I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one on MA that enjoys snooping around in places I'm not supposed to be and I figured this "hobby" deserves a thread of its own. My interest in exploring abandoned places began when I was still in high school and curiously chasing after ghosts and haunted locations. While I try to shun that little ghost-hunting phase from my memory, I still have a great time going to old, secluded places and absorbing the eerie atmospheres. Just the thrill of being behind a fence with a "no trespassing" sign and stealthily creeping around to avoid attracting the police makes the miniature road trips worth it. Though it is inevitable that you will run into police if you make a pastime out of this, you will more than likely escape any criminal punishment as long as you respect the property and any neighbors around it. I've gone on a dozen or more of these trips and only had two encounters with the authorities. The first time was just stupidity on my part as I had parked my car in a well-lit area... I returned to the parking lot to find two deputy sheriffs waiting for myself and my friends. We were threatened with vandalism charges only because some dumbass kids we didn't know apparently knocked some wooden fence posts over while we were out exploring. However, we were let go with just a warning. The second time I was busted, I had been walking around a two-lane country road looking for an old train bridge said to be haunted. A cop pulled up to us and questioned what we were doing. We improvised a story that our car had overheated and we were just killing time walking around while the engine cooled off. To my surprise, the officers bought the story and even gave us an ride back to our car. I wouldn't recommend bullshitting the authorities if you get caught unless you have experience dealing with them. Like I said- most people really don't care what you're doing as long as you aren't breaking things, stealing, or being loud. Don't panic if you're approached by the police.
