Trail names, a tool for criminals

[Michael Gunderloy]

http://m.bbc.com/news/magazine-32856626

Pretty shallow, but what do you expect from outsiders?

[Ralph Burgess]

How did this trail tradition of pseudonyms "protect his secret"? Did the Appalachian Trail Governing Committee issue him with a driver's license in the name of "Bismarck" and a new social security number? If there were no tradition of trail names, and the guy had just told everyone he was "John Smith", what would be the difference?

The journalist is an idiot, but the underlying story is really interesting – the idea that a fugitive "hid" on the AT is pretty cool. If the trails become a haven for white collar criminals, that's fine with me, let's just hope the serial killers stick to the big cities where they belong.

[Rick Reno]

Great story… sad ending.

I wish they'd never found him; he was doing a lot more good in Maine than he will in prison.

Wonder what he did with the dough… he might just get away with it yet!

[Author]

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