More asinine graffitii on Skyline

[zippetydude]

It has happened enough times that it may be possible to narrow down his customary days and times to hike the trail. If so, it might be possible to catch him in the act. Anyone who has a superzoom camera (or would like to borrow mine) could most likely get a good face shot from a long way off so that we could show both what is being done and who is doing it. If the friendly letter doesn't help, knowing that he will get a few thousand dollars in fines might do the trick. It might also be possible to find out who it is at the trail head. It wouldn't be someone in a large group because at least one person would probably have some sense. It would have to be someone with a fairly large pack since he probably carries more than one can of paint. If someone were to strike up a friendly conversation, saying something like, "Last week I saw some arrows someone has painted. It really helped me find my way. I'm hoping to run into the guy so I can thank him." If the person claims credit, then that's our suspect and all we have to do is get some pics of him and let him know that then next painting will result in huge fines. Perhaps even figure out which car is his and leave copies of the pics along with a friendly warning note. We don't want this to turn into a war of wills so that he starts marking defiantly everywhere, but we just may need some leverage.

z

[Ed]

Sorry, Pyrodude. I appreciate your efforts, and it has not been entirely in vain, since it has identified this person as a serial tagger rather than one-timer.

[cynthia23]

I'm so sorry Pyro, how discouraging. However, I have noticed through the years that many 'problem' hikers on Skyline--those who do odd or obnoxious things on the trail-- only hike on Skyline for a season or two, then get bored (or imprisoned, or committed--and I'm not joking) and they move on to some other place or obsession. Chances are high this moron, too, will move on. I think it's possible it's being done by one of the homeless or semi-homeless people who live in the vicinity of the trail and wander around on it. Granted, they normally don't go that high, but I've see a few that do, and some do odd things they regard as 'housekeeping'. I once met a muttering,incoherent man on the trail who was 'grooming' it with a machete... or thought that's what he was doing, though in actuality he was just wildly hacking at foliage. (needless to say, a nervewracking encounter for me!) So this guy might be someone similar, because really what he's doing is rather crazy.

Anyway, regardless, thank you for your efforts!

[Florian]

Florian noted one of the arrows was at the top of the Lykken from the Ramon Rd TH. This paint wielding ignoramus probably goes up the trail from there.

If i remember correctly the arrow i photographed was just above the Lykken/Museum trail junction so he could have come up either way. It's very upsetting that he's retagged all that you'd cleaned up.

[hiiker]

It's comforting knowing there's a lot of passionate people on this board that care enough to get out and make a difference. However, I caution those that try to clean up graffiti on their own. Talk with your local BLM or Forest Service Rep. If the wrong chemicals/methods are used there's a risk of making it worse and it even might become a permanent scar.

Hopefully the perp will be brought to justice someday.

[guest]

Hi friends,
Can some of you recommend a certain type & color of spray paint that works, and if anyone happens to know of some that's not so toxic.
But, it's getting covered up, BLM, Forest or not, and whatever means practical. Anyone who's tried to remove this type of paint the perp is using, knows, it's not worth spending hours attempting removal while breathing & being exposed to whatever is being used, and getting removed.
I love it if there is a non-toxic, effective removal, but covering up for now is the solution to many of us.
And, this shit IS a permanent scare, if not removed or covered up with something far less offensive & illegal, (ya, maybe spraying over graffiti is illegal too, oh well).

If this person is hiking to the tram, there's ways, (through the staff, camera's at the turn-style etc. Uber drivers, parking lot patrol, to narrow this down.
Plus, some locals hike Skyline more than weekly, so more eyes to ID this turd.
Regards, ss

[Florian]

I recently cleaned up some spray paint graffiti on the Araby trail using Goof Off and a wire brush. Worked pretty well. I would not be comfortable using more spray paint to cover up.

[Ellen]

Howdy "Noid,

Django Reinhardt is magnificent -- thanks for the intro

Would love to receive music archives -- will PM you.

hear, hear, Zip, Sally, n Ellen

and here's a little Django "Sheik of Araby" segue

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6jwvS0mHwo

(Ellen, did I ever email you some of the music archives?)

kind regards,
arocknoid

[bsmith_the_2nd]

i lurk. typically, annually, i come to idyllwild for a week or two of hikes in your mountains. i enjoy this community of yours year-round. i also hate graffiti.

i am a volunteer in the los padres national forest. most of my projects are in the ojai ranger district.

there's a product we used on several usfs-sanctioned graffiti removal projects (2014-2015) that i knew as Soy.Gel, made by Franmar.

we had decent success. it is a gel. brush on, wait - the longer the better, scrub with wire brush, and then rinse off with water. the two projects where we used it were adjacent to flowing creeks. i realize for you folks water may be the limiting factor.

what we used did not come in a container like these, but it seems to be the same product. i have no affiliation with this company.

sorry it took so long for me to join the party.

ymmv

[zippetydude]

That does work, and it works well. Some additional information that may help your effectiveness and decision making:

1. It is another chemical introduced into the environment, just like more paint. I find myself trying to balance bringing in new solvents vs. new paint. I have no advice as to which is better to use. Both work.

2. It is very bad to get this on your skin. It can cause blisters and scarring, unlike paint which is fairly safe.

3. It may dry up and blow away with the wind, unlike paint that covers up the grafitti but stays permanently.

4. If you elect to use the solvent, bring a hefty bag. Once you paint the solvent over the paint, cover it with the hefty bag. This keeps the agents in the solvent from escaping quickly. It works much better.

5. Use a wire brush on a rough surface, a razor blade on a smooth surface to remove the paint. Latex gloves and long sleeves of a disposable shirt are advised.

Just some quick thoughts. Both ways work. Both ways involve using chemicals to undo the damage done by others. Neither one appears to me to introduce any problem bigger than that introduced by the initial tagger.

z