Jerry's Cabin Shelter clean-up

[The Cleaner]

A few here may know me but for those who don't,I've been cleaning up this shelter since 1980 and more frequently as per my agreement with the Carolina Mtn. Club.This year due to the excessive number of those attempting a thru hike I stopped this after my last trip there on 3-27-15.During the 2014 thru season,I could clean up the shelter and return 2-3 days later only to find more litter.Well last Tuesday I hiked in and what I found did not surprise me.The 1st thing I saw was a large bag of trash on the bear cables.31619 Next was the fact that no one has cut anything growing around the shelter.Some blackberry shoots were growing into the shelter.31620The fire pit in front of the shelter was a mound of rocks,trash and dirt.31621The inside fireplace was full too.There is a shovel there,paid for by a WB member.I guess no hikers no how to use it.31622Well I'm glad I got there early,I had a lot to do.First I cleaned up the fire pit,removing the the rocks and trash.31623Next I attacked the inside fireplace.31624After a quick lunch I spent a good hour or more using lopers to cut away all the blackberry shoots and other growth on 2 sides of the shelter.3162531626Then I built a fire to help chase away the horrible cloud of blood sucking biting gnats and burn some of the burnable trash because I could barely fit the 8lb bag of trash into my daypack.31627Also used the shovel to clean the weeds around the log benches,I built in 1-13 with the help of 2 other WB members who had earlier agreed to meet me there.It's a wonder that these are still there.Here's a last shot I took before leaving.31628Well there it is a very clean shelter,ready for the 2015 SOBOs,I hope they do a little better than the previous guests did.It was a hot day down in the valley with temps in the mid 90s,but my thermometer showed only 74* there @1pm.The spring is running fair and if we don't get much rain soon, it could dry up.I have only seen it dry 3 or 4 times since I've been going there.I provide this service just because it needs to be done as the Carolina Mtn. Club must be busy elsewhere.I was rewarded on the way down with a seeing a bear about 1 mile from the shelter on Round Knob trail as I hiked back to my truck.Bears are a rare sight here as this a top spot for local bear hunters.31629I hope some of you enjoy this post because IMO it's still to hot to be hiking very far till it cools off a bit.See you on the trail and have a great day.:)

[tiptoe]

Thanks for the cleanup. I recently hiked from Damascus to Amicalola, and the farther south I got, the more trash I found, not just at the shelters, but also at the trailside campsites. It's sad that people don't pick up after themselves.

[The Cleaner]

Thanks for the cleanup. I recently hiked from Damascus to Amicalola, and the farther south I got, the more trash I found, not just at the shelters, but also at the trailside campsites. It's sad that people don't pick up after themselves. That's what I was sadly expecting to hear.I'd like to see more regulations somehow limiting the number of hikers that is already in place at most National Parks.Many members here object that idea.Others are claim the the "whole" AT is under "National Park" status.Well if that is true why are so many of the shelters trashed.In my 30 plus years of hiking the local area I've never seen any officials from the NPS.A handful of times I have seen officials from the local USFS District office.If you don't like what you see in this post,please call them @423-630-4109 and voice your opinion.

[Moosling]

People must expect their wives or their mommas to clean up after them. That is a problem in the world in general these days.

[buckaroo007]

Thanks more people need to practice LNT.

[The Cleaner]

Under FWIW, while on hiatus from garbage pick up I hiked from Dickey Gap to Damascus on 4-5-15.I enjoyed it so much I drove back to Grayson Highlands SP and did a loop trip there.Great place and for some reason I saw very little litter there.Also I made 2 trips to Shining Rock Wilderness near Ashville NC.The 1st trip I met the Wilderness Ranger and narrowly avoided a $500 citation for not having a bear canister.I was invited to leave by him.I went back a few weeks later with the BV500, but was disappointed by the very large number of hikers I met there.I met a group of 22 hikers,which violates the rules there too.I called in to the local Pisgah Ranger District to report them(their trip leader went Ballistic when I asked if they had bear canisters)and I'm not gonna let jerkwads verbally abuse me for their failure to prepare properly.Signs were posted at all trail heads.31630I met the WR on my way out.I also met 2 hikers who just got $125 citations for not having bear canisters.:eek:

[dmax]

How am I suposed to pick berries while in my sleepingbag now?

[Walkintom]

Thanks for the good work that you do.

[illabelle]

Your efforts, Cleaner, are much appreciated!

Aside from the trash issue, I'm wondering what could be done to make the other issues less of a burden. For example, it never would have occurred to me to "clean up" the firepit (aside from litter). I've seen some a foot high with ashes, but I guess I figured that was how that particular firepit was supposed to be. And what do you do with the ashes? Are they supposed to be buried? Piled somewhere? Spread in the woods? Dumped in the privy? Maybe somebody could come up with some standardized Site Maintenance guidelines that could be posted in each shelter. Or maybe the guidelines could vary for different regions. This is similar to the composting privy instructions that are often posted, instead of assuming that people know what to do.

And the weed growth? All I typically carry is an inch-and-a-half blade. I've seen plenty of shovels and brooms at shelters, but never any tools for trimming back vegetation.

That large bag of trash in your first photo appears much too large to be the fault of a single hiker, perhaps not even a single group. Maybe somebody picked up all the trash around the shelter, but was going the wrong way to carry the trash out to the road, so they left it for somebody going the other way? I remember one time finding some large item of trash on the trail, when we were a short distance from a shelter, but a long distance from a road. I dragged it to the shelter and left it there with the idea that at least it concentrates the garbage and makes it easier to remove.

[The Cleaner]

Your efforts, Cleaner, are much appreciated!

Aside from the trash issue, I'm wondering what could be done to make the other issues less of a burden. For example, it never would have occurred to me to "clean up" the firepit (aside from litter). I've seen some a foot high with ashes, but I guess I figured that was how that particular firepit was supposed to be. And what do you do with the ashes? Are they supposed to be buried? Piled somewhere? Spread in the woods? Dumped in the privy? Maybe somebody could come up with some standardized Site Maintenance guidelines that could be posted in each shelter. Or maybe the guidelines could vary for different regions. This is similar to the composting privy instructions that are often posted, instead of assuming that people know what to do.

And the weed growth? All I typically carry is an inch-and-a-half blade. I've seen plenty of shovels and brooms at shelters, but never any tools for trimming back vegetation.

That large bag of trash in your first photo appears much too large to be the fault of a single hiker, perhaps not even a single group. Maybe somebody picked up all the trash around the shelter, but was going the wrong way to carry the trash out to the road, so they left it for somebody going the other way? I remember one time finding some large item of trash on the trail, when we were a short distance from a shelter, but a long distance from a road. I dragged it to the shelter and left it there with the idea that at least it concentrates the garbage and makes it easier to remove. The ashes from Jerry's Cabin I put behind a big log behind the shelter where I sometimes pick out foil and burnt cans.Clean ashes should be spread out out of sight from any shelter and not piled up.As for the trash on the bear cables,I find that at many shelters.You may be right as to someone gathering them up but not packing out.It does help a bit I guess.Inside it was a gallon ziploc with about a weeks worth of a LDX hiker's trash and that not right at all.Some hikers just suck. :eek:

[Mr. Bumpy]

Props to all the work you do. I had passed through there about a month ago and stopped for a long lunch. I cleaned out the both the fire place and the ring and put the trash bag on the cable as the fruits of that labor. So most of whatever you cleaned up had just accumulated in a month's time, which seems incredible, but there it is.

[g00gle]

It's people such as yourself which help ensure that people from far away (like me) can eventually get there one day - and it is MUCH APPRECIATED!

Thank you very much for your efforts to keep things safe, clean, and viable.

[BirdBrain]

Thank you Cleaner. I hang my head every time I see a post like yours. It is inexcusable that I do not do more given how much I have enjoyed the trails I have been on. Your peer pressure is welcome here. I must do more.

[rocketsocks]

Your a good man Cleaner, congrats on seeing that bear...funny how life works. :sun

[saltysack]

Thx for your efforts! Nothing bothers me more than lazy arse people purposely leaving there crap behind anywhere especially in the wilderness


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[The Cleaner]

Thx for your efforts! Nothing bothers me more than lazy arse people purposely leaving there crap behind anywhere especially in the wilderness


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk What I don't understand is this.>For SOBOs they are only 26 miles from Hot Springs,I think they have trash cans there.For NOBOs there are trash cans at Sam's Gap only about 20 miles.With all the weight saving UL gear many have these days,what's so hard about packing maybe a pound of your own trash a day or so more? Well I certainly don't expect anyone to post here any reason why they jettison their trash all along the trail.One possible answer would be for the USFS to install bear proof trash cans near most road crossings a hundred yards from the road on the trail to prevent use by passing autos.Then local trail clubs would be responsible for emptying the cans.Only during the spring thru season would these need more frequent emptying.We have a new USFS District Ranger at the office near town.I need to go and introduce myself and suggest this.

[Starchild]

What I don't understand is this......For NOBOs there are trash cans at Sam's Gap only about 20 miles......
I did not notice a trash can at Sam's Gap about 2 weeks ago, I did see it last year.

[Starchild]

Thanks for your efforts, as I see it these are simply immature 'children' of nature and the trail, children are messy and suppose to be and do need such help, but they will learn and grow over time. We are experiencing a great deal of new hikers (which I term children), so yes things can get messy very fast. It is the care expressed to them, despite what they do or what mess they make now, which is what grows them up and has them want to give back when they are ready, so I am very thankful for people like you and others who care.

[The Cleaner]

I did not notice a trash can at Sam's Gap about 2 weeks ago, I did see it last year. The trash can at Sam's Gap was in a parking lot there and probably was getting overloaded with highway users or locals who don't want to drive to the proper disposal location.That's why the trail trash cans need to be a little ways off of the road but not too far for maintainers to get to them.

[Bronk]

Most people probably don't know what you do simply because you are doing it. Perhaps we need more posts like this.

[The Cleaner]

Most people probably don't know what you do simply because you are doing it. Perhaps we need more posts like this. Unfortunately we get more posts about FKTer's than the few who actually do a little trail work.It also seems like many thru attempters are on a schedule and doing big mile days while paying very little attention to how they impact the trail.If one hiker puts just one candy bar wrapper in a firepit,then multiply that by 50 others who come by at peak times and in a few days it's already a trash pit.Many hikers are so concerned about their own hike that they don't really care about what happens after they're gone.I do see where other hikers do pick up after others,but everyone needs to pack all their own trash out and that's just not happening enough.

[Walkintom]

Most people probably don't know what you do simply because you are doing it. Perhaps we need more posts like this.


Agreed. It's amazing how many people just think that things occur. I swear - there are people I talk to that don't seem to grasp that most of the world that they interact with (roads, trails, internet, groceries, trash service, electricity, water, etc.) is not a given and that people work hard to provide those things. They have always had those things and are so divorced from the production of those things that the disconnect is almost complete -except when those things aren't present any more.

Sharing what goes into the feeding and care of a shelter is an interesting subject that helps increase understanding for all of us and I'm glad that you have been taking the time and trouble to do so.

[The Cleaner]

Agreed. It's amazing how many people just think that things occur. I swear - there are people I talk to that don't seem to grasp that most of the world that they interact with (roads, trails, internet, groceries, trash service, electricity, water, etc.) is not a given and that people work hard to provide those things. They have always had those things and are so divorced from the production of those things that the disconnect is almost complete -except when those things aren't present any more

Sharing what goes into the feeding and care of a shelter is an interesting subject that helps increase understanding for all of us and I'm glad that you have been taking the time and trouble to do so.
I guess it's in my blood.I'm just another true Tennessee Volunteer, and I'm not talking about those guys in orange and white throwing around a piece of pigskin.

[Bucketfoot]

It amazes me that so many people who hike the trail are clueless about how much effort it takes to maintain,preserve, and protect the trail. They think its just there and every thing is free. Sadly if its thought to be free it's also abused.Many people are giving up there hard earned dollars and their time and hard work so that the trail is there for all of us to use. Cleaner, the section of trail you work on is one of my favorites. Thank you for your hard work. Thanks to the Carolina Mtn. Club also.

[JumpMaster Blaster]

Hey Cleaner, I was up there back in mid-June and remebered you were the person who'd clean up around there. I could tell there hadn't been any maintenance done for quite some time (not blaming you at all however). It was pretty bad. I took what small trash I could with me, as did a few other hikers, but we could only do so much. I also noticed the logbook was full (saw your entries on the 1st page).

Why does this particular shelter always seem to be described as one of the dirtiest?

Also, I have to say I was quite displeased with the trail conditions in this area- everything seemed to be overgrown. Is it due to it's distance from roads? I talked to a maintainer from TEHCC and he surmised that the people maintaining that area were getting up in age & couldn't get out as much as they used to.

Anyway, I'd like to thank you for getting out there and fixing it up.

[BirdBrain]

It amazes me that so many people who hike the trail are clueless about how much effort it takes to maintain,preserve, and protect the trail. They think its just there and every thing is free. Sadly if its thought to be free it's also abused.Many people are giving up there hard earned dollars and their time and hard work so that the trail is there for all of us to use. Cleaner, the section of trail you work on is one of my favorites. Thank you for your hard work. Thanks to the Carolina Mtn. Club also.

Spot on. The attitude you allude to, in part, is why many think they have an immutable right to that path and that right trumps any desire by any owner or steward to expect a certain conduct from those that walk on their land. It is what prompts fools to suggest the federal government force said entities into submitting to the self absorbed thoughts. Most, including me, have no clue the lengths some go to make my vacations easier or even possible.

[MuddyWaters]

. They think its just there and every thing is free. Sadly if its thought to be free it's also abused

It is free
People know that someone built the structures, and cares for them, and carts out trash.
They have no qualms about adding to the trash load

[The Cleaner]

This area is the farthest point from Asheville NC where many CMC members live.Also most are retired and cutting weeds is one of the hardest jobs maintainer's clubs do.Then the recent relocation of the trail off of the old jeep road was a bit of a mistake because the jeep road,while rutted in places, required no annual growth removal.The old jeep road is historic and has been a route from NC to the TN valley for over 100 years.It should be blue blazed for those who choose to follow that route.I may paint a few blue blazes on it myself.:eek:

[Starchild]

Most people probably don't know what you do simply because you are doing it. Perhaps we need more posts like this.

I would say that most people probably don't know WHY you're doing this. A lot of newer hikers I believe tend to see your work as nice but not needed. Yes they may have to clear out the fire pit a bit to get a fire started so they can burn their trash, but hey a little mess is to be expected and nature will keep it clean enough for them.

To this they don't yet understand that they do deserve a clean shelter area, by providing it they will come to accept that such a place is for them, and with that the desire to leave it clean for the next person.

[ChrisJackson]

We ought to create a sticky thread where we can post pics of the trash we pack out.

[ChrisJackson]

Thanks, Cleaner...for your effort. Greatly appreciated. It means a lot.

[The Cleaner]

Thanks, Cleaner...for your effort. Greatly appreciated. It means a lot.
The new plastic broom was $1.48,the notebook(register) was $.80.Probably used 2 gallons of gas in my truck to get there.I had to eat lunch anyway.The "thanks for your help"-Priceless. :sun

[bshow]

Cleaner, I would like to get in touch. I live in Greeneville and am active in the local Boy Scouts. I'm also a CMC member, but not really plugged in over there. I would be willing to help personally and perhaps get some troops involved as well. Are there other caretakers for Little Laurel and Flint Mountain?

I kind of understand the trash bags hanging from the bear cables; it's a long way until a proper trash can. Better on the bear cables than on the ground I suppose.

[The Cleaner]

Cleaner, I would like to get in touch. I live in Greeneville and am active in the local Boy Scouts. I'm also a CMC member, but not really plugged in over there. I would be willing to help personally and perhaps get some troops involved as well. Are there other caretakers for Little Laurel and Flint Mountain?

I kind of understand the trash bags hanging from the bear cables; it's a long way until a proper trash can. Better on the bear cables than on the ground I suppose. Sounds great give me a PM here and I'll reply with a phone#. As for Flint Mtn. and Little Laurel,the CMC may have someone but probably not.They have a Thursday work crew who gets by 2-3 times a year and that's not enough.During the peak thru season someone needs to go by once a week.Next year I'm gonna show up early AM at a shelter after having cleaned it the previous day.Somebody is not going to like what I have to say when the shelter is full and there is trash in the fireplace or firepit in front.:eek: