A Greenville County couple wants to “get off the grid” and get back in touch with nature this Memorial Day weekend, when they became crime victims parked at a trailhead for a national hiking trail. Now, they’re sending warnings to other unpredictable nature-lovers. Katie Callahan of Traveler’s Rest said she and her husband left their Chevy Tahoe on Friday at the trailhead for the Foothills Trail on Highway 107 in Oconee County, near the North Carolina state line. After hiking a spur trail and camping for two nights, the couple were shocked when they returned to the parking lot on Sunday morning to find their SUV was heavily vandalized. “We were coming from the most pristine forest area that was very beautiful, so it was very upsetting to go out and be like that,” Callahan said. Someone had broken a side window, stole things from inside the car, broke the back window and left the car in a mess. She said that the worst part of the crime was that the thief took a drill in the gas tank. “They stole some of the gas, but also let out the rest of the entire tank of gas. At the parking lot that sits next to a pristine cold mountain stream,” Callahan said. “I could just cry,” she said. Callahan said the damage was more than a typical car break-in and showed that the person really intended to cause damage. They took out a window they didn’t have to – if they were just going to have gas, they didn’t have to do other damage to the vehicle, making it unattended,” she said. Callahan said that with no gas and no cell service , they were stranded. She said they were sitting on the side of the highway. And someone driving had to be pulled down, asked them – as soon as they arrived at a location with cell service – to call 911 and send a tow truck for. The SUV was towed to a location in Valhalla and would have to be taken back to Greenville County for repairs.” We thought about trying to plug the hole in the gas tank and filling it with a gas can, but We were concerned about what further damage they did to the engine,” said Callahan. Speaking with deputies for both Jackson County, North Carolina and Oconee County, South Carolina, Callahan said they told him recently. At least five vehicles suffered similar damage during the day. WYFF News 4 asked the Oconee County Sheriff’s Car to confirm that information. Tried to contact the court but due to holiday weekend, got no response. Callahan is now sharing her warning to other hikers who leave their cars hoping for a safe return. “I’m hoping this news will encourage more patrols, and the perpetrators will be caught and charged,” she said. The 77-mile route is located in Upstate South Carolina and reaches into western North Carolina, the website says. For shorter trips,” according to the website Oconee County,” Callahan said. “There are no security cameras, no lights – so we’re relying on other hikers to see and report anything out of the ordinary.” “The environmental damage from repeat events (like this) should also concern our residents and for those of us who love this special, world-class ecosystem we have here with the Chattooga and Jokasi Gorges,” Callahan said. .
A Greenville County couple, “getting off the grid” and getting back in touch with nature this Memorial Day weekend, became crime victims after being parked at a trailhead for a national hiking trail.
Now, they’re sending warnings to other unsuspecting nature-lovers.
Katie Callahan of Traveler’s Rest said she and her husband left their Chevy Tahoe at the trailhead on Friday foothill trail On Highway 107, near the North Carolina state line, from Highway 107 into Oconee County.
After hiking a spur trail and camping for two nights, when they returned to the parking lot on Sunday morning, the couple were shocked that their SUV had been heavily vandalized.
“We were coming from the most pristine forest area that was very beautiful, so it was very upsetting to go out and be like that,” Callahan said.
Someone had broken the side window, stole items from inside the car, smashed the rear window and messed up the car.
She said that the worst part of the crime was that the thief took a drill in the gas tank.
“They stole some of the gas, but also left the rest of the entire tank of gas in the parking lot, which is located next to a pristine cold mountain stream,” Callahan said.
“I could just cry,” she said.
Callahan said the damage exceeded a typical car break-in and showed that the person actually intended to cause harm.
“They took out a window they didn’t have — if they were just going to have the gas, they didn’t have to do other damage to the vehicle, making it unattended,” she said.
Callahan said that with no gas and no cell service, they were stranded.
She said they were sitting on the side of the highway and had to ask someone driving them — as soon as they arrived at a location with cell service — to call 911 and send a tow truck.
The SUV was taken to a location in Walhalla and will need to be taken back to Greenville County for repairs.
“We thought about trying to plug the hole in the gas tank and fill it up with a gas can, but we were concerned about what else they did to the bottom of the engine,” Callahan said.
Speaking with representatives from both Jackson County, North Carolina and South Carolina’s Oconee County, Callahan said they told her that at least five vehicles have suffered similar damage along the trail in recent days.
WYFF News 4 tried to contact the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office to confirm that information, but due to the holiday weekend, did not receive a response.
Callahan is now sharing his warning with other hikers who are hoping to leave their cars and return safely.
“I’m hoping this news will encourage more patrols, and the perpetrators will be caught and charged,” she said.
The 77-mile route is located in Upstate South Carolina and reaches into western North Carolina, the website says.
According to the website, “Thru-hikers should plan to spend approximately 5-10 days on the trail, while weekend backpackers and day-hikers can use multiple trailheads for shorter trips.”
It also warns about potential crime, saying: “Remember that primitive areas are not untouched by criminal activity. Use caution, especially near trailheads and parking areas.”
“It happened at the far end of Oconee County,” Callahan said. “There are no security cameras, no lighting – so we’re relying on other hikers to see and report anything out of the ordinary.”
Callahan said, “The environmental damage from repeated events[like this]should concern our residents and also those of us who love this special, world-class ecosystem that we have here in Chattooga and Jokasie.” With Gorges.”