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I have a special connection to Bagby and I've been going there every year since I was a child. I have mixed feelings about it going private. I would welcome regulation. I've gone there too many times and had to deal with rowdy, drunk, disrespectful people. Once a group of friends and I had a very scary experience with people who must have been on meth or some other drug who got violent and threatened us. We actually had to run down the trail in the dark to get away from them. The next morning the police were there and we were told someone had actually had their head bashed in (I'm not sure if that person died but I think it might have been a teenager who was the most out of control). As you can imagine, we were horrified. After that, we stayed away for many years until they improved security and law enforcement.

As much as I love the open access to Bagby, I hate that people treat it as a party spot, rather than the special place that it is. I want everyone to be able to go there, but I also don't want it to be a spot for drinking, drugs, garbage, fighting, etc. I wonder if there isn't another way besides "selling" this special place to a private company to profit from. It seems like in recent years the parking fee, increased law enforcement presence and FOB have made it much safer and cleaner.

posted 2 years, 5 months ago
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