hobo jungle camper warning for weekend of may 1-3

FYI - there's a very angry individual (white male ~30yo) camping at the parking for HJ. Be ready to be accosted if you park there. Might be best to just park a little farther west down the road and sneak passed avoiding his camp.
We came out from climbing and he was definitely a little over the top, flipping us off and acting like he was going to throw rocks at my truck (this was as we were driving away). Other than informing him that it was a common place for people to hike and climb, we tried to avoid escalating the situation and still had to deal with a lot more verbal abuse than was warranted.
Be aware and stay safe!

Wondering if this is the same dude some people called the cops on last year? Sounds like similar behavior. He caution taped off the site last year.

Sounds like a call to the local LEO was warranted. Did you call?

If there is a camp set up, move along and park somewhere else.  Its a big forest.
Steve

Greg Opland wrote: We ran into a guy at the parking lot last fall who talked to my wife after we pulled in and asked if we could move somewhere else. Claimed he had PTSD and had come out there to be alone. My wife (trying to do him a favor) told him might want to reconsider his choice, because it was the parking for a nearby climbing venue. In other words, if it wasn't us, it was going to be someone, and maybe a lot of someone's the next day (this was a Friday). He sort of angrily reversed his camp setup and moved on. Sounds like it might be the same guy others have run into. With the thousands of little backwoods pockets where you can drive to camp in the forest around Flag, his obsession on this one spot seems a bit odd.

Ive had encounters there as well,  but nothing too confrontational like the OP. Now, if there is a camp setup, I'll park at the next pullout. 

I was wondering what you all's thoughts on just dismantling the fire ring there. There's no telling when you pull in that its basically a trailhead and if the ring was gone, maybe people will stop camping there. There is so much good camping up there, the greater public wouldnt lose much by being down one more camp spot in the woods.
I'd volounteer the labor one of these random weekdays if no one objects.
We might try some other method of signaling its a parking area; breaking down the fire ring just seems to be the most elegant solution...

Didn’t see this before heading out there today. I started getting cussed out the moment I made the turn into the parking area. There was a large school pus parked in the area. I figured they may be climbers and would likely be chill but that is certainly not the case. The man claimed he called the forest service and they told him that nobody is allowed to park there unless they are camping. 

I call shenanigans on him calling the forest service...hard to believe the forest service cares who parks where and for what at random dirt pullouts in the woods. If that were the case, there would be a sign. On weekends, just park at the next pullout 100 yards down the road if you see a camp setup; not worth the hassle. It might add 2 minutes to the approach. 

Greg Opland wrote:

Exactly!!!  LOL

I wouldn't say we had a problem that time, per se. Just an obnoxious entitled douchebag who apparently wanted to keep everyone after us out.

....story please....

Steve

Be sure and ask him to put on his mask if you have to confront a guy like this.

I once parked at upper Tanque Verde falls and a woman was camped right in the parking spaces. She complained that I was wrecking her privacy. I said "you have any idea how many people are going to drive by here and coat your camp w dust ?". 10 feet from road. I laughed to myself.