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chris
09-20-2002, 15:13
There was a problem bear here in May of this year. Got some packs and food and was a general pest.
This, by the way, is the Siler Bald shelter south of Wesser Bald, not the one in the Smokys.

Bearmagnet
07-08-2003, 11:14
I was there in April 2002 and experenced the same problem bear.
The bear never did take our food or packs but did keep us up to around 1 AM. The problem in this area is that there is only 1 tree that is close to the shelter that everybody uses to hang there food and the tree has only 1 branch that is close enough to the ground to use. We where lucky enough to have enough rope to tie off from the tree to the shelter. PLEASE BE CAREFULL @ THIS SHELTER.

Youngblood
07-18-2003, 14:00
Photo Link:

http://www.whiteblaze.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=1194&papass=&sort=1

http://www.whiteblaze.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=235&papass=&sort=1

There was a cable system in place for hanging food bags when I was there-- July, 2003.

Youngblood

bladerunner
06-03-2005, 23:00
Was there this week on a long section hike. Cables are in place, but someone had dumped orange peels, trash, and other food items in the fire pit. We removed as much as we could.

blade



Photo Link:

http://www.whiteblaze.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=1194&papass=&sort=1

http://www.whiteblaze.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=235&papass=&sort=1

There was a cable system in place for hanging food bags when I was there-- July, 2003.

Youngblood

tarheel
06-03-2005, 23:08
I was there in April 2002 and experenced the same problem bear.
The bear never did take our food or packs but did keep us up to around 1 AM. The problem in this area is that there is only 1 tree that is close to the shelter that everybody uses to hang there food and the tree has only 1 branch that is close enough to the ground to use. We where lucky enough to have enough rope to tie off from the tree to the shelter. PLEASE BE CAREFULL @ THIS SHELTER.

And that 's how Smoky errrrrrrrrrrrr Bearmagnet got his name........from that trip.
William the bard and the TarHeel agree.

Bolivershagnasty
06-04-2005, 00:13
Thanks for the heads up, I'm going to be through there in the next few weeks. Just to confirm this is the one north of 64 , Franklin NC, before the smokeys? I'm going for NOC from 64....I aint sared!!!..woof woof!! to the big bad bear...

Youngblood
06-04-2005, 09:38
Thanks for the heads up, I'm going to be through there in the next few weeks. Just to confirm this is the one north of 64 , Franklin NC, before the smokeys? I'm going for NOC from 64....I aint sared!!!..woof woof!! to the big bad bear...Yeah, this is Siler Bald Shelter that is 110 miles north of Springer... the one in the Smokies is Silers Bald Shelter and it is 191 miles north of Springer.

bulldog49
11-30-2005, 14:03
I camped there last week on a very snowy cold night. The problem bear reportedly was shot recently by a hunter.

Very good flow from the spring, best water between Dick's Creek and Fontana as most sources are either a trickle or have dried up.

neo
11-30-2005, 15:24
my youngest son spent the night there in july 2001:cool: neo

Nightwalker
12-01-2005, 13:46
Very good flow from the spring, best water between Dick's Creek and Fontana as most sources are either a trickle or have dried up.
Anybody got a GA water report? I walked the Georgia section a couple of months ago, and the water was spotty. Lots of salamanders, lol.

It was pretty dry from Woods Hole on North. Faster water, like 5 forks in the South and Hiawassee Springs up at Unicoi were fine, but Wolf Laurel Top, Woods Hole and lots of the other small springs were just barely trickling. Hopefully the recent rain has helped some.

I'm leaving next weekend to gather mapping data from Amicalola to Bly Gap, and hopefully a lot of the side trails. What I don't finish before Christmas, I'll do from Christmas to New Year's. Map-hiking is slower, as you only walk when the satellite situation is really good. Sometimes at times of day that most people don't walk at all. :)

orangebug
12-01-2005, 23:30
About a month ago, Almost There, Skipster and Generol and I did Unicoi to Dicks Creek Gap. We had been warned of poor water conditions, but weren't all that impressed with the situation as we found it. There were a couple of campsites/gaps that required a walk downhill a few hundred yards for water, but generally the flow was substantial and easy for Nalgene without a dipping cup. I think one could do very well carrying 2 liters and only need to refill about every other water hole.

Nightwalker
12-02-2005, 01:55
About a month ago, Almost There, Skipster and Generol and I did Unicoi to Dicks Creek Gap. We had been warned of poor water conditions, but weren't all that impressed with the situation as we found it. There were a couple of campsites/gaps that required a walk downhill a few hundred yards for water, but generally the flow was substantial and easy for Nalgene without a dipping cup. I think one could do very well carrying 2 liters and only need to refill about every other water hole.
Thanks. Last time that I went, Neel's Gap to Low Gap was the worst, but we've had a little rain since then. Either way, I'm gonna go have some fun and grab some good data.

Berserker
01-30-2009, 14:20
Any recent info on this shelter? What is the area around it like for tenting?

Gray Blazer
01-30-2009, 14:27
Skip the shelter and camp on the summit of Siler Bald.

Cool AT Breeze
01-30-2009, 14:47
Any recent info on this shelter? What is the area around it like for tenting?
Nice big field to tent in.

Ron Haven
01-31-2009, 00:47
There was a problem bear here in May of this year. Got some packs and food and was a general pest.
This, by the way, is the Siler Bald shelter south of Wesser Bald, not the one in the Smokys.I heard the local McMahan boys poisoned that bear on grain.;)

Nearly Normal
01-31-2009, 01:47
Was up there in Oct. Tented just off the old road next to the bald. Listened to a couple of hounds baying for over an hour. They worked there way up the mountain, passed within a 100 yds of our camp and worked their way down the other side. Never did here them put the bear up.
Saw Bear hunters all that week hiking the Foothills Trail so I assume they were hunting bear in NC too.
The water was flowing good at the shelter but what a bitch hauling it to the camp. The shelter like most looked nasty.

daddytwosticks
01-31-2009, 19:49
It's a very old shelter...tent out in the grassy field.

Ron Haven
01-31-2009, 20:11
Was up there in Oct. Tented just off the old road next to the bald. Listened to a couple of hounds baying for over an hour. They worked there way up the mountain, passed within a 100 yds of our camp and worked their way down the other side. Never did here them put the bear up.
Saw Bear hunters all that week hiking the Foothills Trail so I assume they were hunting bear in NC too.
The water was flowing good at the shelter but what a bitch hauling it to the camp. The shelter like most looked nasty.That big one they poisoned was on grain.It was 180 grain shot out of a 308 Remington.-

Cool AT Breeze
01-31-2009, 21:31
Good one Ron. Lead poisoning.

Nearly Normal
02-01-2009, 02:50
It's a very old shelter...tent out in the grassy field.

That little grassy field next to the shelter was not a level place. I guess you could set up at the bottom of it but in a big rain.....
Went up close to the bald and camped in the woods out of the wind. Lots of fire wood along there but no water. Save yourself a trip, go to the shelter area and get it on the way up.

sparky2009
09-23-2009, 21:12
The shelter is a little worn but not as bad as others I've seen. There's a decent camping spot in front of the shelter on top of a grassy mound next to the woods. Only problem I had was the mice running around and over the tent while I tried to sleep. Other than that, there really isn't a lot of tenting available. There is a bear cable located behind the shelter but it is need of repair. Didn't have issues with bears that night.

veteran
12-11-2009, 00:52
Cabin at Silers Meadow from Horace Kephart's Photo Album

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=7520&stc=1&d=1260506901

MattRamsey
04-10-2010, 17:22
Skip the shelter and camp on the summit of Siler Bald.


Yess!!! The summit of Siler Bald is amazing, right after a great sunset, especially on a cloudless night with all the stars popping above your campsite. If so lucky, don't even sweat puttin' up a tent- enjoy the summit and multiple states you can see and the city of Franklin. Wake up and catch one of the best sunrises ever.

This is by far, one of my favorite spots on the AT.

lilricky
04-28-2010, 08:33
One bear cable is operational, had to reloop it on the pulley, the other needs to be replaced. LOTS of mice, even in the middle of the day.

Jack Tarlin
04-28-2010, 08:46
Spent the night up on top a few days ago; some jerk had recently chopped down the old single tree that was just below the summit and used it for firewood of all things. :mad:

Happily, they couldn't mess with the view.

Gray Blazer
04-28-2010, 10:21
Spent the night up on top a few days ago; some jerk had recently chopped down the old single tree that was just below the summit and used it for firewood of all things. :mad:

Happily, they couldn't mess with the view.

Dam..........

B.B.
09-27-2010, 23:56
Anyone know current status of water source at this shelter?

B.B.
10-20-2010, 22:32
To answer my own question...Spring was flowing good last week (10-14-10)

sidebackside
10-21-2010, 14:25
I'll be staying there next Tuesday 10/26/10. Looking forward to it. This will be my first time staying there.

scope
10-21-2010, 14:36
I know there are 2 shelter trails, one from the summit and one from AT south of the summit. For the former, the trail from the near-summit crossing, how far down is the shelter? Was going to meet some guys on Siler, but I came in from the North and they were hiking from south and got a late start. They didn't show on summit, so around dusk I tried to take the shelter trail to see if they stopped there, but it got so long in the dark, I turned around. I remember coming to a meadow and not being able to see where the trail went from there, and I can't believe I was real close and didn't hear or see anyone and I must have gone a half mile already - way, way downhill.

Larry Dean
10-21-2010, 15:32
I was at Siler Oct 5th of this year. No bear. Cables are screwed up and we had to rig a bear bag over the existing wire...no big deal.

B.B.
10-21-2010, 20:54
Scope,
I would say both the south and north shelter trails are about a half mile. We were hiking north bound and took the south shelter trail. It didn't seem exceptionally steep but did go down hill pretty good. The spring was right before you got to the shelter. We unloaded our gear and got settled in, then decided to hike up the north shelter trail to see the view from the bald. This trail seemed really steep...actually a road bed. We got up top about 4 or 5 PM. The view was so magnificent that we hiked back down the north trail, reloaded our gear (including all our water for that night and next day), hiked back up to the top of the bald and tented there. This North shelter trail REALLY seemed long and steep with all our gear!!! lol... It was worth it though. Saw a gorgeous sunset and sunrise both. Have to say it was one of the highpoints of our 8 day hike.

lilricky
10-23-2010, 18:43
The bear cables at this shelter have been messed up for a while now, about a year. Usually you can make a temporary fix, but it definately needs replacing. What club is responsible for this shelter? I would donate the needed funds to fix this.

daddytwosticks
11-13-2010, 16:31
Just got back from a hike up to Silers Bald this AM. Crystal clear skys and views forever. :)

The bear cables at the shelter were still a mess. The shelter roof had a section of plastic drop cloth held down with big rocks to prevent leakage. The concrete picnic table out front is ready to topple over...one good wind storm or a heavy snowload and the shelter and picnic table will be history.

Now for the good news...the spring at the shelter was flowing like a champ and all water sources from Winding Stair Gap to the shelter were good. :)