Backcountry Lots outside of Squamish/Warning

Wow, that really sucks… But remember everyone, car theft can happen anywhere, anytime.  And supposedly, a skillful crook (or repo man) can get around ANY alarm system.  Which is why I almost always use one of these:
www.winner-intl.com/default.asp

And BTW, Tophervw, re. 1980s Subarus..   a few years ago, mine actually got stolen, when it was parked next to cars much nicer/newer in the garage of my Ballard apt building.  I think sometimes an older model car is more of a target, cuz the crooks think figure they won't have an alarm system, and they don't care what they're driving, they just want something to use as transpo for a few days.   

Anyway, like most stolen cars, mine showed up two weeks later, abandoned with the stereo and other stuff stolen.  And in the months to come, people would laugh at me for using The Club on a crappy old car like that.. until I'd tell them this story.   

Gregg,

I hope that wasn't the Saab you've been working on since the Alger Landtrust days!

It is good to hear you're getting to spend time outside with your boy, lucky kid. If you ever make it to Jackson Wy, look me up. We got a spare bedroom you two are welcome to.

Hope you have fun building your next car,
Galen

I feel for you. I had a truck stolen from me this last week. It was a 72 Chevrolet 3/4 ton 4x4.  It mostly had sentimental value. My dad special ordered it in 71 and this was the truck we took family trips in and I also learned to drive in this truck. I used it for my daily driver for about 6 years until it became to uneconomical to drive.

Looks like another post of the same incident.

clubtread.com/sforum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19848 ,

Gregg,
I'm sorry to hear of your loss. It's hard to understand people sometimes. I owned an '83 Subaru wagon since the mid 90's and drove it from Canada to Baja and lots of places in between. Once I found a guy passed out inside after having cased the whole car. He tore everything all open then passed out cold. I was so mad. It was hard to not want to kill the guy, but I made him get the f>•k out and then almost ran him over. He was really wasted from shooting up (I think). To make a weird night (7:30 downtown seattle in front of Cornish) weirder, the guy was really trying hard to apologise, even pleading with me. He wasn't moving much and I didn't want to touch him, so I drove THE 1.5 BLOCKS to the Virginia Street Precinct of the SDPD and they chuckled and said that they were dispatch and I was in the wrong place...whatever that means. It was classic.

I just gave the car away to a friend and he loves it and takes care of it. Here's to people who respect older cars and each other for that matter. Down with vandalism and worthless idiots in general.

When I first read this post 2 weeks ago I was angered twice, first to find out about the criminal activity and secondly to read jdclimber's response.....so angry that I decided to hold off adding my thoughts.

Fifteen years ago my vehicle was broken into at the nearby Black Tusk parking lot. The thieves found the wallet that I had hide so well. (I'll never make that mistake again). I wanted to seek revenge on the low-lifes, who didn't even have the decency to leave the 8 year's worth of my son's school pictures. The loss of cash and cards was difficult to take. I began to question whether I could ever park overnight at a trail head again. I know Gregg's pain.

However, to think that Canada's gun laws contributed to this injustice is ludicrous. Do you carry guns in the backcountry on multi-day trips? Would a law make the decision for you? I have friends who drill holes in their toothbrushes to save weight; no way are they going to pack a gun to defend themselves from criminal behaviour. The creeps that vandalize trail head parking lots may have s**t for brains, but even they know that there isn't going to be any resistance at 2:00AM. Besides, they have no respect for laws and may even be carrying one of the many weapons that are flooding across the border from Washington..

The same week that Gregg was victimized, my sister's car was broken into while parking overnight in a nice Bellingham neighbourhood. Would you really be comfortable leaving your vehicle overnight in downtown Tacoma, where almost anyone can legally pick up a gun cheap?