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Sarge
05-20-2004, 05:37
Awesome shelter. Really big with lots of space. However, water source is far down a very steep hill right in front of the shelter.

jbwood5
05-22-2004, 16:30
I stayed at Peter's Mountain on 4/21/04. Very roomy and will hold lots of people. It has an inside picnic table.

Be aware that this shelter is over-run with mice and maybe a rat. I did not sleep well because the mice constantly ran up and down the walls and when not running, they were scratching or knawing. The mice are also very bold and I had one come up and crawl on my hand while I was trying to sleep.

The water is down a steep trail but a lot of rock steps were built to make it easier. On a real hot day, you may end up drinking a portion of your water before you make it back up to the shelter.:)

Just John
Duncannon to Great Barrington
4/20 - 5/19/04

whcobbs
05-27-2004, 16:38
The new Peter's Mountain shelter is a beautiful wind tunnel! When the breezes blow, repair to the Earl Shaffer leanto nearby. It's crude but very useful. I waited out a snowsquall there in Jan 03.

Walt

BlackCloud
01-18-2005, 12:02
So whose bright idea was it to build this thing facing due north, right into the winter wind? @ 16 degrees, a 15mph wind is brutal, making the shelter's location unihabitable for me; I moved on.

As for the "old" shelter, located 200' to the north, what a joke!

Be advised that fencing has been put up everywhere to prevent campers & to allow the ground to rejuvenate. Privy was nice, but again, the door faced due north AND faced the trail AND the shelter. Am I the only one who poops w/ the door open in the summer????

Lone Wolf
01-18-2005, 12:04
Real hikers don't need shelters or privies. The folks that built that POS shelter ain't hikers.

BlackCloud
01-18-2005, 16:55
Real hikers don't need shelters or privies. The folks that built that POS shelter ain't hikers.

I'm sure they appreciate your sentiments.......... :rolleyes:

Lone Wolf
01-18-2005, 17:23
Yeah a little harsh I admit but a shelter that size is really rediculous.

c.coyle
01-18-2005, 17:39
So whose bright idea was it to build this thing facing due north, right into the winter wind? @ 16 degrees, a 15mph wind is brutal, making the shelter's location unihabitable for me; I moved on.

So true. They've had to hang a tarp more or less permanently in the front.


As for the "old" shelter, located 200' to the north, what a joke!

Disagree. This is Earl Shaffer's original shelter (except he supposedly thought the floor should be dirt). It's low to the ground and the wind isn't a problem. Room for 3 or 4 very friendly hikers.


Be advised that fencing has been put up everywhere to prevent campers & to allow the ground to rejuvenate.

As of 1/1/2005, just a relatively small patch behind the shelter was fenced off.

I can see how some people are put off by this shelter. However, this section, between Routes 225 and 325, is always beautifully maintained by the Susquehanna Appalachian Trail Club, so it's hard to be real critical. They just built a new switchback at the 325 end, which is the wet part of this section.

Great section maintained by real hikers. I try to get out there 2 or 3 times a year.

neo
01-18-2005, 18:53
i stayed there in oct 2003 when i was doing a section hike from boiling springs to delaware water gap,i carried everything that could hold water with me down to the spring,nice shelter:sun neo

Grampie
01-18-2005, 19:10
During my 2001 thru, Peters Mountain Shelter was my last night on the trail. I had flipped from Duncannon to Katahden and was heading south to finish at the Doyle Hotel. I spent the night alone.
I have a painting of the shelter that a friend painted from a picture I took. It's hanging in my front hall and is a daily reminder of my hike. :)

BlackCloud
01-20-2005, 12:45
As of 1/1/2005, just a relatively small patch behind the shelter was fenced off.

Great section maintained by real hikers. I try to get out there 2 or 3 times a year.I was trying to give the impression that there was little room for campers to help the area rejuvenate. You however exposed me.:rolleyes:

And I did enjoy the level walking & frequent overlooks to the north & south.

c.coyle
01-20-2005, 16:11
I was trying to give the impression that there was little room for campers to help the area rejuvenate.

This is true. Didn't mean to sound critical. I was just giving an updated report, having been up there on New Year's Day. Funny, we didn't see a soul all day.

mbroadhe
06-02-2005, 12:21
Extremely huge shelter. Stayed there Memorial Day weekend with a boy scout troop who took the loft while my buddy and I took the lower floor. They were a nice group and I was quite impressed. The spring is a while down the hill but flows nicely. Nice write up on the bulletin board on how they built the shelter. Before the shelter, you walk across a foot bridge over a road into a parking lot. We ran into a gentleman who was having a Memorial Day picnic and was offering food, drink (beer), and lodging in his spare cabin for thru-hikers. We didn't take up his offer because we wanted to push through to the shelter, but he said he does it every year during Memorial Day weekend. May be something for next year's class to think about.

The Solemates
06-02-2005, 12:46
I stayed at Peter's Mountain on 4/21/04. Very roomy and will hold lots of people. It has an inside picnic table.

Be aware that this shelter is over-run with mice and maybe a rat. I did not sleep well because the mice constantly ran up and down the walls and when not running, they were scratching or knawing. The mice are also very bold and I had one come up and crawl on my hand while I was trying to sleep.

The water is down a steep trail but a lot of rock steps were built to make it easier. On a real hot day, you may end up drinking a portion of your water before you make it back up to the shelter.:)

Just John
Duncannon to Great Barrington
4/20 - 5/19/04

yea this is where we met you.

emerald
10-08-2006, 06:56
Click on the link below for information provided by Susquehanna Appalachian Trail Club, the ATC-affiliated club that built Peters Mountain Shelter and maintains the portion of the A.T. corridor on which it was built.

http://www.satc-hike.org/shelter.htm

hopefulhiker
10-08-2006, 16:47
I camped outside that shelter last year, I guess I could have stayed inside but at that point I was really prefered the tent in good weather.. It seemed like it was a long hike for water at the bottom.. The litte Earl Shafer shelter was full of overnighters though...I probably would have stayed there just for the historical significance...

Lone Wolf
10-08-2006, 22:54
Yeah a little harsh I admit but a shelter that size is really rediculous.

still feel the same.

Marta
10-09-2006, 08:12
I stayed at Peters Mtn. night before last. The loft was full of Penn grads out for the weekend. They had hauled in an amazing amount of beer, wine, and whiskey, which they were more than happy to share with a thirsty thru-hiker. (And they packed out my empties for me.) The beer cut my trips to the spring down to one, so I was grateful for a couple of reasons.

I like the shelter a lot.

Green Bean
01-08-2008, 12:45
Definitly a nice one i have some pictures of it but not a good water source maybe a different story in te spring but i walked so far down that mountain to find like a little puddle of water im not sure where the next water source is if youre hiking north i think its clarks creek and other little streams in the clarks valley or if youre hiking south probably the S. river which are both over tens miles away. ~GB

rafe
01-08-2008, 15:21
Nice shelter, but a tough slog down to the spring (like several other PA shelters.)

I think Bryant Ridge may be even larger, and it's more interesting architecturally. Someone really went to town at Bryant Ridge.

zoidfu
01-09-2008, 06:13
Some things about Peter's Mt.( I live about a half hour away and I've stayed there about 25 times).

It is a wind tunnel but it's designed that way so it stays cooler in the summer.

The Schaeffer shelter is nice but the fire pit is in a bad position. The smoke blows right into it and it is uninhabitable until the fire is out.

There are a lot of mice but I've never, ever, ever had them go after anything but toilet paper. I've had food right beside toilet paper and they chose that every time. They are noisy though.

The walk from the spring really is as bad as it sounds.

It's big because there aren't any tent sites around it. There's barely any hammock trees unless you want to go down the hill.

zoidfu
01-10-2008, 02:43
I stayed at Peters Mtn. night before last. The loft was full of Penn grads out for the weekend. They had hauled in an amazing amount of beer, wine, and whiskey, which they were more than happy to share with a thirsty thru-hiker. (And they packed out my empties for me.) The beer cut my trips to the spring down to one, so I was grateful for a couple of reasons.

I like the shelter a lot.

Hey, that was me and my friends!!!! I finally found someone I met on here!!!

Wags
03-06-2009, 22:22
i think someone made this shelter their home (must be the economy). today i saw a sleeping bag, a whole bunch of canned food and bottled water, some detergent, lighter fluid, and some other stuff. no sign of the guy though - possibly a hunter

ki0eh
03-08-2009, 17:50
i think someone made this shelter their home (must be the economy). today i saw a sleeping bag, a whole bunch of canned food and bottled water, some detergent, lighter fluid, and some other stuff. no sign of the guy though - possibly a hunter

Please, if you can or if you haven't already, call 717 258-5771 and relay the particulars directly, to the A.T. Mid-Atlantic Regional Office in Boiling Springs. Only starlings and coyotes are in open season in March, and besides the NPS property is a no-hunting zone. Such things have happened before there and probably will again.

Hoop Time
03-08-2009, 20:26
i think someone made this shelter their home (must be the economy). today i saw a sleeping bag, a whole bunch of canned food and bottled water, some detergent, lighter fluid, and some other stuff. no sign of the guy though - possibly a hunter

My understanding is this is the reason it was built so "breezy", to try to cut down on homeless vagrants setting up shop there. I am told that has been a problem with a few shelters in the greater Harrisburg area. Probably has something to do with its proximity to an urban area.

Wags
03-09-2009, 15:34
ok kioeh i'll give them a call this week. i'm not sure it was a hunter, but who else would've just had all their crap laying there and not be back in the 45 min i chilled there for lunch. nothing in the shelter log since valentine's day. there was some scent block soap there that made me think hunter. plus the sleeping bag was one of the big heavy rectangle ones with the red/black flannel lining, which made me think it wasn't a backpacker

Wags
03-09-2009, 19:01
i called and explained what i saw to some guy named bob. he was nice. he said he'd bring it to whoever's attention to check this out.

ki0eh
03-09-2009, 21:35
Bob Sickley is a good guy! Thanks for reporting it.

Wags
03-10-2009, 16:11
yup thanks for the info

zoidfu
04-04-2009, 09:08
I stayed at the Clarks Ferry Shelter last night. Looks like whoever it was moved his stuff there. A gigantic sleeping bag, mat, big blue tarp... And a note from someone telling this guy that he couldn't live there and they were going to call the NPS. No other sign of the guy, though. I guess he's gone.

MJN
05-20-2009, 17:24
Hey, anyone know the mileage between peters mountain shelter and Rausch gap shelter?

Lone Wolf
05-20-2009, 17:27
17.5 miles

shelterbuilder
05-20-2009, 20:53
My understanding is this is the reason it was built so "breezy", to try to cut down on homeless vagrants setting up shop there. I am told that has been a problem with a few shelters in the greater Harrisburg area. Probably has something to do with its proximity to an urban area.

Hey, it's not just in the Harrisburg area - BMECC has had their share of homeless "move-ins", and I've seen it for over 30 years...the Outerbridge Shelter near Lehigh Gap comes to mind. "Breezy" is one way to cut down on this sort of thing. Water that's "hard to get to" is another good trick...although the steps leading down to the spring at Peter's Mountain Shelter are a work of art!

Nasty Dog Virus
05-21-2009, 08:32
I have met homeless people every year on the AT around Harrisburg since I moved back to PA in 2005. All between the Peter's Mtn. Shelter and the Darlington Shelter. I was talking to Vicky at The Doyle a few weeks ago and she said that there have been more "trail homeless" recently...

shelterbuilder
05-22-2009, 21:46
I have met homeless people every year on the AT around Harrisburg since I moved back to PA in 2005. All between the Peter's Mtn. Shelter and the Darlington Shelter. I was talking to Vicky at The Doyle a few weeks ago and she said that there have been more "trail homeless" recently...

...and with the economy going crazy, you're likely to see LOTS more "trail homeless".

Funny thing though - lots of these folks don't really have the skills that they truly need to survive in the woods, so they have to hang around the shelters looking for handouts. They would be better off trying to find assistance in town from the (already-strained) social service agencies that are designed to provide such help. But I guess that they don't see it that way....

Lone Wolf
05-22-2009, 21:47
...and with the economy going crazy, you're likely to see LOTS more "trail homeless".

Funny thing though - lots of these folks don't really have the skills that they truly need to survive in the woods, so they have to hang around the shelters looking for handouts. They would be better off trying to find assistance in town from the (already-strained) social service agencies that are designed to provide such help. But I guess that they don't see it that way....

same with most thru-hikers

shelterbuilder
05-22-2009, 22:09
same with most thru-hikers

Yeah, but at least most thru-hikers "fit in" by the time they reach Pa.!:D

wystiria
05-28-2009, 11:12
Stayed here 5/17 SH in fabulous condition, spring running strong (if a bit of a walk) it was CHILLY that night :)

there is an area fenced off for recovery, but there are still plenty of tent spots.

trailangelmary
05-28-2009, 11:43
to the Earl Shaffer leanto nearby. It's crude but very useful. I waited out a snowsquall there in Jan 03.

The Earl Sheaffer Shelter is no longer there/ It will be part of the AT Museum in Pine Grove Furnace. It was dismantled for preservation in '08.

Here are the videos I created about that day.
Part 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV-CUnuoZDY) Part 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAthkwKu-dc).

You can read more about the museum here. (http://www.atmuseum.org/)

Dr O
05-28-2009, 11:59
...and with the economy going crazy, you're likely to see LOTS more "trail homeless".

Funny thing though - lots of these folks don't really have the skills that they truly need to survive in the woods, so they have to hang around the shelters looking for handouts. They would be better off trying to find assistance in town from the (already-strained) social service agencies that are designed to provide such help. But I guess that they don't see it that way....

Here in Cobb county the homeless shelters are at capacity. You have to arrive at 4:30pm and sign in, and then wait around until almost dark before they'll tell you they're full. It's like their main purpose is to tie up the homeless people's time so they aren't walking around in public.

zoidfu
05-28-2009, 12:41
...and with the economy going crazy, you're likely to see LOTS more "trail homeless".

Funny thing though - lots of these folks don't really have the skills that they truly need to survive in the woods, so they have to hang around the shelters looking for handouts. They would be better off trying to find assistance in town from the (already-strained) social service agencies that are designed to provide such help. But I guess that they don't see it that way....

I've met one and I know that darkstar has met at least one that was actually given quality gear by some sort of social service outfit.

shelterbuilder
05-28-2009, 21:45
I've met one and I know that darkstar has met at least one that was actually given quality gear by some sort of social service outfit.

:eek: YIKES! I'm not going THERE except to say that I hope that the social service outfit also gave him some survival training, 'cause when the food runs out....:(

Nasty Dog Virus
05-29-2009, 08:34
:eek: YIKES! I'm not going THERE except to say that I hope that the social service outfit also gave him some survival training, 'cause when the food runs out....:(

I met the guy that Zoidfu is talking about a few summers ago at the Darlington Shelter. The guy had a nice MSR Hubba Bubba tent that he told me was given to him by some social service outfit in Carlisle. The guy told me that he had been a cook at the Army War College and lost his job. He said that he was living in the woods behind Giant in Carlisle for a few months before migrating on the AT up to the Darlington Shelter. He had a pack, sleeping bag, tent, ect and could almost pass for a legitimate hiker. He also had enough ramen noodles to feed a man for a month. I told him that if he was going to stay out in the mtns that he better get out of the shelters and off the AT because he's going to freak out the thru-hikers. It was April and some of the earliest thru-hikers were already coming through the area. He said that he was going to go on the Tuscarora Trail so that he could avoid them. All in all, seemed like a nice guy who was down on his luck...

shelterbuilder
05-29-2009, 20:29
I met the guy that Zoidfu is talking about a few summers ago at the Darlington Shelter. The guy had a nice MSR Hubba Bubba tent that he told me was given to him by some social service outfit in Carlisle. The guy told me that he had been a cook at the Army War College and lost his job. He said that he was living in the woods behind Giant in Carlisle for a few months before migrating on the AT up to the Darlington Shelter. He had a pack, sleeping bag, tent, ect and could almost pass for a legitimate hiker. He also had enough ramen noodles to feed a man for a month. I told him that if he was going to stay out in the mtns that he better get out of the shelters and off the AT because he's going to freak out the thru-hikers. It was April and some of the earliest thru-hikers were already coming through the area. He said that he was going to go on the Tuscarora Trail so that he could avoid them. All in all, seemed like a nice guy who was down on his luck...

Social commentary aside, I'm not goin' there...there are just too many bad jokes buried in this....:o

Nasty Dog Virus
07-18-2009, 08:39
Is the Peters Mtn. Shelter on private land?

As far as I can tell, the shelter is on private land between NPS lands and the Joseph E. Ibberson Conservation Area...

emerald
07-18-2009, 09:45
Is the Peters Mtn. Shelter on private land?

No, it's US property purchased by NPS to secure public ownership of the AT corridor. You don't have a current KTA map, do you? It can't be emphasized enough AT hikers should carry KTA's most recent maps, otherwise they're unlikely to know who owns the land and whose rules apply.

Your question was answered here before by SATC. I'm surprised ownership of the land on which the shelter rests isn't mentioned in this thread or the answer's not linked. I don't recall where I read it, but I'll link the post sometime later this weekend.

Pennsylvania's shelter threads might be begun anew with all the essential information consolidated in the opening post of each new thread and checked by the trail clubs responsible for them. I have in mind to work with BMECC to get that done. It would be a task others might take on for the remaining shelters. Land ownership should also appear in the handbooks, especially where it might not be obvious.

emerald
07-19-2009, 00:19
I'll link the post sometime later this weekend.

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showpost.php?p=559000&postcount=52

Nasty Dog Virus
07-19-2009, 11:48
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showpost.php?p=559000&postcount=52

Thx 4 the info...

emerald
07-19-2009, 14:20
You're welcome. Better ways of making the information more accessible are needed. I'm thinking you could be an asset to Pennsylvania's AT clubs by helping new WhiteBlaze members locate information and answer their questions.

Nasty Dog Virus
07-19-2009, 14:36
You're welcome. Better ways of making the information more accessible are needed. I'm thinking you could be asset to Pennsylvania's AT clubs by helping new WhiteBlaze members locate it and answer their questions.

I would be more than happy to check on anything between...say...PA 501 > Pine Grove Furnace (my normal stompn' grounds) for any of the clubs in this area. I think its the PATC, SATC, CVATC, & BMECC. All they have to do is ask...I did shoot an email off to the PATC and PA district forestry office in Blain this morning concerning the damage being done to the Fowlers Hollow Shelter privy on the Tuscarora Trail by some porcupines. I found one of the porcupines inside the privy last night. I'm not talkn where you and I go in the privy, he was down the S*%T hole!!! All I could think about was how bad it would hurt to have a porcupine stick you in the butt thru the toilet hole :)
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/1/1/8/9/8/picture_135_thumb.jpg (http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=35366&c=member&imageuser=11898)
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/1/1/8/9/8/picture_154_thumb.jpg (http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=35367&c=member&imageuser=11898)
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/1/1/8/9/8/picture_145_thumb.jpg (http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=35368&c=member&imageuser=11898)

emerald
07-19-2009, 14:54
You missed a few Pennsylvania AT clubs (http://www.appalachiantrail.org/site/c.mqLTIYOwGlF/b.4805461/k.A017/Trail_Clubs.htm#Penn) that maintain shorter sections. Check out the link for more information.

Consider joining one of the AT clubs near where you live. BMECC always has something going on. Even activities that appeal to me.

Nasty Dog Virus
07-19-2009, 15:09
You missed a few Pennsylvania AT clubs (http://www.appalachiantrail.org/site/c.mqLTIYOwGlF/b.4805461/k.A017/Trail_Clubs.htm#Penn) that maintain shorter sections. Check out the link for more information.

Consider joining one of the AT clubs near where you live. BMECC always has something going on. Even activities that appeal to me.

I'm not a club person. Organized anything is not for me :). I do my part by packing out others trash (I swear everyone has forgotten leave no trace ethics), clearing trails of debris, and reporting conditions to the clubs.

Nasty Dog Virus
07-19-2009, 15:19
No, it's US property purchased by NPS to secure public ownership of the AT corridor. You don't have a current KTA map, do you? It can't be emphasized enough AT hikers should carry KTA's most recent maps, otherwise they're unlikely to know who owns the land and whose rules apply.

Your question was answered here before by SATC. I'm surprised ownership of the land on which the shelter rests isn't mentioned in this thread or the answer's not linked. I don't recall where I read it, but I'll link the post sometime later this weekend.

Pennsylvania's shelter threads might be begun anew with all the essential information consolidated in the opening post of each new thread and checked by the trail clubs responsible for them. I have in mind to work with BMECC to get that done. It would be a task others might take on for the remaining shelters. Land ownership should also appear in the handbooks, especially where it might not be obvious.

What's the latest KTA map from the Susquehanna to Swatara Gap? Mine is old. Just says c.2004. No revision dates on it.

I think thats a great idea to renew the Pa Shelter threads with all essential info in the beginning. It would be a great resource. I'll help...

emerald
07-19-2009, 15:40
What's the latest KTA map from the Susquehanna to Swatara Gap? Mine is old. Just says c.2004. No revision dates on it.

I'm sure ki0eh must have posted that information at some point. I'm not certain my map is current either. He's in Vermont at the ATC festival.


I think thats a great idea to renew the Pa Shelter threads with all essential info in the beginning. It would be a great resource. I'll help...

Let's take that discussion to PM. You're on my contacts list. Right now I need to report to work. I'll be in touch.

shelterbuilder
07-19-2009, 22:41
What's the latest KTA map from the Susquehanna to Swatara Gap? Mine is old. Just says c.2004. No revision dates on it....

I think that there may be a newer version of this map. I was just out there this weekend (Swatara Gap to Rt. 325 and back) - I hadn't been on this section in over 25 years and wanted to see how much things had changed - and it appears that the footpath from just below the Henry Knauber Trail north for at least 3/4 mile is a re-location out of the old logging road "ravine". My '04 map didn't show any of this - just a straight shot down the ridge along the old road.

BTW, some of SATC's rockwork in this section is incredible. I admit that I don't get out as much as I should, but I haven't seen work like this lately. And they have a sense of humor, too: there's a large rock in one location that MOVES when you step on it! It must have taken a bit of time to find the balance-point on that one!:D

Emerald, you should have come with me - your time would have been better spent!!;)

Yahtzee
07-19-2009, 23:20
OK, here's a question that has been bugging me for a while and I hope someone has an answer.

I don't get to hike 225 to Peter's Mt. Shelter as much as I did when I lived in Harrisburg but I still get up to the mountain whenever I get the chance. About last fall, I guess, I noticed an abundance of private property signs posted along the trail between the powerline and Table Rock. So many so, that I began to wonder what the regulations were regarding the distance between signs, if there were any. It seemed as if every third tree on the ridgeline had a sign posted. I also had the freakiest experience of seeing a horse at the very top of the ridge, not on the trail but atop the ridge, I thought I was seeing things, until I saw a man hunched down near one of the rocks on the top of the ridge. In my mind, I took him to be the landowner who placed the signs.

Then one hike this spring, *poof* they were all gone. Anyone else see all those signs? Anyone have any idea what was up?

Nasty Dog Virus
07-20-2009, 06:54
OK, here's a question that has been bugging me for a while and I hope someone has an answer.

I don't get to hike 225 to Peter's Mt. Shelter as much as I did when I lived in Harrisburg but I still get up to the mountain whenever I get the chance. About last fall, I guess, I noticed an abundance of private property signs posted along the trail between the powerline and Table Rock. So many so, that I began to wonder what the regulations were regarding the distance between signs, if there were any. It seemed as if every third tree on the ridgeline had a sign posted. I also had the freakiest experience of seeing a horse at the very top of the ridge, not on the trail but atop the ridge, I thought I was seeing things, until I saw a man hunched down near one of the rocks on the top of the ridge. In my mind, I took him to be the landowner who placed the signs.

Then one hike this spring, *poof* they were all gone. Anyone else see all those signs? Anyone have any idea what was up?

I have seen the signs. My guess is that the land owner on the PA 325 side of the ridge was trying to discourage hunters from sitting on the ridge and shooting down towards his place. I think the signs went up before deer hunting season and were removed afterwards. I have seen many hunters set up a just few feet away from the AT on Peters Mtn. They are always sitting on top of the ridge watching the valley. I have made complaints to the ATC Office in Boiling Springs concerning all the illegal hunting from the AT on Peters Mtn.

ki0eh
07-26-2009, 23:35
AFAIK the 2004 version is the newest map.

The relocation near the Henry Knauber Trail was just finished last year (2008). Although my father was a stone mason he died before I had any chance to learn any skills and I sure didn't inherit any. So I stay away from the serious rock work that SATC does. The guys are proudest of what they called the "Beethoven Bridge" which is a single slab of rock entirely crossing an intermittent stream about 2/3 of the way up through the relo.

In 2009 there's been some drainage work Trail-south of Rausch Gap shelter and rock work on the Cold Spring side trail.

I didn't notice those posted signs up on MLK weekend which is the last time I went between 225 and Peters Mtn shelter. Our Trailmaster was working last year on some ATV trespass issues at the shelter and Victoria Trail so I know he is in close touch with ATC/NPS who here aren't too far away. I haven't heard specifically about that issue, but certainly don't expect boundary encroachments to last long.

Any specific first-person reports are more than welcome to be reported directly to SATC or ATC.

shelterbuilder
07-27-2009, 20:23
AFAIK the 2004 version is the newest map.

The relocation near the Henry Knauber Trail was just finished last year (2008). Although my father was a stone mason he died before I had any chance to learn any skills and I sure didn't inherit any. So I stay away from the serious rock work that SATC does. The guys are proudest of what they called the "Beethoven Bridge" which is a single slab of rock entirely crossing an intermittent stream about 2/3 of the way up through the relo....

"Serious rock work" is right!!:) I was out last weekend from Swatara Gap to 325 and back, and I was completely blown away by the rock work on SATC's section. Did they use a tripod to position the span-rock on the "Beethoven Bridge"? They should be proud of that span - I've never seen anything like it!

And somebody's got a wicked sense of humor - one of the biggest flat rocks in that re-location MOVES when you step on it!:eek: It must have taken hours to find just the right balance-point to do THAT!

dgasw
01-21-2010, 10:59
Just up to the Peters Mtn Shelter over the weekend(1/16). Hiked in from Rt 325. SATC did a great job with the rock work along the trail climbing to the ridge from the road. There was some light blowdown on the trail but nothing major. The shelter is in great shape. I really like the elevated walk way along the side of the shelter. Its great for just sitting and watching the fire. There were no signs of any homeless people in the shelter. Somebody did stop by while we were down at the spring and dropped off some new religious books. The guy I hiked with said he heard a mouse overnight but I didn't hear or see anything. As far as the walk to the spring goes its not as bad as some people make it out to be. Try hiking down to the lower spring at the Allentown shelter on a hot and humid day. SATC did alot of great rock work to make it easier. Some of the steps where full of ice from the recent snow but you if you took your time it wasn't that bad. They did a great job right around the spring so that you have a spot to sit or kneel without slopping in the mud. The spring was running great.

ki0eh
01-21-2010, 12:20
Was the guy you were with a firefighter by any chance?

Grampie
01-21-2010, 12:43
Was the guy you were with a firefighter by any chance?

I hiked in 2001 with a fire fighter from Dallas TX by the name of "Texas Jack."

dgasw
01-21-2010, 16:08
Was the guy you were with a firefighter by any chance?

Yes he is a firefighter...