Identified! FL - Big Cypress Natl Preserve, Male Hiker, Denim & “Mostly Harmless” July 2018 - Vance Rodriguez#4

[gfinale]

I used to travel a lot for business and still travel solo to Florida many times, there and back. As a female and traveling alone you learn there are ways to bolster safety while in unfamiliar places. Never stay in a ground floor room. Don't take a room close to a stair exit. Park as close to the front entrance as possible not near a side door to the building, even though you may have to walk further to your room.

I've had to have 'the talk' with random hotel desk clerks, many female to my dismay, who seem to think it's okay to verbalize the information on my driver's license, letting everybody waiting in line know where I'm from, what car I drive, my name and the room number I've just been given. I try to tell them the reason I gave them the license in hand is to keep my info confidential, not broadcast it to all and sundry.

You'd think there was some kind of standard process in all hotels to ensure safety for their female travelers but you'd be surprised how many places I've gone to that don't seem too concerned about it and get miffed when you point it out.

Because I have a long and complicated last name I always give an alias when making reservations at restaurants, etc.

These days, everything is your fault because you're the customer

 

[carbuff]

So one does not need a permit to thru hike the AT? Asking because people do to thru hike the PCT and last year I read a few hikers got into trouble with rangers when they flipped up north due to the snow in the Sierras and were hiking southbound without a southbound permit later in the season.

It varies--certain heavily used sections like the Blue Ridge in Virginia require permits and have heavy fines for violations. Some campgrounds require reservations and permits. The northern terminus in Baxter State Park in Maine requires permits and limits the number of people allowed in each day, mostly for safety reasons. But most of it is open and popular for day hikes and section hikes as well as through hikers. The combination of through hikers and local hikers from the Washington DC area is why the Blue Ridge has restrictions.

Most people hike the AT starting at Springer Mountain and head north. Going north to south is less common, and he was late in the season, after most of the northbound hikers would have passed through the southern section, so he probably wouldn't have run into many issues.

 

[EricaJ4u2]

Not at all. Once was when I went to a "free" concert. Get there prepared to see it with others and they ask us our names. I told them Ben Bilemy

Oh, GREAT... it's only a matter of time before the person you gave that name to tries to report a BB sighting....hahahaha

 

[gfinale]

Oh, GREAT... it's only a matter of time before the person you gave that name to tries to report a BB sighting....hahahaha

Ha! Just to be clear though, I was just joking, I wouldn't use his name for that reason and I'm not telling you sleuths what name I used!

 

[GatorFL]

So one does not need a permit to thru hike the AT? Asking because people do to thru hike the PCT and last year I read a few hikers got into trouble with rangers when they flipped up north due to the snow in the Sierras and were hiking southbound without a southbound permit later in the season.

I've only sectioned hiked it and I didn't need permits in the areas I was in. If you enter a national or state park there may be fees you have to pay upon entry. Same if you camp at a campsite in a park. Like a lot of parks this is sort of an honor system. You put your payment in a little envelope and tear off the stub and keep it with you as proof of payment.

PCT may be different, I've never researched it at all.

I am going to do some hiking around Denver for my next away trip. I don't think you pay to hike there, either.

 

[gfinale]

I've only sectioned hiked it and I didn't need permits in the areas I was in. If you enter a national or state park there may be fees you have to pay upon entry. Same if you camp at a campsite in a park. Like a lot of parks this is sort of an honor system. You put your payment in a little envelope and tear off the stub and keep it with you as proof of payment.

PCT may be different, I've never researched it at all.

I am going to do some hiking around Denver for my next away trip. I don't think you pay to hike there, either.

Would MH have had to pay to camp at Nobles Camp each day or you mean more real, individual campsites with some amenities?

 

[GatorFL]

Would MH have had to pay to camp at Nobles Camp each day or you mean more real, individual campsites with some amenities?

I think Nobles is free. Some campsites are within a national, state or even county park. These are pretty clearly marked when you enter the boundary. If you are camping you have to pay the fee right there. You take the envelope, put the money in, tear the receipt off and put it in the dropbox.

 

[GatorFL]

I always give a fake name at coffee shops when they ask who the drink is for. I don't see why any oddballs and stalkers hanging around should have my real name.

snipped
Because I have a long and complicated last name I always give an alias when making reservations at restaurants, etc.

Ha, my first name is not all that common, I often give a different first name. I have an extremely common last name sometimes I give that.

I love opentable.com for restaurants.

I always use my name for serious things, like hiking. As a member of the FTA I receive certain benefits. If I was hiking on an official FTA hike and I was injured, evacuation is covered, through the association. Come to think of it, I've seen a lot of injuries on the trail. I've seen a few bad falls and one of them resulted in a broken wrist.

 

[branmuffin]

I've only sectioned hiked it and I didn't need permits in the areas I was in. If you enter a national or state park there may be fees you have to pay upon entry. Same if you camp at a campsite in a park. Like a lot of parks this is sort of an honor system. You put your payment in a little envelope and tear off the stub and keep it with you as proof of payment.

PCT may be different, I've never researched it at all.

I am going to do some hiking around Denver for my next away trip. I don't think you pay to hike there, either.

So as long as you have the stub to prove you paid for that leg then your name is actually irrelevant. Unless people are asking for ID as proof of who you are (which sounds like it never happened for MH) then you could be anyone.

 

[Valiant]

There is no reason to assume he used the same Ben Bilemy alias every time he had to register somewhere. He could have used multiple aliases. a different one each time he registered. That would prevent someone tracking him across the trails.

 

[GatorFL]

So as long as you have the stub to prove you paid for that leg then your name is actually irrelevant. Unless people are asking for ID as proof of who you are (which sounds like it never happened for MH) then you could be anyone.

Yes, I think this is right in my experience. If you have the proof of payment they don't care who you are.

There is very little crime on trails. Small time equipment theft out of somebody's tent or pack. Maybe a cache pillaged here and there. Animals illegally fed or injured/killed. Worst I heard about, a crazy guy up on the AT couple years ago that either injured or killed somebody, I can't even remember the whole story. In short, not a lot of reasons for the authorities to be probing hikers.

 

[GatorFL]

There is no reason to assume he used the same Ben Bilemy alias every time he had to register somewhere. He could have used multiple aliases. a different one each time he registered. That would prevent someone tracking him across the trails.

He could have but this does not seem like a good path to head down. The hiking community came forward fast with a lot of information, the detective told us so on the podcast: the pictures and the accounts of the other hikers, the hostel he stayed in around Thanksgiving. He was hiding in plain sight already, I don't think he gave other aliases or we would have heard about it.

 

[Valiant]

He could have but this does not seem like a good path to head down. The hiking community came forward fast with a lot of information, the detective told us so on the podcast: the pictures and the accounts of the other hikers, the hostel he stayed in around Thanksgiving. He was hiding in plain sight already, I don't think he gave other aliases or we would have heard about it.

How would anyone else hiking on the trail know what alias he may have used on a form put in an anonymous drop box? All he needs is that stub receipt to be legal. Use a different name each time, dispose of the receipt when it's not needed, and anonymity is maintained. We only know of the one alias because it was a public sign in.

I firmly believe he went out of his way to maintain anonymity. Not a single name, address, or phone number disclosed (his, or any relative or friend). The wallet that disappeared, etc. I rule out mental illness because his actions were deliberate and methodical to keep a barrier between his old "real" like and his new trail life.

 

[GatorFL]

How would anyone else hiking on the trail know what alias he may have used on a form put in an anonymous drop box? All he needs is that stub receipt to be legal. Use a different name each time, dispose of the receipt when it's not needed, and anonymity is maintained. We only know of the one alias because it was a public sign in.

I firmly believe he went out of his way to maintain anonymity. Not a single name, address, or phone number disclosed (his, or any relative or friend). The wallet that disappeared, etc. I rule out mental illness because his actions were deliberate and methodical to keep a barrier between his old "real" like and his new trail life.

I reached out to the detective with this very question. He told me what I said earlier, that MH avoided the trail paperwork, permits, etc. It seems he only actually did them when there was another person there observing him complete the paperwork. Like at the hostel.

 

[branmuffin]

I reached out to the detective with this very question. He told me what I said earlier, that MH avoided the trail paperwork, permits, etc. It seems he only actually did them when there was another person there observing him complete the paperwork. Like at the hostel.

If he only filled out paperwork when other people were observing do we know if he always used the BB alias?

 

[gfinale]

There is no reason to assume he used the same Ben Bilemy alias every time he had to register somewhere. He could have used multiple aliases. a different one each time he registered. That would prevent someone tracking him across the trails.

LE and others know the dates of many of the places he stopped at or at least within a few days. Along with he stopped with others or others at those places have been with him. I'm sure all of those places have been checked out for what name he used and we've only heard one name. Could he have used another name somewhere, I guess but it sounds like he used Ben Bilemy everywhere that is known that he stopped.

 

[gfinale]

I reached out to the detective with this very question. He told me what I said earlier, that MH avoided the trail paperwork, permits, etc. It seems he only actually did them when there was another person there observing him complete the paperwork. Like at the hostel.

And I'm sure they have checked out everywhere they know of that he did paperwork such that they only found Ben Bilemy. Is it only one place where they found Ben Bilemy because I've been under the impression it was more places.

 

[GatorFL]

And I'm sure they have checked out everywhere they know of that he did paperwork such that they only found Ben Bilemy. Is it only one place where they found Ben Bilemy because I've been under the impression it was more places.

I would have to go looking, but I do believe it is more than one place.

 

[gfinale]

How would anyone else hiking on the trail know what alias he may have used on a form put in an anonymous drop box? All he needs is that stub receipt to be legal. Use a different name each time, dispose of the receipt when it's not needed, and anonymity is maintained. We only know of the one alias because it was a public sign in.

I firmly believe he went out of his way to maintain anonymity. Not a single name, address, or phone number disclosed (his, or any relative or friend). The wallet that disappeared, etc. I rule out mental illness because his actions were deliberate and methodical to keep a barrier between his old "real" like and his new trail life.

About the wallet, I'm fairly certain both Obsidian and Bob (shop that sold him tent) saw him pull out a wallet. How is it that we are positive he didn't have ID in that wallet? What happened to his wallet and why doesn't anything seem to be made about that?! What if it was lost then found? What if it was stolen?

 

[gfinale]

In a closed thread of this case, Narkj says "FYI, I have learned that MH did have a wallet at one point during the trail and someone witnessed him using a card to pay for something along the way. They were sure of it." Is Narkj or someone else able to say WHO that someone was, whether they said anything else about it and whether they can be contacted. If somebody saw him use a card, with the approx date, time and place, they can probably find the transaction at the store and/or card company, especially knowing what he bought along the way. Even if he used a prepaid card, he probably registered it and it could provide further information. It could show where he bought the card too. Cards must be activated where they're bought before they can be used.