My first story about this incident, which was published on this website on Sunday, November 28
Ice Age Trail Muir Hike Ended by Shouting Hunter
On Sunday Afternoon November 28 the weather was great for hiking. I decided
that I would head over to John Muir County Park in Marquette County for a hike
on the Ice Age Trail. But the hike ended early as a hunter on an adjacent property
shouted at a family who were hiking the trail in front of me. The family consisted of
2 elementary aged children, their mother, 2 of their grand parents and the family dog.
I have given a statement to the Marquette County Sheriff's Department regarding this
incident. There is no hunting allowed in John Muir County Park. And both myself and
the family members were wearing blaze orange. John Muir County Park is located on
the site of the farm that John Muir lived when his family first came to America when
John was 11 years old. John Muir's explorations of Yellowstone and Yosemite lead
to the creation of the first National Parks.
On Monday I updated my website with this statement
My Statement to the Marquette County Sheriff's Department
I was hiking on the Ice Age Trail in John Muir County Park. I started
on the trail north of the parking lot near the John Muir Kiosk. A family had
started on the trail just a few minutes before me. At one point I could see
them abut 50 to 75 yards in front of me. Then I heard some shouting so
I stopped and listened. Somebody said "Do you really have to hike the
trail on the last day of hunting?" Then the family came back my way on the
trail instead of doing the loop. They told me that a deer hunter had shouted
at them. They passed me and I just stood there trying to decide what to do.
Then I saw a man off in the distance wearing mostly green and a orange hat.
He most likely was on land that is adjacent to the park because I saw some
buildings in that area. I decided to not do the loop, too and go back to the
parking lot.
On Late Monday night when I got home from my second shift job, I updated the website with this
Muir Park Incident could have been perpetrated
by someone trying to make hunters look bad.
I've recently received an email giving the argument that the person shouting
at John Muir County Park could actually be a person trying to make hunters
look bad. And I really think there is a lot of logic to that argument. First of all,
the person that I saw was wearing mostly green, except for a blaze orange hat.
The person must have been at least 300 yards away from me, and I couldn't
see much, but it didn't appear the person was holding or wearing a gun. And
why would a hunter on an adjacent property care if someone was hiking the trail.
In fact, the hikers would probably drive deer towards the hunter. It just doesn't
add up and I really don't know what else to say.