View Full Version : Low Gap Shelter
Former Admin
09-29-2002, 22:41
Info, questions, comments, experiences (good or bad) regarding - Low Gap 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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Hammock Hanger
09-30-2002, 08:33
The last 2 times I stayed there we shared the shelter with about 15 resident bats. Which I thought was neat. Unfortunately their guano which was like a mountain in the shelter was not so neat. I heard from others that the spot where they "hung out" was closed up and they moved on. Hammock Hanger
No bats in May. Water source is right in front of the shelter, which is a plus.
ez-does-it
10-21-2002, 16:07
My two cents worth:
The shelter is not very nice to stay in however there are a lot of good spots near by for tenting out.The water for this shelter in my opion should be treated,you will see what I mean when you get there.;)
SGT Rock
10-21-2002, 17:08
The place was a pig sty when I went by there last summer. I ennded up filling my trash bag and still left trash. There was toilet paper everywhere (buy it deep ya'll) and someone had left a lot of canned food in the shelter - probably found out the hard way the weight wasn't worth it.
There was a sack of trash hanging in the bear cables when I was there.
I sheltered at Low Gap last Saturday (March 1st). The shelter was is good shape (no trash) and water was flowing nicely. But I would suggest getting water from the source on the trail down to the shelter. There we 3 others at the shelter (2 thru-hikers and a section hiker) that night. The mice were very active, the chewed into the section hiker's bag. (He'd left some trash in one of his pockets.)
Youngblood
06-22-2003, 11:12
http://www.whiteblaze.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=621&papass=&sort=1
http://www.whiteblaze.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=173&papass=&sort=1
http://www.whiteblaze.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=1277&papass=&sort=1
My hiking partner and I sheltered at low gap a couple of nights ago and the shelter was in a shambles. We got to the shelter early and policed the area for trash and swept the shelter out. The fire ring was a mess - we spent some time rebuilding it and cleaning it out. No rodent incidents through the night and the water source is excellent.
Bret
Low Gap shelter was in decent shape in April 2002 when TeePee & I hiked thru this section....we stayed @ Low Gap with several others: ("Not Keith", "the Mad Musician" & a couple of late arrivals..sorry, didnt get their names)
a bear had visited the night before & we were all waiting for his return...but to no avail....but it was wet, soggy day the next morning....when we left.
overall...good experience there! :D
see YOU up the trail in 2004!
This shelter was okay. Not too dirty. We spent the night there. Heard the mice in the upper bin but did not see any and had no problems with them. We saw our first bear about 3/4 of a mile north of this shelter the next morning as we were hiking north. A very small bear that ran up hill as soon as it saw us. No time to take a picture as the little one was so fast it was out of sight in just a matter of seconds. ;)
BlackCloud
10-21-2004, 09:13
In Mid October, '04, this shelter was in relatively good shape; no trash & no mice. The water source however seems as if it would peter out under prolonged dry conditions. Also, there's no privy.
An odd occurrence @ this shelter was two golden finches that were inexplicably magnetized twds by Petzl Tikka headlamp. They kept flying right @ my head like insects. It being the 3rd cloudy, and hence moonelss nite in a row, I wonder if they were migratory birds that needed some guidance. Any ideas???:-?
Low gap shelter was very dirty this past march . We were there and their was so much toilet paper around the shelter that we decided to tent and it was even going to rain that night. The last straw was when we were signing the regester in the shelter someone had pooped about 30 foot away from the shelter and you could actually see it from inside the shelter.
In 2000 the shelter was closed due to bear activity, this was before bear cables in GA. There was yellow police tape surrounding the area.
River Runner
04-27-2006, 02:31
Stopped in and lunched at this shelter Easter Sunday, April 16 and moved on. The shelter seemed relatively clean, but there was some minor trash and some toilet paper scattered around on the hill behind it. The water source was okay, but the flow was pretty low.
UnkaJesse
05-21-2006, 12:05
I stayed here in August '05. No bear activity, although we had heard of some sightings. Good water. Thanks goodness for the broom. The bat guano situation was terrible. When we got there, it was all over the floor and in some spots it was 1/2 inch deep! Lots of mice, too.
If I were a snake, I'd live in an AT shelter!
Shelter was o.k. this March. I tented up the hill, and got my water from slightly uphill of the shelter. I walked way around the hill to make a cathole next to a tree, and must have tapped into a chipmunk hole.
Poor chipmunk! :D
Doc_of_the_bay
06-25-2006, 23:23
My four hiking partners and I stayed at Low Gap last week, on 6/22/06. Altogether, ten people were staying in or near the shelter that night. (I camped up the hill.) The area was clean, the water was good; the folks that stayed in the shelter reported hearing a few mice and one raccoon- or 'possum-sized visitor during the night.
bulldog49
11-02-2006, 15:12
Stayed a night last week. Not the greatest spot but it had a good water source.
Two other guys were spending the night and couldn't get there alchol stove to work, so I let them use my cannister so they could have a warm dinner. I will never be convinced to use an alchol stove. :banana
bigmontana
11-02-2006, 15:34
Saw two bears in the area while passing through in Aug '06.
I saw someone last year tyring to use isopropyl alcohol (only 70% alcohol) as the energy source...of course this didn't work. This wasn't the case was it? Perhaps it was faulty engineering on the stovemaker. Who knows? I've never had a problem with mine at any temp/condition; granted I made it out of a Budweiser can. Red, white, and blue, baby:-)
Back to Low Gap - you didn't happen to see any bears did you. I knew someone recently that spotted several in this area. Were most of the leaves still on the trees? I'm planning on possibly hiking this section over the weekend...
Glad you had a nice trip.
bulldog49
11-02-2006, 16:01
I'm not sure what they were using, but they had just bought the stove and fuel at Neels Gap because their gas stove died, so I assume they were using the correct type. Probably more a result of their inexperience than anything else.
I did not see any signs of bears the week I was out, in fact, other than squirrels and an owl, I did not see any wildlife. Perhaps that's because of hunting season, but I did not come across any hunters or hear any guns being fired.
I camped at Tray Mt, Low Gap, the gap just north of Blood Mt (forget the name), Gooch Mt and Stover Creek. Peaceful nights all, except for what I believe may have a wild boar creeping around my tarp and tripping on a guy line at Blood Mt.
The leaves were still on the trees and at peak color, really beautiful. The views from Cowrock and Blood Mountains were really great.
This is my favorite time of year to get out there. Enjoy you trip.
hopefulhiker
11-03-2006, 09:50
Last year, I got to Low Gap shelter, and it was very crowded, There was even a German guy there singing love ballads on his full size guitar. It was miserable weather, sleeting and cold, There was 'no room in the shelter' and no reasonable campsites around.. I was a Newbie at the time and was already soaked.. I needed a dry place, so I slept underneath the shelter. I managed to slip myself under there and get comfortable when I felt something at the bottom of the sleeping bag... I though it was just a zipper of a windshirt I had down there.. I reached down and grabbed this warm pulsating little critter! I'm not sure what it was, maybe a vole, but I hurled it out and sat up suddenly bumping my head on the bottom of the shelter shouting profanities..Everyone upstairs started laughing. I thought that stuff like this was supposed to happen later in the hike, not at the beginning...
Rain Man
11-03-2006, 11:57
... the gap just north of Blood Mt (forget the name) ....
Uh, that would be .... NEEL's Gap?!!! LOL
Rain:sunMan
.
Rain Man
11-03-2006, 12:00
... I was a Newbie at the time and was already soaked.... I reached down and grabbed this warm pulsating little critter! I'm not sure what it was, maybe a vole, but I hurled it out and sat up suddenly bumping my head on the bottom of the shelter shouting profanities..Everyone upstairs started laughing. I thought that stuff like this was supposed to happen later in the hike, not at the beginning...
Only to you, Hopeful, only to you!!! Thanks for the story!
Rain:sunMan
.
ahhhhhh...LOW GAP SHELTER (#1)....of course there are a few more Low Gaps (some with shelters) up the trail...
i have fond memories of this shelter (2002)as i arrived there on a cloudy, brisk day &
(my hiking partner for that year) "TeePee" & i enjoyed the company of:
"Alabama". "NotKeith" "the Mad Musician" (carrying a Backpacker guitar & a gallon of whiskey),"Bootless", "Yankee Clipper" & "Winslow".
my best memory is seeing a 20-year-hiker that "zipped" past me for 2 days....sitting in this shelter "resting" his knees....that "S" on his chest wuz wearing a bit thin ....i still wonder if "the Mad Musician" made it all the way.....:D
Monkeyboy
07-10-2007, 22:02
Stayed there 7-3-07.
Good water source and privy. No mice.
buckowens
07-11-2007, 22:28
Stopped in there in mid-June and it looked like a nice location. Great campsites, good water, and an easy hike off the trail. They also saw a bear the night before charging off the hillside. We just stopped for a break and for Roo to sign the register.
Midway Sam
07-11-2007, 22:45
Stopped in there in mid-June and it looked like a nice location. Great campsites, good water, and an easy hike off the trail. They also saw a bear the night before charging off the hillside. We just stopped for a break and for Roo to sign the register.
Correction... The bear was two nights previous. The night before you were there the place was overrun by a million freakin' mice. I bailed out and put up the tent. My buddy said he was too tired to put up his tent and didn't figure the mice could carry him away.
buckowens
07-11-2007, 23:13
Correction... The bear was two nights previous. The night before you were there the place was overrun by a million freakin' mice. I bailed out and put up the tent. My buddy said he was too tired to put up his tent and didn't figure the mice could carry him away.
Sam,
My mistake as I am sure my days were off. We were real disappointed in not seeing a bear as that was a goal for Roo. I know she did not want to see any mice. It sure did seem like the mice were bad around that time!! We heard horror stories from most shelters.
My favorite information in the White Blaze guide was for Blue Mountain Shelter. It said as the last sentence "This shelter is mouse hell".:D Roo thought that was hilarious, and made sure we were not staying there... we pushed on to Unicoi Gap and stayed just above the road (could not get a ride into town)...
cody taylor
07-05-2008, 09:40
Just stayed there a few nights ago and I must say it was pretty gross when I got there. Trash EVERYWHERE, mice nests in the ceiling, toilet paper everywhere which had been chewed up. I cleaned up the place much as possible in the rain, just before a bear came in from the privy trail.
minnesotasmith
07-05-2008, 22:21
Only one other hiker in the shelter. I Got up at 0200 for a biological reason. Walked by the bear cables en route to an appropriate location. Saw a tiny flying squirrel atop my hung food bag. Yelling and flashing my headlamp at it made it flee. Hauled down my foodbag to find a dime-sized hole and 5 food items sampled. A bag of almonds was ignored, but two whole-grain blueberry bars and a Hershey's chocolate bar were hit hard. (This experience made me open to buying an Ursack when I later heard about them.)
Also, full when there and had to sleep under/behind the shelter on a rainy night. My first experience of the "dead stare" of hikers who had no plan of making room when you arrive. C'est la vie.
My best experience there was early March in '02. I went up from Fla for Spring Break. Temps got down to low digits. Absolutely freezing. Ez-Does-It was there, as well. In the morning, me and Freebird decided it was best to go hike where it was warm and Ez decided it was time to hit the casinos. So cold it was funny.
Stopped in for water and a snack. Located right off trail. Excellant water source no more than 10ft from shelter. There is a table but no over hang and shelter is pretty small. Saw a small spaniel type bird dog running around up there with no owner in site. wouldnt come near me and still had it blaze orange collar on.
Nice stream. Shabby shelter, though. Mice were running over my head during the night.
SnuffySmith
07-25-2009, 14:37
Low Gap Shelter! Should be noted, me and a small band of misgrins hung our food with confidence at the Low Gap bear cables to the side of the shelter. Our bags got hit by a flying squirrel around 2 in the morning!! We turned the flashlights on to the noise we were hearing on the cable, and out popped a head from my buddy's food bag. The squirrel ran around the bag two or three times in 5th gear and then spread his limbs and glided off to safety. Maybe a half hour later we heard him at the top of the hill raiding someone elses bear bag. He had a fondness for GORP. All the obstacles and height in the forrest is not going to ward off a squirrel with the skill in avionics!
Snuffy Smith
Nice stream. Shabby shelter, though. Mice were running over my head during the night.I hate to break it to ya, but even the "nicest" shelters have mice scurrying about and scavenging for food. Just another reason to avoid them, IMO.
Info, questions, comments, experiences (good or bad) regarding - Low Gap Shelter
Past/Present hikers - what can future hikers expect here? Have any good stories or memories from here?Future hikers - any questions?
Stats: ?
Are we talking LOW GAP SHELTER in NC or VA?
Survivor Dave
07-26-2009, 08:11
Are we talking LOW GAP SHELTER in NC or VA?
Look at post #26. You answered your own question 3 years ago.:D
daddytwosticks
01-30-2011, 17:19
Took a dayhike in from Hogpen Gap today. Didn't see another soul on the trail. Beautiful day. Shelter area was reasonably clean. Streams out front were flowing well. There are two bear cables here now. Haven't been here since 2004...they now have a privy. I elected not to check it out...:)
Campsites on the way to shelter were trashed two weeks ago. I got disgusted and just turned back to find a clean spot further on for lunch.
Spent the loneliest and scariest night of my life as the lone resident there Friday night.
1. BEARS. Lots of them. Saw 1 and heard many at night. Shuttle driver reports they come right up to the shelter due to their being a den nearby. HANG YOUR FOOD!
2. Plenty of mice.
3. VERY LITTLE water south of here. Relied on bottled/bought water at Neels Gap or Hogpen Gap. (Time of year was July).
Rebel
When I was there a few months ago in April there were mice in the shelter and mice got into the food on the cables. There were rumors of a rattlesnake living under the shelter. I didn't see or hear of any bears. Water source was good and plenty of tent sites.
Spent the loneliest and scariest night of my life as the lone resident there Friday night.
1. BEARS. Lots of them. Saw 1 and heard many at night. Shuttle driver reports they come right up to the shelter due to their being a den nearby. HANG YOUR FOOD!
2. Plenty of mice.
3. VERY LITTLE water south of here. Relied on bottled/bought water at Neels Gap or Hogpen Gap. (Time of year was July).
RebelWe opted to lunch there about 2 weeks ago, water was good but as you mentioned, no water south unless you went to Whitley Gap Shelter. Shelter was clean but the uphill privy was a no thank you. Tent sites were clean. We ended up there due to stayed at Neel too long and then getting caught in a bad thunderstorm on our way up from Tesnatee. We were NOBO. Ran into a male bear and ~10 wild hogs coming up from Cold Springs Gap, then ran across a sow with cubs around Red Clay Gap.