View Full Version : shelters
Jim Adams
11-24-2006, 01:17
Has anybody thru hiked the complete AT and stayed at every shelter? If so, how long did their hike take? Did they take zeros? What is the average for thru hikers nights spent in a shelter? :-?
Just wondering.
geek
TinAbbey
11-24-2006, 11:54
my guess...is no as for as every shelter in one thru-hike.
fiddlehead
11-24-2006, 12:04
Ed Garvey tried to stop at every one in his first book i believe.
There were a few that were miles off the trail which made his hike a bit longer.
But he didn't try to sleep at every one if that's what you mean. Sometimes they are VERY close together and that would mean you would only be doing a mile a day or something. And for what?
example: springer mt. approach trail, summit, and first shelter northbound. Don't remember names but these 3 shelters are about 2 or 3 miles apart.
If you attempt it, you have to ask yourself what would you do all the times the shelter is full and you couldn't or wouldn't sleep in it anyway.
would you wait another day just so you could say you slept in everyone on your thru?
i guess stranger things have been done.
have fun.
Jim Adams
11-24-2006, 13:39
i've done 2 thru hikes so no, i'm not interested in staying at every shelter. i was just curious. when i thru hiked in '02 i had heard rumors of an older couple that was saying in every shelter and that their hike was going to take something like 14 months. then later on my hike i had heard that they had finished. when you consider stretches like Roan High Knob, Stan Murry, the barn at yellow gap and then Apple House, although it would be great to be able to spend long days in these areas enjoying the beauty, i also think that it could turn an 8--10 hour hike into a 5 day slog!
SGT Rock
11-24-2006, 13:44
I thought Minnesota Smith stayed at every shelter - even when they were only 3 miles apart. ;)
no ..seems he had to pull up short a couple times and stealth:p