Crazy Jake
Crazy Jake
Well... We can't have this whole Bulletin Board dedicated to just just hunting for the LDM. After all, Ron already has it right? We might as well share some stories about the mtns. and the people we have met out there while we are waiting for Ron to dig up the Gold! <br> <br>Back in 1998 when we were filming the Do[beep]entry for A&E we had a Forest Ranger (Greg Hansen) riding with us the entire time we were filming in the Wilderness Area. I guess they sent him along so we wouldn't get Lost out there! LOL <br> <br>Anyway, I had a few long conversations with Greg as we rode along the trails. One of the conversations was about "Crazy" Jake. Greg told me that he found Jake camped on the Mesa not long after Jake was released from prison. <br> <br>He (Greg) said he saw a pallet with a tarp over it sitting over by the cliffs that dropped over into Squaw Box. He asked jake what was under the tarp and Jake replied "Supplies". Greg asked Jake if he minded if he had a look at the "Supplies". Jake replied "Yes" he DID mind if Greg had a look at the "Supplies". <br> <br>Well Greg responded that he thought he would just have a look at the "Supplies" anyway as he lifted one corner of the tarp. Under the tarp Greg found several boxes of Dynamite, several rolls of "Det" Cord and several boxes of Blasting Caps. (Remember... this is After Jake got out or prison, and Long after the Wilderness Area was closed to blasting of any kind) <br> <br>I asked Greg what he did when he found all this blasting stuff? He replied that he only had two junior Rangers with him (none of them armed) and Jakes group was quite large (All heavily armed) so he had to walk kinda softly. <br> <br>He knew there was no way his group of Three could haul all of that stuff out of the mtns. right then, and that jake could easily bury it all somewhere before greg could get back with more Rangers, so he decided to just confinscate (sp?) the Blasting Caps and "Det" cord so Jake couldn't use any of the Dynamite! <br> <br>I couldn't help but silently chuckle to myself because that was almost exactly the way Jake had told me the same story in April of 1994, except that Jake went a step farther to add that it didn't bother him because he had boxes and boxes of "Det" Cord and Blasting Caps already hidden elsewhere on the Mesa! It was only the Dynamite he really needed at the time! <br> <br>A word to the Wise! If you ever get to Peter's Mesa... Be very carefull where you put your shovel, pitch your tent or Build your campfire! <br> <br>I have every reason to believe all that Dynamite, The boxes of "Det" Cord and the Blasting Caps are still burried up there somewhere!
Interesting story. <br> <br>I wonder if the above tale is the source <br>of the "landmine" rumors. You know: "dont go into certain areas of the mountains, cause wouldnt you know it, the whole dam area is laced with landmines". Never mind that last I looked they werent selling "landmines" <br>at Walmart or Macys, but heck makes for a good rumor nonetheless.
Nice story, ----- but a couple things stand out that don't add up. First of all, it isn't illegal to posess, or be in possession of dynamite and det. material in the wilderness area. The law just says --- you cannot blast there. "Greg Hansen" has no authority to confiscate any of those items and if you knew Jake, you would know he would never let Hansen, or anyone else for that matter, confiscate anything of his. Jake did do some blasting up there and along the Squaw Canyon trail. But he was always careful to let his hired help take the fall for any heat the Forest Service tried to throw his way.
Like Jim and Ron, I also use my real name (and email address) while posting. while it wrankles me some that some folks use pseudonyms instead of their correct names, I can also understand why they choose to remain incognito and "anonymous". <br> <br>We already have TWO "anonymous" posters <br>and several folks with an alias. If its <br>a difference between them contributing to the forum and remaining silent, then let them by all means keep their identity secret. <br> <br>P
My full name is Peter Joseph Esposito. <br> <br>As I said before I am known to some of the LDM community, have visited at folks <br>homes , have met with a very good LDM friend for lunch and even chat with a member of the SMHS executive board via AOL Instant Messenger a couple of times a week. This together with hundreds of emails to various LDM folks throughout the country, I beleive, establishes me <br>as a real-life person, not a ghost (or ga'an). <br> <br>I have an article coming out in the upcoming SMHS journal (tho as I understand it there are TWO issues due out...I do not know in which issue my article will appear.) <br> <br>As to why I was "incognito" in a very early post to the forum....well, at the time I suppose I felt as you do NOW, that I wanted to keep my identity secret. The "JD" stood for one of my favorite LDM characters... Joe Deering. <br> <br>I post my real name (and email address) now because I feel that it might help other folks who are in the LDM "closet" (pun fully intended...lol)to come out. Like I have posted before....I fully understand why someone wouldnt want their name out there and am well aware of the finge elements out there that seem to go with the LDM territory. <br> <br>But I suspect there wont be too many folks camped out on my front lawn waiting for me to show 'em where the mine is anytime soon.....I hope <grin>. <br> <br>What about you Mr Anonymous....what's your name? <br> <br>P
I prefer to remain "Anonymous", for the same reasons many others do. I live here, and I search for the LDM. I don't want anyone following me, I'm not looking for attention, and I don't want anyone camping on MY front lawn. I know who some of these "fringe elements" are and I don't particularly care for them to know who I am. <br>This is not unreasonable, given the history of the mountains. I think more dialog will be forthcoming if everyone doesn't jump up and say "Look, it's me!". <br>I will make it a point to read your article.
LOL <br> <br>I had already figured out that that particular "anonymous" was not you! You sounded to me like a serious and intelligent Dutch Hunter in your earlier posts and silly posts like that simply didnt go with your character. <br>Seems we have the "fringe" amongst us... <br>dressed in the guise of anonymity !! <br> <br>P
Hi Jim, <br> <br>LOL That particular post was so silly I didnt even deign to reply. I guess the gist of the message was that I was a "woman" because I have cautioned folks about going into the mountains. <br> <br>It did strike me as ironic that whoever posted that was himself "hiding" behind a vail of anonymity....."afraid" to post his true identity? <br> <br>For myself, I have learned long ago not to judge a book by its cover as far as folks go. <br> <br>P