View Full Version : Laurel Fork Shelter
Former Admin
10-19-2002, 12:31
Info, questions, comments, experiences (good or bad) regarding - Laurel Fork Shelter
Past/Present hikers - what can future hikers expect here? Have any good stories or memories from here?
ez-does-it
10-21-2002, 16:13
A real nice shelter and new food hangers installed this year they look like meat hangers.A very good water source and good spots for tentng out.All and all a good place to stop for the night.:p :p
Nice shelter but has many holes in plywood floor. A very large resident pack rat lives under the floor. The rat stole my head light in the middle of the night. Have a very nice photo. also, another hiker told me he caught the rat trying to pull his crocs into the subflooring the next night. I bought a new light at the outfitter in Damancus for 35 dollars. We had a good time anyway.
i stayed there one week ago and was kept up by rats all nite as well as my thermorest being ruined by them the shelter is a dump
Lone Wolf
11-04-2008, 15:18
the shelter is a dump
most are
i stayed there one week ago and was kept up by rats all nite as well as my thermorest being ruined by them the shelter is a dump
I agree...although I haven't been there in a while. I had planned to stay there a few years ago and decided to move on because it was so bad.
There are some nice campsites down near the river.
i stayed there one week ago and was kept up by rats all nite as well as my thermorest being ruined by them the shelter is a dump
thanks, i'll head for the gorge...water ok there? how about nearby? anything you can remember would be appreciated.
plenty of water in the gorge good camping spots
TwistedToad
11-05-2008, 16:04
I passed by the shelter today. There are NO holes in the floor. There is wire mesh from the bottom of the floor down to the ground. So nothing can get under the floor.
Jack Tarlin
11-08-2008, 16:03
I'm not sure why anyone would ever want to stay at this shelter.
On a good night, there are wonderful campsites all along the gorge.
On a bad night, you can always stay at Kincora Hostel instead.
Come to think of it, you should probably do this anyway.
Lone Wolf
11-08-2008, 16:23
ot everybody loves a crowded, stuffy hostel
Jack Tarlin
11-08-2008, 16:28
Kincora crowded?
Yup, frequently. And with good reason.
Kincora stuffy?
Nope. Not hardly.
ot everybody loves a crowded, stuffy hostel
The chamber of commerce is promoting it.
What can you do about it?
Lone Wolf
11-08-2008, 16:31
like i said, not everybody loves a crowded, stuffy (lack of ventilation) hostel. some would rather camp in the woods
Lone Wolf
11-08-2008, 16:31
The chamber of commerce is promoting it.
What can you do about it?
do about what?
Jack Tarlin
11-08-2008, 16:43
Actually, Yaduck, Kincora is about the most popular hiker facility on the entire Trail, and has been for many years.
Nobody needs to promote it, the place speaks for itself.
Why would you not stay at Kincora?
Kirby
Tennessee Viking
11-08-2008, 17:50
No advertising needed when you have Bob
Flush2wice
11-08-2008, 21:10
Why would you not stay at Kincora?
Kirby
Section hikers often avoid hostels. They are hiking to be in the woods, not in a bunkroom. Thruhikers stay at hostels to escape the woods.
Lone Wolf
11-08-2008, 21:30
Section hikers often avoid hostels. They are hiking to be in the woods, not in a bunkroom. Thruhikers stay at hostels to escape the woods.
extremely true
Section hikers often avoid hostels. They are hiking to be in the woods, not in a bunkroom. Thruhikers stay at hostels to escape the woods.
That's actually a really good point. I suppose if your only out for a week, maybe two, you want to be hiking as much as possible. However, if your out for the long haul, leaving the woods is a nice change.
Kirby
Lone Wolf
11-08-2008, 21:48
That's actually a really good point. I suppose if your only out for a week, maybe two, you want to be hiking as much as possible. However, if your out for the long haul, leaving the woods is a nice change.
Kirby
arriving at kincora is hardly after a long haul. plus most hikers have stayed in 5 or 6 hostels by the time they get there
But, if you're only going to stay at one Kincora would be a good choice. Many hike the trail not to just hike but to also enjoy the 'trail experience'. Part of that experience would include selected hostels, towns, reading grafitti at shelters, seeing wind generators, and many other sights that one can see while hiking in the 'wilderness'. Not everyone approves of these things we see but they are still part of the trail. That's the AT.