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Hoppy Camper
Samba Member
Joined: April 13, 2013
Posts: 413
Location: New Hampshire, USA
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 Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2025 8:02 am Post subject: Camping in the mountains, had a crazy run in with the military |
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Hey guys, I'm formerly 'Gregg in the 603' on here. Figured I'd change my Username to better reflect my current status.
I'm also sharing my latest adventure and a few thoughts.
This was a crazy trip with a run-in with an Army Helicopter in the middle of the woods. Weird! Check it out and my other videos, I think you'll love them!
Link
My late Gary Leblanc-built 2.0 runs amazing. Every time I think about going Subaru for more oomph, I take a trip in this on some warm days and it stays nice and cool and just purrs! I had it doing 65mph in 85 degree heat and she stayed at 390 CHT with 225 Oil Temp.
I love everything about these aircooled engines: The sounds, the smells and the feels. I'd love better heat for my winter trips and I'm sure the people behind me would like a bit more speed on the passes, but I make up for it on the downhills.
The best part? I have a complete, freshly rebuilt and F.I. 2.0 in my garage gathering dust just standing by in case the time ever comes.
I think the Subaru thing is just silly talk at this point.
Thanks for checking it out, I think you'll like it!
_________________
1979 Mexico Beige Westy auto
The Wilds of New Hampshire!
www.hoppycampernh.com
https://youtube.com/@hoppycamper |
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raygreenwood
Samba Member
Joined: November 24, 2008
Posts: 23085
Location: Oklahoma City
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| Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2025 8:53 am Post subject: Re: Camping in the mountains, had a crazy run in with the military |
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So, the helicopter was a UH-72 "Lakota".
They are generally scout helicopters and not combat helicopters. A lot of them are used by national guard and quite lot are for training.
There are some based out of Ft Irwin in California and also camp Rilea in Warrenton Oregon. Both are national guard. There is another national guard unit out of Colorado near Norad that uses them also.
The USDA national forest service also uses them in the form of the American Eurocopter EC-145....which they all are based on. They are all Eurocopter EC-145 it's just that the military has a militarized version of it.
The USDA forest service could be using them for any number of things at any time.....search and rescue, fire spotting, training etc.
Where were you camping? I bet you are not far from either a forest service or national guard base.
Oh....almost forgot. The DEA also uses the UH-72. They may have some of their own and they have also teamed up with various national guard units for DEA work. I read they have been doing this up in Alaska for sure.
Ray |
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Hoppy Camper
Samba Member
Joined: April 13, 2013
Posts: 413
Location: New Hampshire, USA
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| Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2025 9:47 am Post subject: Re: Camping in the mountains, had a crazy run in with the military |
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Hey Ray, I think I figured it out after I got home. I was in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The helo was probably involved in an overdue hiker search on MT Katahdin that was still 100 miles from my area, but I'm guessing this was related.
This was a Maine Army NG helo. I had never encountered one so it looked very civilian-contracted mercenary to me (i.e. Blackwater).
_________________
1979 Mexico Beige Westy auto
The Wilds of New Hampshire!
www.hoppycampernh.com
https://youtube.com/@hoppycamper |
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raygreenwood
Samba Member
Joined: November 24, 2008
Posts: 23085
Location: Oklahoma City
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| Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2025 5:27 pm Post subject: Re: Camping in the mountains, had a crazy run in with the military |
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| Hoppy Camper wrote: |
Link
Hey Ray, I think I figured it out after I got home. I was in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The helo was probably involved in an overdue hiker search on MT Katahdin that was still 100 miles from my area, but I'm guessing this was related.
This was a Maine Army NG helo. I had never encountered one so it looked very civilian-contracted mercenary to me (i.e. Blackwater). |
I thought it might be some kind of civilian contractor at first as well because i didn't instantly recognize that triple tail. I had to look it up and then remembered....oh yeah.....its that odd one.
Ray |
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SGKent 
Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2007
Posts: 42364
Location: at the beach
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| Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2025 8:51 pm Post subject: Re: Camping in the mountains, had a crazy run in with the military |
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could have been on its way to the search you mentioned, or DEA looking for weed farms. Here the Mexican drug cartels come north and use the National Forests for weed farms, and they are known to kill, use hand grenades on trip wires etc., to protect their stash. DEA uses helicopters to search for those farms. I know people who used to be a part of the searches, and provide grants to help clean up the mess they make. A normal farmer cares about his / her land since it will be used again. The drug cartels don't care one bit how much a mess they make environmentally.
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"Most people don't know what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it." - George Carlin |
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Wildthings
Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2005
Posts: 52254
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| Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2025 10:10 pm Post subject: Re: Camping in the mountains, had a crazy run in with the military |
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Our home got circled repeated one night by what turned out to be a Narc helicopter with their super intense searchlight. Apparently there was a pot grow in the hills a mile or so from our house and they decided to raid it in the middle of the night. I don't know if they spooked some Mexican tending the plot and he was suspected of heading our way or what. A called to 911 got us a bunch of lies and no help as to what was going on, we had to find that out from the newspaper a few days later.
Though I wander in the woods around here a lot, I have never gone to the area where the pot grow was supposed to have been in the decades since, not wanting to have the curiosity catch this cat, though it has probably been safe enough for many years now. |
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Hoppy Camper
Samba Member
Joined: April 13, 2013
Posts: 413
Location: New Hampshire, USA
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| Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2025 7:58 am Post subject: Re: Camping in the mountains, had a crazy run in with the military |
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That's wild, I NEVER thought of a Pot grow. Thats crazy to think of. But in this instance, I highly doubt it. Across a river in the forest? What a PITA to get to. And the season here in the NE would be so damn short. Definitely not saying it's not possible though
Good points guys. Was a crazy experience though, totally assumed this was civilian at first.
_________________
1979 Mexico Beige Westy auto
The Wilds of New Hampshire!
www.hoppycampernh.com
https://youtube.com/@hoppycamper |
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SGKent
Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2007
Posts: 42364
Location: at the beach
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| Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2025 8:08 am Post subject: Re: Camping in the mountains, had a crazy run in with the military |
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Maybe they are on to you........ 
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"Most people don't know what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it." - George Carlin |
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airschooled
Air-Schooled
Joined: April 04, 2012
Posts: 13457
Location: West Coast, USA
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| Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2025 8:34 am Post subject: Re: Camping in the mountains, had a crazy run in with the military |
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| Hoppy Camper wrote: |
That's wild, I NEVER thought of a Pot grow. Thats crazy to think of. But in this instance, I highly doubt it. Across a river in the forest? What a PITA to get to. And the season here in the NE would be so damn short. Definitely not saying it's not possible though
Good points guys. Was a crazy experience though, totally assumed this was civilian at first. |
That's the thing about federal agents/masked terrorists. When you can't tell them apart, some people still don't get it.
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One-on-one tech help for your vintage Volkswagen:
www.airschooled.com
https://www.patreon.com/airschooled |
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Wildthings
Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2005
Posts: 52254
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| Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2025 9:21 am Post subject: Re: Camping in the mountains, had a crazy run in with the military |
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| airschooled wrote: |
| Hoppy Camper wrote: |
That's wild, I NEVER thought of a Pot grow. Thats crazy to think of. But in this instance, I highly doubt it. Across a river in the forest? What a PITA to get to. And the season here in the NE would be so damn short. Definitely not saying it's not possible though
Good points guys. Was a crazy experience though, totally assumed this was civilian at first. |
That's the thing about federal agents/masked terrorists. When you can't tell them apart, some people still don't get it. |
Definitely hard to tell a federal agent from a masked terrorist. I talked to a guy 35 years back who had hiked the Pacific Crest Trail and one evening had intending to camp near the OR-California border for the night. He talked to two guys he met on the trail about where to find a camp site and they suggested a certain meadow not far way, so he hiked on and made camp on the edge of the meadow. As it was reaching twilight he spotted to forms moving through the meadow towards him in camo and caring military style weaponry. It ends up that these two forms were the same guys he had met earlier and were either Narcs or someone pretending to be Narcs, and they told him at gun point he needed to move on another 5 miles in the dark before making camp again, that the area he was in wasn't considered safe due to pot grows. |
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Shonandb
Samba Member
Joined: January 12, 2019
Posts: 2012
Location: Vancouver, BC
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| Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2025 11:02 am Post subject: Re: Camping in the mountains, had a crazy run in with the military |
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Some excitement for sure. When I was travelling in the US years ago I had a few encounters with the camo wearing, well armed folk who recommended that I moved along as I was "too close to something for my own good" and immediately obliged but never really felt in danger.
However, I had the misfortune of experiencing a small group of plain clothed military looking types with weapons drawn who came storming up the external stairs of an apartment complex where I was visiting a friend for dinner. Couldn't tell if they were federal agents, gangbangers attacking rivals, or undercover police serving a warrant. I was scared shitless wondering what was going on.
I won't go into details as to what happened but these guys disappeared shortly after the Police and Paramedics arrived. That was a rough night and following few days to say the least.
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76 Westy with a 2.5L Subaru SOHC + Vanagon (010) Automatic Transaxle
Build & Trip Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=758760
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