So here's the scenario. It's 9 AM. You're off in the back of beyond, on a little dirt road. You pull over to park to climb for the day. It's a good sized pullout that is designated both as a campsite and a parking area. It's the only convenient area to park in if you're climbing at the crag you're going to for the day.

As you pull in, you see there's one party set up camping for the day. No big deal, you've parked off to the side while folks were camping here before. But you've always known them - other climbers. As you pull in, you quickly asses the situation. It's a couple, and you don't know them. In fact they're pretty definitely not climbers. They've got two motocross-type motorcycles, a big-ass tent, a big-ass truck, a trailer with stuff spewing out of it, a fire going, country music blaring, and a few beers scattered around. Classic rednecks. Sure, that's okay. It's all good, right?

As you pull in, the guy gets up, belches loudly, and saunters over to your car, as you're pulling gear out of the back. He says he's got a couple more people coming to camp, with more motorcycles, and he wants you to beat it.

Now there's enough room for two more trucks, trailers, and tents, but only if this guy consolidates a little. And your car off to the side is not going to make a big difference.

What I did was to pull forward four feet or so into the weeds, and let him know that that was just going to have to be good enough. He didn't like it, and said so, but I just got my stuff and hit the trailhead.

All day I wondered if him and his buddies would take his annoyance out on my car.

What would you have done?

GO

So here's the scenario. It's 9 AM. You're off in the back of beyond, on a little dirt road. You pull over to park to climb for the day. It's a good sized pullout that is designated both as a campsite and a parking area. It's the only convenient area to park in if you're climbing at the crag you're going to for the day.

As you pull in, you see there's one party set up camping for the day. No big deal, you've parked off to the side while folks were camping here before. But you've always known them - other climbers. As you pull in, you quickly asses the situation. It's a couple, and you don't know them. In fact they're pretty definitely not climbers. They've got two motocross-type motorcycles, a big-ass tent, a big-ass truck, a trailer with stuff spewing out of it, a fire going, country music blaring, and a few beers scattered around. Classic rednecks. Sure, that's okay. It's all good, right?

As you pull in, the guy gets up, belches loudly, and saunters over to your car, as you're pulling gear out of the back. He says he's got a couple more people coming to camp, with more motorcycles, and he wants you to beat it.

Now there's enough room for two more trucks, trailers, and tents, but only if this guy consolidates a little. And your car off to the side is not going to make a big difference.

What I did was to pull forward four feet or so into the weeds, and let him know that that was just going to have to be good enough. He didn't like it, and said so, but I just got my stuff and hit the trailhead.

All day I wondered if him and his buddies would take his annoyance out on my car.

What would you have done?

GO

Years ago, driving home from a successful early ascent of the Black Dike, some yahoo perceived that we cut him off and started harassing us road-rage style. I pulled over to let him pass, and the guy pulls over too 50 yards past us, gets out, and starts storming towards us. Big dude, too.

My partner and I opened our doors, went to the back of the pickup, and turned to meet him half way with ice axes in hand. He didn't act so big after that, in fact he spun around faster than a cotton ball in a blender.

Ah the stupidity of youth.

I think you handled it well, and I would have done the same. or tried to.

But this is where being a female is both an advantage and a disadvantage, so in some way it would have depended on who i was with. It can go either way. If it were me and another girl, the guy might have been more inclined to be nice to us and we would have been fine parking there, and not too worried about the car (but possibly worried about coming back in the afternoon to a campsite full of drunken guys). Or he might have decided that we were an easy target to intimidate, and it would have gotten worse, and I would have left.

If I were with a male partner, the guy would have directed all his questions/aggression at my partner, instead of me (the redneck-types always do), and the decision of what to do would have been up to this partner, really, bc he were the one under pressure.


And a funny story: On the way to TenSleep this summer, we were following my partner's new GPS, which took us a different way on the last ~1.5 hour of the drive, compared to how we went to TenSleep last year. We were driving on these little unpaved country roads, when a pickup truck started chasing us.
The truck caught up with us, and started running us off the road. We pulled off on the sid,e and hte guy jumped out of the truck, super-angry. Turns out that we were driving through his ranch and he was VERY unhappy about it (even though GPS was saying that it is just a county road).

Well picture this: I am with a guy who has fake-blond hair he had just bleached before the trip, and he is wearing bright-color T-shirt and manpris, and sunglasses, and looking I guess like a very metrosexual that DEFINITELY doesn't belong on the ranch. I really thought the rancher guy was going to beat him bloody! Or shoot him, or something...

But my partner is a naturally-friendly guy who acted non-threateningly, apologized profusely, explained that we were not local (as if that needed to be said!), apologized again, and again, and the rancher mellowed out and told us that we should turn around and go a different way b.c that was shorter.

And all the rancher said to me was "G-day m'am" with a tip of the hat at the end. Until then, his business was with the dude, and the dude only. I might as well have been a decoration.

Years ago, driving home from a successful early ascent of the Black Dike, some yahoo perceived that we cut him off and started harassing us road-rage style. I pulled over to let him pass, and the guy pulls over too 50 yards past us, gets out, and starts storming towards us. Big dude, too.

My partner and I opened our doors, went to the back of the pickup, and turned to meet him half way with ice axes in hand. He didn't act so big after that, in fact he spun around faster than a cotton ball in a blender.

Ah the stupidity of youth.

Usually offer a beer out of my cooler or theirs. Share a few stories about the bikes I've ridden and owned and where. Relate the blue collar redneck work history that is who I am (they usually can relate). Express my desire to climb that day and ask if they would like to watch and maybe try climbing especially if they have children. Inform them that we will be back at the end of the day hopefully share beers. I usually try to make a few new friends so they can watch my car.

Surely doesn't hurt to take the plate number or have a tire iron or ice axe handy. Can't say I've ever needed any of those in a situation like this though.

Usually offer a beer out of my cooler or theirs. Share a few stories about the bikes I've ridden and owned and where. Relate the blue collar redneck work history that is who I am (they usually can relate). Express my desire to climb that day and ask if they would like to watch and maybe try climbing especially if they have children. Inform them that we will be back at the end of the day hopefully share beers. I usually try to make a few new friends so they can watch my car.

Surely doesn't hurt to take the plate number or have a tire iron or ice axe handy. Can't say I've ever needed any of those in a situation like this though.