It’s January 1st and I’m already getting investigated by the county sheriff’s office… 🚔

Camping last night I parked legally at 3:30 pm at Cole Hill Road (County Route 1) parking area at Cole Hill State Forest. I specifically parked there as I knew that lot was plowed and if we had snow the next morning that hill is always well sanded as the County DPW garage is located there. 🅿

I left my truck there overnight when I was wilderness camping. Apparently somebody reported my truck being parked there overnight to the county sheriff, which then sent a team of deputies to investigate. 📱 They apparently ran my plates and tried to call my cell phone to check in about my legally parked vehicle. My cellphone went to voicemail as there wasn’t good service where I was.

So they sent a crew of three deputies to investigate this morning, tracking back my sled track and steps to my campsite. Which is fine, the site was legally set back from the trail and water and I didn’t need a permit for one night camping, but my site was like a half mile back from the road ⛺and it wasn’t like I was reported missing or the vehicle had been parked for multiple days. I had let others know that I was heading up there so if I hadn’t returned home they could reach out for help. But the fact is truck hadn’t even been parked for 15 hours at that point.

Speaking to some of my colleagues in High School, they were saying that some years back there was a suicide back there in the woods. I guess New Years Eve is a popular day for killing oneself but I just legally camping. Which is creepy but I don’t know how law enforcement investigating a legally parked car overnight the next morning could have changed anything. 🌲🌳You can camp there, like any state forest in the back country. Totally freaking legal, it’s my right! I pay a shit-ton in taxes, I should take advantage of all the money I spent. 💸 Granted not everybody winter camps, but some do. ❄ It’s a lot of fun with the Big Buddy Heater and a nice roaring fire. I could listen to music, drink egg nog and beer, and light off fireworks.🔥

Moreover, that person said at one point there two or three cop cars investigating my truck. They were looking in my truck cap and had it opened before tracking back to my campsite. 🛂That seems a bit abusive to be opening the door of a privately owned vehicle by a government agent but nothing was stolen or disturbed. 🔦 I probably should have locked it but I was hauling gear back and they’re was nothing really valuable in there besides some old sleeping bags and electric cords I use for truck camping. Maybe I left the truck cap open? I am known to be a scatter brain at times. 👽 Regardless I feel kind of violated by that. The only other thing I can think of is maybe I didn’t flip the seat down when I brought my gun case back to the truck, hauling gear back the first time, and that was spotted. I can’t believe I wouldn’t do that, I’m usually pretty careful about that, as I wouldn’t want a window broken and my gun stolen, even though it was a pretty inexpensive 20-gauge shotgun.🔫 I wish I hadn’t brought it back so early to the truck honestly because after I did I saw a rabbit and squirrel run right past my campsite. I would have had zero problem dressing them out in the woods and leaving the guts for coyotes to eat.🐿

I’m sure it was just some random good doer that called the sheriff’s office about my truck parked overnight. 🚨 Maybe a highway department worker, which would explain why the Sheriff’s office, rather then the DEC Forest Ranger was involved. They probably had to investigate. And it wasn’t a big deal, I didn’t get a ticket 🎫 or even a warning ⚠ beyond being told nice campsite ⛺ with all the flags and Christmas decorations 🎄. Heck the officers even offered to help carry out some of my gear — but I turned them down. I had a nice night camping 🌃 and it really only took two minutes of my time to inform ℹ them I was just out wilderness camping for one night and soon 🔜 my campsite would be taken down and I’d be heading home. 🏡

Seemed kind of silly waste of government resources to have an investigation of a legally parked vehicle. Now you know why taxes are so high – too many government officials with too free time on their hands.