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View Full Version : Waking up on the trail in a shelter



Different Socks
03-27-2014, 03:22
If you'd like to get a good night of rest and not have to worry about getting up at a particular time like before daylight, at sunrise, 8am every day, how do y'all make sure you awaken at that wanted time?

I never thought of it before b/c I basically went to sleep and got up when I wished. Yet since my accident I've noticed that I sleep much better knowing I don't have to open my eyes to look at a watch, and instead an alarm clock will go off.

How do all of you do it? I'm asking b/c I'd like to carry a small alarm clock AND still sleep in the shelters, yet there will be days when I will do long miles and wish to get up and be gone well before any others would wish to be disturbed by my clock and/or my movements from packing up to leave.

BTW, I am extremely hard of hearing, so I wouldn't be able to hear the tiny alarm on a wrist watch. And I don't want to use a phone with an alarm b/c the batteries would be used up all night long, so a small alarm clock is best for me.

So again the question is, do any of y'all use any devices to make sure you awaken at a specific time each day while on the trail? And what do you use? If you don't use devices, by what means do you have to make sure you do awaken at a specific time if needed?

illabelle
03-27-2014, 05:44
If you know you need to get up REALLY early, or if you expect to use the alarm clock on a regular basis, it might be best to tent. Most of us are pretty tolerant of others getting up early, but we expect them to do so quietly, so it seems like an alarm clock wouldn't go over well. It's already hard to get any actual sleep on the trail for some of us.

perrymk
03-27-2014, 06:00
Timex makes several vibrating alarm wrist watches (http://www.timex.com/search/apachesolr_search/vibration). I haven't used one of them but maybe its something you might want to look in to.

Rocket Jones
03-27-2014, 06:10
+1 on the vibrating alarm. Test it first though, because some make a buzzing noise as they vibrate, and it's an odd enough sound and loud enough to wake others.

magic_game03
03-27-2014, 07:36
Are you talking shelter-shelter or are you talking like a tent-shelter?

If your talking a shelter-shelter then you are sadly misguided. Shelters are hellish places full of mice, snorers, weekend partiers, smelly hikers, people getting up all times of night to go pee (or just plain peeing in bottles in their bags), and people who are going to give you the evil-eye if you try to put some kind of alarm clock in the shelter and those are the starters.

I suspect an alarm clock in a shelter will earn you a few rocks in the backpack or a pad lock on one of your pack loop straps.

Pedaling Fool
03-27-2014, 07:46
Personally, I see this as an opportunity to work on your internal alarm clock; we all have it. I can concentrate on a certain time while going to bed and wake up at that time, regardless how far off it is from my "normal" wake-up time. What better time to work on this than on the AT?

Matthikes
03-27-2014, 07:57
Yeah, I wouldn't do the alarm clock in a shelter. If you must use an alarm it would be advisable to tent away from the shelter to be polite.

+1 on the internal alarm clock. I tend to wake up with the dawn when sleeping in the woods. Internal alarm or no.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk 2

Shonryu
03-27-2014, 07:58
I use my cellphone and have it set to vibrate and just keep it in my pocket when I'm sleeping. The only person who knows its going off is me.

The way you conserve battery life on your phone is by disabling voice and data services which you should be doing anyways and turning it back on when you need it. At most my phone may use 5% of battery life while sleeping. I carry an external back up battery to charge mine so battery life has never been an issue for me.

kayak karl
03-27-2014, 08:03
internal or not ? i don't own an alarm clock. never have. i just wake up in time to go to work (5:30-6:00). if you want to get up early i agree to start before you go. on the trail (vacation time) i like to sleep in till 7 :sun

Different Socks
03-27-2014, 08:40
Several of you said, "out of courtesy" I should tent so as to not wake others if I use an alarm clock. Pardon me for saying this, AMAZING!!!
So let me get this straight, I have a severe handicap, and I am supposed to accommodate others? Shouldn't that be the other way around?
As for other suggestions, thanks for the idea on the vibe watch and the info on battery use for a vibe setting on the phone.

BobTheBuilder
03-27-2014, 08:53
So let me get this straight, I have a severe handicap, and I am supposed to accommodate others? Shouldn't that be the other way around?


Geez, feel entitled much? If you could just post when and where you'll be hiking, I'll make sure to accomodate you by being nowhere nearby.

ALLEGHENY
03-27-2014, 09:03
Drink some water before you sleep. You will get up at some point. Adjust the amount of water to your bodies cycle.

WingedMonkey
03-27-2014, 09:04
On the rare occasions that I just have to get up early on the trail, I drink an extra amount of water beyond what I might just to cover transpiration.

I have to get up, and then don't crawl back in the sack.

Lone Wolf
03-27-2014, 09:05
Several of you said, "out of courtesy" I should tent so as to not wake others if I use an alarm clock. Pardon me for saying this, AMAZING!!!
So let me get this straight, I have a severe handicap, and I am supposed to accommodate others? Shouldn't that be the other way around?
As for other suggestions, thanks for the idea on the vibe watch and the info on battery use for a vibe setting on the phone.folks are very territorial when it comes to shelters. i say if you wanna stay in one then by all means have your alarm. there's thousands of acres of land around shelters for others to camp

magic_game03
03-27-2014, 09:09
Geez, feel entitled much? If you could just post when and where you'll be hiking, I'll make sure to accomodate you by being nowhere nearby.

+1

Holy #@&!, your deaf and you're calling that a 'severe handicap.' So now everybody else has to listen to your bullhorn alarm clock every morning?

Pedaling Fool
03-27-2014, 09:15
Several of you said, "out of courtesy" I should tent so as to not wake others if I use an alarm clock. Pardon me for saying this, AMAZING!!!
So let me get this straight, I have a severe handicap, and I am supposed to accommodate others? Shouldn't that be the other way around?
As for other suggestions, thanks for the idea on the vibe watch and the info on battery use for a vibe setting on the phone.This is the point where we start our downhill descent:D

Different Socks
03-27-2014, 09:18
+1

Holy #@&!, your deaf and you're calling that a 'severe handicap.' So now everybody else has to listen to your bullhorn alarm clock every morning?

Yes, they may have to, to answer your question!

I have seen it that almost everyone I meet will go out their way to accommodate a person whom is totally deaf, because to talk they have to get their attention first before they even talk to them. BUT, the same is not done for a person like me that has a hearing deficit and yet wears hearing aids. WHY? B/c those with normal hearing believe that like glasses, the hearing aids bring my level of hearing up to theirs.
So again, I ask, why should I be forced to sleep in a tent when I'd rather sleep in a shelter, just because I would have to accommodate others with good hearing?

Lone Wolf
03-27-2014, 09:22
Yes, they may have to, to answer your question!

I have seen it that almost everyone I meet will go out their way to accommodate a person whom is totally deaf, because to talk they have to get their attention first before they even talk to them. BUT, the same is not done for a person like me that has a hearing deficit and yet wears hearing aids. WHY? B/c those with normal hearing believe that like glasses, the hearing aids bring my level of hearing up to theirs.
So again, I ask, why should I be forced to sleep in a tent when I'd rather sleep in a shelter, just because I would have to accommodate others with good hearing?shelters are first come, first served. if there's room, it's your right to stay in it. don't let anyone bully you

magic_game03
03-27-2014, 09:29
Yes, they may have to, to answer your question...
...So again, I ask, why should I be forced to sleep in a tent when I'd rather sleep in a shelter, just because I would have to accommodate others with good hearing?

I don't think anybody here said you shouldn't sleep in a shelter, maybe you need your eyes checked too! But it's called common courtesy, human decency, respect for others that should make you think, 'hey I out hiking on the Appalachian Trail, maybe I don't need to wake everybody in a 200 yard radius of the shelter just because I feel the need to wake up at a certain time." Apparently you don't have any of that!

kennajm
03-27-2014, 09:35
Several of you said, "out of courtesy" I should tent so as to not wake others if I use an alarm clock. Pardon me for saying this, AMAZING!!!
So let me get this straight, I have a severe handicap, and I am supposed to accommodate others? Shouldn't that be the other way around?
As for other suggestions, thanks for the idea on the vibe watch and the info on battery use for a vibe setting on the phone.

Yea, I'll bite on this. Why does being deaf prevent you from sleeping in a tent again? I'd be annoyed if I heard an alarm louder than a watch alarm in a shelter, and god help you if you snoozed it. But if you walked around with this attitude of entitlement on the trail I'd probably do my best to get away from you, so it wouldn't be my problem anyway.

bamboo bob
03-27-2014, 09:52
A handicap is not an excuse to be selfish. Unless there's a good reason to disturb people you shouldn't disturb them. People wake up at first light, some sooner. You'll wake up because of their activity even when they try hard to be courteous.

Mick3y
03-27-2014, 09:55
Several of you said, "out of courtesy" I should tent so as to not wake others if I use an alarm clock. Pardon me for saying this, AMAZING!!!
So let me get this straight, I have a severe handicap, and I am supposed to accommodate others? Shouldn't that be the other way around?
As for other suggestions, thanks for the idea on the vibe watch and the info on battery use for a vibe setting on the phone.

You're sense of entitlement has nothing to do with courtesy other than you're expectation that you receive it. It's not anyone else's problem that you can't wake up on your own but yours. There is no reason to subject others to your obnoxious alarm. If there are people in the shelter when you get there, it would be courteous for you to just move on and tent. However, with that said, you could also ask if anyone would have a problem with the alarm. It's good to know that an alarm is going to be waking you up if nothing else. Courtesy extends both ways.

perdidochas
03-27-2014, 09:55
If you'd like to get a good night of rest and not have to worry about getting up at a particular time like before daylight, at sunrise, 8am every day, how do y'all make sure you awaken at that wanted time?

I never thought of it before b/c I basically went to sleep and got up when I wished. Yet since my accident I've noticed that I sleep much better knowing I don't have to open my eyes to look at a watch, and instead an alarm clock will go off.

How do all of you do it? I'm asking b/c I'd like to carry a small alarm clock AND still sleep in the shelters, yet there will be days when I will do long miles and wish to get up and be gone well before any others would wish to be disturbed by my clock and/or my movements from packing up to leave.

BTW, I am extremely hard of hearing, so I wouldn't be able to hear the tiny alarm on a wrist watch. And I don't want to use a phone with an alarm b/c the batteries would be used up all night long, so a small alarm clock is best for me.

So again the question is, do any of y'all use any devices to make sure you awaken at a specific time each day while on the trail? And what do you use? If you don't use devices, by what means do you have to make sure you do awaken at a specific time if needed?

Well, a phone with all the antennas off (i.e. airplane mode) doesn't use a lot of charge, so taht could work. You could get a pillow speaker to wake you.

Slo-go'en
03-27-2014, 09:56
I'm sure you will find there is no need for an alarm clock. Since you go to bed so early in the evening, it's hard to sleep past dawn anyway. Plus there are always others who get up early and start to move around. Even if you can't hear them (which unfortunetly the rest of us can), you'll still sense them. In any event, you'll wake up when your body is good and ready for you to get up.

And of course, just because you may perfer to sleep in the shelter, you'd best have a tent since getting a spot in a shelter is hit or miss, especially early in the season down south. There is a good chance you'll end up in the tent more often then not and learn to perfer it that way.

Different Socks
03-27-2014, 09:57
Yea, I'll bite on this. Why does being deaf prevent you from sleeping in a tent again? I'd be annoyed if I heard an alarm louder than a watch alarm in a shelter, and god help you if you snoozed it. But if you walked around with this attitude of entitlement on the trail I'd probably do my best to get away from you, so it wouldn't be my problem anyway.

GOD DAMN!! What is wrong with some of you? I never said I was "entitled" to space in a shelter and I never said that I should be totally accommodated for my handicap. I also never said I was totally deaf. I said I have a severe hearing loss, and I even said I wear aids.
The OP says that I wish to stay in shelters when I hike and I am willing to accommodate others with better hearing by using something that is "not so loud" as to wake them up.
And yet several of the posting replies said I should sleep in a tent to accommodate everyone else w/o that type of handicap. Hopefully, the few numbers on this website that have this opinion of others with handicaps is also few in number when I do get on the trail.
Again, for those of you that gave me some ideas, thank you.

Different Socks
03-27-2014, 09:59
I'm sure you will find there is no need for an alarm clock. Since you go to bed so early in the evening, it's hard to sleep past dawn anyway. Plus there are always others who get up early and start to move around. Even if you can't hear them (which unfortunetly the rest of us can), you'll still sense them. In any event, you'll wake up when your body is good and ready for you to get up.

And of course, just because you may perfer to sleep in the shelter, you'd best have a tent since getting a spot in a shelter is hit or miss, especially early in the season down south. There is a good chance you'll end up in the tent more often then not and learn to perfer it that way.

Good response! I guess one benefit of having a hearing deficit is that if I wish to sleep in, the noise of others will not wake me up, just possibly the movements of equip and bodies.

perdidochas
03-27-2014, 10:07
Yes, they may have to, to answer your question!

I have seen it that almost everyone I meet will go out their way to accommodate a person whom is totally deaf, because to talk they have to get their attention first before they even talk to them. BUT, the same is not done for a person like me that has a hearing deficit and yet wears hearing aids. WHY? B/c those with normal hearing believe that like glasses, the hearing aids bring my level of hearing up to theirs.
So again, I ask, why should I be forced to sleep in a tent when I'd rather sleep in a shelter, just because I would have to accommodate others with good hearing?

Why should they be forced to wake up early because you want to wake up early, handicap or not? Courtesy goes both ways.

Damn Yankee
03-27-2014, 10:09
If you have an Ipod, phone or any other device that has an alarm clock and a headphone jack. Just put in the headphones and that way it doesn't wake anyone else up. If you have trouble keeping them in, wear a hat or something other to hold them in place. I lost my hearing in Iraq and had to do this while there.

tagg
03-27-2014, 10:13
GOD DAMN!! What is wrong with some of you? I never said I was "entitled" to space in a shelter and I never said that I should be totally accommodated for my handicap. I also never said I was totally deaf. I said I have a severe hearing loss, and I even said I wear aids.
The OP says that I wish to stay in shelters when I hike and I am willing to accommodate others with better hearing by using something that is "not so loud" as to wake them up.
And yet several of the posting replies said I should sleep in a tent to accommodate everyone else w/o that type of handicap. Hopefully, the few numbers on this website that have this opinion of others with handicaps is also few in number when I do get on the trail.
Again, for those of you that gave me some ideas, thank you.

With all due respect, you've been on this site for a long time and have quite a few posts - you could have predicted how this would turn out. Every shelter thread is the same.
I wouldn't use an alarm that others can hear if I was staying in a shelter because I know it would piss some people off and I generally try not to piss people off. However, I wouldn't stay in a shelter to begin with due to the fact that they are disgusting and are full of people who don't care if they piss other people off. That being said, I agree with Lonewolf. First come, first served. If they get there after you and don't like how you conduct yourself in a shelter, they can sleep somewhere else. GSMNP excluded, I suppose.

Different Socks
03-27-2014, 10:16
If you have an Ipod, phone or any other device that has an alarm clock and a headphone jack. Just put in the headphones and that way it doesn't wake anyone else up. If you have trouble keeping them in, wear a hat or something other to hold them in place. I lost my hearing in Iraq and had to do this while there.

Good idea, thanks!

Starchild
03-27-2014, 10:19
Perhaps a better suggestion if you must get up early is explain the situation to the person sleeping next to you, on either side of you, even the entire shelter, that you would like to get up early but don't want to set a loud alarm clock, so if they hear it and you don't respond if they can be so kind as to nudge you awake. I think asking for community support will go a lot further then just depending on yourself at their expense.

I believe this is more your reasonable handicap accommodation.

Different Socks
03-27-2014, 10:30
"First come, first served. If they get there after you and don't like how you conduct yourself in a shelter, they can sleep somewhere else. GSMNP excluded, I suppose."

Tagg, it may just come down to it that that is what I'll have to do.
BTW Tagg, you noticed that too huh?

kennajm
03-27-2014, 10:36
GOD DAMN!! What is wrong with some of you? I never said I was "entitled" to space in a shelter and I never said that I should be totally accommodated for my handicap. I also never said I was totally deaf. I said I have a severe hearing loss, and I even said I wear aids.
The OP says that I wish to stay in shelters when I hike and I am willing to accommodate others with better hearing by using something that is "not so loud" as to wake them up.
And yet several of the posting replies said I should sleep in a tent to accommodate everyone else w/o that type of handicap. Hopefully, the few numbers on this website that have this opinion of others with handicaps is also few in number when I do get on the trail.
Again, for those of you that gave me some ideas, thank you.

Yet you said this below. That would roughly make you a liar. Despite what you think, saying you have a severe handicap and that we're supposed to "accommodate" you is asking for an entitlement. I'm sorry you're so angry about it.

I have a severe handicap, and I am supposed to accommodate others? Shouldn't that be the other way around?

I'll spell it out. If you bring an alarm clock in a shelter with 10 other people and it wakes them all up, you're rude. I don't care what handicaps you have.

Mick3y
03-27-2014, 10:50
I'll spell it out. If you bring an alarm clock in a shelter with 10 other people and it wakes them all up, you're rude. I don't care what handicaps you have.

I don't see as to where a handicap really matters in this situation. Handicap or not it's rude.

kennajm
03-27-2014, 10:51
I don't see as to where a handicap really matters in this situation. Handicap or not it's rude.

That's what I was saying, but it comes out wrong on the Internet.

Mick3y
03-27-2014, 10:53
I knew what you were saying. I was just trying to clarify a bit, that's all

tagg
03-27-2014, 11:01
Yet you said this below. That would roughly make you a liar. Despite what you think, saying you have a severe handicap and that we're supposed to "accommodate" you is asking for an entitlement. I'm sorry you're so angry about it.

I have a severe handicap, and I am supposed to accommodate others? Shouldn't that be the other way around?

I'll spell it out. If you bring an alarm clock in a shelter with 10 other people and it wakes them all up, you're rude. I don't care what handicaps you have.




I agree that it would be rude, just like leaving your wet gear spread out everywhere, spilling your food in the sleeping area, talking loudly until all hours of the night, being obnoxious and vulgar, etc. - all of the other things that commonly happen in shelters. Anyone choosing to sleep in one should know going in that there is a good chance you will be sharing your space with a rude a-hole. If you sleep in your tent or hammock, you probably won't hear anyone's alarm clock. So even though it is rude, different socks has the right to set his alarm. Not because of his handicap, but because it's a shelter available to whatever kind of person wants to use it.

StichBurly
03-27-2014, 11:08
I don't see as to where a handicap really matters in this situation. Handicap or not it's rude.
I agree 100%.

Different Socks
03-27-2014, 11:22
Okay, so let me get this straight: If I come to a shelter and it has people in it already for the night, based on simple courtesy I should sleep somewhere else to accommodate them b/c I wish to use an alarm to assist my handicap that may or may not wake them up? So if I was a near blind hiker, you wouldn't assist me with pointing where the shelter was or where things are in the shelter or even to point out where something is that I dropped?

Based on all the negatives replies not to mention the "it doesn't matter whether I have a handicap or not" replies, I will have to be the first arrival at a shelter every day. Once again, this indicates I would have to change how I do my hiking to accommodate those w/o a handicap. And you all say I would be rude to use an alarm?!

Starchild
03-27-2014, 11:36
... I will have to be the first arrival at a shelter every day....

I suspect You want to set an alarm so you will be the first one at the next shelter. This appears to be what you want justification for doing, and I now strongly suspect you have already made up your mind to do this, and you are attempting here on WB to justify it, using your handicap as a excuse to not care about others.

tagg
03-27-2014, 11:54
Okay, so let me get this straight: If I come to a shelter and it has people in it already for the night, based on simple courtesy I should sleep somewhere else to accommodate them b/c I wish to use an alarm to assist my handicap that may or may not wake them up?

No. Set your alarm with the understanding that some of them may not like you in the morning when your alarm goes off. Sleep as well as you can with all of their snoring and farting and tossing and turning and getting up to pee all night. When your alarm goes off, get up, eat your breakfast, and pack up your gear while some of them grumble and curse at you, and then start walking. Hike your own hike.

Different Socks
03-27-2014, 11:55
I suspect You want to set an alarm so you will be the first one at the next shelter. This appears to be what you want justification for doing, and I now strongly suspect you have already made up your mind to do this, and you are attempting here on WB to justify it, using your handicap as a excuse to not care about others.

Read all the posts Starchild!! Someone else made the suggestion to be the first at the shelter, not I. The exact quote was, "first come, first served".
Oh, and just b/c I did say that does not mean I've already made up my mind to use an alarm to get up early. It could also mean I am a fast hiker, or have a longer stride, or a light pack, or take short rest breaks or have short mileage days, or a combination of all of the above.
Man, I hope I don't meet the narrow minded people on the trail once I get out there again. Heaven forbid that I have a handicap that should be accommodated by those without one.
I will do my best not to wake others by using a method that works for me yet doesn't wake others, which is what the OP was asking, but I will not go out of my way to sleep in a tent b/c I have a handicap that to use a shelter I may offend some people. I will also use the suggestion to let others know that I am HOH and would like to use an alarm and/or ask someone to wake me if they are getting up at the same time.

Different Socks
03-27-2014, 11:57
Thanks Tagg! If we ever meet on the trail, be sure to ask about sharing with you my stove baked desserts or no bake pies.

tiptoe
03-27-2014, 12:00
Different Socks, I think you are making a mountain out of a molehill. Waking up at a certain hour may become less of an issue for you as your hike progresses, and as others have pointed out, you are constantly awakened in shelters by actions of everyone else. Even if you don't hear them, you can sense them. I've always been blessed/cursed with the ability to wake up at whatever hour I want, and also to know what time it is fairly intuitively. But on the trail, unless I need to catch a bus or train or meet someone at an appointed time, it really doesn't matter so much, except as a general guide to my progress. But that said, if you really do need to know and need to use an alarm, then just sleep in your tent. You'll probably get a better night's sleep that way, too.

Coffee
03-27-2014, 12:05
I guess I've never understood the motivation to regularly stay at shelters. I won't say that I'll never stay at one (never have so far) because I could see some conditions where it might be the least bad option but tenting seems more comfortable and private in almost all conditions. If I do stay in a shelter, I would have zero expectations when it comes to what others are doing since it is a public space, as long as they aren't doing anything illegal. Setting an alarm to go off at an ungodly early hour is rude but no more so than farting, getting drunk, talking late into the night, etc.

Starchild
03-27-2014, 12:21
Read all the posts Starchild!! Someone else made the suggestion to be the first at the shelter, not I. The exact quote was, "first come, first served".
Oh, and just b/c I did say that does not mean I've already made up my mind to use an alarm to get up early. It could also mean I am a fast hiker, or have a longer stride, or a light pack, or take short rest breaks or have short mileage days, or a combination of all of the above.
Man, I hope I don't meet the narrow minded people on the trail once I get out there again. Heaven forbid that I have a handicap that should be accommodated by those without one.
I will do my best not to wake others by using a method that works for me yet doesn't wake others, which is what the OP was asking, but I will not go out of my way to sleep in a tent b/c I have a handicap that to use a shelter I may offend some people. I will also use the suggestion to let others know that I am HOH and would like to use an alarm and/or ask someone to wake me if they are getting up at the same time.


Well maybe I have you wrong, but it sounds very much like the psychological 'poor me' excuse, almost textbook.

It goes something like this:

1 - A person has an issue (or handicap) and requests help from others, some accommodation.

2 - Get people to give you ideas, that person finds a way to rule out every one except for the they want.

3 - That person start to get angry and claims that no one understands their issues nor wants to help them, what is really happening is that person want it their way.

4 - The anger and frustration is used by that person to justify to themselves to do what they wanted to do all a long, but now they have made up the excuse that they did this because no one cares.

5 - That excuse is used to blind themselves to how their solution harms others.

This can be done at a unconsciousness level and people whop do this often repeat this pattern.

I'm just pointing this out because it is a so recognizable pattern and people may do this without knowledge that they are and it is not generally considered a desirable trait, but tends to isolate.

tiptoe
03-27-2014, 12:46
Man, I hope I don't meet the narrow minded people on the trail once I get out there again.

Wow. In my trail experience, hikers are generally optimistic, helpful, polite, and tolerant of differences. If you set out looking for hostility and narrow-mindedness, odds are that you will find it.

Shonryu
03-27-2014, 12:58
There are creative solutions. You just have to make them work instead of excuses. The world doesnt evolve around any of us nor should it. But cmmon courtesy and respect goes a long ways.

If you didnt bother to tell me that you were going to have an alarm blaring early in the morning I would be very pissed off and would make sure you knew. I'm not a happy camper (pun intended) if someone rudely wakes me up.

If you told me in advance I would have no problem with understanding but also know that having a disability doesnt justify any sense of entitlement or guarantee sympathy from everyone.

Shonryu
03-27-2014, 13:00
Read all the posts Starchild!! Someone else made the suggestion to be the first at the shelter, not I. The exact quote was, "first come, first served".
Oh, and just b/c I did say that does not mean I've already made up my mind to use an alarm to get up early. It could also mean I am a fast hiker, or have a longer stride, or a light pack, or take short rest breaks or have short mileage days, or a combination of all of the above.
Man, I hope I don't meet the narrow minded people on the trail once I get out there again. Heaven forbid that I have a handicap that should be accommodated by those without one.
I will do my best not to wake others by using a method that works for me yet doesn't wake others, which is what the OP was asking, but I will not go out of my way to sleep in a tent b/c I have a handicap that to use a shelter I may offend some people. I will also use the suggestion to let others know that I am HOH and would like to use an alarm and/or ask someone to wake me if they are getting up at the same time.


Well maybe I have you wrong, but it sounds very much like the psychological 'poor me' excuse, almost textbook.

It goes something like this:

1 - A person has an issue (or handicap) and requests help from others, some accommodation.

2 - Get people to give you ideas, that person finds a way to rule out every one except for the they want.

3 - That person start to get angry and claims that no one understands their issues nor wants to help them, what is really happening is that person want it their way.

4 - The anger and frustration is used by that person to justify to themselves to do what they wanted to do all a long, but now they have made up the excuse that they did this because no one cares.

5 - That excuse is used to blind themselves to how their solution harms others.

This can be done at a unconsciousness level and people whop do this often repeat this pattern.

I'm just pointing this out because it is a so recognizable pattern and people may do this without knowledge that they are and it is not generally considered a desirable trait, but tends to isolate.

+1 I was thinking the same thing

Studlintsean
03-27-2014, 13:01
Being woken up is the risk you run when you sleep in a shelter. If you set a quiet alarm, I personally wouldnt get mad when I was woken up in a community shelter.

kennajm
03-27-2014, 13:06
Read all the posts Starchild!! Someone else made the suggestion to be the first at the shelter, not I. The exact quote was, "first come, first served".
Oh, and just b/c I did say that does not mean I've already made up my mind to use an alarm to get up early. It could also mean I am a fast hiker, or have a longer stride, or a light pack, or take short rest breaks or have short mileage days, or a combination of all of the above.
Man, I hope I don't meet the narrow minded people on the trail once I get out there again. Heaven forbid that I have a handicap that should be accommodated by those without one.
I will do my best not to wake others by using a method that works for me yet doesn't wake others, which is what the OP was asking, but I will not go out of my way to sleep in a tent b/c I have a handicap that to use a shelter I may offend some people. I will also use the suggestion to let others know that I am HOH and would like to use an alarm and/or ask someone to wake me if they are getting up at the same time.

I'm a light sleeper. I have a hard time sleeping in shelters because of this. Do I tell people not to get up to accommodate me? Do I tell them not to talk to accommodate me? No, I go sleep in my tent. It's my problem, not theirs. Narrow minded..lol. Apparently open minded means.


"I have a severe handicap, and I am supposed to accommodate others? Shouldn't that be the other way around?"

Different Socks
03-27-2014, 13:19
I'm a light sleeper. I have a hard time sleeping in shelters because of this. Do I tell people not to get up to accommodate me? Do I tell them not to talk to accommodate me? No, I go sleep in my tent. It's my problem, not theirs. Narrow minded..lol. Apparently open minded means.


"I have a severe handicap, and I am supposed to accommodate others? Shouldn't that be the other way around?"

Getting up early is not a handicap, talking late into the night is not a handicap, being nearly blind or blind and being HOH or deaf is!! So basically, if I let others know why I have an alarm and when it will go off, the problem is theirs if they do not like it b/c of me having to deal with the handicap.
Seriously, how do you people deal with others that have handicaps when you get back to civilization b/c it shouldn't matter where I am, there or the trails.

kennajm
03-27-2014, 13:27
Getting up early is not a handicap, talking late into the night is not a handicap, being nearly blind or blind and being HOH or deaf is!! So basically, if I let others know why I have an alarm and when it will go off, the problem is theirs if they do not like it b/c of me having to deal with the handicap.
Seriously, how do you people deal with others that have handicaps when you get back to civilization b/c it shouldn't matter where I am, there or the trails.

Again, entitlement. Why do you feel like you're above everyone? What in your mind makes you think that YOUR alarm going off is THEIR problem. No, YOU'RE THE PROBLEM. It's you're alarm, it's not their alarm.

I work with a couple of deaf people. They are professional, courteous, and work within the constraints of our atmosphere. We work together as best we can because they are good, non-selfish people who don't believe that just because they're deaf that everyone should kowtow to them.

Honestly though, do what you want. If I happen to run across you with this accommodate me or else attitude I'll just move on. I bet most people will.

Different Socks
03-27-2014, 13:39
It's incredible how my OP went from asking how to accommodate others while dealing with my handicap and waking up in the morning to now it's an issue where several of you think I think I am entitled to anything and everything b/c of my handicap.
I've already stated in several posts how I will accommodate others and thanked people for their ideas.
Tagg was so right that issues like this one transform into a debate way too quickly AND steer away from the OP too often.

kennajm
03-27-2014, 13:41
It's incredible how my OP went from asking how to accommodate others while dealing with my handicap and waking up in the morning to now it's an issue where several of you think I think I am entitled to anything and everything b/c of my handicap.
I've already stated in several posts how I will accommodate others and thanked people for their ideas.
Tagg was so right that issues like this one transform into a debate way too quickly AND steer away from the OP too often.


Yup, you were good until: "I have a severe handicap, and I am supposed to accommodate others? Shouldn't that be the other way around?"

Your posts were pretty much angry and entitled from that point on.

BobTheBuilder
03-27-2014, 13:46
I've never used an alarm clock once while hiking. Unless I had a plane to catch, I'm not sure why I ever would.

BobTheBuilder
03-27-2014, 13:54
Also, being the first person to get to a shelter doesn't mean you are king of the shelter, or that you get to set all the rules for the shelter. It just means you get a spot to sleep. The whole "loud alarm clock" issue doesn't become any less rude just because you get to the shelter first.

Hikers being the mischevious lot that they are, I would suspect that you would soon find that some of those young whippersnappers would get up before dawn and make sure they bumped you enough "accidentally" to make sure you woke up. Don't hate - accomodate.

Now you kids get the heck off my lawn!

Starchild
03-27-2014, 13:57
Yup, you were good until: "I have a severe handicap, and I am supposed to accommodate others? Shouldn't that be the other way around?"

Your posts were pretty much angry and entitled from that point on.

That raised red flags for me too, but suspected immediately that he just want's his own way, what pushed it over the top was when he suggested getting to the shelter before anyone else (the reason for setting such a early alarm clock maybe?) all along I somehow knew he would state this. I suspect that was his goal all along, to get to the point where he would 'need' to state it on 'revelation' from all the posts that it is what he is forced to resort to.

The other telling part is when he stated this


Man, I hope I don't meet the narrow minded people on the trail once I get out there again.

The trail has some of the most accepting, helpful, openminded people one can meet in life, but DS seems not to have experienced this before (note his use of the word 'again'). That DS has not experienced this also speaks to where the problem lies.

Different Socks
03-27-2014, 14:41
That raised red flags for me too, but suspected immediately that he just want's his own way, what pushed it over the top was when he suggested getting to the shelter before anyone else (the reason for setting such a early alarm clock maybe?) all along I somehow knew he would state this. I suspect that was his goal all along, to get to the point where he would 'need' to state it on 'revelation' from all the posts that it is what he is forced to resort to.



The other telling part is when he stated this



The trail has some of the most accepting, helpful, openminded people one can meet in life, but DS seems not to have experienced this before (note his use of the word 'again'). That DS has not experienced this also speaks to where the problem lies.

Not true SC, I have done the AT and most of the PCT/CDT and I have used the shelters of the AT almost every night. You again state that you think I was looking for someone to back me up about showing up first to a shelter. No, I said it was a good idea to think about doing.
If I use an alarm which BTW would surprise most others in a shelter, they would want to know why I am musing one and I would tell them b/c of my inability to hear. the other reason is that I suffered from an accident that resulted in a head injury. I have come to realize that I sleep better since the injury occurred if I have an alarm to rely on to wake me up. I'd like to use an alarm on the trails, so the OP was partly about asking what could I utilize to awaken me in the morning w/o rudely awakening others.
And yes, the problem would be theirs if I tell them I use an alarm and why and they can't accept it.

Different Socks
03-27-2014, 14:44
And SC you are correct about the open minded accepting people of the trail. I have met many, many of them. But, they can and will become different people if you cross them in sometimes no particular way. And one of those ways could be getting awakened by an alarm b/c they wish to sleep.

kennajm
03-27-2014, 14:48
And yes, the problem would be theirs if I tell them I use an alarm and why and they can't accept it.

He almost had me. I almost thought he'd seen his problem and was going to act like a respectful person, then he ruins it.

Weather-man
03-27-2014, 15:10
This is an amusing thread! :) OP I think you already knew the answer that you were looking for and just wanted confirmation. Personally I wouldn't use an alarm clock in a shelter as I would see that as imposing my sense of priorities on others, which I seek to avoid.

The real question that you're asking is how can you awaken at the right time each morning when sleeping in a shelter. The solution that you suggested, an alarm clock, seems to me to be a bit self centered and a bit boorish. A possible solution might be to ask your shelter mates what time they were generally getting up in the morning and politely ask one of them to wake you when they get up, or when they leave, etc...

Again, it appears to me that you really weren't looking for a solution but rather it seems that you want affirmation of your "disability". Funny, I walked to Fontana from the NOC last Nov and young kid with a prosthetic leg hiked into Sassafras shelter in the evening ...never said a word as he was wiping the blood off the stump and re-taping it. After a bit I asked if he needed a hand setting up his tent and he said nope, "...need to do all this on my own". The difference between you and him is that he didn't have a disability. He was just a tough SOB with a leg gone.

Different Socks
03-27-2014, 15:21
He almost had me. I almost thought he'd seen his problem and was going to act like a respectful person, then he ruins it.

So kenn what you are saying is that if they can't deal with the fact that I have a handicap, that's my problem? ***!

kennajm
03-27-2014, 15:25
So kenn what you are saying is that if they can't deal with the fact that I have a handicap, that's my problem? ***!

What I'm saying is that you don't give a sh** about anyone but yourself and I'm highly curious about why you even bothered starting this thread. Just do what you want. You were going to anyway, despite what anyone else might think.

Different Socks
03-27-2014, 15:25
This is an amusing thread! :) OP I think you already knew the answer that you were looking for and just wanted confirmation. Personally I wouldn't use an alarm clock in a shelter as I would see that as imposing my sense of priorities on others, which I seek to avoid.

The real question that you're asking is how can you awaken at the right time each morning when sleeping in a shelter. The solution that you suggested, an alarm clock, seems to me to be a bit self centered and a bit boorish. A possible solution might be to ask your shelter mates what time they were generally getting up in the morning and politely ask one of them to wake you when they get up, or when they leave, etc...

Again, it appears to me that you really weren't looking for a solution but rather it seems that you want affirmation of your "disability". Funny, I walked to Fontana from the NOC last Nov and young kid with a prosthetic leg hiked into Sassafras shelter in the evening ...never said a word as he was wiping the blood off the stump and re-taping it. After a bit I asked if he needed a hand setting up his tent and he said nope, "...need to do all this on my own". The difference between you and him is that he didn't have a disability. He was just a tough SOB with a leg gone.

NO! NO! NO! DAMN IT!!! I am just someone that wants to use an alarm of some sort on the trail b/c of my injury and I am HOH and was asking for other possible solutions. I DID NOT ALREADY KNOW WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO!!! And yes I am shouting!! B/c some of you aren't listing and assuming way too much and beyond the scope of my words!!
Man, ask as simple question...........

Different Socks
03-27-2014, 15:30
NO! NO! NO! DAMN IT!!! I am just someone that wants to use an alarm of some sort on the trail b/c of my injury and I am HOH and was asking for other possible solutions. I DID NOT ALREADY KNOW WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO!!! And yes I am shouting!! B/c some of you aren't listing and assuming way too much and beyond the scope of my words!!
Man, ask as simple question...........

Oh, and BTW if I wasn't looking for a solution other than an alarm clock, why did I thank others that offered a different solution? In the past, I've even thought that having an alarm clock in my tent would be too much b/c the severity of my hearing loss would require a loud alarm which could still piss people off that were sleeping nearby in a shelter or tent. And please don't tell me I should tent so far away that it wouldn't disturb anyone and everyone.

Weather-man
03-27-2014, 15:31
Well, as I said, generally speaking using an alarm clock in the woods around others is boorish. There were some great solutions offered in this thread...a vibrating solution seems elegant. I've used the one I offered though I was the guy waking others up at their request. You're over thinking this.

kennajm
03-27-2014, 15:32
NO! NO! NO! DAMN IT!!! I am just someone that wants to use an alarm of some sort on the trail b/c of my injury and I am HOH and was asking for other possible solutions. I DID NOT ALREADY KNOW WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO!!! And yes I am shouting!! B/c some of you aren't listing and assuming way too much and beyond the scope of my words!!
Man, ask as simple question...........

We offered other solutions. You didn't listen. You lashed out, like you did with this post. You said we should all deal with it because you have a handicap and your needs trump everyone elses. You did the same thing when we mentioned a tent. Despite what you think that IS a solution that makes EVERYONE happy. But you didn't want to hear it. You want everyone to just put up with you because you have a condition.

illabelle
03-27-2014, 15:33
DS, in practice maybe your alarm clock is a minor issue. I hope so. Maybe you sleep light with the alarm clock in your hand and turn it off in the first milli-second after it goes off. Few people are disturbed, and only for a moment. Or maybe "early" to you means about an hour after sunup, when most everyone is up or ready to get up.

However, what I fear is this scenario or something similar:
Shelter is occupied by the usual variety of people, most of them exhausted with another hard day waiting for them in the morning.
Man sets his alarm for an hour before sunrise, and sets it down nearby.
During the night, the clock is knocked over, kicked around, or falls off the sleeping platform.
Alarm goes off pre-dawn, but because he's hard of hearing, it takes several seconds of loud alarm before the man wakes up.
Clock isn't where he left it, so then he's got to find his headlamp, and maybe his glasses. The clock is blaring. No one is asleep.
Headlamp on, he sees where the clock is, out of reach. Gotta unzip, exit the bag, crawl/stretch/or climb down off the platform. By now people are complaining and cursing. But because he's hard of hearing, he can't hear them, and doesn't perceive their agitation.
Man manages to retrieve clock and turn it off.
Man yawns and stretches. "G'morning, everybody," totally oblivious.

It's not illegal for you to use an alarm clock in the shelter, but if it's anything like this scenario, you'd better bring a few extras because somebody's going to throw that thing way out in the dark dark woods.

Starchild
03-27-2014, 15:36
So kenn what you are saying is that if they can't deal with the fact that I have a handicap, that's my problem? ***!

My take is you are not willing to be part of a community as one with a handicap. You would rather be on your own.

Rest of the post truncated on edit.

bamboo bob
03-27-2014, 15:43
Some people don't ant answers, some don't want to give answers. Some just like to Troll.

MDSection12
03-27-2014, 15:43
Put some type of vibrating alarm on your sternum... You'll wake up for sure. Other than that I'd say asking shelter-mates what time they're getting up and if they'd wake you is a good idea.

As for the rest of this nonsense, you stated that you wanted to be considerate in your OP, but when people told you their idea of 'being considerate' you got all defensive... You can't have it both ways. You're entitled to your opinion, and even to act on it, but you're not entitled to shut down the opinions of others who you happen to disagree with.

Everybody take a step back and relax. We've told him he's an inconsiderate so and so if he does such and such, now let's just make recommendations and let him decide. Some people are inconsiderate, some people are overly sensitive to people who they think are being inconsiderate... Both types tend to sleep in shelters. I'll be in my hammock out of earshot. :)

Starchild
03-27-2014, 15:46
Some people don't ant answers, some don't want to give answers. Some just like to Troll.

I believe it is more then a troll, I believe he needs to justify his inconsiderate behavior to himself to be self justified into doing so.

MDSection12
03-27-2014, 15:52
He hasn't exhibited any behavior yet, just discussed it with particular interest in whether or not it's considerate, chill out.

BobTheBuilder
03-27-2014, 15:56
Here's a suggestion - hike at night, sleep during the day. When your alarm goes off at 5 or 6 in the afternoon, won't bother a soul.

HikerMom58
03-27-2014, 16:03
Oh boy! :o Disagreements & all out fights are breaking out all over the internet today. Grrr.... we need go hiking!!

Off topic.. MD, The Good German is hiking with his girlfriend from 311 to 220 right now. He kept McAfee Knob a "secret" from his girlfriend. They were just hiking the trail, knocking out the miles with lots of smiles... :D I can't wait to hear how the hike went... beautiful day today! Woo hoo!

MDSection12
03-27-2014, 16:07
Awesome. I'll be back sometime soon, and hopefully I'll convince my wife to do that whole section. I'll let you know when we get a date set, maybe we can grab some BBQ again. :)

HikerMom58
03-27-2014, 16:09
Awesome. I'll be back sometime soon, and hopefully I'll convince my wife to do that whole section. I'll let you know when we get a date set, maybe we can grab some BBQ again. :)


Sounds great.. can't wait! :)

1234
03-27-2014, 16:32
I cannot hear, 80 decibels is my current, so I got the wind up that tick tocks all night and come alarm time a hammer hits 2 bells an by golly it will make everyone come to attention real quick. Get real folks, its a shelter, getting up and stuffing all your stuff is going to wake up the entire shelter. By the way it is no louder than those crackly neo air mattress making noises all night.

imscotty
03-27-2014, 16:53
Thank you everyone. This entire thread has been a great reminder as to why hikers should carry their own shelter and not rely on shelters.

To the original question: There are all sorts of wrist strap vibrating alarm clocks made for the hearing impaired that should wake you up without disturbing your shelter mates. Here is one example...

http://www.maxiaids.com/products/9020/Shake-n-Wake-ZZZ-Vibrating-Alarm-Clock-Watch.html?utm_source=Froogle&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=Froogle&idAff=15225&gclid=CM7jxPTJs70CFW1nOgodo0oAlw

Personally, I would find it difficult to sleep past dawn anyway. I think the earlier advice about getting in tune with your internal clock was spot on. I love the feeling of anticipation of the birds calling to the brightening sky that half hour before dawn. Hark Hark the Lark!

Starchild
03-27-2014, 16:59
I cannot hear, 80 decibels is my current, ....
...By the way it is no louder than those crackly neo air mattress making noises all night.

How would you know ;)

BobTheBuilder
03-27-2014, 17:05
World's Loudest Alarm Clock - 113 dB with red flashing alert lights

http://www.amazon.com/Sonic-SBB500ss-Vibrating-Alarm-Clock/dp/B000OOWZUK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395954214&sr=8-1&keywords=worlds+loudest+alarm+clock

That'll get the shelter up and moving!

gpburdelljr
03-27-2014, 17:09
I suspect that loud alarm clocks in shelters would break down, or disappear a lot.

Prime Time
03-27-2014, 17:10
Yes there's something about any kind of an alarm that sets people, especially younger ones, into a tizzy. In the few shelters I stayed in I would watch in amusement as people would wake up, release the air from their air mattress, stuff things into their pack inches from someones sleeping head, fire up their gas stove, in other words, be making lot's of somewhat unavoidable noise and no one said boo. But if an alarm went off at an almost imperceptibly low sound level, and for less than a second, the resulting "tsks" would make you think someone was playing a bugle. If you expect quiet mornings until you're ready to roll out the sack, stealth in a tent somewhere. Go ahead and bring your alarm Different Socks, but if you stay in a shelter, be prepared for the cold shoulder and a few whiney faces.

Slo-go'en
03-27-2014, 17:26
In the few shelters I stayed in I would watch in amusement as people would wake up, release the air from their air mattress, stuff things into their pack inches from someones sleeping head, fire up their gas stove, in other words, be making lot's of somewhat unavoidable noise and no one said boo.

Actually, those kinds of noises are easy to sleep through. I sometimes wake up in a shelter and wonder where all the people went.

Most people do have the courtesy to cook away from the shelter if people are sleeping. If you were to spill something, that could get you beat up real bad. We are conditioned to respond to the high pitched beeping sounds of alarm clocks, that is what makes them so unpopular. We go out on the trail so we don't have to deal with that kind of thing.

Weather-man
03-27-2014, 17:33
World's Loudest Alarm Clock - 113 dB with red flashing alert lights

http://www.amazon.com/Sonic-SBB500ss-Vibrating-Alarm-Clock/dp/B000OOWZUK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395954214&sr=8-1&keywords=worlds+loudest+alarm+clock

That'll get the shelter up and moving!

Now these would make a great prank if they weren't so expensive! Imagine hiding one under a shelter to go off at 0300! Better yet is the Annoy-a-tron! http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/b278/

From the ad.....:) OP, if anyone complained about your alarm clock you could stash one of these!


The cricket chirping sound is interesting because someone will instinctively look near the ground when trying to locate a cricket. So, placing the Annoy-a-tron several feet or more above the ground will help to obscure its location. The 15kHz sound is also interesting because this frequency range of sound cannot be heard by everyone. In older adults or those with deteriorated hearing (a condition known as presbycusis) this high frequency sound will not be audible, while others will clearly hear the sound and find it quite annoying. They also might think they are going crazy because people nearby will report that they don't hear anything.


....and yes folks....I'm only kidding!

Alleghanian Orogeny
03-27-2014, 17:38
I have no idea what the OP's problem is, but it's definitely not that he's hearing impaired.

There is a reason why I avoid public shelters, and it's juvenile silliness and drama like this. Life is too short to put up with it.

AO

Alligator
03-27-2014, 17:50
Plenty if suggestions made, thread has played out.