View Full Version : Shelters/ Mileage
Grandma Dixie
12-26-2006, 19:38
For all of you that have hike the AT (or parts of it) I was wondering; What did you do when you wanted to hike more or less than the distance to the next shelter? Did you just pitch a tent and stealth camp? or am I missing something.
Footslogger
12-26-2006, 19:43
For all of you that have hike the AT (or parts of it) I was wondering; What did you do when you wanted to hike more or less than the distance to the next shelter? Did you just pitch a tent and stealth camp? or am I missing something.
==================================
You're not missing anything. A lot of hikers choose to set up their tents away from shelters. The trick sometimes though is water availability. If you just "add water" ...just about any reasonably flat place is a good tent spot.
'Slogger
Hammock Hanger
12-26-2006, 20:16
you can camp just about anywhere you can find a place for your tent/Hammock.
As for water I would like to stop at a shelter, have my dinner, socialize, fill up on water and then hike a mile or more up the trail for a nice quiet night.
Spirit Walker
12-26-2006, 20:29
Quite often the distance between shelters is more or less than I wanted to do. So as others have said, I would get water at the nearest water source and hike on until I was ready to stop.
The hikers who make the most consistent mileage are those who hike by the sun, not by the shelters. I knew a couple from Maine who would hike until 5:00 every day. They finished the AT about a month before I did. At the beginning of my hike I hiked shelter to shelter, later on I hiked until I was ready to stop - which wasn't always at the shelter. This is really good practice for hiking other trails that don't have shelters. At this point we usually hike until early evening - 5:30 - 7:00 - unless there's a lake or stream a little earlier. (I enjoy taking a swim, when I can.) That way I hike most of the day, but have time to cook, clean up, write in my journal and read a bit before I go to sleep.
For all of you that have hike the AT (or parts of it) I was wondering; What did you do when you wanted to hike more or less than the distance to the next shelter? Did you just pitch a tent and stealth camp? or am I missing something.
Not missing a thing. That's one of the reasons almost every hiker carries a tent or tarp. There are plenty other reasons... the shelter could be full, or unpleasant... or 1/2 mile and 500' vertical drop from the trail, etc...
Cookerhiker
12-26-2006, 22:13
For all of you that have hike the AT (or parts of it) I was wondering; What did you do when you wanted to hike more or less than the distance to the next shelter? Did you just pitch a tent and stealth camp? or am I missing something.
Like others have mentioned, just make sure your water situation is adequate. One thing I've done several times is stop at the last shelter to cook dinner (if it's 2:30 or later) then move on to pitch the tent. Also, remember to study the terrain ahead of the last shelter to make sure there are places to pitch your tent or trees to hang your hammock. Some parts of New England are rather steep and rocky, not conducive to tents.
Finally, know the rules (most of us follow them). Some stretches only permit camping at designated campsites or shelters. I believe all of Connecticut has this rule and the southern half of NJ as well.
TJ aka Teej
12-26-2006, 23:07
Hi Grandma,
I'm a first light to dark hiker. I only stop at shelters to visit the other hikers and read the register. Younger ATers seem to hike from lean-to to lean-to, getting on the trail late, hiking like crazy, and then stopping too early - by my lights, at least!
HYOH,
Teej
fiddlehead
12-26-2006, 23:08
Just try to forget about such a thing as a shelter and you will have a more natur(al) hike. Shelters are for socializing and oftentimes getting your water for the meal(night). so many of the problems that come with hiking the AT are from the shelters. many of us think they should be destroyed. Tradition is the one thing that keeps them there. Also location (water)
If you are looking to meet people, learn new recipes, hiking styles, etc, by all means, stay at shelters. But if you are going out there to enjoy the woods, quietness of the great outdoors, have some quality time for yourself and/or mate, you shouldn't spend much time there.
Of course it's up to you and you will probably try both ways, but shelters ? learn to live without them. My 2 cents
many of us think they should be destroyed.
And if you walked by one in the middle of an all-day driving rain, you'd just keep walking, right? ;)
And if you walked by one in the middle of an all-day driving rain, you'd just keep walking, right? ;)Yeah, because on a day with driving rain it would be full by noon. That's the problemn with shelters. The only time you really need one is in foul weather, and in foul weather they fill up early.
Yeah, because on a day with driving rain it would be full by noon. That's the problemn with shelters. The only time you really need one is in foul weather, and in foul weather they fill up early.
Yeah, there's that. But I've never set up my tent mid-day for a lunch break. ;)
fiddlehead
12-26-2006, 23:52
And if you walked by one in the middle of an all-day driving rain, you'd just keep walking, right? ;)
Funny you should say that. Brings to mind when we took my niece down to hike GA a few years ago and one day it was a driving rain, all day. We got to 3 shelters that day and each one had between 10 and 15 people crowded in there so tight that there was no way we were going to fit in there. We set up our Megamid and had a nice cooked lunch a little further down the trail. we had a good laugh because all those people were crowded in there, no body even smiling or looking like they were having any fun, as if they would gladly be elsewhere.
Rip em down.
The mega-mid is an awesome tent at 3 lbs. although we made our own out of sil-nylon and it is only 2! Plenty of room for a party too.
fiddlehead
12-26-2006, 23:54
Yeah, there's that. But I've never set up my tent mid-day for a lunch break. ;)
Perhaps you need a tent you feel more comfotable in???
Perhaps you need a tent you feel more comfotable in???
Sorry, I can't parse that remark. Try again?
fiddlehead
12-27-2006, 00:03
I guess i'm saying that if you feel a need to rely on a shelter to make you feel at home, then maybe you should stay home.
ARambler
12-27-2006, 00:07
If you make breakfast and dinner in the time between dark and sunrise/sunset you will have 12 hr of hiking on March 21 and much more the rest of the hike. If you hike at a normal pace with normal breaks, you will do about 2.2 to 2.7 mi/hr and will have completed 26 miles by sunset. Probably, your question will be: "How come I didn't stop at the last shelter?"
So, with a little planning before your lunch break, this problem usually goes away and you are usually not stopping too early or too late. I have cooked or even hiked in the dark rather than do a death march to meet my plan.
Note, the body is good at banking miles. So if you stop a little early one day, you can make up the extra miles over a couple day period. Also, if you do the 4 state challenge, (40+ miles) you will probably slow down or take a zero so that you are actually behind your peers who did not do the big day.
Rambler
I guess i'm saying that if you feel a need to rely on a shelter to make you feel at home, then maybe you should stay home.
I'm tempted to reply with something very rude. But why bother? :rolleyes:
fiddlehead
12-27-2006, 00:13
Sorry, if i offended you, i'm just one of those people who think that shelters SUCK!
Sorry, if i offended you, i'm just one of those people who think that shelters SUCK!
Right, I figured that. I disagree strongly, and you probably know that. And since we'll never agree on the topic, there's really no point discussing it further.
Fiddlehead be nice !!..lol..
Lone Wolf
12-27-2006, 01:29
And if you walked by one in the middle of an all-day driving rain, you'd just keep walking, right? ;)
I would and have.
I would and have.
....... Why?
Lone Wolf
12-27-2006, 01:37
....... Why?
Because shelters are dirty, hard boxes filled with stinkin, noisy hikers. Totally unnatural. They suck.
Because shelters are dirty, hard boxes filled with stinkin, noisy hikers. Totally unnatural. They suck.
Right-o. Just had t' ask.
Grandma Dixie
12-27-2006, 15:26
I guess I opened up a whole can of worms here.
I guess I opened up a whole can of worms here.
Not your fault, Granny. We'd argue about boot laces, if given a chance. :rolleyes:
Jack Tarlin
12-27-2006, 17:58
Actually, I have personally seen Wolf go pitch in driving, horrible rain rather than stay in a crowded, nasty shelter.
So his comments above are absolutely heartfelt and genuine.
I, on the other hand, stayed in the shelter that night, and subsequently had one of the most unpleasant nights I can ever recall on the Trail.
Sometimes, there are worse things than a wet tent.
Actually, I have personally seen Wolf go pitch in driving, horrible rain rather than stay in a crowded, nasty shelter.
The hypothetical situation I posed (in message #9) wasn't about pitching for the night, but stopping for a lunch break, mid-day, during an all-day driving rain.
I don't doubt Wolf's sincerity. What troubles me is the sneering, nastiness and condescencion directed at those who might think differently.
Lone Wolf
12-27-2006, 18:17
[QUOTE=terrapin_too;2927
I don't doubt Wolf's sincerity. What troubles me is the sneering, nastiness and condescencion directed at those who might think differently.[/QUOTE]
Where do you read that?
Footslogger
12-27-2006, 18:19
[quote=terrapin_too;292766]The hypothetical situation I posed (in message #9) wasn't about pitching for the night, but stopping for a lunch break, mid-day, during an all-day driving rain.
==========================================
In 2003 I got just as wet in some of the shelters as I did under a tree. I vividly remember a day (several actually) like the one you described (hypothetically of course) above when I just found a log, sat down and at my lunch with rain running down off my head and face into my food.
Sometimes you just do whatcha gotta do ...
'Slogger
In 2003 I got just as wet in some of the shelters as I did under a tree. I vividly remember a day (several actually) like the one you described (hypothetically of course) above when I just found a log, sat down and at my lunch with rain running down off my head and face into my food.
If it's as wet inside as out (as you describe) then it's no shelter at all, and deserves to be destroyed. I've never seen an AT shelter that fits that description. Granted, there are quite a few I've never seen.
If you chose to sit under a tree, that's fine. That's your choice. It's a bit much to want to impose that choice on the other 4 or 5 million visitors (per year) to the AT.
Footslogger
12-27-2006, 18:33
If you chose to sit under a tree, that's fine. That's your choice. It's a bit much to want to impose that choice on the other 4 or 5 million visitors (per year) to the AT.
=============================
Not imposing anything on anyone. Hope that wasn't how my post came across to everyone.
'Slogger
Not imposing anything on anyone. Hope that wasn't how my post came across to everyone.
Well, to answer you and LW in the same post, why declare boldly and repeatedly that shelters SUCK? (Capitalization yours, IIRC.)
Is there no way to say this more civilly? Would it be wrong to presume from these remarks that, in your opinion, those who stay in shelters also SUCK?
I guess the bottom line is... your tone (both you and LW) on this issue has been uniformly provocative and hostile. It's your way or the highway, it seems.
Jack Tarlin
12-27-2006, 18:49
My guess, Terrapin, is that it WOULD be wrong to presume that.
His comments were about the structures themselves and not necessarily about those who choose to use 'em.
Wolf's been around for a very long time, and absolutely believes in people's right to make their own decisions out there.
But I honestly think it's the shelters themselves that he's talking about here.
Tho if I'm wrong, I'm sure he'll shortly correct me!
Footslogger
12-27-2006, 18:52
Well, to answer you and LW in the same post, why declare boldly and repeatedly that shelters SUCK? (Capitalization yours, IIRC.)
Is there no way to say this more civilly? Would it be wrong to presume from these remarks that, in your opinion, those who stay in shelters also SUCK?
I guess the bottom line is... your tone (both you and LW) on this issue has been uniformly provocative and hostile. It's your way or the highway, it seems.
=============================
Generalizations are a dangerous thing. Don't see that word in any of my posts.
We don't know each other so the whole "provocative and hostile" thing doesn't mean much.
For the record ...I stayed in a lot of shelters in 2003. In fact many more than I otherwise might have, due to the weather.
This thread is/was about whether it's necessary to hike the mileage in order to reach a shelter every night. From personal experience I would tell a hiker asking me that question that there are a lot of great tent spots nowhere near shelters ....all you need is water (and I think I said that in an earlier post).
Turning this thread over to you now Terrapin_too
'Slogger
Hey, I'll jump in. I backpacked for many years 'till I saw my first shelter. Fact is that most hiking trails don't have them and never will. More often than not, the shelters I have been around tend to be magnents for trash, varmints, bare ground, tp fields, and sometimes unwelcome company. Having said that, I have enjoyed them here and there, but usually in the dead of winter. They can be quite nice with chosen company on a dark and horry night.:cool:
Lone Wolf
12-27-2006, 19:04
Well, to answer you and LW in the same post, why declare boldly and repeatedly that shelters SUCK? (Capitalization yours, IIRC.)
Is there no way to say this more civilly? Would it be wrong to presume from these remarks that, in your opinion, those who stay in shelters also SUCK?
I guess the bottom line is... your tone (both you and LW) on this issue has been uniformly provocative and hostile. It's your way or the highway, it seems.
You're too sensitive sweetie. Typical of libs.:)
Lone Wolf
12-27-2006, 19:07
My guess, Terrapin, is that it WOULD be wrong to presume that.
But I honestly think it's the shelters themselves that he's talking about here.
Tho if I'm wrong, I'm sure he'll shortly correct me!
you are correct , Jack.
you are correct , Jack.
Fine, I'll drop it.
Tipi Walter
12-27-2006, 19:44
Hey, I'll jump in. I backpacked for many years 'till I saw my first shelter. Fact is that most hiking trails don't have them and never will. More often than not, the shelters I have been around tend to be magnents for trash, varmints, bare ground, tp fields, and sometimes unwelcome company. Having said that, I have enjoyed them here and there, but usually in the dead of winter. They can be quite nice with chosen company on a dark and horry night.:cool:
This about sums it up. "Fact is that most hiking trails don't have them and never will."
In the Smokies there is a rule that while in the National Park you either have to stay in a shelter or camp out very close to a shelter. Camping away from a shelter is not allowed. This in theory is to protect you from bears. The park management feels you are safer in a group. In Shenondoah Ntl Park you can get a summons for camping too close to a shelter, go figure. I can remember other places in Virginia when ridgerunners ordered hikers to move away from shelters with their tents. Damn it, play it by ear. If you find you enjoy shelters, stay in them. If you don't like them set up a tent or tarp every night. Thats why Howard Johnson created 28 flavors. Everyone has different taste and prefrences. No one is right or wrong. Some nights I like to stay in a shelter because old friends are there and we catch up on news, other nights I prefer to camp alone. Some shelters are damn nice, one of my favorite is Little Bigolow where you can sit in a natural bath tub. Some are rat infested hovels unfit for man nor beast. Use your own judgement and enjoy your hike. Play it by ear, when you are ready to stop for the night just stop shelter or no shelter. In Maine and in the Whites stealth camping is difficult due to rocks, roods, and uneven ground but south on New Hampshire there are few places you will walk more than 1/2 mile without finding a flat spot where you can make camp.
Footslogger
12-27-2006, 23:07
[quote=Moxie00;292939]In the Smokies there is a rule that while in the National Park you either have to stay in a shelter or camp out very close to a shelter. Camping away from a shelter is not allowed. This in theory is to protect you from bears.
============================================
I thought long and hard about that when I arrived at Mollies Ridge about 5PM and the shelter was full.
Pitched my totally bear secure single wall silnylon tent and hoped for the best.
'Slogger
This about sums it up. "Fact is that most hiking trails don't have them and never will."
How can you generalize like that? Trails in the DAKs have shelters. The Finger Lakes Trail has shelters. AMC and DOC trails throughout the Whites have shelters. These are the trails I've known in my hiking career. I certainly can't claim to know all trails or even most trails, but who can make such a sweeping statement?
stumpknocker
12-28-2006, 01:59
Wow, how did I miss this thread all day??? :)
I have to say I love shelters. They are great places to keep a Trail register dry, but I wouldn't want to stay in or near a shelter at night.
There was a question asked about walking by a shelter when it had been raining all day....I wouldn't have it any other way. Nothing better than sleeping in a tent while it's raining....in fact, I usually get my best sleep then.
Walking by a shelter at lunch time is no problem either. I don't usually eat lunch anyway. I eat about every hour while I'm walking. That keeps my energy level charged up much better.
It's not uncommon to see hikers set up in a shelter early in the afternoon during busier times on the Trail just to claim a wall spot.
Grandma Dixie, you'll figure out what works for you when you get out walking on the Trail.
Have a GREAT hike!!! :)
How can you generalize like that? Trails in the DAKs have shelters. The Finger Lakes Trail has shelters. AMC and DOC trails throughout the Whites have shelters. These are the trails I've known in my hiking career. I certainly can't claim to know all trails or even most trails, but who can make such a sweeping statement?I did. Maybe I'm wrong and most hiking trails do have shelters. I posted it because that has been my experience. I never said burn 'em down, I just said never really saw one I liked.:cool:
Grandma Dixie
12-28-2006, 02:39
You can imagine my amusement when I logged on and read all of these posts. Thank you L. Wolf, Footslogger and Terrapin for not only giving me a good chuckle, but somehow, while arguing about it, being informative. One of the many things I love about this site is that people are almost always arguing about something (Yet most of us get along great in real life, must be an internet/ anonymity thing) Terrapin said it well when he said "we'd argue about boot laces if given the chance." If one were so inclined they could probably FIND a bootlace argument somewhere on this site. Good thing we dont all get along here, (or at least agree) or this website/ forum wouldn't be nearly as interesting. (I have the same view on world peace. What a boring world it would be.)
See you on the trail!
Grandma Dixie
12-28-2006, 02:41
Oh and Terrapin - do you live in NY? I noticed you posted somehting about the Adirondacks and the finger lakes. I live in albany (well, around) myself.
copythat
12-28-2006, 05:04
You can imagine my amusement when I logged on and read all of these posts. Thank you L. Wolf, Footslogger and Terrapin for not only giving me a good chuckle, but somehow, while arguing about it, being informative. One of the many things I love about this site is that people are almost always arguing about something (Yet most of us get along great in real life, must be an internet/ anonymity thing) Terrapin said it well when he said "we'd argue about boot laces if given the chance." If one were so inclined they could probably FIND a bootlace argument somewhere on this site.
See you on the trail!
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=14934&highlight=boot+laces
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=14582&highlight=boot+laces
Oh and Terrapin - do you live in NY? I noticed you posted somehting about the Adirondacks and the finger lakes. I live in albany (well, around) myself.
I've lived most of my adult life in eastern MA. But I grew up in Rochester and lived there for a few years in the early 1990s. I loved hiking (and skiing) in the Adirondacks whenever I had the chance.
Anybody who's spent any time on the AT understands some of the complaints about shelters. Some of 'em are old and ratty. They can be less than pleasant when they're chock-full of hikers, and where there are hiker food bags, there are mice. What I don't understand is the anti-shelter militancy, the sneering and contempt.
On my last section hike I spent 10 nights in the woods, two in my tent and eight in shelters. I hiked well away from the "wave" of thru-hikers and anyway it was late summer/early fall, in NY/NJ/eastern PA. I stayed in empty shelters 7 of those 8 nights, and spent one night (Highpoint Shelter) with one other hiker. It was a very pleasant evening, and a very pleasant shelter. In fact, almost all were -- maybe because they were mostly empty. The only thing I might have wished for was a bit of company. I can live without the some of the noise and stink and the snorers, but shelters really are the center of "social life" on the trail. So this turned out to be a very "solitary" hike, day and night.
I can recall and name every shelter and both of the campsites, and rate them all on a scale of pleasantness/unpleasantness. ;) Kirkridge (near DWG) was the nicest, Leroy Smith shelter (the very next day) was the oldest and least pleasant. O'Brien was one I walked past in mid-day; it was an ugly site and I'm glad I hadn't planned to stay there.
I remember shelters being a source of frustration on my attempted thru-hike, mostly because I was traveling smack in the middle of the wave, and shelters were nearly always rowdy and full. I got used to camping in my tent, nearby... and feeling a pressure to arrive early in the day so as to have space in the shelter. The shelters in the Smokies (at least in 1990) were the pits. OTOH, it rained incessantly, and it was good to get out of the rain, even if it meant sharing a shelter with similarly miserable and wet hikers. It was good to get out of the rain and laugh and bitch about the weather outside.
A tent is absolutely mandatory, as far as I'm concerned. And I absolutely agree with others who say they sleep better in their tent than in a shelter. But again -- after a day of hiking entirely alone through the woods -- I really do enjoy some companionship during the evenings, and if there's a campfire, all the better. A small group of good folks in a shelter can be a real good time. But have a tent handy, 'cuz sometimes it's not. The campfire thing is mostly gone, alas. Of the shelters I saw on this last hike, only two had fire rings.
So in the end... carry a tent, be prepared to walk by a shelter if the place itself or the scene around it is unpleasant. Even so, I'd hate to see the shelters torn down. The trail isn't there only for the fittest hikers, and the shelters really are the heart of the "social life" on the trail.
Lone Wolf
12-28-2006, 09:16
One of the many things I love about this site is that people are almost always arguing about something
I don't argue with anybody, I just state facts and tell it like it is.
Tipi Walter
12-28-2006, 09:29
How can you generalize like that? Trails in the DAKs have shelters. The Finger Lakes Trail has shelters. AMC and DOC trails throughout the Whites have shelters. These are the trails I've known in my hiking career. I certainly can't claim to know all trails or even most trails, but who can make such a sweeping statement?
I'm no historian on shelters but it seems to be that the Northeast part of the US really started the whole idea of huts and shelters. Except for the AT, here in the Appalachians from Georgia to Tennessee and North Carolina including the Cherokee and Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests there aren't any trail shelters. Even the new 300 mile long Benton MacKaye trail has only one shelter on the Georgia section and the BMTA has a policy not to put up any more.
My question is: Does the Pacific Crest and the Continental Divide trails have shelters and if so, how many?
I don't argue with anybody, I just state facts and tell it like it is.
Facts can't always be reduced to clever one-liners, Wolf.
Lone Wolf
12-28-2006, 10:23
The fact is, shelters suck.
maxNcathy
12-28-2006, 10:26
Shelters play a useful role in my opinion. Personally I snore so will use my tent away from the shelters.
Lone Wolf
12-28-2006, 10:27
what role is that?
The fact is, shelters suck.
The fact is, you're incapable of expressing a complex thought. :rolleyes:
Lone Wolf
12-28-2006, 10:39
i say more in one line than you do in 4 paragraphs.:rolleyes:
The fact is, you're incapable of expressing a complex thought. :rolleyes:
Google resullts:
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Them's the facts, "turtlehead".
:D
fiddlehead
12-28-2006, 10:53
Boot laces suck!
I doubt you'll find many shelters at all west of NY Terrapin. I remember 3 on the PCT. (one on the CDT, unless you count those 10th mtn division buildings for the backcountry skiers but i believe you need a reservation)
Boot laces suck!
I doubt you'll find many shelters at all west of NY Terrapin. I remember 3 on the PCT. (one on the CDT, unless you count those 10th mtn division buildings for the backcountry skiers but i believe you need a reservation)
My wife and I did a day hike into the Rio Grande canyon, just north of Taos. There were shelters there. Made of metal, with bare floors. Very nice site, though I wouldn't have enjoyed staying in those shelters.
Footslogger
12-28-2006, 11:29
[quote=fiddlehead;293113]Boot laces suck!
========================================
Now that I'm over 50 I can get away with wearing those trail shoes with the velcro cross tabs.
Boot laces are a thing of the past ...
'Slogger
Tipi Walter
12-28-2006, 11:36
Shelters are a blight and yet another reminder of good old humans. If all the shelters on the AT disappeared, how many hikers planning a thruhike would not even consider it?
Lone Wolf
12-28-2006, 11:38
Shelters are a blight and yet another reminder of good old humans. If all the shelters on the AT disappeared, how many hikers planning a thruhike would not even consider it?
Quite a few cuz the majority of them are gram weenies and aren't willing to carry proper shelter.
I agree with my friend Fiddlehead..Mr Do badder himself...:) The shelters keep you from fully experiencing the AT. I wanna sleep on the freaking ground ( except when i am in a hotel of course :sun ) I like the feel of the earth under me.... don't mind the root or the rock . I like unzipping my tent and swinging my legs out. One of my favorite things actually. I used the shelters in 89 alot.... didn't know any better. ..and I certainly didn't sleep very well. In 94 I became acquianted with my trusty tent... never looked back. it will be a sad day if we see them along the Pct and Cdt.....
grizzlyadam
12-28-2006, 12:09
I don't argue with anybody, I just state facts and tell it like it is.
"I never did give them hell. I just told the truth, and they thought it was hell." -Harry S Truman, Apr. 3, 1956
I'm no historian on shelters but it seems to be that the Northeast part of the US really started the whole idea of huts and shelters.
"The Northeast part of the US" is where recreational hiking started in the USA, and where Benton MacKaye was from ;). The first Madison Hut was built in 1888. AFAIK, the current AMC huts were built during the 1930s (CCC projects?) I know they are scorned by many thrus -- but they provide access to the Whites for tens of thousands of casual backpackers. IMO, that's not entirely a bad thing. (This is not to be construed as a carte-blanche endorsement of the AMC, by any means.)
There were shelters there. Made of metal, with bare floors. Very nice site, though I wouldn't have enjoyed staying in those shelters.
Perfect for an electrical storm!!
Lone Wolf
12-28-2006, 17:34
Perfect for an electrical storm!!
That's why the wire bunks were taken out of the shelters in the Smoky's. Two were killed by lightning in Double Spring Gap shelter one year.
Perfect for an electrical storm!!
These were along the Rio Grande, at the bottom of a deep, steep canyon -- 800 feet up to the rim. I imagine lightning would have better places to strike. But like I said, not my cup of tea. Here's (http://www.terrapinphoto.com/cpg143/displayimage.php?album=7&pos=14) a photo. Nice site, eh?
maxNcathy
12-28-2006, 17:55
what role is that?
The useful role of shelters:
Some protection from wind and rain for those who carry poorly functioning tents or tarps or hammocks.
Some protection from the weather for rodents.
A place for sociable hikers to gather with other hikers.
Fewer hikers will be competing for good tent sites.
These were along the Rio Grande, at the bottom of a deep, steep canyon -- 800 feet up to the rim. I imagine lightning would have better places to strike. But like I said, not my cup of tea. Here's (http://www.terrapinphoto.com/cpg143/displayimage.php?album=7&pos=14) a photo. Nice site, eh?Makes it feel like the parking lot is a couple dozen feet away.:confused: Strange, methinks.
The useful role of shelters: .........
Fewer hikers will be competing for good tent sites.I will admit that I have been disappointed to find a favorite campsite taken when I had my heart set on it.
Makes it feel like the parking lot is a couple dozen feet away.:confused: Strange, methinks.
What in blazes makes you say that, Ed?
Metal shed and a picnic table. The surroundings are beautiful, but arriving to find that setup after walking all day takes away from the experience I look for when I backpack. It's just my personal perception. No biggie.:)
Metal shed and a picnic table.
Whatever. Picnic tables sure are handy, don't bother me much. I'm not too keen on the metal huts myself -- much prefer wood, and with a real floor.
In the realm of "wilderness-killer" shelters, what can beat RPH?
Like I said.
It's just my personal perception. No biggie.:) "It ain't up to me, doc."
Lone Wolf
12-28-2006, 18:58
Whatever. Picnic tables sure are handy, don't bother me much. I'm not too keen on the metal huts myself -- much prefer wood, and with a real floor.
In the realm of "wilderness-killer" shelters, what can beat RPH?
RPH shelter is hardly in the wilderness. It's an old house a stone's throw from a freakin parkway.:rolleyes:
RPH shelter is hardly in the wilderness. It's an old house a stone's throw from a freakin parkway.:rolleyes:
It just happens to be one of the strangest frickin shelters I've ever stayed at, is all ;). Ed's complaing about tin shelters, but cinder block? Now I've seen it all...
Lone Wolf
12-28-2006, 19:06
It just happens to be one of the strangest frickin shelters I've ever stayed at, is all ;). Ed's complaing about tin shelters, but cinder block? Now I've seen it all...
Oh. OK. The shelters in Tennessee are cinder block.
. Ed's complaing about tin shelters, but cinder block? Now I've seen it all...I said it's not my idea of a backwoods destination. No sniveling here. BTW your picture is of a pre fab metal building. A tin shelter makes it sound old and rustic.:D
I said it's not my idea of a backwoods destination. No sniveling here. BTW your picture is of a pre fab metal building. A tin shelter makes it sound old and rustic.:D
I figured they got a hot deal on lawn sheds.. ;)
I figured they got a hot deal on lawn sheds.. ;)
I'm looking at my neighbor's shed right now and thinking the same thing.;)
fiddlehead
12-28-2006, 23:50
I remember my first backpacking trip on the AT. It was 1962 and we went up on the AT near Port Clinton and slept in the twin shelters they had there. I don't remember the names anymore but were about 2-3 miles north of where Eagles Nest now stands. They had dirt floors, it rained and the bottom of the shelter (where we were sleeping) turned into a big mud puddle with us in it. Although i was only 12, i remember thinking that it would be better to have a tent, although they were heavy but at least you could put them in a better spot. Now of course there are no more dirt floor (without sleeping platforms) shelters but the point remains: they are cause for many problems. Now they even charge money to sleep in some of them! no thanks.
Now of course there are no more dirt floor (without sleeping platforms) shelters but the point remains: they are cause for many problems. Now they even charge money to sleep in some of them! no thanks.
Point #1: Nobody should head into the woods, expecting to spend the night, without a tent.
Point #2: Charging money for shelters. I'm not terribly pleased with that, either, but fortunately, it happens only rarely. And if you've paid attention to Point #1, you have an alternatve. Granted, in AMC country, things get dicey. I'm not happy about that situation, either.