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View Full Version : Dick's Dome: love it? hate it?



shelterbuilder
10-07-2007, 20:58
I asked this question in another (unrelated) thread and got no response, so I'll start a new thread and ask again. My son and I stayed at Dick's Dome many years ago (late 80's I think), and I was surprised to see this type of structure on the trail as a shelter. I've worked with this particular type of structure a couple of times, have played with scale models of it for years, and am somewhat familar with the problems associated with the geometry involved in the design. (No, I wasn't involved with the construction of this shelter!)

What, specifically, do we like or hate about Dick's Dome??:-?

rafe
10-07-2007, 23:27
It's the ugliest shelter on the A.T., or at least the ugliest I've seen and (unfortunately) stayed at. Actually, I finished the night sleeping out on the footbridge in front of the shelter. It's rated for occupancy of 4 people, but that's overly generous, IMO. It really is seriously ugly.

Appalachian Tater
10-07-2007, 23:59
Here's a pic:

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=950&catid=member&imageuser=928

I was disappointed it was so far off the trail, didn't get to see it, but after seeing the pic and reading comments about it on WhiteBlaze, I don't feel so bad.

rafe
10-08-2007, 00:05
Here's a pic:

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=950&catid=member&imageuser=928

I was disappointed it was so far off the trail, didn't get to see it, but after seeing the pic and reading comments about it on WhiteBlaze, I don't feel so bad.

Here's another pic, from this summer's hike.... showing the peeled and peeling shingles. There's almost no level ground in the vicinity of the shelter, and the whole area is rocky.
(http://www.terrapinphoto.com/cpg143/displayimage.php?album=13&pos=58)

aaronthebugbuffet
10-08-2007, 00:30
Here's a pic:

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=950&catid=member&imageuser=928

I was disappointed it was so far off the trail, didn't get to see it, but after seeing the pic and reading comments about it on WhiteBlaze, I don't feel so bad.
That eyesore needs to be as far away from the trail as possible.

shelterbuilder
10-08-2007, 06:22
Is it the shingles that turn folks off, or the shape? Let's hear some OBJECTIVE impressions, not just the subjective ones.:-?

Roland
10-08-2007, 06:24
Where's L.Wolf when we need him?

rafe
10-08-2007, 08:50
Is it the shingles that turn folks off, or the shape? Let's hear some OBJECTIVE impressions, not just the subjective ones.:-?


It's everything. It's tiny. It's way off the trail. It's ugly. And there are no tent sites. On the plus side, the stream that runs by it was flowing, even in a drought year.

Kirby
10-08-2007, 10:24
Just from looking at the picture, I would not stay there. It does not look very stable, the shingles are feeling off, one strong storm and that shelter could be all but its stone base. Looks awefully small, a 4 person rating is not high enough for an AT shelter, it should be atleast 6. Tent sites should be added, I would hate to walk off the trail a decent distance just to find the shelter full with no where to tent.

Kirby

max patch
10-08-2007, 10:34
0.2 off the trail on a blue blaze -- esp since that is where the water is -- is not my definition of a "long way" off the trail.

i checked my journal from my thru after reading the comments herein. all i said was "stayed in what appears to be a new shelter tonight. dome shaped. pouring rain. no one else here."

so apparently the "shape" of the shelter was a non issue to me.

neo
10-08-2007, 10:34
I asked this question in another (unrelated) thread and got no response, so I'll start a new thread and ask again. My son and I stayed at Dick's Dome many years ago (late 80's I think), and I was surprised to see this type of structure on the trail as a shelter. I've worked with this particular type of structure a couple of times, have played with scale models of it for years, and am somewhat familar with the problems associated with the geometry involved in the design. (No, I wasn't involved with the construction of this shelter!)

What, specifically, do we like or hate about Dick's Dome??:-?


:D love it hate it,who needs it,i hate shelters,i think shelter are not needed:cool: neo

rafe
10-08-2007, 10:38
0.2 off the trail on a blue blaze -- esp since that is where the water is -- is not my definition of a "long way" off the trail.

i checked my journal from my thru after reading the comments herein. all i said was "stayed in what appears to be a new shelter tonight. dome shaped. pouring rain. no one else here."

so apparently the "shape" of the shelter was a non issue to me.


If you were there alone, its diminutive size was a non-issue. And you know what they say... "any port in a storm..." IIRC, it was more like 0.4 mile off the trail. Whatever. I won't be staying there again. ;)

The Solemates
10-08-2007, 11:01
this shelter is pretty nasty, but it did save us easter weekend on our thru when we hiked in the dark from the road to get there, all while it was pouring.

Appalachian Tater
10-08-2007, 11:22
Is it the shingles that turn folks off, or the shape? Let's hear some OBJECTIVE impressions, not just the subjective ones.:-?

If it keeps the weather out, I would be glad to be in it during a storm. It is small, so I would hope only three or four people would try to take shelter. If I had taken the side trail just to see the unique dome structure, I would be disappointed that there were so few panels. The fact that it is a geometric dome is probably not much of a structural advantage given the number of panels and certainly complicated the construction.

This is what I would have expected as a minimum, given the size:

http://www.cccoe.net/stars/graphics/Dome.jpg

On the other hand, it was built by a private individual, and beggars can't be choosers.

Blissful
10-08-2007, 12:57
It's everything. It's tiny. It's way off the trail. It's ugly. And there are no tent sites. On the plus side, the stream that runs by it was flowing, even in a drought year.


The water though comes through farmer's fields upstream. Needs to be treated.

There is also a dirt road up the hill behind the shelter that invites neighbors.

shelterbuilder
10-08-2007, 18:08
If it keeps the weather out, I would be glad to be in it during a storm. It is small, so I would hope only three or four people would try to take shelter. If I had taken the side trail just to see the unique dome structure, I would be disappointed that there were so few panels. The fact that it is a geometric dome is probably not much of a structural advantage given the number of panels and certainly complicated the construction.

This is what I would have expected as a minimum, given the size:

http://www.cccoe.net/stars/graphics/Dome.jpg

On the other hand, it was built by a private individual, and beggars can't be choosers.

I can't access the link that you provided - my computer's going wacky again!:( I'd really like to see it....

Dick's Dome is NOT a true geodesic dome - geodesics are based on a six-sided geometry. This dome is based on a five-sided geometry. In theory, 5-sided domes are easier to build than 6-sided ones, even by folks who have only basic carpentry skills. Building a geodesic is a REAL project - putting up the framework for a 5-sided can be done by one person in an afternoon! You just have to pay attention to detail.

With no structural modifications, there are size limits to a 5-sided. I believe the builder reached those limits with Dick's Dome.

Appalachian Tater
10-08-2007, 18:48
Dick's Dome is NOT a true geodesic dome - geodesics are based on a six-sided geometry. This dome is based on a five-sided geometry. In theory, 5-sided domes are easier to build than 6-sided ones, even by folks who have only basic carpentry skills. Building a geodesic is a REAL project - putting up the framework for a 5-sided can be done by one person in an afternoon! You just have to pay attention to detail.

With no structural modifications, there are size limits to a 5-sided. I believe the builder reached those limits with Dick's Dome.

Please inform the Buckminster Fuller Institute then, they need to change their logo: http://www.bfi.org/node (http://www.bfi.org/node)

My understanding of geodesic domes is that they are usually based on triangles, not necessarily on pentagons or hexagons. However, though I have had some training in such matters, this is not my area of expertise. Regardless, R. Buckminster Fuller is one of the great thinkers of the 20th century.

shelterbuilder
10-08-2007, 19:05
Please inform the Buckminster Fuller Institute then, they need to change their logo: http://www.bfi.org/node (http://www.bfi.org/node)

My understanding of geodesic domes is that they are usually based on triangles, not necessarily on pentagons or hexagons. However, though I have had some training in such matters, this is not my area of expertise. Regardless, R. Buckminster Fuller is one of the great thinkers of the 20th century.

Sorry for not being precise - both structures utilize the triangle as a base geometric form - but if you look at the paterning of the triangles in a geodesic, you can find a pattern (six triangles with their apexes joined at a central point) which forms a hexagon, hence my use of the term "six-sided". You will not see the same pattern in the type of dome that I refer to as "five-sided" - the triangles are simply linked side-to-side, with the apexes alternating "up and down".

By the way, Buckminster Fuller was an alien.:eek: :D

Appalachian Tater
10-08-2007, 19:21
I agree. If aliens live among us, surely he was one.

At least one of his patents was for a dome based on pentagons:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.er3.com/leonardofinance/info/leonardostoleme.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.er3.com/leonardofinance/info/buckyfuller.htm&h=191&w=200&sz=37&hl=en&start=20&sig2=9kgM9vpNYPiJ2cxbOUvXHw&um=1&tbnid=xxp3FaavFJwBPM:&tbnh=99&tbnw=104&ei=KbkKR4DLIJ-8gAL5l7j2CA&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbuckminster%2Bfuller%2Bpatents%26svnu m%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN

Geometry is beautiful.

rafe
10-08-2007, 19:51
Regardless, R. Buckminster Fuller is one of the great thinkers of the 20th century.

We agree, again. I had the honor and pleasure of hearing him speak while in college. He gave a fascinating lecture about the role of oceans, ships, and maps in the course of human history. We were all spellbound.

Appalachian Tater
10-08-2007, 19:57
We agree, again. I had the honor and pleasure of hearing him speak while in college. He gave a fascinating lecture about the role of oceans, ships, and maps in the course of human history. We were all spellbound.

Oh, man, that would have been very cool. He would be one of my choices for a dinner guest if anybody were ever dumb enough to ask me that question in a job interview.

You did see his postage stamp? I still have a bunch of them.

NICKTHEGREEK
10-08-2007, 20:27
Here's a pic:

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=950&catid=member&imageuser=928

I was disappointed it was so far off the trail, didn't get to see it, but after seeing the pic and reading comments about it on WhiteBlaze, I don't feel so bad.

The picture in the link doesn't look anything like Dick's Dome In VA. Is there more than 1?

Appalachian Tater
10-08-2007, 20:33
Looks the same as the structure in the photo Terrapin posted but his shot is at a better angle. I never saw it in person though cause it was .4 off the trail downhill and you know how people walking 2000+ miles are about an extra fifteen minutes walking! Honestly, thru-hikers are a pretty lazy bunch, considering.

shelterbuilder
10-08-2007, 21:30
The picture in the link doesn't look anything like Dick's Dome In VA. Is there more than 1?

Nah, there's only one! It's the camera angle playing tricks on your eyes.

stranger
10-11-2007, 05:50
In 2001 Dick's Dome had a nice sized rat that chewed up a number of hikers gear including the webbing on my leki, it's a bad area, a small, run down, poorly designed shelter. Saying that it was built by someone as a project, I bet very few thru-hikers could do better.

I was awakened by two hikers who arrived very late that night, another reason to camp I guess.

Newb
10-11-2007, 07:34
last year (or the year before) I went by Dicks Dome and a bear had ripped apart the mailbox that the journal was kept in. Someone must have put food in it.

Sly
10-11-2007, 09:30
A little spilt fuel and a match would do the dome justice.

shelterbuilder
10-11-2007, 09:33
A little spilt fuel and a match would do the dome justice.

Ah, come on now - you can come up with a more creative "fix" than a bonfire!

Sly
10-11-2007, 09:37
Ah, come on now - you can come up with a more creative "fix" than a bonfire!

Not really. We could tell trail stories as she burns. :D

shelterbuilder
10-11-2007, 09:43
Not really. We could tell trail stories as she burns. :D

No cosmetics, just the ultimate makeover??:eek: :D

BlackCloud
10-13-2007, 17:41
HATE it.

Tear it down; burn it; anything.

TinAbbey
10-13-2007, 17:56
I didn't like it. Not enough room. I slept out on the bridge. that was much better.

Sarge
10-13-2007, 18:34
I stayed at Dicks Dome with 2 other people. There is not much room in it as it barely fit the 3 of us. But hey, it's got walls and a roof so what more could you want. Now Hexacuba shelter is a whole different story. That thing is like a mansion. It is a huge 6 sided shelter and could probably accommodate 10 or 12 easily. A beautiful shelter very well designed.

rafe
10-13-2007, 23:46
I stayed at Dicks Dome with 2 other people. There is not much room in it as it barely fit the 3 of us. But hey, it's got walls and a roof so what more could you want. Now Hexacuba shelter is a whole different story. That thing is like a mansion. It is a huge 6 sided shelter and could probably accommodate 10 or 12 easily. A beautiful shelter very well designed.

Votes for coolest shelter? I nominate Bryant Ridge. I was there alone. It could easily hold 25. :-?

Phlashlite
10-14-2007, 14:30
Having built a geodesic dome home I was thrilled with the shelter. Only bad thing was the trash others had left there.