Severe trouble ahead, community suggestions to get through

The direction fleeing city people will take will depend to a large extent on what means of transportation remain available to them. Mountains are not that accessible if gas is a precious commodity. You simply can not afford to make a quick raid that nets you a small return. People are spread out and in some rather remote areas. Of course, this does assume that those making supply raids use rational thought. I could envision some taking to the road and heading up here with the intent of simply taking over a home and its supplies. At that point, I think they will discover that mountain folks are ready for them and send them seeking cover, provided they can walk away at all.

If cars are not an option, then invasion of the mountains becomes far more difficult. It's a long walk and a tough bike ride. Not too many city folks have horses or mules, so such a simple realization will have them heading in directions reached more easily. No matter how you ;look at this, it's not pretty. Living up here will be a major challenge. For example, even if I can continue to work overseas, getting there and back will be a huge problem. I've thought about mitigating travel by having longer stays, but that puts too much stress on the family left behind. Hence, not a viable option. We all will have lots to think about that is for sure.

I agree that time of year will make a difference. If it is winter, the will not come up here.

So lets go full blown, conspiracy theory, assume that this IS an eventuality, and not supposition. Just for the sake of play along.

You know, we have all these silly "zombie" survival guides and books along those same lines, but in actuality, it's just a safe - and odd sounding, but politically correct way of getting people to wake up to what is actually a possibility for their lives. They are a form of preparation, if taken seriously.

Yes, this. Community first, your politics, religion, other social attitudes need to be locked in a box and the well being of ALL the people needs to be taken into consideration. People will be willing to help if asked; they will be willing to shoot if attempts are made to take things by force.

It sounds extreme, but blocking all the ways up from the city might be a position that needs to be taken at some point. Face it, people are lazy. If they cannot drive to somewhere, they often don't go. If the highway is blocked, they will not come up here. There will be exceptions, of course, and perhaps those exceptions are indeed welcome.

But most people will realize that the mountains are not an ideal place to be. They will go north into wyoming, south, and east where growing conditions are better long before they come to a place where there are no stores to rob, growing season is short, and face it, up here we dont even have a lot of cattle and no hospitals to raid for drugs. Honestly, this is not an ideal area to be, except perhaps personal safety wise.

Has anyone ever seen a "flash mob robbery" take place?

I have. I saw this happen in California while on vacation there one year. It was about mid 1990's and I witnessed a flash mob robbery, It was the most incredible thing to watch, I was sitting in my car parked on Hollywood Blvd. in the neighborhood where my grandparents lived. There was a liquor store across the street.

Around the corner came at least 40 people- all were recent armenian immigrants (I know the neighborhood). They bum rushed the store and within 90 seconds, grabbed thousands of dollars worth of products- one minute later they were all gone. I waited there to see how long the cops would take to show up- about 5 or 6 minutes after the last of the mob were gone. As a shopkeeper- there was nothing the guy could have done to stop it except keep a machine gun handy.

This is the kind of thing I envision happening every day in the event of an emergency event. Car jackings, home invations, flash mob robberies, looting, destruction of private property. The one I saw happened fast, they hit hard and were gone in a minute.

Here's a video similar to the robbery I saw in California that day- only the one I saw had about 3 times as many people, the liquor store was packed with people in a few seconds time.

How do we prepare for this kind of stuff? Many of those I saw that day were armed with metal pipes, baseball bats and handguns.

[youtube:2p8x01j9][/youtube:2p8x01j9]

In all seriousness? Stay out of Denver when it gets bad, arm yourself, hide stuff, and quite literally, blow up part of the highway.

Bearmtn, people idealize escaping to the mtns, but in reality they won't.
I am on alot of gun forums and most all of them live in the urban areas, and even though heavily armed 98% say they will not risk their families to head for the hills.
Their lives are used to the city they know their enviroment, when and where danger or other will come from.
Those up here that work down there and don't have anymore than a bedroom type atmosphere will head for the city where they think they can at least get something maybe help from fellow co-workers.
There are several books and forums you should read on the subject. there was even a series on one of the educational channels that dealt with this and most all of them agree people will seek refuge where they are comfortable with the knowledge they have of there surroundings.

IE: look at the survival shows about wilderness (not that stupid scripted crap) taking people from urban eviroments and plunging them where they don't live, they were all physically fit and all at the start but within a week they were ready to get out.

Local_Historian wrote: In all seriousness? Stay out of Denver when it gets bad, arm yourself, hide stuff, and quite literally, blow up part of the highway.

Yes. One huge advantage of living in the hills is how easy it is to block roads.

Martin Ent Inc wrote: Bearmtn, people idealize escaping to the mtns, but in reality they won't.
I am on alot of gun forums and most all of them live in the urban areas, and even though heavily armed 98% say they will not risk their families to head for the hills.
Their lives are used to the city they know their enviroment, when and where danger or other will come from.
Those up here that work down there and don't have anymore than a bedroom type atmosphere will head for the city where they think they can at least get something maybe help from fellow co-workers.
There are several books and forums you should read on the subject. there was even a series on one of the educational channels that dealt with this and most all of them agree people will seek refuge where they are comfortable with the knowledge they have of there surroundings.

IE: look at the survival shows about wilderness (not that stupid scripted crap) taking people from urban eviroments and plunging them where they don't live, they were all physically fit and all at the start but within a week they were ready to get out.

I agree with this 100%. And I also think that the numbers of those who live up here and "think" they know what mountain living is about is huge. There are many people who live up here in the same way they would live in Highlands Ranch. They wouldn't have a clue of how to survive without central heating, electricity and a car with plenty of gas to take them to the grocery store whenever they wanted to go.

Years ago, when I first moved to the hills, most people who lived in the mountains had large pantries, freezers full of game and fish, heated with wood mostly, and knew what to do in a long power outage. I suspect those same people who are still living here would still know what to do, but they are a minority, 10% or less of the residents up here, I'd guess.

AspenValley wrote:

Martin Ent Inc wrote: Bearmtn, people idealize escaping to the mtns, but in reality they won't.
I am on alot of gun forums and most all of them live in the urban areas, and even though heavily armed 98% say they will not risk their families to head for the hills.
Their lives are used to the city they know their enviroment, when and where danger or other will come from.
Those up here that work down there and don't have anymore than a bedroom type atmosphere will head for the city where they think they can at least get something maybe help from fellow co-workers.
There are several books and forums you should read on the subject. there was even a series on one of the educational channels that dealt with this and most all of them agree people will seek refuge where they are comfortable with the knowledge they have of there surroundings.

IE: look at the survival shows about wilderness (not that stupid scripted crap) taking people from urban eviroments and plunging them where they don't live, they were all physically fit and all at the start but within a week they were ready to get out.

I agree with this 100%. And I also think that the numbers of those who live up here and "think" they know what mountain living is about is huge. There are many people who live up here in the same way they would live in Highlands Ranch. They wouldn't have a clue of how to survive without central heating, electricity and a car with plenty of gas to take them to the grocery store whenever they wanted to go.

Years ago, when I first moved to the hills, most people who lived in the mountains had large pantries, freezers full of game and fish, heated with wood mostly, and knew what to do in a long power outage. I suspect those same people who are still living here would still know what to do, but they are a minority, 10% or less of the residents up here, I'd guess.

Yes, this. The same people who left and went to Denver during the big power outtage a couple of winters ago- some of us got a few hours out, some got 5 days out. That right there was telling, because so many people left and stayed in hotels or with friends instead. Couldn't bear the thought of no electricity or running water.

Betting the folks filling their pool and washing cars from that other thread with run away from here as quick as can be.

My instinct would be to actually move further in and up, to get away from those few freaks who would risk coming up here.

:thumbsup:
we are further in and up...

Martin Ent Inc wrote: :thumbsup:
we are further in and up...

LOL, my husband thinks I'm nuts but I want to build a little off-grid cabin out in wilds past Hartsel. Just in case.