Shelter Freak Probability

[Sierra Echo]

How many long distance female hikers have stayed at a shelter with a freaky person?
And if you have, what did you do? Did you pack up and move on? Or did you just weather it out?
I have an upcoming section hike where I will be out on my own for about 6 nights staying at shelters. True, I will be in my tent but I suppose someone could jump on top of my tentand stab me to death if they were smart enough to think about it.
A few weeks ago I did an overnighter on Springer and there was some freaky dude who wanted to talk about nothing but Gary Hilton, but i figured he was harmless and I was right.
I guess I'm just curious to know other womens stories. I'm truly starting to get frazzled planning my hike. As soon as I think I got it down, I have people starting up with the negativity and the what ifs. I can't even think and now its not even sounding like fun!

[Mongoose2]

PM shelter leopard she can give you some good advice....good luck with your hike!!

[kyhiker610]

Hey there,
I did a section and only twice encountered someone odd.
the first time was as i was about to leave the trail for a side trail to a shelter. odd fellow standing at junction by himself, asked me all the usual questions, which i responded to correctly (oh my friends are just behind, WE are all doing xyz later). He continued down the trail and I stayed at the junction to wait for whoever else was coming along behind. i wasn't going to go to a shelter where he might be, when i was by myself.
the second time, i got to a shelter, was planning on staying, and the guy there was eating dinner and not even a section-hiker, he had just walked from the road to the shelter to eat dinner (very strange). i ate dinner, but was feeling weirded out, and was already packed up to leave when he left.

to me, the important part is to have a back-up plan. always be prepared to walk a few more miles if you're unsure or feel uncomfortable. take a shelter of your own, so you wouldn't have to stay in the shelter with said freaky person. be smart, most of all. and have fun! : )

[johnnybgood]

Hope you don't mind me chiming in on this forum since the topic is concerning safety. My suggestion is that you try to find someone either here on WB or elsewhere that would like to hike with you , even for a few days.

With that being said make sure you take some means of self protection , even if it's only pepper spray. If you have a knife and not afraid to use it , by all means carry it.

Also without saying , if there's an individual at a shelter that "creeps you out " , move along further down the trail. Carry a cell and leave an itinerary with relatives , checking in every day with them.

In a nutshell : be smart and go on gut instincts . Good Luck !

[Sierra Echo]

i have knife that im not afraid to use and I have wasp spray. And im fine hiking by myself during the day, thats aways how i hike. I think my biggest concern would be being attacked WHILE i'm asleep.

[I'm gimpy]

I'm truly starting to get frazzled planning my hike. As soon as I think I got it down, I have people starting up with the negativity and the what ifs. I can't even think and now its not even sounding like fun!

I might not be a woman, but trust me when I say that I feel the same way. I have my section hike planned in a month and this kinda stuff has dominated my thoughts too. I have decided that I just ain't going to let my own thoughts ruin my vacation. I know women have different troubles than a man does on the trail. Your mind can run wild with worse case senarios if you let it. Don't worry about it to the point that your worries make it not fun. I guess I just wanted to let you know, your not alone.

[Bati]

I typically make up my mind about a person in the first 30 seconds, though I might take 5 minutes sometimes. Generally, if I'm not comfortable, I'll grab some water, check the register (and put something in it) and move on to find another campsite. It's very rare that I'm not comfortable because of a bad vibe from a person; it's far more common for me to not be comfortable because I've encountered a large scouting group or something similar.

It's different if you're settled in when someone comes in, than it is if you arrive a shelter to find a suspicious person. In the first situation it's much harder to "pack up and leave" than it is to "grab some water and leave" in the second. It's also tougher to leave if you're required to stay in a shelter or if you arrive very late. However, the late arrival advantage balances out by making it much easier to find a place to camp after dark, when your site is much harder to find.

I have stayed at a shelter (Ice Water springs in the Smokys) where a group of us arrived to find a group of drunks. However, we were restricted to staying in shelters (legally), were tired of another long day of trampling through the snow, and had actually seen a ranger a few miles back (at the road) who warned of another possible bad storm coming. We discussed it the next day, and everyone in the group except for one guy said they would have left if they had arrived alone, but felt strength in numbers and possible caution for the storm. The storm warning (the actual storm way mild, and we only got another 5 to 6 inches of snow that night) was nice to hear and made us want to stay in the shelter, but as it wasn't delivered with any of the standard extras (such as taking names or forcing us to list all shelters on our permits) so most of us hadn't believed it was going to be "another bad storm". We were all safe but that night, but very annoyed by our neighbors.

So in general, you might want to try not "making camp" at a shelter until it's very late. Instead of putting up your tent, cook dinner and filter extra water first. That way, if a person walks in that gives you the creeps, it's much easier to claim you've got to make a few more miles and then do so. And never leave a wallet or other valuable object (cell phone, etc) in your pack when you go to sleep. Instead, put in in your bag or your pillow. There have been reports of people arriving very late and going through packs.

This shouldn't scare you from staying in or near shelters. Just be aware that most are near roads and they're well-known places to camp. Trust you gut and don't do anything stupid like wave a hundred-dollar bill around in front of someone. And if in doubt, weigh the risks of leaving versus staying. Does one person give you the creeps but 6 other hikers make you feel like you're got the creep outnumbered? A person may or may not be dangerous even if he gives you the creeps, but hazardous weather or forcing yourself to hike 10 miles without any water is almost certain to be hurt you.

[Sierra Echo]

Setting up shelter last is a great idea! It only takes about 5 minutes to pitch my Hubba. I also like Kyhikers idea about stopping and pretending to wait for people! This is some great stuff!

Thanks gimpy! It makes me feel better to know my fears (so to speak) aren't just a chick thing!

[mirabela]

I hope you won't mind my posting ... despite my Y chromosome, I had some issues with this when I thru-hiked ('91). It definitely happens ... maybe 5 times or so in the course of my hike I encountered people I would not have wanted to be around with my eyes shut. It's one of the reasons I eventually stopped using shelters at all, except when I knew some of my hiker buddies would also be there. I agree with the above poster, the hardest thing is when you're already set up, and then some weirdo arrives.

My suggestion: carry shelter, and plan on using it. Shelters are nice because they're usually near water, but you can always cook dinner & then move on a half mile or so. Stealth camping off trail comes with a wonderful sense of security. You can't be hassled by people who don't know you're there.

In my experience, the easier the access to a shelter from a road, the more likely hassles are.

[Sierra Echo]

The main reason i want to set my tent up near a shelter is cause there are bear cables! I can't hang a bear bag and I sure as hell aint sleeping with my food in my tent!

[johnnybgood]

The main reason i want to set my tent up near a shelter is cause there are bear cables! I can't hang a bear bag and I sure as hell aint sleeping with my food in my tent!

There are lots of shelters on the trail without cables . Don't take this the wrong way , but might I suggest that learning how to hang a bear bag would give you more options on where to set up camp.

[Sierra Echo]

There are lots of shelters on the trail without cables . Don't take this the wrong way , but might I suggest that learning how to hang a bear bag would give you more options on where to set up camp.

Every shelter in GA has cables (except the blood mtn shelter)!
And yes you are right and I need to practice and I have had someone offer to teach me. The kind, patient soul!

[Trailweaver]

Very good ideas here, especially the one about setting up your tent late. I've never had a problem with any of the shelters I've stayed at, but I always wonder who's coming in later. I also need to get better at hanging a bear bag. I have a great tree in my back yard. . . guess I should go out and practice it.

My problem with leaving a shelter is that I'm usually just exhausted by the time I reach the shelter. . . I would just hate to leave. I'm never sure how much further it will be till the next flat place would be to pitch a tent. Ahhh, the delimmas of hiking.

[jlo]

Yeah, I agree with an earlier post that you try to hike with someone. I found that even though nothing happened in one month of solo hiking, I felt afraid a lot. But when I was with a partner for the start of the trip, I didn't have that fear.

That said, only once did I stay at a shelter with a creepy guy. I was really tired when I arrived, so I sat down for awhile and within an hour, 3 other people showed up for the night, so I felt more comfortable. But if they hadn't shown up, I would have just kept hiking for another mile or so and camped in the woods.

Basically, if you don't feel comfortable, it's just better to keep moving. Trust the gut. You know within about 5 minutes whether it's OK or not.

[beaudetious]

Don't take this the wrong way , but might I suggest that learning how to hang a bear bag would give you more options on where to set up camp.

I once stopped at a shelter where there was somebody there who I didn't feel quite comfortable with. He was a bit too friendly and talkative. In the end, although I had to sit and listen to a lot of stories about bear incidents, he did teach me how to hang a bag safely (a system I use to this day).

[Gray Blazer]

WASP spray is good as the most freaky people you will meet are white anglo saxon protestants

[modiyooch]

I hike alot alone and I don't stay at shelters, esp one close to a road. As far as hanging food. I always hang my food to get it off the ground and away from my tent, but I really don't think it's secure from bear. I haven't had a problem yet with my food.

[Blissful]

Basically, if you don't feel comfortable, it's just better to keep moving. Trust the gut. You know within about 5 minutes whether it's OK or not.

That's about it.
You're considering SNP, weren't you? Lots will be out when you are going. Less chance of creepos hanging out in huts in SNP. Most of the designated sites are away from the shelter areas, like up steep hills or far enough away.

I was only at one shelter area in '07 (with my son too) - Clyde Moore where the guy there kind of made me uncomfortable. I went way out back to tent. No issues

[Blissful]

The main reason i want to set my tent up near a shelter is cause there are bear cables! I can't hang a bear bag and I sure as hell aint sleeping with my food in my tent!

You can do it. Believe me, the bear poles in SNP are way worse. I don't have the arm strength to get my bag up there. I just hung it in a tree.
Anyway, practice at home. The toughest part for me is throwing the rope but practice makes perfect.

[Blissful]

As soon as I think I got it down, I have people starting up with the negativity and the what ifs. I can't even think and now its not even sounding like fun!

This happened to me before my section last week (which I did alone, btw, even stayed at a shelter area alone). The people in my church heard about the hiker who was killed, and the pastor's wife totally objected to me hiking alone. That my hubby was foolish to let me go, that I shouldn't hike without at least a dog or another person. I did tell my best friend I was going anyway and to say a few prayers for me but not to tell others that I was going. I didn't talk to anyone else about my plans so I didn't feed into the fears and negativity. I wanted to go, and I had a great time.

Sometimes its better not to talk to your friends and family about what you are doing and just go. I mean you need to tell someone your plans, but one who supports your endeavor. What the others don't know won't hurt them or you.

I also blogged about hiker safety.