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prozac
10-09-2002, 15:31
While on a SB in PA I kept running into NBer's who kept raving about Peters Mountain Shelter. As it had been raining, hailing and lightening all day in Biblical proportions, I eagerly pressed on looking forward to a dry night.To my dismay, the shelter turned out to be 6'x 8' wide, 4' high and completely soaked. The floor was made out of various sized logs which were totally uneven. Figuring my fellow hikers had been joking me about the luxurious Peters Mountion shelter, I resigned myselve to tenting in the rain.Another SBer, Slider, showed up, and cursed when he saw the shelter as he had also been told to expect a palatial shelter. He decided to push on while I decided to stick it out. A few minutes later he came back up the trail laughing and told me the real shelter was another 100 yds. The real Peters Mountain shelter was brand new, slept about 20, and had a porch with seating. Later that night, a trail maintainer showed up and explained that the old shelter had been built by Earl Shaffer and used to have a plaque on it. Apparently the log floor was added on much later and when Earl found out he made them take the plaque down. I guess logs may not be better than plywood, but its better than no floor at all. Unless your Earl.

Peaks
10-09-2002, 16:39
If you are not familiar with the Trail, the Peters Mountain Shelters are in central PA, not Maine

celt
03-29-2007, 12:58
I hear the old Peters Mountain Shelter's future in PA is in question. Lets move it to Maine so this thread doesn't have to be moved.

fiddlehead
02-12-2010, 22:45
While on a SB in PA I kept running into NBer's who kept raving about Peters Mountain Shelter. As it had been raining, hailing and lightening all day in Biblical proportions, I eagerly pressed on looking forward to a dry night.To my dismay, the shelter turned out to be 6'x 8' wide, 4' high and completely soaked. The floor was made out of various sized logs which were totally uneven. Figuring my fellow hikers had been joking me about the luxurious Peters Mountion shelter, I resigned myselve to tenting in the rain.Another SBer, Slider, showed up, and cursed when he saw the shelter as he had also been told to expect a palatial shelter. He decided to push on while I decided to stick it out. A few minutes later he came back up the trail laughing and told me the real shelter was another 100 yds. The real Peters Mountain shelter was brand new, slept about 20, and had a porch with seating. Later that night, a trail maintainer showed up and explained that the old shelter had been built by Earl Shaffer and used to have a plaque on it. Apparently the log floor was added on much later and when Earl found out he made them take the plaque down. I guess logs may not be better than plywood, but its better than no floor at all. Unless your Earl.

I appreciated your story anyway.

I remember the Ney's shelters about one mile north of where Eagles Nest shelter is now in PA. Back in the early 60's these 2 small shelters only had dirt floors and would turn into mud puddles after heavy rains. (the older scouts would make us younger ones sleep in the mud as I remember)

I think perhaps many of the shelters had these dirt floors when Earl first hiked.

mweinstone
02-13-2010, 13:11
i remember neys. and the clarks ferry shelter whitch is what we called earls breadbox back then. before peters mt shelter was built, stopping at earls shelter for a night was not done unless you were too tired to cruise into dunncannon where the doyal had food and millers had candy and the doyalsbathroom with the tub had a tub the size of chewbacca. the shelter offered three things. rain, mud and backache.neys was at the 6 mi fire road to hertline and saint anthonys wilderness. it was our jumping off point from port clinton on our way to the doyal. it was across from the turkey hardening study govt land.