Just made shelter reservations for June...

[jpwvu]

and had a few questions. Im not crazy about the idea of staying in the shelters. I have only tent camped in the past.

1-Can you use a bivy in the shelter or would that take too much room.
2-If not, what do people do to keep the mice/bugs off them at night?
3-Is carrying a tent required? If not is it recommended even if we have shelter reservations
4-We plan on a 5 day thru of the GSMNP so I was wondering if we should carry 5 days of food or if there is anywhere to replinish along the way.

[ShoelessWanderer]

Don't use a bivy in the shelter, just sleep in your sleeping bag. Mice & bugs? Well that's just part of the experience.

Take a tent with you to be on the safe side, even if you have a reservation. You never know when a shelter may be full or you get caught in really bad weather and can't make it to the shelter. You'll be very glad you have it!

[Lyle]

Agree with the above. Regarding resupply. Nothing is available in the park. The only real opportunity is to hitch into Gatlinburg from Newfound Gap (I think they may have a scheduled shuttle, but it would be a hassle. I would plan to carry all your food.

[ShoelessWanderer]

Yeah agreed, no reason to resupply. 5-days really isn't that much to carry.

[Lilred]

I have never heard of a scheduled shuttle to Gatlinburg from Newfound Gap. Is this new?

[Cool AT Breeze]

I have never heard of a scheduled shuttle to Gatlinburg from Newfound Gap. Is this new?

The new NOC outfitter in G-burg is doing shuttles up that way. I dont know any details.

[chelko]

I agree with the above posts. Carry all your food. Don't sweat the shelter stuff. Ive stayed in them a lot. The shelters in the Smokies are really nice and well maintained. They are kept clean and make a great place to camp in bad weather. As far as mice go I always light a small candle lantern and hang it from the rafters this seems to deter the mice from coming out. The other plus is that you will get to meet other hikers, personally i like a little social interaction on the trail. Enjoy your hike the scenery will be great.

[Rain Man]

1-Can you use a bivy in the shelter or would that take too much room.

I stayed at Ice Water Springs Shelter one stormy spring break night. Over two dozen hikers in a shelter designed for a dozen. A bivy would have been a problem. On the other hand, have had plenty of shelters alone or with very few hikers, so a bivy would not have been a problem at all.

2-If not, what do people do to keep the mice/bugs off them at night?

You don't. Just chill. Mice MIGHT run across your sleeping bag, but probably not even that. If mosquitoes are bad, use a head net at night.

3-Is carrying a tent required? If not is it recommended even if we have shelter reservations.

Don't know if the regulations "require" a tent, but some sort of shelter surely makes sense, for reasons others have mentioned.

4-We plan on a 5 day thru of the GSMNP so I was wondering if we should carry 5 days of food or if there is anywhere to replenish along the way.

Is that 5 days and 4 nights? If so, you can knock off half the first and last days, as you can eat before starting and after finishing the hike. That leaves only 4 days of food, really. At 2 lbs per day, that's only 8 lbs for food total, or 4 lbs for each "half" of the GSMNP. Not worth the hassle of going into Gatlinburg or Cherokee to pick up 4 lbs of food. IMHO.

Have a great hike!

RainMan

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[Lyle]

This shuttle says it makes a 10 minute stop at Newfound Gap. Says they will make unscheduled stops along the way and that backpacks are welcome.

http://www.cherokeetransit.com/shuttle_to_tenn.htm

[scope]

Why is a bivy a problem due to size? Do most people have bivy's that are much bigger than a bag?

I mostly hang, but occasionally I might tarp or, god forbid, have to stay in a shelter... and I have a bivy specifically for that. Not just mice, but for blowing rain. I would probably have problems falling asleep if I was worried about mice, so I consider that it would help me sleep.

[jpwvu]

Thanks for all the replies! I was wondering what you all would suggest as far as warmth when sleeping. Would you guys recommend a summer weight bag or maybe a liner for June in the gsmnp?

[Lilred]

I hiked through the smokies in early June and took a 20* bag and glad I did. It can easily get down to the forties at that elevation in June. You will encounter rain, and rain and cold could lead to hypothermia, so a warm bag is a very good idea. I doubt you'll see temps higher than the seventies the first week of June at 5000 - 6000 feet elevations. Remember, 3 degree drop for every 1000 ft of elevation. So if it's 2000 ft. at Davenport Gap, you're looking at a good 10-12 degree difference at Clingmans dome, at least. Then the wind will be blowing too.

[sidebackside]

I hiked through the smokies in early June and took a 20* bag and glad I did. It can easily get down to the forties at that elevation in June. You will encounter rain, and rain and cold could lead to hypothermia, so a warm bag is a very good idea. I doubt you'll see temps higher than the seventies the first week of June at 5000 - 6000 feet elevations. Remember, 3 degree drop for every 1000 ft of elevation. So if it's 2000 ft. at Davenport Gap, you're looking at a good 10-12 degree difference at Clingmans dome, at least. Then the wind will be blowing too.

Good advice. I agree.

[Rain Man]

Good advice. I agree.

Same here! I cowboy camped on Standing Indian with a fleece blanket in the summer time and froze to death (well, figuratively speaking). Anymore, I take my 20 degree bag to those altitudes, where the wind can blow a damp cloud right through you all night long.

RainMan

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[liteweight]

The shelters that have been remodeled are nice and have cut down on the mice activity since most folks no longer eat in the bunk area. You will be so tired by your second night you probably won't care about mice anyway. Like rainman and shoeless said its probably wise to carry some type of shelter. Extra weight but better to be safe.

[jpwvu]

thanks for the info. I planned on taking a coolmax sleeping bag liner until I read this