While it always pays to be wary when camping out in the bush or in national parks, Australian grey nomads should count their lucky stars that the odd bit of loud late-night chitter chatter or ‘mild’ hoonery is normally about the worst they can expect.
The stakes are often significantly higher in other parts of the world, even in friendly places such as the United States. Reports are just coming out of Washington state in America’s far north west of a shooting at the Kettle River Campground in the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area.
Initial reports suggest that a person was shot by one or more National Park Service Rangers who had stopped to investigate a noise complaint at the campsite. The incident happened at about 10.30pm local time on Saturday night.
The suspect was transported to Sacred Heart Medical Centre in Spokane and is listed in satisfactory condition. Another suspect was taken into custody and booked into Spokane County Jail.
The Kettle River Campground was closed while detectives investigated the incident and gathered evidence, but has apparently since reopened. No other details of the incident have yet been released.
The fact that national park rangers are armed in the first place would suggest that this is not necessarily an isolated incident. Indeed, last year a park ranger was shot dead by a gunman at nearby Mount Rainier National Park.
And the situation seems even worse in other parts of the country.
The proximity of Arizona’s Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument to the Mexican border and the drugs activity there perhaps partially explains why it has previously been named America’s “most dangerous national park”. Hard as it is to believe, 69% of the remote border park has been closed to the public since 2002, when a law enforcement park ranger was shot and killed while pursuing drug runners armed with AK-47s.
Tours to the beautiful Quitobaquito springs are only allowed as long as rangers armed with rifles go along to protect the visitors!
Do you feel lucky that you are able to travel in a ‘safe’ country like Australia? Have you ever had a scary experience while at remote campsite? Does camping in the bush make you nervous. Comment below.
With the amount of Ice being used it’s not really safe anywhere unless with other campers….I went last week to my second favorite spot on the Murray and wouldn’t have stayed if there wasn’t somebody else there
no scary stuff ever in any state in Aus been camping for 7 years
We were absolutly terrorised at echuca last weekend by around 30 youths generator and extermly loud music, foul language and had large commercial lights shone on our van after we asked politly to kep the noise down at 4am… police told us that there was nothing they could do and after being kept awzke for 48hours we got some sleep.. 4 days later we are still to shaken to moove.. Ice is a problem but our attitude towards letting youth blow off steam is worse.. I decided yesterday to moove a business venture off shore to china as i now have no desire to invest in the future of australia.. Il make a filthy profit for my family and spend on safe travel but for me free camping and loyalty to australia has gone to hell.
On Eyer. Peninsula we wre bush camping years ago and shots rang out.probably only rabbit shooters but we got out of there fast.probsably wouldn’t happen today with gun restrictions in force.
During the past 10 years , we have stayed in all states , and in remote locations , in free camps , national parks , or just pulled off beside a road , and never once been subjected to harassment of any sort . John and Lyn