Hiker shares warning after stepping on potential booby trap

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - A man is warning hikers and cyclists to stay vigilant after he says he found several wooden planks with dozens of sharp nails hidden along a trail in Colorado Springs.

Cameron Pflieger's mother, Anna, originally posted photos of the nails and described the scene in a post on Nextdoor, which garnered hundreds of reactions.

Pflieger says the incident happened at the end of a trail behind Golden Hills Park on the city's northwest side. The trail comes to an end at some railroad tracks, and a large drainage tunnel.

According to Pflieger, he found seven planks with nails sticking out of them, sharp side up, hidden under leaves near the tunnel. The planks were also being held in place by large rocks.

“I discovered them by stepping on one," said Pflieger. "I dug them all up, there were about seven boards in total, and I ended up throwing them away. [I] took a couple of pictures and went and told my mom after that.”

About a week later, Pflieger was walking along that trail again and discovered about 10 more planks he says weren't there the first time.

“It’s scary honestly, I wouldn’t think that this kind of neighborhood would have such things out so easily," said Pflieger. "I see kids out on that trail all the time, and they could have easily stepped on it. Just as easily as I did.”

Pflieger called the Colorado Springs Police Department to make a report. CSPD confirms officers came out and located boards under the railroad tracks on Monday, but did not take a case report. The department says when the officers observed the area, they did not see anything they would deem 'suspicious' or 'criminal' and instead believe the boards were debris from the tunnel or railroad tracks.

Pflieger disagrees, saying, "it was something that you needed proper tools for. All the boards were cut straight, all of the nails were put in a perfect pattern. It was definitely deliberate. Not trash at all.”

CSPD says boards with nails or 'booby traps' on trails ​​​​​aren't a widespread issue that they have encountered throughout the city.

The Trails and Open Space Coalition agrees that situations like this are not common, but they do admit they get a couple of calls a year regarding booby traps or other dangerous items on the trails.

“It’s not like we have a lot of this, but it does happen, where either by accident — or deliberately — somebody booby traps a trail," said Susan Davies, Executive Director of the Trails and Open Space Coalition. "It is so dangerous. We know for a fact a couple of years ago a good friend of the organization came upon a wire across a trail, and he was badly injured. He couldn’t ride his bicycle for months and months and it could have been much more serious, it smashed his helmet. It’s just wrong.”

Davies is referring to a story from 2019, when two cyclists were hurt while biking across a bridge on Rock Island Trail. Their bikes struck a trip line, causing both cyclists to flip off their bikes.

Overall, the Trails and Open Space Coalition says they do not want these isolated incidents to keep anyone from enjoying the outdoors, and insists the trails and parks around Colorado Springs are safe.

“Just be aware," said Davies. "I don’t want this to keep anybody from using our trails, but it’s wise to be diligent.”

If you ever come across something suspicious or dangerous on a trail or in a park, call the Colorado Springs Police Department at 719-444-7000.