# Camping at a site of previous tragedies? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 18, 2015, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camping-at-a-site-of-previous-tragedies/712986 "2015-02-18T08:38:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camping-at-a-site-of-previous-tragedies/712986/21 "2015-02-19T03:36:16Z")
In another thread, I mentioned that I wouldn’t want to wear Adolf Hitler’s pullover sweater. I know it’s been dry-cleaned, but there is still an “ick” association that I can’t get past. With camping on a murder site, my weird-ass woo mind would say it depends on how long ago it was. Two months ago? I’d be worried (perhaps foolishly) about stumbling on to bloodstains. Two years ago? No problem. ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camping-at-a-site-of-previous-tragedies/712986/22 "2015-02-19T03:58:24Z")
I couldn’t do it. I suspect I know which forest you mean, and it’s got nothing to do with “vibes” or ghosts or whatever but more my own associations. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camping-at-a-site-of-previous-tragedies/712986/23 "2015-02-19T06:52:54Z")
Ask yourself, what “makes” a good camping site? Flat ground. Trees. Access to water. Maybe a cave. Now some sites have been built but on many old, established trails the campsites have been used often for decades or even centuries. No, I’m not kidding. When settlers came west they camped at the same spots the Indians had. There was one such spot along a trail in Mexico where one can see graffiti from Spanish conquistadors 400 years ago. So again, there is a good chance something bad has happened there. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camping-at-a-site-of-previous-tragedies/712986/24 "2015-02-20T10:37:15Z")
Sounds like Belonglo Sate Forest. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2015, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camping-at-a-site-of-previous-tragedies/712986/25 "2015-02-21T21:00:04Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > Sounds like Belonglo Sate Forest. Nearly…_Belanglo_ State Forest and the infamous [Backpacker Murders](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backpacker_murders) > [@Lobot](#): > > I couldn’t do it. I suspect I know which forest you mean, and it’s got nothing to do with “vibes” or ghosts or whatever but more my own associations. Curious…if you’d like to share? ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2015, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camping-at-a-site-of-previous-tragedies/712986/26 "2015-02-21T21:51:41Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > Curious…if you’d like to share? Oh, nothing special. I’d just be thinking about what the victims experienced and would find it hard to get it out of my mind while I was there. It doesn’t help that Milat’s great nephew also murdered someone in the same forest only five years ago. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camping-at-a-site-of-previous-tragedies/712986.md?page=1)