Info, questions, comments, experiences (good or bad) regarding - Thomas Knob Shelter

Past/Present hikers - what can future hikers expect here? Have any good stories or memories from here?

Future hikers - any questions?

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Bautiful,large 2 story shelter. Back in 93, I was hiking north the wind was so bad that it was throwing me around like a piece of toilet paper. I got to the shelter around lunch. Some sobo hikers came in and said the wind keep knocking them down face first it was so strong. We all had lunch, more folks came in with their stories... No onewanted to go back out, it was a COLD wind as well. We all ended up staying and by early evening the shelter was packed. Next day I talked with a ranger who said some of the winds had been clocked at @ 75mph. There is also a nice rock haslf way between the shelter and the water hole to watch the sunset. HH

A really nice privy, great views from the water source, and the night we were here, a deer practically came into the shelter they came so close! You can watch the wild ponies from the water source if you're lucky...great shelter right before Grayson HIghlands....

See my picture of weather in May at Thomas Knob! It's in the gallery.

We stayed here 2/24/06 and found the shelter full of trash. Clothing, tarps, flashlights and lots of food wrappers. We hiked out what we could (no fires are allowed at this shelter due to a rare salamander that lives around fallen wood) but there was still some left. Anyone hiking to this shelter anytime soon might want to carry an extra trash bag and maybe even a new broom. The one there currently has sticks duct taped to the broom as a handle.

That shelter really sucks. I heard thru the grapvine that it's going to be taken down.

Are there tent sites in the vicinity of this shelter?

About .5 north of the shelter are great camp sites.

That shelter really sucks. I heard thru the grapvine that it's going to be taken down.

you're joking, right?

I posted a photo today of Thomas Knob Shelter I took 7/2/05. It seemed to be in pretty good shape then. I'm sure it gets a lot of activitity because of its proximity to the summit of Mt. Rogers and its distance from Massie Gap/Grayson Highlands. I really enjoy that area. (YMMV)

you're joking, right?
No joke. I heard it at MRO recently.

I spent the night there as the last night of a 500 mile hike that started at Springer. It was the last day of July 2004 and was the coldest night I spent on the trail. I've been in colder weather, but with cold weather clothing. I only had summer weight clothes and sleeping bag. The temp got down into the 30s and the wind was also howling in the 30s.

Plan on having cold weather gear with you for that shelter or plan on shivering.

No joke. I heard it at MRO recently.


LW,

Will it be replaced by a new shelter like they did with Raccoon Branch > Hurricane, or will there simply be no shelter between Lost Mt. & Wise? (Not that it would be a bad thing...)

If the answer is they aren't going to build a replacement shelter, maybe some permanent groupings of tentsites fenced in to keep the livestock out? With a water source nearby, privy or designated latrine area, and possibly a picnic table, that would work as well or better than a new shelter. I bet we could both suggest some good locations.

Actually, this rumor is strange because I heard last Fall that they were going to replace the solar privy with a mouldering privy at Thomas Knob. Or maybe that was the strange rumor. It's just all too strange.

Kerosene:

Just past the shelter about .1 mile as you head N, look down to the right by some big rock outcrops. There are good tent sites in the grass on the same contour as the shelter's spring. Fantastic view and easy walk to the spring. The ones Lone Wolf mentioned offer more shelter and shade with good access to the views.

Thanks for the info, L. Wolf and bobgessner57. We'll be SOBO in mid-June and see which site works best for us.

there are quite a few campsites in that area. i wish we had chosen to use one of those instead of the shelter but the wind was HOWLING. and about the privy ... i have yet to see one that dirty. i don't want to get into details but we all chose to travel onward the next morning w/o a visit.

i think the shelter still has plenty of life in it. it just needs a little TLC.

there's nothing wrong with that shelter. it's really needed, i think, because of the damn wind up there. if they took it down, that'd be a pretty long haul between wise and lost mtn -- 18 miles, right?

There's plenty of woods in lower elevations between lost Mtn. and Wise to pitch a tent. Thomas Knob needs to come down.

Mount Rogers sort of collects bad weather (being the tallest thing around, I suppose). I stayed in Thomas Knob with a big group of thru-hikers last May. It was cold, windy and occasionally spitting hail. The next morning was the same, but after walking less than a mile we were in sunshine being panhandled by the ponies. Looking back over our shoulders, we could see Rogers (and the shelter) still wrapped in the clouds. Bypassing it for a tent site might get you better weather . . .

SOBO after Thomas Knob you lose elevation quickly on the AT and get back into the woods. NOBO you will be above treeline for miles (the Grayson Highlands = WINDY and beautiful) after passing Thomas Knob, but you can duck down side trails into the woods.

Just a few hundred feet south of the blue-blaze to the old Deep Gap Shelter spring is a side trail to some great camping spots. It's low enough in elevation to not be as windy as Thomas Knob, and are somewhat protected by trees. There is also a nice fire ring (fires not permitted at Thomas Knob). If there WAS going to be a replacement shelter built between Lost Mt. & Wise I'd think this would be a good location--but personally I think leaving it as tentsites (maybe modestly improved) would be better.You can still get water from the aforementioned spring, which is piped and great BTW.

Stayed in Thomas Knob last Wednesday night. 50+ mph winds, 20 degrees (F), and a clear sky with a full moon. Seems there is a new resident skunk there over the last few weeks that can climb the ladder into the loft as well. My dog was with us and about 2:00am woke me up growling and sure enough, there was Mr. Skunk looking into the shelter but not thinking about crossing the path of my dog. Entries in the shelter register showed hanging bags in the loft thwarted his pillaging efforts though he did get into some packs and messed up some first aid kits. Privy was in good shape too.

Stayed there 1 Jun 06. Could see daylight through the roof in several places. Pony's was within ten foot of the shelter. New privy only half completed. Corral around the water need's repair to keep the pony's out. Enjoyed the stay there.

This was a nice shelter in 2004 but great tentsites 0.5 north where we camped. We saw a couple of deer on their hind legs "boxing" from our field. In the middle of the night something was making noise outside our tent and it was two ponies tearing grass out of the ground right next to the tent. After a few minutes the alpha pony for the herd ran by with a dozen buddies and our two tore off with them. One beggar was back for breakfast though. ps The privy was a mess.

Great shelter! Bad Location! It needed to be off the ridge line. When we were there it was so foggy you couldn't see anything but the shelter itself is excellent.

Great shelter! Bad Location! It needed to be off the ridge line. When we were there it was so foggy you couldn't see anything but the shelter itself is excellent.


They must have used some chinking to fill in the gaps where all that wind, rain, and snow was getting in. Or did they?

I think the location of the former shelter at Deep Gap made more sense and was out of the elements compared to Thomas Knob, tho the area immediately around it was in need of a rest. If you look at the mileage, having a shelter at Deep Gap spaces out the distance between Lost Mt. Shelter and Wise Shelter better, and puts a shelter closer to the mid-point of those two. Of course, when there was a shelter at Deep Gap those other two didn't even exist...but today having a shelter there or near there would serve hikers better.

The area where Deep Gap Shelter once stood is still being revegetated, but there are some awesome tentsites plus a fire ring nearby up a blue-blaze in an appealling setting--and the old shelter piped spring is still going strong. If the MRATC was to ever consider getting rid of Thomas Knob, it wouldn't be the worst thing. They could build a shelter near where the tentsites I mentioned are--or (my preference) improve the tentsites, add a picnic table, privy, and a few other amenities--and forgo the shelter structure itself.

When I was at Thomas Knob last week, they were 2/3rd's thru re-roofing it, taking shingles down and putting metal up.

The privy was a wreck, as was the Wise Shelter privy. I don't understand why they have nailed two branches across the front, when closure of the privy with a sheet of roofing would be more effective. If the purpose isn't to close the privy, they have made it very inconvenient and possibly dangerous.

The mile marker should read 487.5 verses the 478.5 posted.

When I slept upstairs this spring, the plexiglas fell out of the window and almost decapitated me. It was held in with a piece of string.

Relayed from Grasshopper who stayed at Thomas Knob on April 17, 2007:

Thosmas Knob . . . part of its roof has worked lose and is banging every time the wind gusts, about once a minute. I can handle the wind but I hope the roof doesn't keep me up.


Big Muddy

one of the dumber shelter locations

If I recall correctly, this was the shelter in 2000 that was completely packed with hikers who had been there three days waiting out what appeared to be a brutal storm. Rain pelting, wind howling, fog swirling. Those on the upper deck wouldn't let any one up, claiming it was "full." Those on the lower deck were cramped together, including a family that had brought their very young baby with them.

Everyone was pretty surly.

I was just stopping to rest, and the vibe was somewhere in between pre-mutiny ship and mean-spirited leper colony.

Funny thing was, if any of those folk had packed up and hiked on, they would have realized that the storm was sitting stationary on top of the mountain. Two miles north the sun was shining.

Sometimes I discount what Lone Wolf says regarding shelters, 'cause I know he dislikes them generally. But he's dead on here.

Tear down all shelters. Pack a tent or tarp. Shelters make good firewood.

Tear down all shelters.

And not just on the trail! Tear down all shelters, and we can live a happy nomadic existence.

Well, except my Mom's house. She doesn't like camping.

I believe the no shelter discussion could live somewhere else. Has anyone been to Thomas Knob Shelter lately? What's the status of the shelter? Water anywhere around?

I believe the no shelter discussion could live somewhere else. Has anyone been to Thomas Knob Shelter lately? What's the status of the shelter? Water anywhere around?

I was there a couple weeks ago and the shelter appeared to have undergone some remodeling somewhat recently. It now sports a metal roof (replacing the shake roof). The old solar privy has been replaced with one closer to the shelter, too. The old one is still there, it's just boarded off. Water behind Thomas Knob was non-existant when I was there.

We had lunch then took shelter as the rains came and the winds blew for a couple hours..played yahtzee on the floor and visited with fellow hikers.Did not stay overnight.

Had a full crowd at the shelter and a deer almost came in to join us. Liked the view but I heard form a Ranger that it can be get cold in the Spring and Fall.

About eleven at night a bunch of boy scouts with there leaders came running in as lighting was flashing and the thunder rolling. The storm passed and they returned back the camping areas close by.

Whats the water situation look like up there right now?

We were up there 2 weeks ago and the water was very poor. It was a puddle. If I had a filter I might have gotten some water but was using AquaMira.

oh great. and its sooo early in the season for it to be so dry.

Planning on a two day loop around Mt Rodgers from Massie Gap going north to Old Orchard and then looping back south to Deep Gap/Thomas Knob shelter for second night by way of the Lewis Fork/Mt Rodgers trail.

Would you recommend planning on staying at Deep gap or Thomas Knob. We will be in tents and not shelters. Is there water available near Deep Gap? Decent tent sites? How about Thomas Knob? Sounds like the water source s suspect?

Do I need to hang a food in the area from bears?

Thanks for the insights.

Keith

Planning on a two day loop around Mt Rodgers from Massie Gap going north to Old Orchard and then looping back south to Deep Gap/Thomas Knob shelter for second night by way of the Lewis Fork/Mt Rodgers trail.

Would you recommend planning on staying at Deep gap or Thomas Knob. We will be in tents and not shelters. Is there water available near Deep Gap? Decent tent sites? How about Thomas Knob? Sounds like the water source s suspect?

Do I need to hang a food in the area from bears?

Thanks for the insights.

Keith
you're not "supposed" to camp at deep gap. there is a blue-blaze to a piped spring there. if it were me i'd continue on about .8 past thomas knob shelter where there is excellent grassy camping. i've never hung food in the grayson highlands area

Planning on a two day loop around Mt Rodgers from Massie Gap going north to Old Orchard and then looping back south to Deep Gap/Thomas Knob shelter for second night by way of the Lewis Fork/Mt Rodgers trail.

Would you recommend planning on staying at Deep gap or Thomas Knob. We will be in tents and not shelters. Is there water available near Deep Gap? Decent tent sites? How about Thomas Knob? Sounds like the water source s suspect?

Do I need to hang a food in the area from bears?

Thanks for the insights.

Keith



Like Wolf says, camping is not allowed in the immediate Deep Gap, site of a former shelter. However, about a tenth of a mile (+/-) south of the bliue-blaze to the piped spring is an informal trail leading briefly uphill to a well-used camping area that has developed over the years since the shelter was removed (and reassembled in the Damascus Town Park).

I've camped up there at least a half-dozen times. It's close enough to the trail to the spring that those camping in this area can get water there.

I almost always hang my food bag when camping. Not just because of bears (which are not much of an issue in that part of the High Country) but to protect from other critters.

The sites Wolf mentioned north of Thomas Knob Shelter are also much superior to that shelter IMHO. Water source would be a corralled piped spring about a quarter-mile away. Check out the USFS map for that area. It should be shown on that map.