The 2 couples were hiking back to thier cars at dusk. They had started this hike knowing they’d be cutting it close on daylight. Nor were they far from the car when they saw the flashing lights at the top of the hill. It looked as though someone was flashing a light at them to provide direction back. There had been a few hikers that were concerned about their timing in the trail. The 2 couples just assumed the hikers out of concern had waited to make sure they could find their way. They flashed a light back at them and the flashing lights on the horizon stopped.

When the couples reached the top of the hill and their car they found that their right rear tire had been slashed. Only one of the four tires had been slashed. The boys considered that a sign that they weren’t in danger. The person that slashed their tire was just trying to send a message not strand them. The boy had worked together at a tire shop in high school so they made quick work of putting the spare on. With the spare on the started the slow journey back to their hotel. That message whatever it was had just ruined the couples weekend get away.

As they drove back to the hotel they had plenty of time to reflect on their interaction with the hikers at the start of the trail. They definitely didn’t feel that interaction warranted the “lesson”.

Upon having pulled up to the trail Taylor, one of the two boys, felt they drove in a little fast but not so fast to upset anyone, he had been driving. It just showed what a hurry they were in to get the hike done. Getting out of the car the couples quickly set about gearing up while two of the hikers had attempted conversation with them. It looked like they were drinking so the couples gave short answers but weren’t rude. The hikers had expressed some concern about the timing of the hike but Taylor having done the hike assured them they would be fine. The hikers even joked with the couples as they set off, “If you see two old hags on your way down tell em’ we left em’!” The boys laughed the girls scowled. Still nothing to warrant the slashed tire. When they passed the “old hags” one slipped and the boys helped her up makings sure she was ok. That was probably reason enough to not have their tire slashed. They couldn’t make sense of it. Seemed just like a senseless crime.

Taylors grandpa was actually from the area they were staying in and his parents had a ranch just a half hour away. His parents as it happened were there that weekend, so the next morning they set out to his parents ranch It was better for them to leave the car there with the flat tire then to limp it all the way home. His parents would give them all a ride home. As Taylor relayed the story to his parents his dad offered a reason for the slash. They had driven his wife’s Subaru and could have taken them as out of towners. The locals were feeling inundated by out of towners moving in, and some weren’t as friendly as others. Thier Subaru and thier desire to get to hiking could have been associated with a competing lifestyle. The locals didn’t realize they had slashed one of their owns tires.

They joked on the way home about getting a magnetic “Trump 2024” sticker for thier “liberal” car when they visited the area.