An Oklahoma man was stabbed to death in an attack on the Appalachian Trail in southwestern Virginia, federal authorities said Tuesday. The FBI and U.S. Attorney Thomas Cullen said 43-year-old Ronald S. Sanchez Jr. died of injuries he received Saturday. James Jordan of West Yarmouth, Massachusetts, has been charged with murder and assault with intent to murder for allegedly attacking Sanchez and a female hiker. Authorities said Jordan had repeatedly threatened four hikers before chasing them with a knife. Two managed to escape. Authorities have not identified the wounded female hiker, who remains hospitalized. Hikers had complained to authorities in southwestern Virginia and in Tennessee in recent weeks about Jordan allegedly threatening them. "The Appalachian Trail is a relatively safe environment, a refuge that welcomes more than three million users a year," said Suzanne Dixon, president of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, in a news release. "Unfortunately, like the rest of the world, the trail is not absolutely safe." A statement from the conservancy said the attacks took place at the current location of the main "bubble" of about 3,000 persons attempting to hike all the way from Georgia to Maine this season. A federal judge has ordered Jordan to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.<doc-sep>Friday’s machete attack on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia that left a man dead and a woman hospitalized caused a range of reactions in the Pennsylvania hiking community. Update: Trail stabbing victim identified as Army vet Many of the hardcore hikers contacted through the Hiking & Backpacking in Pennsylvania group on Facebook seemed to agree with Doug Lehman, of Carlisle. He commented, “Doesn't change a thing for me. Be aware of your surroundings and always have a plan.” Ben Barbash, of State College, said, “You know generally I avoid the AT for a number of reasons. Rocks, traffic, over pressure, but never safety. The odds of anything like what happened in Virginia are so remote it’s not even worth a thought. “As for safety, I have the same protection I’ve always had: My eyes and senses, my wit and my Swiss Army knife. That’s it. If I ever felt so scared that I felt I needed to carry a gun for protection against people, I’d find another hobby.” Some, on the other hand, shared views similar to those of Duncannon’s Maria Wishart, who noted that such attacks on the trail are “very rare, but (my) initial reaction was admittedly fear. I had to really think back on the past six years of hikes on the trail and my experiences. I will still go, but definitely will be carrying a knife and pepper spray, though to date, I’ve had only positive experiences.” Plans for carrying various means of defense were common, ranging from pepper spray and bear spray to knives to firearms. “Compared to the city or town, the trail is a very safe place to be. Wherever you go there will be risks and the unthinkable can and does happen. It's just life. Again compared to everywhere else, the trail is a very safe place when it comes to violent crime or even crime in general,” said Paul Carroll, of Quakertown. “You do live in the U.S and you do have a right to defend yourself, and even carry (a handgun) if you’re not a criminal.” Jed Stewart, of West Chester, noted, “There are always all kinds of crazies everywhere, whether on the trail or in a town of city. Some people head to the woods to hide from society. Doesn’t change anything for me. Unfortunately not the first time, it’s happened and probably not the last. It’s a sad reality of our society.” Dale Mervine, of West York, agreed, “My uncle hiked the AT in 1981 and knew the victims and the killer from the attacks back then. It might shake people up for a short time, but it’s not going to change the overall impression of the trail. People are jumping all over this like it’s a weekly occurrence. “We can run into the wrong people anywhere, and probably less likely to on a trail like this. People are killed every day in towns and cities and villages and on back roads and in crowded houses. or schools. If a person is going to let something like this keep them from getting out there, then they shouldn’t ever leave their own homes, but then, every so often there’s a home invasion too. I don’t understand the panic over this. He could have attacked anyone anywhere. It just happens this was the place he was.” George Workman, of Pittsburgh, added, “There are many possible dangers on that trail and in the woods: people, animals and other unacknowledged ‘beings.’ My impression is not changed because I know what’s there already.” More about the Appalachian Trail:<doc-sep>
Early on Saturday, sheriff’s deputies in southwest Virginia received an unusual message. An emergency signal had been sent from a hiker’s GPS device on the Appalachian Trail. So the deputies went into the forest to look for him. As they stopped to talk to other hikers on the trail, a dog wandered up to the group. The dog led them to its owner, James L. Jordan, who was standing about 30 yards away, according to Sheriff Keith Dunagan of Wythe County, who recounted the events on Monday. Then they found the body of the missing hiker, who had been stabbed to death. A companion of the hiker’s had also been wounded. That led the authorities to charge Mr. Jordan, a 30-year-old from West Yarmouth, Mass., in federal court on Monday with one count of murder and one count of assault with the intent to murder, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia said. Mr. Jordan did not enter a plea and was remanded in custody, said Brian McGinn, a spokesman for the office. Mr. Jordan’s public defender could not be reached for comment on Monday. The attack on the hiker, who has not been publicly identified, and his companion has unnerved denizens of the hiking world who meander through the wilderness of the 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. Many members of this disparate, determined and close-knit group yearn to disconnect from the world and find solitude on the trail, but they often depend on an online network of guides and social media groups to keep informed — and to stay safe.