Got a question for those of you that avoid shelters every night of doing the AT:

[Grampie]

I recently met a hiker who thru-hiked in 2001. That was the same year that I did my thru. During our discussion I mentioned a lot of folks that I had met. He did not remember meeting anyone that I knew. I first thought that he didn't thru-hike or he may have hiked in a different year. Than he told me he never slept in a shelter or tented near one. The end result was that he did a thru the same time that I did but didn't meet any of the wounderfull folks that I had met. What a shame.

[Different Socks]

People on the other long trails meet just fine without shelters.

Yes they do, but they still talk about where they will be that night so they can arrange to set up camp near each other.
let me put it this way: when I did the trail, you could assume you were going to see someone at that night's shelter on the AT b/c that was the place to stop. On the CDT/PCT or other non-shelter trails, you communicate as you go to find out where others will be b/c there is no shelters to assume that's where you'll meet up again.

[Different Socks]

i agree.ill hang at a shelter to eat cook and bs,then go to my tent to sleep.

Many people did this as well when I did the AT in 1992. It just seems like the hikers of these days don't stop at shelters for the night any more. When I did the AT, I looked forward to get to the shelter each night, especially in bad weather. Seems like too many people use it just as a source of water and then camp elsewhere.

[Different Socks]

Many people did this as well when I did the AT in 1992. It just seems like the hikers of these days don't stop at shelters for the night any more. When I did the AT, I looked forward to get to the shelter each night, especially in bad weather. Seems like too many people use it just as a source of water and then camp elsewhere.

That 2nd sentence is based on an assumption on all the comments I read on WB about why they don't stay at shelters,.

[Sarcasm the elf]

I carry a tarp and net, It can and does go up anywhere. If it's raining or is going to rain and it isn't crowded I'm in the shelter. If I find a nice spot, I tarp or just net. Some times those designated sites are mud pits. How many shelters have a view like Riga Lean-to, the tent sites don't. I just think being able to adapt to whatever situation is part of backpacking.

I was a bit jealous of your setup, the ability to setup the hanging bug net either under your "tarp" or inside a shelter seem like it has a lot of advantages, especially in our area where we are required to sleep in or camp around the shelters.

To the OP, as Mags said, a lot of us backpacked before we started the A.T. The shelters have always been a bit of a foreign concept to me. In my area (NY, CT, MA, most of NJ) we're required to stay at designated sights, which are either shelters or existing camp sites. Because of this requirement, we are always close to people, however even camping 25 yards away from the shelter in your own tent makes a big difference in terms of the peace and quiet you can find.

[SassyWindsor]

The large number of AT Shelter's are not needed. Scout Troops, Church Groups, and everybody else can have them to sleep in. Using one in a storm to cook a meal or to chat with someone you've met on the trail is one thing, to stay all night is not an option for me. I can't think of another long trail with as many shelter's as the AT, I think the AT avgs about 1 per 8 or 9 trail miles. The PCT at 2650 miles has less than a total of 10 shelters or 1 every 260 trail miles or more. The shear volume of hikers, most of which are day and section hikers, make it easy to meet people on the AT. Trail Days as well as other town events make for good social gatherings.

[Winds]

I stopped at shelters for meals and the privy, then hiked on. It was nice to socialize for an hour or two, then sleep quietly in the woods. I got to meet all the people I wanted to that way. Towns were also a good place to socialize with other hikers.

I met some lifelong friends on the PCT and CDT, and there aren't any shelters on those trails.

I didn't read most of the entries, but got surprisingly stuck on this. I am not attempting for a bit, and I'm not over-thinking it at all, but what is listed here is my plan and hopefully my results put simply.

~ Cheers!

[coach lou]

I was a bit jealous of your setup, the ability to setup the hanging bug net either under your "tarp" or inside a shelter seem like it has a lot of advantages, especially in our area where we are required to sleep in or camp around the shelters.

To the OP, as Mags said, a lot of us backpacked before we started the A.T. The shelters have always been a bit of a foreign concept to me. In my area (NY, CT, MA, most of NJ) we're required to stay at designated sights, which are either shelters or existing camp sites. Because of this requirement, we are always close to people, however even camping 25 yards away from the shelter in your own tent makes a big difference in terms of the peace and quiet you can find.

Elf, the next nite at Silver hill, the wind and rain tore that old thing up and I tried a few other things. I ended up getting a brandy new 8'x10' at Campmor. Very nice. I just haven't been caught in heavy rain yet. 3 times that it was raining bad since May, it rained, I was in the shelter with my net.

[bobqzzi]

How do you ever get to know anyone?

Why would you want to do that?

[dmperkins74]

I for one am out there to get some "me time", but I only go out for a few days at the most. That's why I personally prefer to tent. Also, since I'm just out for a couple of days, it's not as though I've got a driving thirst / need for info and people contact. If I were out for a long time, it'd be another story.

[Tom Murphy]

What really got my attention is how early in the day people were stopping hiking. Tents were going up before 5:00 PM.

That would be me on most of my trips. I am out for 1 or 2 nights doing about 8-10 miles day. Many times it is an out and back to a backcountry site. SO when I get where I have planned to camp I have no reason to keep going.

Also I want to explore a bit around in the area I am camped. Maybe gather wood for a small camp fire.

I enjoy a making a somewhat elabrate meal at a leisurely pace and reading my paperback for a few hours.

Hi, my name is Tommy and I hike to camp rather than camp to hike.

PS Enjoyed your LT prep thread and your LT trip report thread.

[Mags]

How do you ever get to know anyone?

One of my closest friends is someone I met on the PCT.
I was best man at his wedding, was there for his son's bar mitzvah and had a (teeny tiny microscopic) part in introducing his now wife.

We've spent many hours together in the backcountry since we met on the PCT (day hikes, skiing and backpacks) and have a friendship that is a decade old at this point.

Don't know how much more I could know a person from a trail than that......

[OzJacko]

When they first move out of home many young people share accomodation with their best friends. This often ends badly because "close" proximity brings many personal differences to irritation levels.
In a shelter you get a lot of this close proximity with strangers. It is not going to be a good outcome for everyone all the time.
I think shelters can be wonderful and a great way to get to know everyone. Most of the people on a trail are the sort of people I want to get to know - we have at least one thing in common after all.
But there are always going to be people I will want to avoid and I see a tent as a polite and simple way to make the "disconnection".

[Bronk]

I found that in the beginning the shelters were too full and I didn't want to be packed in like sardines...people were stopping for the day very early...some by 1 or 2pm because they wanted to make sure they got a space in the shelter. I heard it said often that when the weather was bad there was always room for one more in a shelter. In practice I never found this to be true. Many times I'd come up the trail to a shelter and as soon as I entered the area of the shelter someone would call out "the shelter's full!"

Later, as the pack thinned out, there were several times when I stayed at a shelter by myself. These were mostly shelters that were within a couple miles of town and they were empty because people rushed to get into town and skipped the last shelter before town or they were slackpacking through the area.

As people start to do more miles they don't want to be tied down to stopping at predetermined intervals and will pass up shelters in order to make a mileage goal for the day.

The system I ended up settling on once I got my trail legs was to stop at a shelter in the evening for the water source and the picnic table to cook dinner and then hike a few more miles after dinner and set up my tent around the time it got dark. I really like the quality of light as the sun is going down and it makes the colors brighter and more vivid...this makes the trail much prettier to walk during those hours. As the weather got warmer I preferred to walk in the evenings rather than the heat of the day.

[atmilkman]

The large number of AT Shelter's are not needed. Scout Troops, Church Groups, and everybody else can have them to sleep in. Using one in a storm to cook a meal or to chat with someone you've met on the trail is one thing, to stay all night is not an option for me. I can't think of another long trail with as many shelter's as the AT, I think the AT avgs about 1 per 8 or 9 trail miles. The PCT at 2650 miles has less than a total of 10 shelters or 1 every 260 trail miles or more. The shear volume of hikers, most of which are day and section hikers, make it easy to meet people on the AT. Trail Days as well as other town events make for good social gatherings.

I just did this the other night with a 2006 thread that listed the numbers of shelter at 291 including the 2 from the approach trail making it one every 7.5 miles. Just did it again with the shelter listing from the home page and it lists 300 shelter including 2 from the approach trail leaving 298 in 2184 miles for one at just over every 7.3 miles. Someone else said there is 6 in the first 30 miles in Georgia. Welcome to the Hotel AT.