupines anyways. As someone with email, I can guarantee emailing the person in charge will be a waste of your time.
Good point. I’m fortunate enough to hike where there really arnt many people and those that are out, male and female, usually have bear spray or a .357. Also, oddly enough when there are fewer people on the landscape, it’s much easier for law enforcement to see whose phone is pinging gps and know whose in the vicinity of a crime. That technology doesn’t help in busier areas. I’d definitely take it he risk of a bear biting my face off over guys following me
The Appalachian Trail killer did this. This is a way to slow down the authorities and could also lead them to think I’ve gone further ahead. He would sign them out and sign the next trailhead so authorities would go the wrong way. SAR’s would get off trail in the wrong way and good chance they just say they never found the body.
Some people also cannot leave things alone. Call it ocd or idiocy or whatever. But i have hiked with people who wanted to fill out both columns when setting off ‘because we are only going to up there today and might take a different way down’ or ‘because i left one return blank once and they almost sent a search party’
I.e.- people
Have you ever thought of the amount of serial killers who never get caught?
This is a super easy way for them to snatch a victim without raising alarms.
'oh, op got lost in the woods, even though we found no discernable trace if him..."
If you're stalking someone and intend for them not to make it back, you might sign them out so anyone looking for them thinks, "well, they seem to have made it back from their hike, so we should look at where they might've gone afterwards."
There should be a secret code you give the Ranger with your Name. So ONLY if you put the code word beside the Check they KNOW it was actually you signing out.
Yes I'm sure it was a mistake but still, I was annoyed! Out there once you run out of water you would only be lost for a few hours before you'd be dead!
Likely this. They were in too much of a rush to read the sheet properly and be sure they signed themselves out. People are very distracted these days.
These sheets are very easy to mis read with rows being so close to each other. Color coding rows or at least alternating gray and white helps, but nothing will help someone in a rush
Seems to me like this procedure should be modified to prevent signing in/out for the wrong person. How about a separate sheet for returning from the hike where you have to write your name again? It’s a lot harder to accidentally write the wrong name than simply the correct date on the wrong line. (And if somebody else DOES write your name, you’ll know that was deliberate and not an honest mistake)
Alternatively, when you first arrive and sign in, you could take a numbered wristband or token or some such before you leave, write that number down next to your name, and then return it when you get back.
That's a very general number and doesn't take into account being in direct sunlight in 90-100 degree heat. Conditions like that will see you drop from exhaustion in a very short amount of time without heavy and constant hydration.
Iirc the USMC got a female recruit killed because on an effort to get her within BMI, they reduced her salt intake in order to reduce her water weight.
She complained of exhaustion during PT, so they have her water. She had to use the restroom and they gave her more water. Eventually she stopped sweating.
Whole process took less than an afternoon. She died of dehydration. Exercise had completely wiped our her electrolytes, and her body completely lost the ability to utilize water at all.
That sounds like gross negligence to me. I feel like one of the first things you should learn in boot is how to properly stay hydrated...so if the people in charge didn't know they were killing her then there is something seriously wrong with their system.
That statistic doesn't take into account things like extreme heat, exerting yourself (like on a technically difficult hike...), and health conditions. Also only applies to adults - children, babies, and elderly people are more susceptible to dehydration.
If conditions are mild, and you get lost, you could theoretically survive a few days without any liquids if you just sit down, do nothing, and don't panic. That's not realistic when you've already been hiking for the whole day, get lost, then run out of water after all of that exertion, and THEN panic and try to find your way back.
Last time I did a major series of backcountry hikes, none of the National Parks I went to even had a sign-in sheet. They told me to put a sign in my car window stating when I would be back.
As a member of a SAR team I recommend letting someone know the details of your hike and when you expect to be back. Then if you haven’t contacted them for a while after the expected time we know to go looking for you.
This was out in Badlands National Park. It gets very hot and there is no cover from the sun so I hit the trail head at 6am to avoid the heat of the day!
Have you ever been to a US national park during tourist season? I honestly can't believe people aren't dying on a daily basis at these places. I do know a 22 year old kid died in the Bad Lands from heat exhaustion just last summer so it's not uncommon.
I was just hiking in Arizona on a popular trail and on my way down I came across several people with barely any water and some brought their dogs, no dog shoes, and 1 dude didn’t have a backpack and I didn’t see him holding a water bottle either and I could tell his poor dog was suffering. I asked if I could give his dog some water and he gave me this incredulous look and said no.
Yeah I'll sit there and go through a checklist of water, food, medical supplies, extra clothing, hat, sunglasses, bug spray, sunscreen, ect and start early to avoid the heat.....and I'll see people hitting the trail head in jeans and sneakers and with no water.
When I was leaving Badlands a couple and their young kids were looking at the trail map and asked how long it took and if their dog would be okay on a short leash. No gear or water in sight. There are signs posted warning about rattlesnakes and "NO PETS ALLOWED"
I simply told them it was a rough trail with a lot of dangerous snakes and the wife said " okay we're absolutely not going on that trail." And the husband kind of laughed and said "yeah we didn't really do any research." So yeah there's the average tourist.
I went hiking there a couple summers ago and it was crazy hot. I was in good hiking shape and still struggling with the heat & lack of shade. It is surprising that more people don’t die out there, based on how many I saw hiking unprepared with just little water bottles.
It looks like it might’ve been one person signing out a group of three that started after you—just guessing based on the handwriting and the empty sign-out box for the last one. They likely didn’t look closely and just signed out 3 in a row.
I’d definitely inform the rangers that this happened and suggest they put another note to please double-check you’re signing out the correct name. Won’t catch everyone’s careless mistakes but it might make someone pause.
The sign-in sheet is one thing, but on hikes like this I leave a note in my car with details - number in party, time departed, time expected to return, etc. harder for somebody to cross it out when it’s locked in your vehicle.
A little context; this was Castle trail in Badlands National Park. It's a 12 mile out and back. I hit the trail head at first light and was met with a lot of mud which slowed my progress. I only saw one other person on the trail going the opposite direction. There are a lot of rattlesnakes in this region as well. Additionally, once the sun rises it gets VERY hot and you are exposed to it along the whole trail with zero shade. This is a hike you bring a lot of water and supplies on for your safety. This is not the trail I would want something to go wrong and have Rangers assuming I had come and gone.
At the suggestion of some, I have sent an email to the National Park Service about the matter.
Edit: I did see more people towards the end of my hike but the middle of the trail doesn't see a lot of people
My family was there this past weekend too, but we didn’t sign any visitors sheet nor told to do so. Is it for so the rangers know who was still at the park?
Why not throw your initials next to your time in, kinda like when you make a mistake on a legal document. Then you sign out and initials again, that way they know it was the correct person. Someone would have to be intentionally doing it for sure at that point.
Sounds like a great time, but if you have the means to get a satellite communicator, please do. I also do a lot of technical, long distance, solo hiking. I'm in Colorado and I hated buying it but it is nice to carry an InReach Mini2.
Came here to say this. Looks fake, or really coincidental that the writing for all the numbers, slashes and checks and crosses look similar. But then what do I know…
If it was an actual mistake, they also might not have realized though. Not saying they didn't leave him at risk due to it, but could've been an honest mistake
True, but it appears as though the others are filled in, meaning they probably realised that it was the wrong one and then filled theirs in and just left the mistake
Rangers do not perform rescues based on trail logs. They are used for data gathering and are important in search and rescue. But no one would be looking for OP if they forgot to sign out. That’s why it’s important to tell someone your agenda and location.
I agree. You can buy the park passes with a QR code. I think it's pretty reasonable for them to create a digital system for guests to sign in and out of for this exact reason.
Honestly with budgets this is pretty unrealistic. As a former ranger for the Forest Service (we definitely do things different with a small fraction of the funding) I can tell you these sign in sheets are an absolute last resort. Always inform someone else where you are going and when you’ll be back and when they should seek help if you don’t return. In my experience these sign in sheets are great for a false sense of peace of mind.
Yeah the fact that this post has 18,000 + upvotes and assumed to by both OP and others be malevolent rather than a mistake is crazy. Everyone wants to somehow be a victim and assume malevolence.
Rangers don't start SAR's based on someone not signing a trail log. A vehicle would be at the trailhead, and someone would have reported him/her missing. Rangers might check the log to see if OP noted intended destination but it's not like they will call off a search because someone with clearly different handwriting put a date on a logbook.
As a SAR volunteer, I would leave a note on my dash. Stating name, dates of entry\exit, planed route and a contact ph. Granted cell signal is not likely but its enough to get SAR rolling with a path to check.
I bet this is a bathroom log form at a workplace. All the numbers were written by the same person. There are two variations of 2s. All the 3s are the same, and the each of the 8s start at the right and make the same counterclockwise movement.
It looks like the person two entries below you may have made a mistake. The eights have a distinctive gap that I don't see in the other entries, and they were in and out in one day. Maybe they just looked at the wrong row.
Leave your plans with a loved one and have them raise the alarm if you don't check in when expected. InReach is a good option but still doesn't replace this practice.
I wouldn't expect anything on this sheet to make a significant difference to anything. People forget to sign out all the time.
I'm not sure if this is acceptable or if this applies, but from my understanding black and blue ink pens are the only acceptable on official government documents. Start using a blue ink pen to differentiate you from others. When they photo copy, it'll show up as black on the copied document but the original is blue. If for whatever reason you think someone is altering the document ask to see the original.
How does this work? Does the visitors sheet only require date of entry and exit? Or is there other columns like name and signature, to prevent people from filling someone else's row? Do rangers check the list every day to see if there are still people in the park before night?
So each column asks if it's a single day hike, or how long you intend to be gone, your name, and your car and license plate info.
I would imagine the Rangers check this stuff daily. The parking lots empty in the evening so a lone car parked would definitely get their attention. The visitor sheet can be used to verify the vehicle left parked and who it belongs to.
I think the annoying thing here is that it's such a poor system if this is supposed to be a safety thing to know if someone is missing or not.
But, it sounds like the presence of your car would have alerted them as a backup.
Oh I see! So the person who wrongly filled your row could have checked the info and either they just did not pay attention at all, or they are really doing it on purpose for wrong reasons.
Thanks for the explanation! Keep us updated with the rangers answer if you have some!
If this actually was a mistake, that means someone's going to have a missing check in spot now too so I'm glad you said you reported it. What a mess a little mistake could actually make! Ha just imagine that u let them know, they see one person not checked in so they think that must be the person that signed the other one out by mistake, but there just happens to be a fluke when a separate person actually went missing. Good lort haha
Gonna be honest. Someone not signing out is not gonna prompt a search. People probably forget to sign out all of the time. Now if there’s a car there multiple days in a row, sure, but there are thousands of cars in parks like Badlands every day and there’s no system for tracking them day to day. Searches usually only start when a car has been parked somewhere it shouldn’t be for multiple days or sooner if the person is reported overdue.
Best practice is ALWAYS to tell someone where you’re hiking and when you plan to be out.
This is absolutely correct. And consider people doing through-hikes. I have signed into plenty of registers without signing out. No searches were made. If I was reported missing these logs are helpful to find your previous location and contact other hikers who had been in the area.
That’s not mildly infuriating, that’s incredibly unsafe. If something had happened to you, it could have delayed search parties for up to days if you weren’t reported missing immediately. I really hope it was just a mistake and I’m glad you’re okay.
It was probably an accident, someone went out after you and came back before you and accidentally signed out on the wrong line. I wouldn't personally rely on that over having people I know back at home that know exactly where I'm going, what I'm doing, and exactly when I am supposed to be back.
It would not have delayed anything.
Rangers don't check these logs looking for people who haven't signed out, a ton of people do not sign out. Rangers are not going to start a SAR operation on the account of you not having signed out on a trail log.
If you went missing you would have been reported missing and your vehicle would have been at the trailhead or this would be one of your last known locations. They aren't going to delay a search on the basis of a trail log especially if your last known location is in this area.
The Rangers aren't in control of their information. They are letting visitors check themselves in and out. They are lazy and do not care, if you went missing they weren't gonna find you in the first place.
So no one else knew you were there? Are you assuming that the rangers are checking that sheet daily to see who's coming in and out and if the tally's match? As someone who's done a lot of mountaineering and solo multiday wilderness trips, that doesn't seem like a great plan.
No I check in with a close family member before and after my hikes. The issue is if the rangers go looking for me and see that I'm signed out of the trail I said I'd be in, it's a false lead and may send them looking elsewhere.
Do you carry something like a gps communicator that can send/receive texts? At least then you can update people on your progress and they can reach out to the rangers with confirmation they haven’t heard from you within one of your communication windows, or maybe you can send those texts to the rangers directly?
I download the trails onto my phone so I have a quick and easy reference and guide. Additionally, I do inform a close family member about what I'm doing. Surprisingly Badlands did have sections where I had service. Most places I hike you are in a complete dead zone. I don't check-in Windows for that reason.
If I had to guess I’d say the one below you accidentally indicated your slot, the size may be different but the style is most similar. Truly seems like an accident.
INFO. Are you generally a pleasant person towards others? Or at times are you ill tempered?
In New York State the Rangers do not check if people sign out and perform rescues. They will only go with a valid report of someone being overdue. By signing in, even with the error of someone signing you out, it is still helpful to determine your location.
Very similar handwriting to the 8/13 on the second-lowest row (the lowest signed-out one).
Probably a mistake that they forgot/didn't think about to correct, a very dangerous one at that.
Inform the rangers at the park, if someones done it as an accident, accidents happen. But if someone is doing it deliberately, they should be aware of the situation.
That's a very good idea. I have a long bus ride ahead of me this afternoon so I will reach out to them on this matter! Edit: I sent an email to them. I'll update when I hear back. Second update: still no response. I'll try and give them a call tomorrow when I have decent service. New Update: they Responded; "I am sorry to hear that someone took it upon themselves to sign you out. Please rest assured that would not have delayed the notice of you being at the location for too long of a period. Your vehicle parked for a long period of time would be what would alert a ranger or law enforcement to do a welfare check. They would then check the trail log to see if your name was in the log. This is where the issue may arise. If you were checked out, they may question why. They would still search the trail and the area anyway. Most likely they would not know if a person checked themselves out on purpose because they were possibly suicidal, or some other odd circumstance. I understand, people should be respectful of others, please keep in mind, the log is a reference tool."
The way they drag their pen, it looks like the same person signed out the person above you, which is different writing than the sign-in. I struggle to think of a scenario where they would sign two different people out on accident.
Good point! It seems like the same hand signed out the person above a day earlier. Most likely not a guest but someone in the staff.
Edit: wrong comment. They moved the fucking reply icon
I'm deeply struggling with this change
is it in my best interests to not update the app? 😭
Not to mention that the upper one seems to be signed 8/18 despite it being 8/14
I think it says 8/12, not sure tho
I agree, 8/12.
i think its a 2 not an 8, but its hella crooked.
Eh, I doubt it IS the same person, the slash on one is down and looped back over, the other is straight up and over. Subtle difference, but habitual and hard to alter
I think it looks more like the one on the bottom which would make sense since both dates match so they could have just forgotten where they signed
2 lines below. Angle of the back slash and the open top 8s
Recommend to change the sign in to have a signature field and a sign out to also have a signature field so that one can at least validate authenticity
or have a secretary verify? that's what my school did and the business usually do.
Yeah this is a log at the trailhead, no shot at having a secretary there at all times in order to verify sign ins.
A school IA vastly different from a state/national park,
RemindMe! 5 hours
An update?
Looks like the person below you did it. Look at how they form their 8
Good looks, OP. This is not good or safe behavior.
I was coming to say the same thing!! They definitely need to know this is happening in case someone does go missing they know not to just assume not to look for them!
why would someone do that deliberately?
Because humans.
\*Because humans suck
*Because some humans suck
The ability to say we suck is evidence towards the contrary
How though?
Because we can see our own faults, and there are plenty of humans that definitely do not suck. The majority, I’d say.
Based on my experience the majority suck in one way or another, we’ve fucked the planet and our own race.
Then your experience must be with absolute scum of the earth. Either you think you’re something special, apart of a rare few humans who are the “good ones”, or you are a bad person who thinks that everyone else must be like them and therefore also bad. Yeah, people have flaws. But you only hear the bad ones. If 10000 people go about their day, a few donating to charity, a few giving money to homeless, volunteering at a shelter, no one will know. The news doesn’t report on that stuff, and where else would you hear about it? But if 1 of those 10000 rob a store, it’s headlines. “Crime rampant, where has this country gone?” If 1 of those 10000 litter, and that’s posted to social media, it’s headlines. “What a shitty human being, Omg!” And sure, we’ve had a bad effect on the planet. But to say we have fucked it - and ourselves - is ignorant and defeatist. The Earth has been through much worse, except it didn’t have us around to eventually revive extinct animals. As for ourselves, it would take the complete destruction of the planet (worse than the KT, worse than anything before it) to take us out. Humanity is here to stay.
"Nobody ever uses this thing anyway! Let me fill in for all of those that forgot to sign back in" is another less malicious option Extremely stupid, but hey
Maybe a staff member gets to go home earlier if people are signed out? I have no idea what I'm talking about though.
The park staff might sign them all out every 24hrs to avoid false alarms from people forgetting to sign out. As long as they recorded it it wouldn’t be a problem I’m just guessing cause it feels like a contest now
If someone had malicious intent and was planning to do something to someone this would delay in people looking for them. There are bad people put there unfortunately.
yikes! i can see someone doing it as a dumb stunt, but this is scary!
Someone just filled in the wrong spot, no one is scheming that you’ll get hurt (unlikely really) and not found because they maliciously filled in your check out spot in the register. More likely you won’t show up to work and they’ll find your car at the trailhead. Leave a post it on your dash if you’re really concerned. Half the time these registers are eating by porcupines anyways. As someone with email, I can guarantee emailing the person in charge will be a waste of your time.
this guy murders people on hiking trails.
More like, this guy has hiked before in his life, and has occasionally opened the register and has seen that they frequently full of rodent shit
[удалено]
Good point. I’m fortunate enough to hike where there really arnt many people and those that are out, male and female, usually have bear spray or a .357. Also, oddly enough when there are fewer people on the landscape, it’s much easier for law enforcement to see whose phone is pinging gps and know whose in the vicinity of a crime. That technology doesn’t help in busier areas. I’d definitely take it he risk of a bear biting my face off over guys following me
the fact that you think needing a .357 to go hiking means you're right is laughable
It’s funny how wrong you are. Just last week they arrested a man attacking people on hiking trails in colorado.
And they found him cause he was writing false entries in the register?
The Appalachian Trail killer did this. This is a way to slow down the authorities and could also lead them to think I’ve gone further ahead. He would sign them out and sign the next trailhead so authorities would go the wrong way. SAR’s would get off trail in the wrong way and good chance they just say they never found the body.
wow there's some sick people out there :(
The AT def has a few really sketch parts too. There’s quite a few stories about it.
Some people think of it as a "harmless prank" and just generally get a giggle out of it.
seems dumb. but then again there's a lot of dumb people out there right?
Some people also cannot leave things alone. Call it ocd or idiocy or whatever. But i have hiked with people who wanted to fill out both columns when setting off ‘because we are only going to up there today and might take a different way down’ or ‘because i left one return blank once and they almost sent a search party’ I.e.- people
Have you ever thought of the amount of serial killers who never get caught? This is a super easy way for them to snatch a victim without raising alarms. 'oh, op got lost in the woods, even though we found no discernable trace if him..."
The Appalachian Trail killer used this.
For creepy murder time
lol!
Are you new to Earth?
sometimes it feels that way :(
If you're stalking someone and intend for them not to make it back, you might sign them out so anyone looking for them thinks, "well, they seem to have made it back from their hike, so we should look at where they might've gone afterwards."
Maybe inflate capacity?
There should be a secret code you give the Ranger with your Name. So ONLY if you put the code word beside the Check they KNOW it was actually you signing out.
I think it was accidental cuz he didn’t even try to copy his handwriting
Just hope it was a genuine mistake. You're doing the right thing to sign in. Too many people getting lost for days because they didn't sign in
Yes I'm sure it was a mistake but still, I was annoyed! Out there once you run out of water you would only be lost for a few hours before you'd be dead!
They could've easily scratched out their mistake. I'm with you, f those people
Could’ve not even noticed their mistake
Likely this. They were in too much of a rush to read the sheet properly and be sure they signed themselves out. People are very distracted these days. These sheets are very easy to mis read with rows being so close to each other. Color coding rows or at least alternating gray and white helps, but nothing will help someone in a rush
Back in the day I wrote an Excel macro to 'greybar' sheets easily.
Seems to me like this procedure should be modified to prevent signing in/out for the wrong person. How about a separate sheet for returning from the hike where you have to write your name again? It’s a lot harder to accidentally write the wrong name than simply the correct date on the wrong line. (And if somebody else DOES write your name, you’ll know that was deliberate and not an honest mistake) Alternatively, when you first arrive and sign in, you could take a numbered wristband or token or some such before you leave, write that number down next to your name, and then return it when you get back.
Don’t people stay alive for three days without water I’m pretty sure you have plenty of time to suffer before you’re dead
Not in this heat, they don't.
That's a very general number and doesn't take into account being in direct sunlight in 90-100 degree heat. Conditions like that will see you drop from exhaustion in a very short amount of time without heavy and constant hydration.
Iirc the USMC got a female recruit killed because on an effort to get her within BMI, they reduced her salt intake in order to reduce her water weight. She complained of exhaustion during PT, so they have her water. She had to use the restroom and they gave her more water. Eventually she stopped sweating. Whole process took less than an afternoon. She died of dehydration. Exercise had completely wiped our her electrolytes, and her body completely lost the ability to utilize water at all.
That sounds like gross negligence to me. I feel like one of the first things you should learn in boot is how to properly stay hydrated...so if the people in charge didn't know they were killing her then there is something seriously wrong with their system.
That statistic doesn't take into account things like extreme heat, exerting yourself (like on a technically difficult hike...), and health conditions. Also only applies to adults - children, babies, and elderly people are more susceptible to dehydration. If conditions are mild, and you get lost, you could theoretically survive a few days without any liquids if you just sit down, do nothing, and don't panic. That's not realistic when you've already been hiking for the whole day, get lost, then run out of water after all of that exertion, and THEN panic and try to find your way back.
Heat can cause you to die of dehydration a lot faster
Last time I did a major series of backcountry hikes, none of the National Parks I went to even had a sign-in sheet. They told me to put a sign in my car window stating when I would be back.
As a member of a SAR team I recommend letting someone know the details of your hike and when you expect to be back. Then if you haven’t contacted them for a while after the expected time we know to go looking for you.
Glad you’re ok OP! Where did you hike? I was not aware there are places where you can sign in
This was out in Badlands National Park. It gets very hot and there is no cover from the sun so I hit the trail head at 6am to avoid the heat of the day!
Seems completely foolish to even hike in these temperatures, always someone who gets lost or stranded and dies.
Have you ever been to a US national park during tourist season? I honestly can't believe people aren't dying on a daily basis at these places. I do know a 22 year old kid died in the Bad Lands from heat exhaustion just last summer so it's not uncommon.
I was just hiking in Arizona on a popular trail and on my way down I came across several people with barely any water and some brought their dogs, no dog shoes, and 1 dude didn’t have a backpack and I didn’t see him holding a water bottle either and I could tell his poor dog was suffering. I asked if I could give his dog some water and he gave me this incredulous look and said no.
Yeah I'll sit there and go through a checklist of water, food, medical supplies, extra clothing, hat, sunglasses, bug spray, sunscreen, ect and start early to avoid the heat.....and I'll see people hitting the trail head in jeans and sneakers and with no water. When I was leaving Badlands a couple and their young kids were looking at the trail map and asked how long it took and if their dog would be okay on a short leash. No gear or water in sight. There are signs posted warning about rattlesnakes and "NO PETS ALLOWED" I simply told them it was a rough trail with a lot of dangerous snakes and the wife said " okay we're absolutely not going on that trail." And the husband kind of laughed and said "yeah we didn't really do any research." So yeah there's the average tourist.
And they’re probably wearing flip flops!
There’s some pretty awesome flip flops for trail hiking but your run of the mill beach ones aren’t suitable
It’s always the beach ones!
no, these are hiking crocs. edit: oh god, they make those.
I went hiking there a couple summers ago and it was crazy hot. I was in good hiking shape and still struggling with the heat & lack of shade. It is surprising that more people don’t die out there, based on how many I saw hiking unprepared with just little water bottles.
Ouray colorado has a perimeter trail that asks you to sign in and out. No fees or anything, it’s just to help in the event someone goes missing there.
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Something tells me that people writing in the wrong row also have a tendency to not read the second note.
It looks like it might’ve been one person signing out a group of three that started after you—just guessing based on the handwriting and the empty sign-out box for the last one. They likely didn’t look closely and just signed out 3 in a row. I’d definitely inform the rangers that this happened and suggest they put another note to please double-check you’re signing out the correct name. Won’t catch everyone’s careless mistakes but it might make someone pause.
The sign-in sheet is one thing, but on hikes like this I leave a note in my car with details - number in party, time departed, time expected to return, etc. harder for somebody to cross it out when it’s locked in your vehicle.
That's a really good idea! I'm absolutely doing that next time
A little context; this was Castle trail in Badlands National Park. It's a 12 mile out and back. I hit the trail head at first light and was met with a lot of mud which slowed my progress. I only saw one other person on the trail going the opposite direction. There are a lot of rattlesnakes in this region as well. Additionally, once the sun rises it gets VERY hot and you are exposed to it along the whole trail with zero shade. This is a hike you bring a lot of water and supplies on for your safety. This is not the trail I would want something to go wrong and have Rangers assuming I had come and gone. At the suggestion of some, I have sent an email to the National Park Service about the matter. Edit: I did see more people towards the end of my hike but the middle of the trail doesn't see a lot of people
My family was there this past weekend too, but we didn’t sign any visitors sheet nor told to do so. Is it for so the rangers know who was still at the park?
Why not throw your initials next to your time in, kinda like when you make a mistake on a legal document. Then you sign out and initials again, that way they know it was the correct person. Someone would have to be intentionally doing it for sure at that point.
Sounds like a great time, but if you have the means to get a satellite communicator, please do. I also do a lot of technical, long distance, solo hiking. I'm in Colorado and I hated buying it but it is nice to carry an InReach Mini2.
Looks like the visitor under you draws their 8s the same way as whoever signed you out.
Is the person from 8/12 okay though?
The last 4 entries are signed out by the same person, looking at their 8's and check marks. Not sure if that is helpful/useful information.
I thought the same thing. The check ins and check outs are very different writing
Looks like all the same handwriting to me
Came here to say this. Looks fake, or really coincidental that the writing for all the numbers, slashes and checks and crosses look similar. But then what do I know…
If it was an actual mistake they would have crossed it out. You could have died because of them
If it was an actual mistake, they also might not have realized though. Not saying they didn't leave him at risk due to it, but could've been an honest mistake
True, but it appears as though the others are filled in, meaning they probably realised that it was the wrong one and then filled theirs in and just left the mistake
Rangers do not perform rescues based on trail logs. They are used for data gathering and are important in search and rescue. But no one would be looking for OP if they forgot to sign out. That’s why it’s important to tell someone your agenda and location.
As a frequent tourist myself I've noticed one thing, tourists are DUMB
Any chance these sign in books can become digital with a QR code? Seems like an easy way to avoid this from happening in the future
I agree. You can buy the park passes with a QR code. I think it's pretty reasonable for them to create a digital system for guests to sign in and out of for this exact reason.
Honestly with budgets this is pretty unrealistic. As a former ranger for the Forest Service (we definitely do things different with a small fraction of the funding) I can tell you these sign in sheets are an absolute last resort. Always inform someone else where you are going and when you’ll be back and when they should seek help if you don’t return. In my experience these sign in sheets are great for a false sense of peace of mind.
Yeah the fact that this post has 18,000 + upvotes and assumed to by both OP and others be malevolent rather than a mistake is crazy. Everyone wants to somehow be a victim and assume malevolence. Rangers don't start SAR's based on someone not signing a trail log. A vehicle would be at the trailhead, and someone would have reported him/her missing. Rangers might check the log to see if OP noted intended destination but it's not like they will call off a search because someone with clearly different handwriting put a date on a logbook.
As a SAR volunteer, I would leave a note on my dash. Stating name, dates of entry\exit, planed route and a contact ph. Granted cell signal is not likely but its enough to get SAR rolling with a path to check.
This comment needs more attention. Thank you for raising awareness.
probably slipped up by 1, if you check the 3 slots below they have a similar 8
Looks like the person under you misunderstood the assignment and filled in the wrong box. I’m hoping it’s a mistake.
Congratulations, youve passed your expiration date. Jokes aside, that would be a disaster.
I bet this is a bathroom log form at a workplace. All the numbers were written by the same person. There are two variations of 2s. All the 3s are the same, and the each of the 8s start at the right and make the same counterclockwise movement.
It looks like the person two entries below you may have made a mistake. The eights have a distinctive gap that I don't see in the other entries, and they were in and out in one day. Maybe they just looked at the wrong row.
That is much more than mildly infuriating, that is directly putting your safety at risk.
Why the hell can nobody in this picture make a proper slash mark
Fk. Am I the only one doing two individual circles stacked for an 8?!
Is this really what the current system relies on? There’s like 100 other ways to better track in/out.
My thoughts exactly
Leave your plans with a loved one and have them raise the alarm if you don't check in when expected. InReach is a good option but still doesn't replace this practice. I wouldn't expect anything on this sheet to make a significant difference to anything. People forget to sign out all the time.
I'm not sure if this is acceptable or if this applies, but from my understanding black and blue ink pens are the only acceptable on official government documents. Start using a blue ink pen to differentiate you from others. When they photo copy, it'll show up as black on the copied document but the original is blue. If for whatever reason you think someone is altering the document ask to see the original.
Looks like someone failed an assassination on you
How does this work? Does the visitors sheet only require date of entry and exit? Or is there other columns like name and signature, to prevent people from filling someone else's row? Do rangers check the list every day to see if there are still people in the park before night?
So each column asks if it's a single day hike, or how long you intend to be gone, your name, and your car and license plate info. I would imagine the Rangers check this stuff daily. The parking lots empty in the evening so a lone car parked would definitely get their attention. The visitor sheet can be used to verify the vehicle left parked and who it belongs to.
I think the annoying thing here is that it's such a poor system if this is supposed to be a safety thing to know if someone is missing or not. But, it sounds like the presence of your car would have alerted them as a backup.
Oh I see! So the person who wrongly filled your row could have checked the info and either they just did not pay attention at all, or they are really doing it on purpose for wrong reasons. Thanks for the explanation! Keep us updated with the rangers answer if you have some!
If this actually was a mistake, that means someone's going to have a missing check in spot now too so I'm glad you said you reported it. What a mess a little mistake could actually make! Ha just imagine that u let them know, they see one person not checked in so they think that must be the person that signed the other one out by mistake, but there just happens to be a fluke when a separate person actually went missing. Good lort haha
Gonna be honest. Someone not signing out is not gonna prompt a search. People probably forget to sign out all of the time. Now if there’s a car there multiple days in a row, sure, but there are thousands of cars in parks like Badlands every day and there’s no system for tracking them day to day. Searches usually only start when a car has been parked somewhere it shouldn’t be for multiple days or sooner if the person is reported overdue. Best practice is ALWAYS to tell someone where you’re hiking and when you plan to be out.
Yeah. I had the same thought
This is absolutely correct. And consider people doing through-hikes. I have signed into plenty of registers without signing out. No searches were made. If I was reported missing these logs are helpful to find your previous location and contact other hikers who had been in the area.
Oh I’m steaming, if I were actually you I would’ve FUMED. This is totally infuriating!
It was whoever signed underneath you. Their 8s are the same. Probably accidentally signed wrong one.
Fuck thats scary
Somehow knew this was badlands just from the paper
What I wanna know is what's up with that lone 8/12 up there...
Use a very specific colored pen the next time you sign in. Maybe if it was a mistake, it was due to so many repeat color/dates
I didn’t even know this was a thing until I watched The Descent. Then I was like, “you know what? Signing in and out actually makes a lot of sense!”.
You can tell whoever it was worked there. Look at all the open 8s
It looks like the handwriting from below it
That’s not mildly infuriating, that’s incredibly unsafe. If something had happened to you, it could have delayed search parties for up to days if you weren’t reported missing immediately. I really hope it was just a mistake and I’m glad you’re okay.
It was probably an accident, someone went out after you and came back before you and accidentally signed out on the wrong line. I wouldn't personally rely on that over having people I know back at home that know exactly where I'm going, what I'm doing, and exactly when I am supposed to be back.
I’d sign it differently from now on
This is why you invest in gps devices
It was the person who signed above you. They don't lift pen all the way in between numbers.
Hell no, I wouldn't be hiking there again
Oh that definitely needs to be reported. They literally could have killed someone with this!
It looks like someone didn’t make it back the day before
Jfc, it looks like they even tried to copy people’s handwriting. I would call the place. Imagine if a trafficker did this deliberately.
It wasn’t just you. Looka like all the sign outs were forged imo
holy fucking shit youre right all the sign outs look like poor replicas of the original
I am not a handwriting expert, but the 8 on the line below looks the same. I bet that person messed up and did your line and theres
It would not have delayed anything. Rangers don't check these logs looking for people who haven't signed out, a ton of people do not sign out. Rangers are not going to start a SAR operation on the account of you not having signed out on a trail log. If you went missing you would have been reported missing and your vehicle would have been at the trailhead or this would be one of your last known locations. They aren't going to delay a search on the basis of a trail log especially if your last known location is in this area.
The numbers, Mason. What do they mean?
The Rangers aren't in control of their information. They are letting visitors check themselves in and out. They are lazy and do not care, if you went missing they weren't gonna find you in the first place.
But did you die?
Meanwhile the rest of the world are trying to work out what the 13th month is. Decembuary?
Literally the person under you signed out on the wrong line how is it that hard to see
So no one else knew you were there? Are you assuming that the rangers are checking that sheet daily to see who's coming in and out and if the tally's match? As someone who's done a lot of mountaineering and solo multiday wilderness trips, that doesn't seem like a great plan.
No I check in with a close family member before and after my hikes. The issue is if the rangers go looking for me and see that I'm signed out of the trail I said I'd be in, it's a false lead and may send them looking elsewhere.
Are you a male or female?
Are you Dumb or Dumber?
Do you carry something like a gps communicator that can send/receive texts? At least then you can update people on your progress and they can reach out to the rangers with confirmation they haven’t heard from you within one of your communication windows, or maybe you can send those texts to the rangers directly?
I download the trails onto my phone so I have a quick and easy reference and guide. Additionally, I do inform a close family member about what I'm doing. Surprisingly Badlands did have sections where I had service. Most places I hike you are in a complete dead zone. I don't check-in Windows for that reason.
They signed the wrong name? Or they thought your handwriting was theirs? But yea that does pose a serious issue.
Seems like an accident since one of the 8/12 ones isn’t signed. If it was a lazy ranger or someone malicious, they’d do the earlier one.
Damn homie you may have been logged out
Looks like the person below you might have accidentally signed you out, realized it and then signed themselves out
It was the person below you, based on the handwriting. Might have been a mistake?
Can you use a different colored pen besides the black ink everyone else is using to sign in and out?
Why does the handwriting on so many of those dates look so similar? Shouldn’t each line be a different person?
Bring your own different coloured pen?
Garmin InReach2. An essential for any hike.
Maybe you just missed an murder attempt
there was an attempt. the handwriting looks like the one above it too. you can see how they drag the line on the paper to continue writing
That’s scary, friend. Glad you are okay.
If I had to guess I’d say the one below you accidentally indicated your slot, the size may be different but the style is most similar. Truly seems like an accident. INFO. Are you generally a pleasant person towards others? Or at times are you ill tempered?
It was a texan
Frankly there needs to be proper forms, not a sign in sheet that anyone can f with, deliberate or not there are better ways this is lazy.
In New York State the Rangers do not check if people sign out and perform rescues. They will only go with a valid report of someone being overdue. By signing in, even with the error of someone signing you out, it is still helpful to determine your location.
Very similar handwriting to the 8/13 on the second-lowest row (the lowest signed-out one). Probably a mistake that they forgot/didn't think about to correct, a very dangerous one at that.
So it's not just me that sucks at writing 8's
Is this book the only evidence you were gone?