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Former Admin
09-10-2002, 05:49
Info, questions, comments, experiences (good or bad) regarding - Stan Murray Shelter

Past/Present hikers - what can future hikers expect here? Have any good stories or memories from here?

Future hikers - any questions?

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hiker33
11-02-2005, 15:55
This shelter was the worst of those we stayed in between Erwin and Elk Park. It's located on a high, open ridge and the wind roared through the place. It would not be a good place to stay in bad weather as rain and snow would blow in the front.

We arrived after dark and followed the last mile or so by headlamp so we didn't push on to Overmountain 1.7 miles N. The shelter slopes steeply toward the rear so we had to sleep with our heads at the front exposed to the gale. It was a restless, cold night. The place was very dirty with about a bushel of garbage strewn behind the shelter. There were also a couple of apparent bullet holes in the back wall.

Stay here only in an emergency or in clear, calm weather.

Hikerhead
11-02-2005, 18:55
Yeah, it's a dump. Walk an extra hour north to the Overmtn Shelter if you have to stay in a shelter

Jack Tarlin
11-02-2005, 19:03
I don't have a problem with Stan Murray, but folks who elect to stay here will miss out at staying at Overmountain, one of the most beautiful places to overnight on the entire Trail.

With the possible exception of the old Goddard Shelter on Glastenbury Mountain in Vermont, Overmountain is the most spectacular shelter on the Trail and should not be missed.

hitrailer
11-02-2005, 22:30
I agree with you Jack. In 2004 I hiked from the Roan Mt. shelter in a driving cold rain. There were some naturalists from UT out on a day hike and a poorly prepared boy scout troop retreating to their buses coming over the balds. I stopped briefly to get out of the rain at Stan Murray. It was a dirty shelter exposed to the wind and rain. I pressed on to Overmountain shelter and was there alone most of the afternoon. The rain stopped and I watched clouds and mist floating up the valley to the old homestead. You could see a long way down the valley. There were patches of trees in bloom along the hillsides. I magined the lives of the settlers who once farmed this area. It was one of the most breathtaking and peaceful vistas I experienced along the trail. No other shelter comes close to Overmountain. By nightfall it filled up with hikers. I was glad I stopped early that day.

Gray Blazer
11-03-2005, 08:49
I have a good memory of Stan Murray Shelter. I drove all night from FL and arrived at Carver's Gap around 8:00 AM. I then hiked to the shelter (I had wanted to go up to Grassy Ridge but the trail was too overgrown). It was clean and nobody was there. I laid myself down and had a good nap, probably 2 hours. I then hiked on and spent a wonderful night on Big Hump. It was about 40 degrees and this was August! Next day, I hiked down to 19E and hitched a ride back to Carver's Gap with the Carolina Kid (If you know him, tell him Ive got some pictures for him) and then hiked to and camped at Ash Gap. A fantastic weekend. This was 3 summers ago.

sweetpeastu
08-20-2007, 22:06
Hey I'm lookin to hike from Carvers Gap to US19E and the Stan Murrary Shelter was one that we were lookin at. What are the weather conditionas typically like up there at the end of August? Also, has the spring at Stan Murrary or elsewhere towards US19E ever dried up? Any other tips would be much appreciated. Thanks

Tennessee Viking
08-20-2007, 23:00
Don't mind Stan Murray. Go the extra mile to the Overmountain Barn. Plus it is suggested that Stan Murray's water needs to be boiled.

I did Carvers down to 19E right as the hot weather was starting. And staying at the barn in the valley with cool winds coming through was nice. The views are great.

The only reason to stay at Stan's is if the barn has been invaded by kids, which should be the case for the rest of the year.

Tennessee Viking
08-20-2007, 23:03
Everything I have heard is that the Grassy Ridge springs are always good. Just stick a pipe in the ground after the turn and you can take advantage of it. There is another good spring at Overmountain Shelter, and one right before Bradley Gap.

I just put pipes in for the ones at Doll Flats and Apple House, and they were flowing great. Even Apple House's seasonal was flow well.

Tennessee Viking
08-20-2007, 23:04
Correction: The barn shouldn't be crowded with kids anymore

sweetpeastu
08-21-2007, 09:21
Overmountain Shelter is the same thing as the Barn correct? I'll have to look at the milage but sounds good to me. Thanks so mcuh. Good to hear it sounds like theres still water!

sweetpeastu
08-21-2007, 09:22
One other question, I'm assuming you did a shuttle of some sorts if you started at Carvers and went to 19E. Where did you park at 19E...I read vandalism is a problem if you leave your car overnight..unless you leave it at a business' parking lot after obtaining permssion. Whats the deal on that? Thanks!

Lone Wolf
08-21-2007, 09:23
Overmountain Shelter is the same thing as the Barn correct? I'll have to look at the milage but sounds good to me. Thanks so mcuh. Good to hear it sounds like theres still water!

yup. same thing.

Lone Wolf
08-21-2007, 09:27
One other question, I'm assuming you did a shuttle of some sorts if you started at Carvers and went to 19E. Where did you park at 19E...I read vandalism is a problem if you leave your car overnight..unless you leave it at a business' parking lot after obtaining permssion. Whats the deal on that? Thanks!

you can park at Mountain Harbour B&B and Hostel, .3 from the trail at 19E. 866-772-9494

sweetpeastu
08-21-2007, 12:08
Hey thanks so much!

sweetpeastu
08-21-2007, 13:21
those of you who have been there recently...what is the weather typically like up there at the beg. of September?

Gray Blazer
08-21-2007, 14:16
what is the weather typically like up there at the beg. of September?
I know that on September 25, 1780, there was a snowstorm and the overmountain men had to trudge through snow "shoe mouth deep". I know that because it says so on the sign at Yellow Mountain Gap, a couple hundred feet above the shelter. The sign pic and shelter pics are in my gallery (yet another shameless attempt to get people to ogle my photo gallery. Ms. Dino is not biting my toes enough).:banana

sweetpeastu
08-21-2007, 14:35
i'm fairly certain thats not typical. lol.

mweinstone
08-21-2007, 14:37
had a dream about this place once. dont remember details. just woke up feeling shelters werent for me.

sweetpeastu
08-21-2007, 15:16
yeah i prolly wont stay in the shelter either...I will pitch my tent a little ways off from the shelter. But the good thing about shelters is that they almost always have bathrooms. How great is that! lol.

Gray Blazer
08-22-2007, 07:02
yeah i prolly wont stay in the shelter either...I will pitch my tent a little ways off from the shelter. But the good thing about shelters is that they almost always have bathrooms. How great is that! lol.

Pitch your tent on top of Big Hump or Grassy Ridge. It's always cold up there, even in the summer.

sweetpeastu
08-22-2007, 13:09
Hey do you guys know about nettles growing on that part of the trail (i.e. Carver's Gap down to US19)? I heard that nettles grow up there along the trail and that long pants are recommended...nettles sound bad. lol.

karo
08-22-2007, 17:38
There were some stinging nettles just after Stan Murray if I remember right. Not too bad tho. but I believe I had on gaiters anyway on that trip. you could take a good pair of zip-offs and put the legs back on after Stan Murray. When are you going? I just read your post on Trail Talk.

Tennessee Viking
08-22-2007, 22:45
I did Carvers to 19E back in April. It was $5 for overnight parking, and it was either another $5-10 for a shuttle. But if staying a night there, its in the price.

I just put in pipes at Doll Flats and Apple House. Water here is plentiful. I haven't heard anything for Bradley Gap. If you pack a small PVC pipe, you can take advantage of a couple unofficial springs on Yellow and Grassy Ridge. But the real killer is humidity. It would be advisable to do Yellow Mtn Gap, Little Hump. & Hump early in the day or past mid day. With high humidity and open terrian, the temps will be high and harsh. The valley areas are reaching 90s.

There is a small campsite right on trail at the blue blaze to the barn, lots of hammock/tent space near the shelter, one just below Little Hump near the spring, and on Bradley Gap.

Tennessee Viking
08-22-2007, 22:47
We at the TEHCC have been doing some cutting from Overmountain Barn to Bradley Gap. Have not heard if everything was cut yet. It is one of our longer remote sections, with only a couple access points.

sweetpeastu
08-23-2007, 15:27
We (some pple from TT) are going on September 1st and 2nd...if I can get anyone interested I'll stay out somewhere on the mtn (or a neighboring one) on the 3rd too.

sweetpeastu
09-12-2007, 14:49
Okie dokie Roan Mtn Trip got delayed until the last weekend of September. If anyone has a current status update on water over the next two weeks, I'd appreciate knowin. The forest pple don't sound too optimistic....

The Solemates
09-12-2007, 15:34
was just there over labor day. there was a very small amount of water there in a pool. i would say no more than 5-8 liters. i was able to pump enough for supper. i would guess that with the recent rains this past week there should be more than that now.

sweetpeastu
09-12-2007, 23:08
Solemates, where exactly were you over labor day when you found the very small pool of water?

The Solemates
09-13-2007, 09:40
Solemates, where exactly were you over labor day when you found the very small pool of water?

roan mtn shelter

sweetpeastu
09-13-2007, 09:56
oh I was told the thing is dry now.

karo
09-13-2007, 12:01
It (Roan High) had a small damp spot under the pipe in late June, we caught water in my tarp and puddles after a rain that night. That is good to know it is back flowing again. All the springs should be flowing now that we are getting some rain.

The Solemates
09-13-2007, 12:37
It (Roan High) had a small damp spot under the pipe in late June, we caught water in my tarp and puddles after a rain that night. That is good to know it is back flowing again. All the springs should be flowing now that we are getting some rain.

its was not flowing at labor day. there was a small puddle, enough for water though.

Tennessee Viking
09-13-2007, 21:49
its was not flowing at labor day. there was a small puddle, enough for water though.
If you are planning to stay at Roan High during this heat, pop over to the restrooms for water. The added benefit is no need to filter.

sweetpeastu
09-14-2007, 09:18
what heat? I'm not going till the end of this month..and currently its quite cool out.

The Solemates
09-14-2007, 09:37
If you are planning to stay at Roan High during this heat, pop over to the restrooms for water. The added benefit is no need to filter.

it was actually quite cool over labor day as well. dropped down to 55 or so at night. wonderful.

Rain Man
09-14-2007, 12:26
Can anyone tell what the "Stan Murray Memorial" is? Just saw it on the ATC map this morning. It's a short distance from the "Stan Murry Shelter."

If this has already been answered in this thread, my apologies!

Rain:sunMan

.

Lone Wolf
09-14-2007, 12:30
Can anyone tell what the "Stan Murray Memorial" is? Just saw it on the ATC map this morning. It's a short distance from the "Stan Murry Shelter."

If this has already been answered in this thread, my apologies!

Rain:sunMan

.

www.tehcc.org/stanmurrayprofile.htm

Jack Tarlin
09-14-2007, 16:23
I'd never read that before, Wolf, thanx for sending it along.

Rain Man
09-14-2007, 22:58
www.tehcc.org/stanmurrayprofile.htm

Thank you, sir. That answered my question. Now when I hike by that spot in the next few weeks, I'll appreciate the man for sure, instead of scratching and shaking my head and wondering in ignorance!

Rain:sunMan

.

Tennessee Viking
09-15-2007, 00:26
Just watch out when coming down from Hump. Sometimes there are steer in fields where the memorial is.

QuietZombie
05-19-2008, 17:13
a friend and i did the section from 19E to Iron Mountain Gap (TN107) over thanksgiving weekend a couple of years ago. our intention was to stay at the roan high knob shelter the first night, but we got caught by the short hours of the fall(and hiking through unexpectedly deep snow) and ended up staying at stan murray. the winds howled like a dozen trains passing through all night, and the wind chill was 15 in the town of roan mountain that night. i would imagine it was somewhere below 10 at stan murray. some poor planning on our parts made the rest of that trip pretty miserable (frozen boots, water, etc.), but we managed to get by.

Berserker
09-14-2009, 13:17
I didn't see much info on tenting near Stan Murray. Are there any tent spots near there, and if so how large are they?

Tennessee Viking
09-14-2009, 13:19
I didn't see much info on tenting near Stan Murray. Are there any tent spots near there, and if so how large are they?
There is some flat area around the shelter; about 5-6 spots. With the addition of a couple small gaps to the south with some additional flat areas. But if you want the biggest camping spots, head down to the Barn shelter.

Jack Tarlin
09-14-2009, 13:45
Viking is correct; Overmountain Shelter is an easy 1.7 miles away and it is beautiful. Plenty of good tenting there (with a great view!) for those who don't want to stay in the shelter.

Chaco Taco
09-14-2009, 14:10
There is some flat area around the shelter; about 5-6 spots. With the addition of a couple small gaps to the south with some additional flat areas. But if you want the biggest camping spots, head down to the Barn shelter.

With the new relos going into Stan Murray not many of the grass spots are left. I agree, keep going to Overmtn

Chaco Taco
09-14-2009, 14:11
However, if you want to be left alone, hike out of overmtn over Little Hump. There is that one cool spot in between the humps

Tennessee Viking
09-14-2009, 14:54
I think lot of the grassy area was eaten up by weeds and briars, when Eastman and Konnarock first worked on that section. I was only there on the first day of the relo work, so its hard to say how much has changed. Personally Stan Murray is an emergency shelter. The spring is not really realiable in the summer. And the winds can pick up pretty bad.