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Phoenixdadeadhead
04-30-2009, 23:40
I have seen quite a few posts, where people bad mouth shelters. I don't get it, I like the shelters on the trail, although I also like setting up my own setup when hiking the smaller trails. The thing I like the most about the shelters is you get to meet tons of people. So tell me if you like or hate the shelters and why please.:)

waywardfool
04-30-2009, 23:47
mice
snoring
late arrivers
early leavers
somebody pissing off the edge of the platform in the middle of the night
shelters usually don't happen to be where I am when it starts getting dark and it's time to sleep

there's more

Tin Man
04-30-2009, 23:50
hang with the crowd, then go sleep in the comfort, cleanliness and privacy of your own tent or hammock. pretty simple.

Phoenixdadeadhead
04-30-2009, 23:52
I'm the snorer LOL!!! And I know what you mean about the nasty people using the bathroom, I stayed at 1 that the Jon was about 150 yards away and it was raining, some a55 let his kid stand under the awning and Sh1t right next to the shelter. Funny story about mice my nephew had his watch and a sock stolen by mice lol

stranger
04-30-2009, 23:54
I don't hate shelters, but I am thinking:

- mice
- 12 hikers huddled together (despite all having tents/tarps in their pack)
- snoring
- late comers
- littered firepits
- less than ideal locations
- inconsiderate hikers
- crowded

Why do that when you can camp 0.25 mile down the trail? I think shelters represent safety to hikers to some degree, a man-made structure, so people tend to flock to them. I don't think the amount of people who use the AT and the amount of shelters located along the trail are not related. There are more scenic trails, say in PA, with no shelters, and they are deserted compared to the AT.

I often camp at shelter locations when it suits me, but I rarely sleep in them, even if I'm the only person there. Probably the most use I get from shelters is handing my pack from the mouse line, that's about it.

I've seen people go to great lengths to avoid camping along the AT, I don't get it, perhaps they are just afraid of waking up in the rain, but it's no big deal really.

Lone Wolf
05-01-2009, 00:06
hate is a strong word. they just suck

fancyfeet
05-01-2009, 00:23
I like shelters, too. I often choose to tent at the shelter to have a little more privacy. I like to meet others and socialize a little in the evenings. I hike alone, so sometimes I feel like having a bit of conversation. One of my better shelter memories was learning to play a card game called Blackball with a section hiker guy and a young woman who was on a 3-day weekend from her job on a windjammer ship at the Limestone Spring Lean-To in CT. Best card game ever IMHO.

Access to water, privy and register, as well as a nice flat floor to play solitaire on are also plusses for me.

Most of the more common complaints (mice, dirty, overcrowed) have been less of a problem for me as I'm a SOBO/section hiker.

That said, I like to camp as well, especially if there's a nice spot. Favs include atop Old Blue in ME, on Pleasant Pond Mtn in ME, at Rainbow Lake in ME, a pretty woodland spot by a stream in VT - I zeroed there, under a rock overhang in PA, cowboy camping at Pinwheel Vista in NJ and on Stony Man cliffs in the Shennies.

McKeever
05-01-2009, 01:09
Personal safety. Many shelters are too close to roads and the recent postings on the recent alleged assault is a valid call to only use shelters for what they are intended for; brief stops or inclement weather only.

garlic08
05-01-2009, 01:17
I agree with something Mags told me, that shelters are OK in bad weather and if you have it to yourself. Even then, I have a hard time sleeping on a plank floor when 1/4 mile on you can find a virgin campsite in deep soft leaf duff.

Last week I came upon a nice little cabin in a semi-blizzard up on the Mogollon Rim (Arizona Trail). The cabin was snug, warm, dry. It was snowing, 50 mph winds, temps dropping into the teens outside. The cabin floor was wood plank with rodent droppings all around. I slept outside, thinking of the couple of lousy nights I tried to sleep in AT shelters.

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-01-2009, 01:18
Personal safety. Many shelters are too close to roads and the recent postings on the recent alleged assault is a valid call to only use shelters for what they are intended for; brief stops or inclement weather only.
Many forests ask you not to set up a tent, because every time 1 of us makes camp that is one more spot we have marked. Me personally, I think most of us are responsible, and the little wear we show grows over in a day or 2, but to say they are only intended to be used for brief stops and inclement weather, is the opposite of what I have always been taught. Was I taught wrong?

zoidfu
05-01-2009, 01:22
Many forests ask you not to set up a tent, because every time 1 of us makes camp that is one more spot we have marked. Me personally, I think most of us are responsible, and the little wear we show grows over in a day or 2, but to say they are only intended to be used for brief stops and inclement weather, is the opposite of what I have always been taught. Was I taught wrong?

I always thought there were set up to centralize things and minimize impact too... and that's turned them into dumps but hey, I like them and even worse, I like privies.

McKeever
05-01-2009, 01:30
Many forests ask you not to set up a tent, because every time 1 of us makes camp that is one more spot we have marked. Me personally, I think most of us are responsible, and the little wear we show grows over in a day or 2, but to say they are only intended to be used for brief stops and inclement weather, is the opposite of what I have always been taught. Was I taught wrong?

Some areas have fragile soils or super heavy use so camping regs are necessary. Outside of regulated areas such as National Forests where camping is allowed at large, which is most of the trail, stealth camping far away from shelters and over used beauty spots is encouraged and should become the norm rather than always shooting for a shelter to stay in.

sloopjonboswell
05-01-2009, 01:32
you wanna at least see em, 99 reasons why you might not wanna stay are obvious, (too far off the trail, ++people,) usually a good water source nearby.

sloopjonboswell
05-01-2009, 01:39
nothing like finding and empty shelter around nine or ten pm.

sloopjonboswell
05-01-2009, 01:40
soon you will be dancing with fan dango.

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-01-2009, 01:43
I am shocked to see so many people who don't like them. I really like the shelters on the At. I have only had 1 bad experience in 1 which I mention earlier lol. I think other than meeting cool people, what I like most is having a table to cook on that is under a roof. I have a handmade Alcohol jet stove that I love, but unlike the penny stoves you have to set your pot/pan right on the stove, so you need a decently stable and level surface to cook on.

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-01-2009, 01:47
Talking about shelters. One of my first hikes was outside of Black mountain NC. We were told the Mountain was called High Windy. At the top was a fire tower, and a great shelter, which had a sliding wooden door, a fireplace, and a deck that jutted right over the cliff. I hiked it again in 2000, and the shelter was gone, does anyone know the name of the mountain, and what happened to the shelter?

McKeever
05-01-2009, 01:47
I don't dislike shelters and you're right, they are usually good hydro stops, places to rest, and a decent place to cook and eat. Then it's time to move on up the trail for a pristine campsite (w/o disturbing vegetation).

sloopjonboswell
05-01-2009, 02:04
if it wasn't for low gap shelter and bsa i would never have hiked the whole thing. shelters are especially cool for first-time a.t. hikers, read the log, make breakfast etc.

i think everyone would agree that they are helpful for one reason or another. just a part of the experience. except i'm pretty sure lw will still say shelters suck.

pc

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-01-2009, 02:26
if it wasn't for low gap shelter and bsa i would never have hiked the whole thing. shelters are especially cool for first-time a.t. hikers, read the log, make breakfast etc.

i think everyone would agree that they are helpful for one reason or another. just a part of the experience. except i'm pretty sure lw will still say shelters suck.

pcNice answer lol

The Mechanical Man
05-01-2009, 03:24
Shelters in the South are very full of rodents, always lots of mice, woods rats, and or worse................and way too many people trying to share them.

In the North, it is the same problem ongoing, it's just that Hauntivirus has actually been found here a few years ago, a thru-hiker almost died here on this section of PA years ago.

All AT Hiking clubs should have learned by now, how to set rodent bait stations at every shelter on the AT, or be required by law, to pay expert exterminators to do weekly visits to all shelters, to rebait traps and refill all bait stations, or else just shut them all down due to the unsanitary conditions.
Just like any Best Western, Mcdonalds, or Super 8 Motel,..........Long distance hiking, and The AT, is a huge business, and we all deserve the protection.
End Of Problem

Egads
05-01-2009, 06:02
Shelters are very full of rodents, always lots of mice, and or worse................and way too many people trying to share them.

what he said - I have a hard enough time sleeping w/o the jerks talking or making noise past hiker's midnight

Lone Wolf
05-01-2009, 06:38
except i'm pretty sure lw will still say shelters suck.



yup because i could give 2 poos about the gossip log and i cook breakfast outside my tent or in the vestibule, etc

CowHead
05-01-2009, 06:57
Maryland shelters are fairly nice spots to stop for lunch or sleep. And most of them seem to be anywhere from a quarter mile to half a mile off the beated path. Alot of times though I like sleeping in the hammock only under adverse weather conditions do I stay in the shelter at night

Jaybird
05-01-2009, 06:58
I have seen quite a few posts, where people bad mouth shelters. I don't get it, I like the shelters on the trail, although I also like setting up my own setup when hiking the smaller trails. The thing I like the most about the shelters is you get to meet tons of people. So tell me if you like or hate the shelters and why please.:)


The PEOPLE factor is why I prefer shelters...but, will tent if need be (I always take my tent!)...i'm not a fan of the mice...but, have accepted them as a shelter fact of life.:D

See ya'll out there MAY 2-14 w/ "Jigsaw" & "Model-T"...Harpers Ferry,WV to Swatara Gap,PA

MintakaCat
05-01-2009, 07:01
I like going to shelters and signing LW's name in the gossip log, lol.

But seriously, I've never seen the why folks want to get away from it all by hitting the trail and turn right around and sleep in a shelter with mice, snoring, etc. I don't mind stopping by a shelter and taking a photo and saying hi to whoever is there, but I wouldn't want to sleep in one. I mean, it's just a wood box.

amac
05-01-2009, 07:25
...be required by law, to pay expert exterminators to do weekly visits to all shelters, to rebait traps and refill all bait stations, or else just shut them all down due to the unsanitary conditions.
Just like any Best Western, Mcdonalds, or Super 8 Motel,..........Long distance hiking, and The AT, is a huge business, and we all deserve the protection.

I sure I'm going to be corrected on this, but I understand that our trails wouldn't be trails without the voluteers that keep them up and the trail clubs live off donations. That tells me there's not a hole lot of money out there for them. If we start legislating requirements that can't be met, we will lose the trails.

zoidfu
05-01-2009, 07:31
I think of sleeping in a shelter as exercising my immune system.

winger
05-01-2009, 08:11
Never stayed in a shelter and hope I never have to, I view them as "emergency" structures and as such I avoid them. I'm perfectly fine hanging in my hammock, listening to the birds and the wind.

modiyooch
05-01-2009, 08:15
absolutely 100% MICE I like nature, but I do NOT want nature scurrying around or over me, specifically rodents.

SlowLightTrek
05-01-2009, 08:41
Well I read alot of post about the mice at the shelters. I kinda liked the mice. Little pitter patter of little feet running was kinda cool imo. Helped me fall asleep. I stayed in shelters almost all of the time. If it was too crowded (more than 4 or so), I pitched my tent unless it was raining. There were alot of jerks but there were just as many nice people. Kinda like in the real world imo.

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-01-2009, 09:08
I don't know about liked the mice lol, but they never bothered me. My nephew on the other hand I sure you all read about the mice robbing him. Another night we both woke up to the Squeak Squeak, sounded like this mouse was getting the crap beat out of him or something. As it turned out, he had gotten to close to my nephew and he rolled over on the little guy lol. I bet that mouse has stayed far away from sleeping hikers ever since.

jrnj5k
05-01-2009, 09:26
Well the ground is dirty and it makes my stuff dirtier. They also make my gear smell. The ground is hard and uncomfortable.

Chaco Taco
05-01-2009, 09:35
Mice
Snorers
A**hole hikers that go to be before dark and wake up and complain.
Weirdo factor
Wilderness experience
too many people bunched up
Light in your face in the middle of the night when someone has to pee or poop
The overall sanitation of shelters is awful

Many Walks
05-01-2009, 09:41
Hmmmm, and not one post about the muddy wet dogs getting all over your gear.

I like shelters because they're a good place for everyone to pile up while we find a nice place to camp elsewhere.

fredmugs
05-01-2009, 09:56
I don't like shelters because they kill my back. I use a hammock and try to sleep near shelters but never in them. Shelters normally have reliable water sources nearby, bear cables, etc. Plus, since I typically hike SOBO, I can get good intel from the shelter dwellers who have just hiked NOBO.

Big Red 68
05-01-2009, 11:02
the best part i like about getting to a shelter is using a picnic table for cooking, not to say i can't get along without the pinic table. it's just nice to have a seat after 8- 10 hours of walking and eat a hot meal.

Footslogger
05-01-2009, 11:06
I have seen quite a few posts, where people bad mouth shelters. I don't get it, I like the shelters on the trail, although I also like setting up my own setup when hiking the smaller trails. The thing I like the most about the shelters is you get to meet tons of people. So tell me if you like or hate the shelters and why please.:)
========================

I don't particularly like them, for all the reasons stated so far in previous posts. That said ...during my thru in 2003 we went 2 months straight with 3 weeks of non-stop rain - - morning, noon and night. As much as I dislike shelters I have to admit it was nice to get in out of the rain now and then and spend a dry night.

'Slogger

TJ aka Teej
05-01-2009, 11:20
My opinion of lean-tos is in direct relationship to who is in them. Good company always makes the experience better. It's also good to factor in what 'Slogger mentions above - that at times 'shelter' is just what you need.

Mags
05-01-2009, 15:37
As Garlic said, I only use shelters IF the weather is bad AND it is not crowded.

When I hiked the Whites this past October, my buddy Tim and I had the whole shelter to ourselves on a cold, rainy day. Easier than pitchng a tent. :)

OTOH, when I did the AT even on a crappy day, I'd pitch a tent outside in bad weather if the place was crowded.


My compromise was as others have stated: Socialize at the lean-tos, but camp a little away from them. Privacy at night and socialization at dinner.

Best of both worlds.

peakbagger
05-01-2009, 15:38
I did most of my section hiking in the off season when thru hikers were typically elsewhere on the trail. Usually we would have the shelters to ourselves or occasionally weekenders or SOBO's. The mice and varmits were far less noticable. Pure speculation on my part is that the mice and other varmits tend to multiply when the food source multiplies as the surge goes through. When we did get on the edge of the thruhiker "surge", things could get less pleasant on occasion usually due to a sense of entitlement expressed by a small but vocal minority of thru hikers. I also observed that there is some sort of shelter manners do tend to get developed as the surge stretches out and the nights on the trail increases.

That said, some of the shelters are just plain old, beat up decrepid places that are best avoided. PA had its share, which I attribute to the easy access from roads and partying which probably leads to the local clubs not wanting to make them nice. Unfortunately that frequently applies to the privies also.

Linesman
05-01-2009, 16:26
In a Maine AT shelter's log book I once saw an entry complaining about a couple having loud sex in a shelter while this thru hiker was trying to sleep. He even drew a diagram to show their close proximity to him...

Engine
05-01-2009, 16:47
In a Maine AT shelter's log book I once saw an entry complaining about a couple having loud sex in a shelter while this thru hiker was trying to sleep. He even drew a diagram to show their close proximity to him...

That lacks class.

Tipi Walter
05-01-2009, 17:16
The thing I like the most about the shelters is you get to meet tons of people. :)

This seems to me to be one of the lamest reasons to like shelters. Going to a Mall or hanging out at the DMV would be another way to meet tons of people.


Many forests ask you not to set up a tent, because every time 1 of us makes camp that is one more spot we have marked. Me personally, I think most of us are responsible, and the little wear we show grows over in a day or 2, but to say they are only intended to be used for brief stops and inclement weather, is the opposite of what I have always been taught. Was I taught wrong?

A huge persentage of "forests" do not restrict tent useage. And there are no shelters on a vast percentage of national forests and wilderness areas. AT shelters represent more of man's useless cleverness in all things natural and another tourist toll booth off the foot trail highway exit. Haven't we seen enough of buildings, structures, and over built homes? I go to the woods to get away from such boxes.

Chaco Taco
05-01-2009, 17:17
In a Maine AT shelter's log book I once saw an entry complaining about a couple having loud sex in a shelter while this thru hiker was trying to sleep. He even drew a diagram to show their close proximity to him...

HAHAHA I think I remember that. :sun

hammock engineer
05-01-2009, 17:30
In a Maine AT shelter's log book I once saw an entry complaining about a couple having loud sex in a shelter while this thru hiker was trying to sleep. He even drew a diagram to show their close proximity to him...


That lacks class.


Or originality.

hammock engineer
05-01-2009, 17:31
I did most of my section hiking in the off season when thru hikers were typically elsewhere on the trail. Usually we would have the shelters to ourselves or occasionally weekenders or SOBO's. The mice and varmits were far less noticable. Pure speculation on my part is that the mice and other varmits tend to multiply when the food source multiplies as the surge goes through. When we did get on the edge of the thruhiker "surge", things could get less pleasant on occasion usually due to a sense of entitlement expressed by a small but vocal minority of thru hikers. I also observed that there is some sort of shelter manners do tend to get developed as the surge stretches out and the nights on the trail increases.

That said, some of the shelters are just plain old, beat up decrepid places that are best avoided. PA had its share, which I attribute to the easy access from roads and partying which probably leads to the local clubs not wanting to make them nice. Unfortunately that frequently applies to the privies also.


This debate will never stop. Loved them southbound from October through January. I think maybe 8 or 10 of the nights, including the smokies were with people I wasn't hiking with. We even carried a tarp just for tarping off the front of them. Makes a huge difference in the cold.

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-01-2009, 17:37
This seems to me to be one of the lamest reasons to like shelters. Going to a Mall or hanging out at the DMV would be another way to meet tons of people.




Your right Tipi, if I wanted to meet a bunch 13 year old girls who think Hiking is a dish in a chinese restaurant, I would go to the mall, but I actually like to meet like minded hikers with a love of the great outdoors. I could positively count the number of people within an hour of me who enjoy hiking on 1 hand.

Tipi Walter
05-01-2009, 17:44
Your right Tipi, if I wanted to meet a bunch 13 year old girls who think Hiking is a dish in a chinese restaurant, I would go to the mall, but I actually like to meet like minded hikers with a love of the great outdoors. I could positively count the number of people within an hour of me who enjoy hiking on 1 hand.

Granted, backpacking can at times be a lonely endeavor, but it must be remembered that the burn-out rate is high after spending a day or two with a crowd of backpacking strangers. The AT is as good a trail as any to meet people, but for me this should come in small doses with frequent time for solitude.

And I live in east TN, so I know how hard it is to find like-minded backpackers to hit the trails with. There's always the AT when I need my human-fix. Ain't too often, nowadays.

Engine
05-01-2009, 17:50
Granted, backpacking can at times be a lonely endeavor, but it must be remembered that the burn-out rate is high after spending a day or two with a crowd of backpacking strangers. The AT is as good a trail as any to meet people, but for me this should come in small doses with frequent time for solitude.

And I live in east TN, so I know how hard it is to find like-minded backpackers to hit the trails with. There's always the AT when I need my human-fix. Ain't too often, nowadays.

Tipi,
If you ever want to hike with someone, I'd be happy to head that way for a few days of time in the woods (work permitting). I'm sure I'd learn a lot (being sincere here) and would find the experience enjoyable.

Tipi Walter
05-01-2009, 17:53
Tipi,
If you ever want to hike with someone, I'd be happy to head that way for a few days of time in the woods (work permitting). I'm sure I'd learn a lot (being sincere here) and would find the experience enjoyable.

Anytime you feel like it, come on up and we'll plan something.

Egads
05-01-2009, 18:11
Well the ground is dirty and it makes my stuff dirtier. They also make my gear smell. The ground is hard and uncomfortable.

Sounds like a candidate to try out a hammock

Engine
05-01-2009, 18:13
I was trying to figure out why the ground would be any harder than a shelter platform...

Chaco Taco
05-01-2009, 18:15
Well the ground is dirty and it makes my stuff dirtier. They also make my gear smell. The ground is hard and uncomfortable.

Then what are you doin hiking???:rolleyes:

Egads
05-01-2009, 18:15
In a Maine AT shelter's log book I once saw an entry complaining about a couple having loud sex in a shelter while this thru hiker was trying to sleep. He even drew a diagram to show their close proximity to him...


That lacks class.

Which one lacks class, the people making happy or the artist?

Chaco Taco
05-01-2009, 18:15
Or originality.
and virginity:banana

hammock engineer
05-01-2009, 18:16
Sounds like a candidate to try out a hammock


I hammock in the shelter. Now we're talking. Done it and loved it. Best tarp I ever used.

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-01-2009, 18:18
I am so snail paced it isn't even funny lol, when I do bump into hikers going the same way I am, I only see them the one night. I do get sore from the planks though. I have been debating on whether or not to build a bridge hammock, I would still stay right next to the shelter though. I must be stranger than I thought lol.

Engine
05-01-2009, 18:45
Which one lacks class, the people making happy or the artist?

The making happy inches away from others who then become unwilling (I assume) participants due to proximity. As for the artist, I thought that was a little odd as well. If I was upset by the act I would be making this:

o
o o
o o o
o o o o o
x x x x x x x x
x x
x x

Engine
05-01-2009, 18:47
That didn't work as planned...it was supposed to be a 5/3/3 defense against the old flying wing offense. :-?

cowboy nichols
05-01-2009, 18:58
I have to agree with L W on this one ! I hiked for years and never saw a shelter until the AT, I thought they were for emergenies. I tent with my dog.

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-01-2009, 19:05
Maybe i will grow to dislike them like everyone else lol. I had only seen a few cabins on the west coast and never one in my favorite place to hike Montana, and maybe I have just gotten lazy as I have gotten older lol. I wish there were more like one I had stayed in as a kid, it was a huge 1 room 32 feet by 32 feet building with a fireplace and a sliding wooden door that led to a 32 x 8 foot deck that jutted right off the cliff (it was prolly only a 16x16 building but I was small so go with me lol)

Egads
05-01-2009, 19:22
The making happy inches away from others who then become unwilling (I assume) participants due to proximity. As for the artist, I thought that was a little odd as well. If I was upset by the act I would be making this:

o
o o
o o o
o o o o o
x x x x x x x x
x x
x x

Ok, I thought is was snowballs stacked up on the table in front of the shelter.

Engine
05-01-2009, 19:50
Ok, I thought is was snowballs stacked up on the table in front of the shelter.

Yeah, my computer graphics skills need work. :)

aaronthebugbuffet
05-01-2009, 20:22
I find sleeping in the shelter very uncomfortable. I would rather be on a soft bed of leaves or pine needles than on the wood.

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-01-2009, 20:48
Yep Aaron, I will give you that one all day long. I have slept on jagged rocks more comfortable than the shelters lol. I am shocked so many people responded to this post. It seems like the answer is
1. Mice
2. Nasty inconsiderate hikers
3. Hard wood
does that about nail it?

winger
05-01-2009, 20:50
Most of us hike for the solitude....I could wax poetic...but it means not dealing with a lot of other 2 legged creatures, in confined quarters, and being able to leave most of humanity behind.

Skidsteer
05-01-2009, 20:59
I am shocked to see so many people who don't like them. I really like the shelters on the At. I have only had 1 bad experience in 1 which I mention earlier lol. I think other than meeting cool people, what I like most is having a table to cook on that is under a roof. I have a handmade Alcohol jet stove that I love, but unlike the penny stoves you have to set your pot/pan right on the stove, so you need a decently stable and level surface to cook on.


I have seen quite a few posts, where people bad mouth shelters. I don't get it, I like the shelters on the trail, although I also like setting up my own setup when hiking the smaller trails. The thing I like the most about the shelters is you get to meet tons of people. So tell me if you like or hate the shelters and why please.:)

They are cold in Winter, buggy in Summer, and filthy year-round.

I understand the social aspect but would you sleep on a saloon floor if you could walk out the door?

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-01-2009, 21:01
Most of us hike for the solitude....I could wax poetic...but it means not dealing with a lot of other 2 legged creatures, in confined quarters, and being able to leave most of humanity behind.
Yep I am weird then lol. I have always hiked with a partner or brought a group of people. My nephew is one of the best trail partners I ever had, he is very quiet while we hike, isn't in any hurry, and he has a slight fear of heights, so when I am doing something stupid like climbing some big a55 rock jutting from a mountain he is more than happy to sit back and watch and probably 1 day rescue my dumb self. The thing is I love meeting new people, I don't want to be stuck with a big group of new people all day, but a couple of hours of conversation at night and a few friendly words in the morning is awesome.

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-01-2009, 21:03
They are cold in Winter, buggy in Summer, and filthy year-round.

I understand the social aspect but would you sleep on a saloon floor if you could walk out the door?
Skidster you may have just convinced me to make myself a bridge hammock lol

Linesman
05-01-2009, 21:06
Yeah, my computer graphics skills need work. :)
You werent on the AT in Maine in the summer of 2007 were you? Your name sounds familiar.

Tin Man
05-01-2009, 21:13
I find sleeping in the shelter very uncomfortable. I would rather be on a soft bed of leaves or pine needles than on the wood.

you get it


They are cold in Winter, buggy in Summer, and filthy year-round.

I understand the social aspect but would you sleep on a saloon floor if you could walk out the door?

That's IT! the shelter folk like to pass out where they drink

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-01-2009, 21:20
Funny thing is I don't drink lol

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-01-2009, 21:20
guess I really really really need to sew myself a bridge hammock now lol

Tin Man
05-01-2009, 21:23
Funny thing is I don't drink lol

you sleep in a filthy shelter sober? you must be impaired some other way then :-?

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-01-2009, 21:35
I haven't seen any filthy shelters maybe I have been lucky. I did find 3 pair of underwear once, that was pretty gross, other than that nothing but dust. I lay my ground cover down and put my bivy on top of that with a sleeping bag in it. Truth be told the only place I have seen people drinking on the trail were the shelters close to the roads and in the Hostels. The hostels I can deal with it just for the shower and shelters near the roads I hike past

Tin Man
05-01-2009, 22:22
Wow, losing both your sight and sense of smell. What a shame.

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-01-2009, 22:28
Must be insult me night, maybe I have gotten lucky and found shelters where responsible hikers like myself have come through and cleaned. I don't know. Like I said I have seen a little trash like I found a couple of propane bottles, can of coleman fuel, 3 pairs of underwear, a plastic container of lintels, multiple lighters, and assorted small pieces of debri in the fire pits, and that was just on my last 2 weeker. All in all though, I have found clean shelters, friendly people, and a nice place to camp, whether it be in the shelter or next to it.

Tin Man
05-01-2009, 22:31
lighten up, people are just teasing you...


... i like it when people camp at the shelter, makes it easier to know who the noobs are :)

Chaco Taco
05-01-2009, 22:32
Must be insult me night, maybe I have gotten lucky and found shelters where responsible hikers like myself have come through and cleaned. I don't know. Like I said I have seen a little trash like I found a couple of propane bottles, can of coleman fuel, 3 pairs of underwear, a plastic container of lintels, multiple lighters, and assorted small pieces of debri in the fire pits, and that was just on my last 2 weeker. All in all though, I have found clean shelters, friendly people, and a nice place to camp, whether it be in the shelter or next to it.

If you live in NC do you hike in NC? We have got some of the nastiest shelters on the AT.

Tin Man
05-01-2009, 22:33
If you live in NC do you hike in NC? We have got some of the nastiest shelters on the AT.

nastier than govenor clemente in VT??

Chaco Taco
05-01-2009, 22:36
nastier than govenor clemente in VT??
Yea that one was awful. Im just saying in terms of numbers. Shelters like Icewater Springs is a nice new shelter, but it is nasty with it bein close to Newfound. Rumored to be a great place to go and "do it". Saw a huge rat run out from the "porch" and into the brush

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-01-2009, 22:39
Yeah I hike here, my fam all lives around you lol. I go up do the fam thing for a few days then hit the trails. Maybe I am numb to it lol. I lived in Reading Pa for 7 long nasty years, the land fill in this county is cleaner than that town was lol.
I had just wondered what people didn't like about them, if the biggest thing is the trash, maybe there are others like me who will pick up the trash they see at the shelters. As for the mice, I don't know what to do about them, I live in the middle of a feild now and can not get rid of them lol. I have been rebuilding this house from the dirt up and it is like they own the place lol. I took the kitchen out, there was no food for a month in the house, not even a floor or anything but the exterior wall in that part of the house. I put duraboard in with metal flashing all around the kitchen and guess what? You guessed they came back lol.

Tin Man
05-01-2009, 22:39
Yea that one was awful. Im just saying in terms of numbers. Shelters like Icewater Springs is a nice new shelter, but it is nasty with it bein close to Newfound. Rumored to be a great place to go and "do it". Saw a huge rat run out from the "porch" and into the brush

'do it' ... huge rat ... um, sure

wiley shelter in ny is pretty nasty, just ask sasquatch :)

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-01-2009, 22:39
I really liked Icewater springs but maybe it was just because of the bird lol

Chaco Taco
05-01-2009, 22:42
Its what you cannot see that makes them so disgusting!

Chaco Taco
05-01-2009, 22:42
As for me, Ill take sleeping in the dirt, pinestraw, leaves anytime!

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-01-2009, 22:49
I will say one nice thing for the mice, if they are there the snakes aren't lol. I haven't seen as many mice in the house as I did when I moved in but I have had to take a few black snakes out of the house. I grabbed 5 or 6 in about a 1 month period, although I was letting them go accross the street so it may have been the same 2 lol. I finally took them a nile from the house and let them go in the swamp. I still have at least 1 blacksnake here, but he stays out of the living room lol so I let him be.

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-01-2009, 22:50
Chaco where in Asheville do you ive? and have you ben there a long time?

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-01-2009, 22:51
wow typo central on that last post huh

Chaco Taco
05-01-2009, 22:52
I will say one nice thing for the mice, if they are there the snakes aren't lol. I haven't seen as many mice in the house as I did when I moved in but I have had to take a few black snakes out of the house. I grabbed 5 or 6 in about a 1 month period, although I was letting them go accross the street so it may have been the same 2 lol. I finally took them a nile from the house and let them go in the swamp. I still have at least 1 blacksnake here, but he stays out of the living room lol so I let him be.

Snakes rarely bother people and keep the mice away. Dont even get me started on the bear/ shelter thing.

Chaco Taco
05-01-2009, 22:53
Chaco where in Asheville do you ive? and have you ben there a long time?

Near downtown. My fiancee and I moved here after we finished our hike. Been here since November. Love it love it.

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-01-2009, 23:01
It's a great city. As soon as I finish this House I will be moving back. I don't know if APC is as great as it once was but if you haven't tried it, it used to be one of the best restaurant/bars in town. Sorry APC is Asheville Pizza and Brewing company. It is an old theater on Merimon ave behind Brugers bagels.

Chaco Taco
05-01-2009, 23:03
It's a great city. As soon as I finish this House I will be moving back. I don't know if APC is as great as it once was but if you haven't tried it, it used to be one of the best restaurant/bars in town. Sorry APC is Asheville Pizza and Brewing company. It is an old theater on Merimon ave behind Brugers bagels.

Know it and their beer well.

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-01-2009, 23:13
LOL guess that means it is as heady as ever lol. I am bringing my nephew up in June, he is only 16 so no bars, but if u guys want to get together 1 day that would be awesome, we plan on hiking from the dome to the dam

mephisto
05-01-2009, 23:17
Well... I guess I'll shy away from shelters. :eek:

Tent sounds better anyway.

Tinker
05-01-2009, 23:36
'do it' ... huge rat ... um, sure

wiley shelter in ny is pretty nasty, just ask sasquatch :)

I had breakfast there (after sleeping off the trail the previous night) it is pretty run down and is quite close to the road.

It was nice to have a table to cook at. I think consideration should be given to tearing down the shelters once they get run down and putting up tent platforms. That may:rolleyes: keep some of the partiers from taking over the area. Some - not all.

Shelters are good for newbie hikers. I used them a lot from the seventies to the mid nineties when I decided that tenting was better for me. Now I hang around camp ;).

Engine
05-02-2009, 00:19
You werent on the AT in Maine in the summer of 2007 were you? Your name sounds familiar.

Nope, no Maine trips for me. I will be there in the fall of 2010 though...

Lone Wolf
05-02-2009, 03:32
Yea that one was awful. Im just saying in terms of numbers. Shelters like Icewater Springs is a nice new shelter, but it is nasty with it bein close to Newfound. Rumored to be a great place to go and "do it". Saw a huge rat run out from the "porch" and into the brush

icewater springs is no where near new

Tin Man
05-02-2009, 05:17
I had breakfast there (after sleeping off the trail the previous night) it is pretty run down and is quite close to the road.

It was nice to have a table to cook at. I think consideration should be given to tearing down the shelters once they get run down and putting up tent platforms. That may:rolleyes: keep some of the partiers from taking over the area. Some - not all.

agreed... but further from the road... tent pads, no wood


Shelters are good for newbie hikers. I used them a lot from the seventies to the mid nineties when I decided that tenting was better for me. Now I hang around camp ;).

That's the natural progression. Sounds like you were a long time coming around though. A little angel sent me my first hammock. Can't wait to try it out.

Downhill Trucker
05-02-2009, 05:30
Well I read alot of post about the mice at the shelters. I kinda liked the mice. Little pitter patter of little feet running was kinda cool imo. Helped me fall asleep. I stayed in shelters almost all of the time. If it was too crowded (more than 4 or so), I pitched my tent unless it was raining. There were alot of jerks but there were just as many nice people. Kinda like in the real world imo.

Shelters are kinda our link to the real world... good and bad. On the trail, they are definately what brings us back to civilization... but also reality and society. Maybe they do not have a place in the wilderness. The wilderness (IMHO) should remain wild. But is the "AT" that wild? I think part of the ATs history and culture lies in the shelters, and the hostels, and the towns and and mountains it traverses.

Cool thing about the AT is you can find solitude or trail culture. Usually about a mile away from each other!

I went to Yosemite last spring and it was a tourist trap. It was also remarkable land. Walk a mile or two away from a road, in any direction though... and you can find solitude. I rode trams but I also tramped on parts of the park no one has probably ever touched. The AT (and most of our "wild" land) is much the same.

The shelters should always remain on the AT. They provide a place to hunker down when the crap hits the fan or in the dog days of January. They're a great meeting place. They are historical and have trail logs for hikers who wish to communicate. I could go on...

They also kinda suck and if you want a wilderness experience, they are an eyesore. They usually support rodents... of MANY kinds. They're usually vandalized and too close to roads. They can be crowded. I could go on...

My point is: I love the AT shelters. They are part of the AT. If I don't want to see them I'll hike the CDT or bushwack in NorCal or suburbial Baltimore. Or maybe I'll hike to the Corbin Cabin in Shenandoah. Sleep with generation old rodents and drink moonshine and burn lots of deadfall.

It's all GOOD!

Lion King
05-02-2009, 06:55
My personal list of why I avoid them, even in the smokies


1. SNORERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

2. Mice crawling on me

3. Random group farting

4. Late arrivals without sense to tent or to be quiet enough to to bug others

5. Those who get up at 5 a.m. and make a ton of noise and talk at full volume...jerks.

6. People who sleep on plastic anything, as it crinkles and crunches everytime the breath, move or turn.

7. Hantivirus...prbably spelled it wrong, but who cares.

8. SNORERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you know you snore and you choose to keep others awake in a shelter becasue of your horrible snoring, then you sir/maddam are a selfish person who needs to understand that you should, if in fact you know you snore, put up your damn tent like 200 yards away from the shelter...in fact...put it up on the CDT if you snore like a elephant getting raped by a gorilla.

Chaco Taco
05-02-2009, 09:40
My personal list of why I avoid them, even in the smokies


1. SNORERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

2. Mice crawling on me

3. Random group farting

4. Late arrivals without sense to tent or to be quiet enough to to bug others

5. Those who get up at 5 a.m. and make a ton of noise and talk at full volume...jerks.

6. People who sleep on plastic anything, as it crinkles and crunches everytime the breath, move or turn.

7. Hantivirus...prbably spelled it wrong, but who cares.

8. SNORERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you know you snore and you choose to keep others awake in a shelter becasue of your horrible snoring, then you sir/maddam are a selfish person who needs to understand that you should, if in fact you know you snore, put up your damn tent like 200 yards away from the shelter...in fact...put it up on the CDT if you snore like a elephant getting raped by a gorilla.

Great getting your perspective Lion King. Actually its funny you mention some of these things esp the plastic comment. I was at Lake of the Clouds last year. This one guy was asleep on a table with a plastic cover under him, sounded like thunder every time he moved. Also had a female snoring on the other side of the room. The positive thing is that I got up early enough to get to the top of Washington to see the sunrise and have the summit to myself for 3 hours.

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-02-2009, 09:58
Lionking Guess you won't be asking me to hike with you anytime soon lol. I don't know how loud I snore. I ask people around me, warn others and apologize profusely. People always say I do not snore bad, but I had a relationship fail because of my snoring. I used to buy breathe right strips when i would spend the night at her house, and she said they helped, guess I should add them to my pack.

Desert Reprobate
05-02-2009, 10:03
I don't like to share my farts and snores.

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-02-2009, 10:25
I don't like to share my farts and snores.I don't either, but I can't figure out how to snore them and save them for later, so want not waste not lol

SunnyWalker
05-02-2009, 19:55
I like to walk by the shelters if they are not too far off the trail. I like to use the picnic tables too. I have never slept in one but have hung nearby and used the bear cable. That was nice. I have admired many of them and thought about making a photo collection -photo of each shelter. Surely though someone has already done that. Some are pretty neat looking and all. I don't plan on staying in one. I suppose I might if the weather was real bad. But i will try to be prepared for that so I do not have to stay in the shelter. Everyone I talked to when actually on the AT who slept in the shelters talked of mice problems. I am not scared of mice, but think this would cause a sanitation problem. Who knows where those little mice feet have trodded?

Tin Man
05-02-2009, 20:00
I don't like to share my farts and snores.

I like to share... now that I have learned to outdo my brother in our tent. :D

people who complain about any of this stuff going on in a shelter are just plain, spanking nuts, use the fracking shelter that you carry already, it ain't that hard

Tin Man
05-02-2009, 20:03
it is really simple folks... would you sleep on a pool hall barroom floor after a long night of underage drinking, barfing, and pissing, and that has NEVER EVER seen a mop???

Blue Jay
05-03-2009, 09:46
it is really simple folks... would you sleep on a pool hall barroom floor after a long night of underage drinking, barfing, and pissing, and that has NEVER EVER seen a mop???

OK now your drama has gone waaaay too far. Once in a while someone drinks in a shelter. I've never seen or smelled piss or vomit in one. A bar has many people in it almost every night. A shelter has no one in it for the majority of the year. As for never ever being cleaned, you are insulting every single maintainer along the trail. Many care as much about their shelter than you are terrified of them. What's real simple is that you are just a little paranoid.

saimyoji
05-03-2009, 09:53
What's real simple is that you are just a little paranoid.

just because you are paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get ya

warraghiyagey
05-03-2009, 09:55
just because you are paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get ya
-Steve Earl-

Tin Man
05-03-2009, 09:56
just because you are paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get ya

after witnessing the barroom scene at different shelters a few times, my paranoia must have got the better of me, my apologies to those that actually dig that scene :rolleyes:

saimyoji
05-03-2009, 10:28
after witnessing the barroom scene at different shelters a few times, my paranoia must have got the better of me, my apologies to those that actually dig that scene :rolleyes:

you should probably take less booze with ya. :)

mudhead
05-03-2009, 10:47
it is really simple folks... would you sleep on a pool hall barroom floor after a long night of underage drinking, barfing, and pissing, and that has NEVER EVER seen a mop???

Ain't been a young buck in a long, long time.

Nearly Normal
05-03-2009, 13:14
it is really simple folks... would you sleep on a pool hall barroom floor after a long night of underage drinking, barfing, and pissing, and that has NEVER EVER seen a mop???

That'a what the bears, racoons and mice are for.

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-03-2009, 14:12
That'a what the bears, racoons and mice are for.Mice are some wonderful creatures when it comes to cleaning up messes aren't they lol. They eat all the dropped food, and make nests out of all the trash, and all they leave behind are hard dry pellets which are easilly swept away lol

vonfrick
05-03-2009, 15:15
nastier than govenor clemente in VT??

does anyone actually ever stay there?? puhlease

warraghiyagey
05-03-2009, 17:02
does anyone actually ever stay there?? puhlease
Nope. . . secret shelter too close by . . . :)

Tin Man
05-03-2009, 20:13
does anyone actually ever stay there?? puhlease


Nope. . . secret shelter too close by . . . :)

we stealthed near the shelter. turned out no one was there, so we used the fire ring for a bit, then went back to our site to bed. we were awoken around 2am to the sound of atv's and gunfire! fortunately, they didn't stay long. we heard about the secret shelter, but somehow missed the sign we heard was posted in the tree. we were told later that there are directions in the shelter log before the site.

Panzer1
05-04-2009, 21:09
...And I know what you mean about the nasty people using the bathroom, I stayed at 1 that the Jon was about 150 yards away and it was raining, some a55 let his kid stand under the awning and Sh1t right next to the shelter...

That's so nasty.

Panzer

Tin Man
05-04-2009, 21:21
That's so nasty.

Panzer

sh1t next to a shelter ain't that unusual. disgusting places.

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-04-2009, 21:27
sh1t next to a shelter ain't that unusual. disgusting places.
Yeah I was pretty mad. I understand it was raining pretty bad, but hey throw on a rain coat and hit the privy. This guy and his kids were so scared of the rain they wouldn't go get their packs off the bear line, so I got all 3 of their packs including the father so they could have dry gear. 2 other hikers had stayed at the shelter that night, and they must have had a gut feeling because despite the pouring rain they threw on their packs and left b4 this happened lol.

Kanati
05-04-2009, 22:25
Lionking Guess you won't be asking me to hike with you anytime soon lol. I don't know how loud I snore. I ask people around me, warn others and apologize profusely. People always say I do not snore bad, but I had a relationship fail because of my snoring. I used to buy breathe right strips when i would spend the night at her house, and she said they helped, guess I should add them to my pack.

It may have not been your snoring LOL. Females can be very creative when they want to get their way!!!!

:banana:banana

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-04-2009, 22:29
It may have not been your snoring LOL. Females can be very creative when they want to get their way!!!!

:banana:banana
Funny!! No she complained about my snoring from day 1. There were plenty of reasons the relationship failed, probably the biggest was she didn't know how to keep her clothes on or legs closed, 2 facts that I should have gathered when she told me she modeled nude for low rent porn mags, and maybe the fact she had slept with her bosses brother for 250 dollars lol. What can I say I was blind

garlic08
05-04-2009, 22:51
Early in my hike, I stopped at a shelter table for lunch and got tired of some arrogant jerk spouting off against light gear (HMHDI!). So I walked around the side to get some peace to finish my lunch and sat down right next to a wad of used toilet paper. Fortunately, that was probably my worst hour on the entire AT, maybe because I stayed away from shelters after that.

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-04-2009, 23:12
ok again color me stupid but HMHDI?

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-04-2009, 23:13
never mind I googled it lol

10-K
05-28-2009, 04:49
I don't like shelters but I'll stay in one if it's raining or going to rain because I like carrying a wet tent even less.

Dr O
05-28-2009, 06:06
Funny!! No she complained about my snoring from day 1. There were plenty of reasons the relationship failed, probably the biggest was she didn't know how to keep her clothes on or legs closed, 2 facts that I should have gathered when she told me she modeled nude for low rent porn mags, and maybe the fact she had slept with her bosses brother for 250 dollars lol. What can I say I was blind

things that make you go hmmmmm

slickgoku
08-27-2009, 22:37
Well, a lot of people go hiking to get away from people, why spend a night with a bunch of sick mofos when you can go down the trail, set up a tent and have a nice night to yourself!

Trailweaver
08-28-2009, 00:38
I like to meet and talk to folks staying at the shelters, but would never sleep in one simply because of the lack of privacy. I go to the shelters when I can, and camp close to one, but far enough away so that I don't get the mice.

superman
08-28-2009, 04:07
Shelters are filled with communist perverts.:)

Rockhound
08-28-2009, 07:50
5:00 am alarms. why? why? why? If you leave by 9:00 you can still get 8 to 10 hours of hiking in each day with plenty of time to make camp. The most beneficial sleep comes in the last couple of hours before you wake. That good REM sleep. Quiet hours 10:00 to 6:00. Sometimes I like to stay up a little later and sometimes I like to wake up a little later but 10:00 to 6:00 sounds reasonable if you are at a shelter with others.

Gray Blazer
08-28-2009, 07:52
My son talked me into staying at the Roan Cabin this summer. The mice ate all his trail mix and tore up my tissue.

Lone Wolf
08-28-2009, 07:54
5:00 am alarms. why? why? why? If you leave by 9:00 you can still get 8 to 10 hours of hiking in each day with plenty of time to make camp. The most beneficial sleep comes in the last couple of hours before you wake. That good REM sleep. Quiet hours 10:00 to 6:00. Sometimes I like to stay up a little later and sometimes I like to wake up a little later but 10:00 to 6:00 sounds reasonable if you are at a shelter with others.

quit sniveling. go set up a tent

Homer&Marje
08-28-2009, 08:02
5:00 am alarms. why? why? why? If you leave by 9:00 you can still get 8 to 10 hours of hiking in each day with plenty of time to make camp. The most beneficial sleep comes in the last couple of hours before you wake. That good REM sleep. Quiet hours 10:00 to 6:00. Sometimes I like to stay up a little later and sometimes I like to wake up a little later but 10:00 to 6:00 sounds reasonable if you are at a shelter with others.


Why must you feel the need to tell people when to get up? I don't ever set an alarm but generally am up at 430-5 am and on the trail by 7 the latest if I can. I try to be as quiet as I can leaving a shelter or campsite, as I expect people to be as quiet as they can at night...although I generally can sleep through a fire pit party.

Sorry barely make it to 10pm at home...in the woods after hiking I'm in bed at 8. I like to hike early, get to camp early and relax. Plus...you can catch some good sunrises. We hike slow...you can catch a cat nap on the trail:D

mister krabs
08-28-2009, 08:41
Funny!! No she complained about my snoring from day 1. There were plenty of reasons the relationship failed, probably the biggest was she didn't know how to keep her clothes on or legs closed, 2 facts that I should have gathered when she told me she modeled nude for low rent porn mags, and maybe the fact she had slept with her bosses brother for 250 dollars lol. What can I say I was blind


This comment is useless without pictures. :banana

Rockhound
08-28-2009, 09:28
Funny!! No she complained about my snoring from day 1. There were plenty of reasons the relationship failed, probably the biggest was she didn't know how to keep her clothes on or legs closed, 2 facts that I should have gathered when she told me she modeled nude for low rent porn mags, and maybe the fact she had slept with her bosses brother for 250 dollars lol. What can I say I was blind
So you're saying she's available now?

modiyooch
08-28-2009, 10:23
I have seen quite a few posts, where people bad mouth shelters. I don't get it, I like the shelters on the trail, although I also like setting up my own setup when hiking the smaller trails. The thing I like the most about the shelters is you get to meet tons of people. So tell me if you like or hate the shelters and why please.:)
pure and simple. MICE. I can't even visit them during the day now because they are getting bolder and terrorizing me during lunch breaks. I saw a FAT mouse at Happy Hill Shelter and made a very quick exit. I thought that mice were nocturnal. Now they watch you prepare lunch. I for one don't consider mice part of the wilderness experience, but associate them with trash.

mudhead
08-28-2009, 10:34
5:00 am alarms. why? why? why? If you leave by 9:00

If you can sleep past 5AM, or have to ask why? I could never convince you that it is the best part of the day.

Rockhound
08-28-2009, 12:05
If you can sleep past 5AM, or have to ask why? I could never convince you that it is the best part of the day.
I can stay up past 8:00 pm too.

mudhead
08-28-2009, 12:47
I can stay up past 8:00 pm too.

You urbanites are so sophisticated. I have had poor luck making it to halftime in a number of years.

jersey joe
08-28-2009, 12:51
5:00 am alarms. why? why? why? If you leave by 9:00 you can still get 8 to 10 hours of hiking in each day with plenty of time to make camp. The most beneficial sleep comes in the last couple of hours before you wake. That good REM sleep. Quiet hours 10:00 to 6:00. Sometimes I like to stay up a little later and sometimes I like to wake up a little later but 10:00 to 6:00 sounds reasonable if you are at a shelter with others.
If you stay in a shelter, you should not complain about people arriving late or leaving early.

Lone Wolf
08-28-2009, 12:53
If you stay in a shelter, you should not complain about people arriving late or leaving early.

that is so common sensical

kanga
08-28-2009, 13:06
that is so common sensical
you stop it with those dirty words.

Diamond Diggs
08-28-2009, 14:14
well. I think there is a lot to say in all of this for being responsible and considerate hikers. If everyone cleaned up after themselves, kept food and trash put away from the shelters, used the privies as intended or follow LNT rules for sanitation, and show respect for fellow hikers when arriving late or leaving early by being mindful of noise levels..... shelters, IMO, would be a very pleasing experience for most.
nevertheless - I personally perfer hanging up off the hard ground when I sleep, but I hike alone 99.9% of the time and enjoy the feeling of security in numbers at the shelter at night. A little company and fellowship of hikers that share a common passion is a great bonus as well. In my world (family&friends), I find it frustrating trying to communicate my love for the trail - with others who "just dont get it!" Its nice to be in company with others who do!

Homer&Marje
08-28-2009, 14:22
If you stay in a shelter, you should not complain about people arriving late or leaving early.


It's called...sharing a common space. If people want privacy theirs millions of acres to set up your tent.

Patrickjd9
08-28-2009, 21:11
hang with the crowd, then go sleep in the comfort, cleanliness and privacy of your own tent or hammock. pretty simple.
That's my vote!

Tin Man
08-28-2009, 21:22
If you stay in a shelter, you should not complain about people arriving late or leaving early.

or anything else for that matter

Jester2000
08-30-2009, 16:28
It's called...sharing a common space. If people want privacy theirs millions of acres to set up your tent.

I tend to enjoy the company of people who, like myself, prefer to be alone.

Egads
08-30-2009, 16:57
I hate shelters because of the inconsiderate hikers that want to party late or rise early and can't keep their mouth shut. I lived in dorms once and have moved on

twodifferentsocks
09-12-2009, 17:18
And I know what you mean about the nasty people using the bathroom, I stayed at 1 that the Jon was about 150 yards away and it was raining, some a55 let his kid stand under the awning and Sh1t right next to the shelter.

*snort*

HAHHAAHA! :D

Graywolf
09-12-2009, 19:26
I really enjoyed staying at the shelters on my section hike. But I can also osee alot of points here. When I think back on it, even though for the most part I had the shelters to my self, there were times it probably would have been more enjoyable sleeping down the trail. One instance is the Hemlock grove. When I stayed at Stover Creek I was thinking of moving on. The next morning, when I saw the groves I wished I did. Icould have slept under them and had a great night.
And I never saw them mice but I assure you they are there, they really loved my tp:

birdog
09-12-2009, 19:54
After you have had your new $400 Arc'teryx pack chewed by mice because of sweat odor you will blame anything or anyone. Hence, the mice live in the shelter so it must be the shelters' fault. Aiding and abetting known criminals is illegal even here in Tennessee. Shelters must go!!!! Hangin's too good fer em!

superman
09-12-2009, 21:08
After you have had your new $400 Arc'teryx pack chewed by mice because of sweat odor you will blame anything or anyone. Hence, the mice live in the shelter so it must be the shelters' fault. Aiding and abetting known criminals is illegal even here in Tennessee. Shelters must go!!!! Hangin's too good fer em!

I was thinking...flame thrower.:)

drastic_quench
09-12-2009, 23:41
In Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods he wrote that he was in awe of a thru-hiker that camped out in the woods alone. While I was reading that book, I always thought it was weird that they hiked shelter to shelter, or shelter to hostel, or shelter to motel. They had tents too, but never apparently realized that all those woods next to the trail where the same darn woods next to the shelter. Do people really hike exclusively between man-made sleeping stops?

bfitz
09-12-2009, 23:49
well. I think there is a lot to say in all of this for being responsible and considerate hikers. If everyone cleaned up after themselves, kept food and trash put away from the shelters, used the privies as intended or follow LNT rules for sanitation, and show respect for fellow hikers when arriving late or leaving early by being mindful of noise levels..... shelters, IMO, would be a very pleasing experience for most.....Uh...one great thing about the trail is there's plenty of elbow room IYKWIM. And a shelter full of socializing hikers making a little noise and having a good time after dark IS a very pleasing experience for most.

Nearly Normal
09-13-2009, 05:04
The only requirement to sleep in shelters is using the word "awesome" repeatedly during conversation. :rolleyes:

Maddog
09-13-2009, 05:31
mice
snoring
late arrivers
early leavers
somebody pissing off the edge of the platform in the middle of the night
shelters usually don't happen to be where I am when it starts getting dark and it's time to sleep

there's more yep! that pretty much sums it up! shelters suck!

Furlough
09-13-2009, 10:01
Shelter mice and the presents they leave behind

http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/2/8/5/2/ElMonstrotheBlackRockHutShelterRat_thumb.jpg (http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=20402&c=member&orderby=title&direction=ASC&imageuser=2852&cutoffdate=-1)

ShelterLeopard
09-13-2009, 10:03
I like shelters- you just need to remember ear plugs.

Toolshed
09-13-2009, 10:39
I like shelters- you just need to remember ear plugs.

I'd Probably be more worried of someone named "ShelterLeopard" than I would of the mice ;)

ShelterLeopard
09-13-2009, 15:02
:D Too true...

Trailbender
09-13-2009, 18:02
Nothing wrong with pissing off the platform at night, if it is raining hard. It will be washed away, and piss is sterile anyways. I wish people would realize there is more freedom on the AT, and those societal taboos don't belong out here.

dreamsoftrails
09-13-2009, 21:22
Nothing wrong with pissing off the platform at night, if it is raining hard. It will be washed away, and piss is sterile anyways. I wish people would realize there is more freedom on the AT, and those societal taboos don't belong out here.
make sure you get my permission to do so first. i have a god given right to use those shelters how i see fit, and that includes giving rules to others..:)

saimyoji
09-13-2009, 21:41
make sure you get my permission to do so first. i have a god given right to use those shelters how i see fit, and that includes giving rules to others..:)

no....you must HMHDI. and if you do piss off the platform, expect to hear about it from your fellow hikers, the internet posse, and anyone else with nothing better to do....dont think so? just ask MS.

Tin Man
09-13-2009, 21:48
no....you must HMHDI. and if you do piss off the platform, expect to hear about it from your fellow hikers, the internet posse, and anyone else with nothing better to do....dont think so? just ask MS.

i get shelters and privies mixed up, they are both filthy wooden boxes, they smell the same, and i hear MS sleeps in both. it's easier to just avoid them altogether.

SassyWindsor
09-14-2009, 10:21
I wish all shelters where not visible from the main trail. Reminds me of the interstate "rest areas" you see when motoring. They are usually trashed and have an odor of a recent sewage spill.

doritotex
09-14-2009, 11:17
Societal taboos?? Hmm..what about jacking off in a crowded shelter? Is that ok? What about plain old common courtesy?? We don't resort to becoming animals out in the woods! I bet you do the one finger snot blow right at the table while others are preparing food!!

dreamsoftrails
09-14-2009, 11:42
Societal taboos?? Hmm..what about jacking off in a crowded shelter? Is that ok? What about plain old common courtesy?? We don't resort to becoming animals out in the woods! I bet you do the one finger snot blow right at the table while others are preparing food!!
this is the best first post on any discussion board i have ever seen! :welcome

Jester2000
09-14-2009, 11:54
Societal taboos?? Hmm..what about jacking off in a crowded shelter? Is that ok? . . .

That depends on your definition of "crowded."

drastic_quench
09-14-2009, 15:38
Societal taboos?? Hmm..what about jacking off in a crowded shelter? Is that ok?
Ultra-Light -- Every ounce counts.

ShelterLeopard
09-15-2009, 12:48
Nothing wrong with pissing off the platform at night, if it is raining hard. It will be washed away, and piss is sterile anyways. I wish people would realize there is more freedom on the AT, and those societal taboos don't belong out here.

I agree- as long as people aren't so tired that their aim is askew. (Frankly, I think you guys are really lucky- we females aren't so fortunate.)

saimyoji
09-15-2009, 13:04
I agree- as long as people aren't so tired that their aim is askew. (Frankly, I think you guys are really lucky- we females aren't so fortunate.)

i doubt many guys would protest if you tried your hand at peeing off the shelter platform. :-?

Whiskey Ninja
09-15-2009, 14:46
I have seen quite a few posts, where people bad mouth shelters. I don't get it, I like the shelters on the trail, although I also like setting up my own setup when hiking the smaller trails. The thing I like the most about the shelters is you get to meet tons of people. So tell me if you like or hate the shelters and why please.:)
Farting, you get some stinky mofos in the shelters. Why would you sleep on hard wood when you can set up on some leaves or pine needles. So much softer. Plus you can stretch out in a tent.

Whiskey Ninja
09-15-2009, 14:47
I agree- as long as people aren't so tired that their aim is askew. (Frankly, I think you guys are really lucky- we females aren't so fortunate.)
I met a girl this year hiking w/ some kind of weird funnel contraption. She peed standing up.... Definitely was a girl.

Wild Type
09-15-2009, 15:07
Shelters can come in handy and I use them when I can (but I carry a tent as backup). I am particularly annoyed by weekend car campers who move into shelters for multi-nights thinking they are a free vacation lodge. I also am not too fond of large youth groups that take over and use them as a base of operations for other purposes (church groups in particular running elaborate praise meetings in the evenings). Shelters are for hikers/backpackers who depend on them for shelter and rest while on the trail. It doesn't make a lot of sense to take care with food preparation and hang a bear bag and then as you settle down to sleep a battalion moves in and spreads food residue all over the place.

sherrill
09-15-2009, 15:47
jacking off in a crowded shelter?

Ok, I'll bite. Where/when the hell did this happen??

cowboy nichols
09-15-2009, 16:02
I love shelters as that is where most of the humans gather. I tent well away from them as long as there is a choice.

Peaks
09-15-2009, 18:04
I wish all shelters where not visible from the main trail. Reminds me of the interstate "rest areas" you see when motoring. They are usually trashed and have an odor of a recent sewage spill.

Once upon a time, the AT went right past most of the shelters, usually between the front of the shelter and the fire pit. Over the years, the AT has been rerouted away from most of the shelters.

freefall
09-15-2009, 21:29
I met a girl this year hiking w/ some kind of weird funnel contraption. She peed standing up.... Definitely was a girl.
Was it this?
http://www.amazon.com/Whiz-Freedom-Reusable-Female-Director/dp/B0011BNA9K

Graywolf
09-15-2009, 23:30
Shelters can come in handy and I use them when I can (but I carry a tent as backup). I am particularly annoyed by weekend car campers who move into shelters for multi-nights thinking they are a free vacation lodge. I also am not too fond of large youth groups that take over and use them as a base of operations for other purposes (church groups in particular running elaborate praise meetings in the evenings). Shelters are for hikers/backpackers who depend on them for shelter and rest while on the trail. It doesn't make a lot of sense to take care with food preparation and hang a bear bag and then as you settle down to sleep a battalion moves in and spreads food residue all over the place.

I agree Wild Type. I read once, there was a church group, Virginia section, that would go up to a shelter that was full of hikers and tell them they called the ATC to reserve the shelter and that all hikers had to leave.

Thats what Pi*** me off. I don't think the ATC would condone this.

ShelterLeopard
09-16-2009, 12:37
I met a girl this year hiking w/ some kind of weird funnel contraption. She peed standing up.... Definitely was a girl.

I think I saw a post by her on a women's forum here- a salad dressing bottle or something like that, right?

ShelterLeopard
09-16-2009, 12:41
And wild type? I completely agree. I can't stand when groups take over shelters. (Especially because often, those groups seem to include really loud complainers who hate hiking) And I'm sure you can't "reserve" shelters- not a chance. Only in the Smokies (and they have open spots for thru hikers). That's why I have my name- I eat groups and car campers. :D

toegem
09-16-2009, 15:48
Just finished section hike spending 2 nights in shelters, I had forgotten what I hated about them, one smelled of urine, was not level, mouse droppings abound, and the floor was hard as bricks, the upside they weren't crowded. None the less, worse 2 nights sleep I've had in a long time, I'll stick with a hammock, tent or tarp thank you.

SunnyWalker
09-17-2009, 13:34
I go to all this work to get my equipment together, transport to the trail, enter the grat outdoors . . . and so WHY would I want to "camp" in a shelter? Never done it yet? Might in an emergency or days of rain. But sure don't plan on it. More power to ya if you do.

Peaks
09-17-2009, 16:06
I go to all this work to get my equipment together, transport to the trail, enter the grat outdoors . . . and so WHY would I want to "camp" in a shelter? Never done it yet? Might in an emergency or days of rain. But sure don't plan on it. More power to ya if you do.

Why sleep in a shelter? Very simple: It eliminates the effort to set up and pack up a tent. Secondly, there is usually more room, especially headroom in a shelter. So, it's convenience. But, perhaps the biggest reason is that it's raining. Almost any shelter is attractive when it's raining.

kanga
09-18-2009, 10:54
Why sleep in a shelter? Very simple: It eliminates the effort to set up and pack up a tent. Secondly, there is usually more room, especially headroom in a shelter. So, it's convenience. But, perhaps the biggest reason is that it's raining. Almost any shelter is attractive when it's raining.
my tarp tent is attractive all the time :D

Gray Blazer
09-18-2009, 10:57
My Momma always said, attractive is as attractive does.

Captn
09-18-2009, 11:43
And wild type? I completely agree. I can't stand when groups take over shelters. (Especially because often, those groups seem to include really loud complainers who hate hiking) And I'm sure you can't "reserve" shelters- not a chance. Only in the Smokies (and they have open spots for thru hikers). That's why I have my name- I eat groups and car campers. :D

I'm one who snores like a freight train in a tunnel ...

The ONLY time I sleep in Shelters now is when some group tries to take it over. :banana


Otherwise I tent, tarp, or Hammock 100 yards or so away.

Tin Man
09-18-2009, 15:25
Why sleep in a shelter? Very simple: It eliminates the effort to set up and pack up a tent. Secondly, there is usually more room, especially headroom in a shelter. So, it's convenience. But, perhaps the biggest reason is that it's raining. Almost any shelter is attractive when it's raining.

Like LW says, laziness. Even in the rain, it's laziness. Walk all day in the rain, then can't spend two more minutes setting up a tent, hammock, tarp?!? :rolleyes:Laziness or whatever. I don't care what others do, just calling it what it is. :)


my tarp tent is attractive all the time :D

especially when your funny wit is tucked underneath :cool:

Mags
09-18-2009, 15:40
Why sleep in a shelter? Very simple: It eliminates the effort to set up and pack up a tent. Secondly, there is usually more room, especially headroom in a shelter. So, it's convenience. But, perhaps the biggest reason is that it's raining. Almost any shelter is attractive when it's raining.


...which is why it usually filled with 15+ of your closest friends on a rainy day. :eek:

Shelters are great on rainy days...but not when it is crowded. :) Not so much room....

I'd rather get a good night's sleep and pitch away from the crowds.

If the shelters are only have a handful of people in them..then they are indeed great on a rainy day.. :sun

kanga
09-18-2009, 15:44
especially when your funny wit is tucked underneath :cool:
unless it's raining. then there's not much room for the wit what with all the hair...

kanga
09-18-2009, 15:47
ma har!...

Tin Man
09-18-2009, 15:49
unless it's raining. then there's not much room for the wit what with all the hair...

i think you hair is loverly, betcha it is awesome all wet...

well we can trade witticisms tarp to tarp. like about all them hikers stuffed into a tiny wooden box, stepping and dripping over each other, moaning and arguing over etiquette :)

kanga
09-18-2009, 16:09
i think you hair is loverly, betcha it is awesome all wet...

well we can trade witticisms tarp to tarp. like about all them hikers stuffed into a tiny wooden box, stepping and dripping over each other, moaning and arguing over etiquette :)


awww!

let's make one of those little tarp to tarp tunnel doohickies that those newfangled tents have!

Tin Man
09-18-2009, 16:21
awww!

let's make one of those little tarp to tarp tunnel doohickies that those newfangled tents have!

you're on...

Doctari
09-18-2009, 18:15
I dont hate shelters, not really.
Have been at a few that I thought of as Holes. And a few "Palaces".
As I now cannot sleep on the floor anylonger, I don't stay in them unless alone (Or huge like OverMountain) & I can hang inside.

I do dislike them for the reasons mentioned, and I like them for the reasons mentioned.

I usually stop, fix dinner, visit, then either camp nearby or move on a mile or two. In part so I can sleep in a quiet area, and so others can sleep as I have been told I would "drown out a 747 taking off" when I snore. :p

Ranc0r
09-18-2009, 19:15
Short story: Not the AT, but a trail. Pulled in after an afternoon of MOST SERIOUS thunderstorm action, found the shelter clean and swept, broom in the corner, wasp nest in full buzz in the rail aftermath. Strung a cord, changed, hung my wet things, made tea then started on supper. Group of 4 trail runners showed up, asking for help and having no clue how to get back to their car. They drink my water and won't look at my map, and head off with at least a basic clue. They bolt, then a group of 3 Boy Scouts and 2 leaders pull in, soaked and expecting an empty shelter. My hammock and tarp are already up, since I'm trail testing some gear anyway, and they are actually grateful that I'm just eating, and not sleeping in, the shelter, which they now have all to themselves. They crunch the wasp nest and start looking for any outlyers. I end up sweeping up after them as they split before I'm done coffee-ing next morn, and then I end up passing them before lunch.

I don't dislike shelters, but I'd rather sleep outside and join my fellow travelers while the sun still shines, eat or drink. Maybe as I age I'll become less curmudgeonly. Yeah, that could happen.

Ranc0r
.

coheterojo
09-18-2009, 19:40
Gee willickers! I had not realized that shelters evoked such fevered debate amongst my fellow hikers.

I guess I just must have been lucky the past 5 years or so. I've been section hiking N from Springer since Labor Day 04. Most of the hikes were the week after Christmas. I'm up to Sam's Gap in NC and, with the exception of the Smokies shelters being crowded in 06 and a 3 Stooges-esque father/son snore team somewhere in the Nantahalas the year before, I've basically had the shelters to myself. The only mouse I've seen was one of the cute little ATC stuffed ones in someone's pack. I have seen a few trashed shelters but I've seen far more trashed campsites.

Guess I'm in for a rude awakening on my thru-hike next year, huh?

I do have earplugs and also intend to use my Lunar Duo with reckless abandon.:)

Tin Man
09-18-2009, 21:17
Gee willickers! I had not realized that shelters evoked such fevered debate amongst my fellow hikers.

I guess I just must have been lucky the past 5 years or so. I've been section hiking N from Springer since Labor Day 04. Most of the hikes were the week after Christmas. I'm up to Sam's Gap in NC and, with the exception of the Smokies shelters being crowded in 06 and a 3 Stooges-esque father/son snore team somewhere in the Nantahalas the year before, I've basically had the shelters to myself. The only mouse I've seen was one of the cute little ATC stuffed ones in someone's pack. I have seen a few trashed shelters but I've seen far more trashed campsites.

Guess I'm in for a rude awakening on my thru-hike next year, huh?

I do have earplugs and also intend to use my Lunar Duo with reckless abandon.:)

If you are attempting a NOBO thru during prime season (March-April), the shelters and camping near the shelters at the southern end at leas will be jammed with people practicing many different versions of 'shelter etiquette' and none will match your idea of etiquette or schedule for sleeping, so plan a lot of reckless abandon. :)

I am so done with shelters.

BlackCloud
09-18-2009, 22:25
I basically OCD. I don't know what's nastier: people or mice poop.

Tin Man
09-18-2009, 22:48
I basically OCD. I don't know what's nastier: people or mice poop.

people who sleep in mice poop. duh!

freefall
09-19-2009, 00:09
The only time I slept in AT shelters was in the Smokies and that was because there was not enough people to justify sleeping in my hammock outside the shelter.

Reasons:

I snore like 30% of the time.
Someone else snores 100% of the time.
I don't like mice running across my forehead.
They usually smell.
My hammock is more comfortable.

Captn
09-19-2009, 08:31
The only time I slept in AT shelters was in the Smokies and that was because there was not enough people to justify sleeping in my hammock outside the shelter.

Reasons:

I snore like 30% of the time.
Someone else snores 100% of the time.
I don't like mice running across my forehead.
They usually smell.
My hammock is more comfortable.

You non snorers are so irritating ....

How do you sleep ... it's so quiet!

Nah .... Give me a good robust "sitting at the end of the runway" snore in a tiny wooden box with excellent acoustics, and those poor mice will spend a hungry night quivering in fear under the shelter.

He who snores snores alone .... wether by choice or force!

kanga
09-19-2009, 17:00
shelters suck..

Whiskey Ninja
09-20-2009, 22:58
Was it this?
http://www.amazon.com/Whiz-Freedom-Reusable-Female-Director/dp/B0011BNA9K
I think that was it.

Whiskey Ninja
09-20-2009, 23:01
I think I saw a post by her on a women's forum here- a salad dressing bottle or something like that, right?
It definitely was not a salad dressing bottle. It was some kind of rubber funnel that was resistant to germs etc. It was more high tech than a bottle. We called it her penis but it was store bought. This might have been it.

http://www.amazon.com/Whiz-Freedom-Reusable-Female-Director/dp/B0011BNA9K

Tin Man
09-21-2009, 04:01
shelters suck..

yes, yes, indeed they do

Chaco Taco
09-21-2009, 09:49
I go to all this work to get my equipment together, transport to the trail, enter the grat outdoors . . . and so WHY would I want to "camp" in a shelter? Never done it yet? Might in an emergency or days of rain. But sure don't plan on it. More power to ya if you do.

If you put up your tent in a shelter, you should just go home! People that set up tents in shelters are the lamest of the lame and should be shunned!!!! Shelters are awful. They harbor squaters, rodents. Anyone that pees off of a platform is just plain disgusting, and disrespectful sterile or not. Thats gross! Atleast walk around the back end. If its raining, suck it up. My first time in a shelter, I had a guy next to me piss into a gatorade bottle and I almost flipped out. Its nasty!!! Shelters are only for social gatherings on trail and breed trouble when that many grumpy hikers in one space. Always drama at shelters, not worth it! Ask yourself why you spent $200-$300 on that tent or hammock!

Blue Jay
09-21-2009, 09:53
shelters suck..

Only to computer hikers. Somehow no matter what time of year, no matter what weather, I find real hikers in them. Go figure, most walking hikers are not afraid of scary mice or imaginary rednecks and (oh, can I type this) germs.

Chaco Taco
09-21-2009, 09:56
Only to computer hikers. Somehow no matter what time of year, no matter what weather, I find real hikers in them. Go figure, most walking hikers are not afraid of scary mice or imaginary rednecks and (oh, can I type this) germs.

Only time you will ever see me near a shelter is reading the register. I get out pretty often too. What is a "real" hiker??? Are there fake hikers??? I know pack sniffers.... Im confused!

kanga
09-21-2009, 09:57
Only to computer hikers. Somehow no matter what time of year, no matter what weather, I find real hikers in them. Go figure, most walking hikers are not afraid of scary mice or imaginary rednecks and (oh, can I type this) germs.
you really are clueless. it's actually kinda sad.

kanga
09-21-2009, 09:59
Only time you will ever see me near a shelter is reading the register. I get out pretty often too. What is a "real" hiker??? Are there fake hikers??? I know pack sniffers.... Im confused!
i am devastated (DEVASTATED, i tell you!) that blue jay doesn't think i qualify as a "real" hiker.


i don't touch all the white blazes either. does that mean i'm not "really" hiking the at?

Chaco Taco
09-21-2009, 10:14
Only to computer hikers. Somehow no matter what time of year, no matter what weather, I find real hikers in them. Go figure, most walking hikers are not afraid of scary mice or imaginary rednecks and (oh, can I type this) germs.

Seems like someone woke up on the wrong side of his thermarest:D

Roots
09-21-2009, 11:56
Only to computer hikers. Somehow no matter what time of year, no matter what weather, I find real hikers in them. Go figure, most walking hikers are not afraid of scary mice or imaginary rednecks and (oh, can I type this) germs.

Seriously? Are you really serious? I going to jump out on a great big limb right now and say you are just kidding!!! I can't think that someone who says that only computer hikers find shelters suck..and they do suck. You are a silly boy!!!

nufsaid
09-21-2009, 12:54
you get it



That's IT! the shelter folk like to pass out where they drink

Or use other substances that may inhibit the desire to accomplish the goal to sleep in a better environment?

Mags
09-21-2009, 12:57
When I first started backpacking, it never occurred to me to stay in a shelter. My buddy and I always tented it.

I think it is mainly AT ld hikers who stay in shelters.

Weekenders tend to tent it and people who have experience outside the AT corridor.

On a cold, rainy night when I have it to myself (or just a friend or two) they can be great. When 15+ of your closest hiking friends are with you? Not so much. :)

nufsaid
09-21-2009, 13:08
Funny!! No she complained about my snoring from day 1. There were plenty of reasons the relationship failed, ...and maybe the fact she had slept with her bosses brother for 250 dollars lol. What can I say I was blind

But you sleep with all kinds of people in the shelters. For free.

Chaco Taco
09-21-2009, 15:34
But you sleep with all kinds of people in the shelters. For free.

Dont think you'll have to worry about a response from that guy:D:D

Shelters suck, period;)
Ok rainstorms, yea they provide dryness in rainshowers, and then you find that one spot in the shelter that has a hole, or someone has kicked a board loose. Next thing you know, chinese water torture! Yea shelters are friggin great. :rolleyes:

sheepdog
09-21-2009, 16:01
shelters suck..


yes, yes, indeed they do


Seriously? Are you really serious? I going to jump out on a great big limb right now and say you are just kidding!!! I can't think that someone who says that only computer hikers find shelters suck..and they do suck. You are a silly boy!!!
It's all been said. Might as well close the thread.

Frosty
09-21-2009, 16:03
I have seen quite a few posts, where people bad mouth shelters. I don't get it, I like the shelters on the trail, although I also like setting up my own setup when hiking the smaller trails. The thing I like the most about the shelters is you get to meet tons of people. So tell me if you like or hate the shelters and why please.:)If my goal was to meet tons of people, I would go to Times Square, not the woods.

Tin Man
09-21-2009, 17:04
If my goal was to meet tons of people, I would go to Times Square, not the woods.

There are hikers with a common interest in Times Square? Wow, who knew?

ShelterLeopard
09-22-2009, 22:47
There are hikers with a common interest in Times Square? Wow, who knew?

Yeah, right? News to me.... :D

ShelterLeopard
09-22-2009, 22:56
I have realized that, though I love shelters, I usually hike out of season and during th week (therefore, no boyscouts and less other hikers), so usually it isn't too crowded. But I have done a fair amount of hiking in PA in June, and I still enjoyed the shelters. Although, when I stayed in a shelter with TP, I couldn't find my earplugs and had a hard time sleeping. From now on, always TWO pairs. :D

I have no qualm about shelters in PA (except occasionally the people are a little intrusive), but I'll report back after my thru- who knows, that may either make me love or hate shelters!

IronGutsTommy
01-13-2011, 15:03
theyre dry, warm sometimes, and after a long day, a welcome sight. but any time the area feels cozy and protected, come 1am itll be swarming with shelter mice... thats probably the #1 reason people dislike shelters, mice, weirdo hikers, basically unwanted "room mates"

topshelf
01-13-2011, 16:04
Hikers do things at shelters that they don't do anywhere else in the woods.

As someone mentioned before I think the shelters bring a comfort and I believe it causes them to be as disgusting as most of the rest of the general population. It almost appears that people forget Leave No Trace because they are at a shelter.

Don't even get me started and the monstrosities such as Partnership shelter where you can go 200 yards and order a pizza, have it delivered to you. Take a shower, wash your clothes and dishes in the sink at the back. I'm surprised they didn't put in beds and fresh linens waiting on you when you got there each evening.

I stay at shelters as a last resort.

Luddite
01-13-2011, 16:25
I only stay in shelters if its really storming. I don't mind the mice or snoring, I would rather sleep under the stars or my tarp. Plus it gets pretty noisy in the morning with all those crinkling stuff sacks.




Don't even get me started and the monstrosities such as Partnership shelter where you can go 200 yards and order a pizza, have it delivered to you.



That sounds stupid to me now, but I know when I get there I'm totally ordering a pizza.

Slo-go'en
01-13-2011, 16:37
Considering how many people say they hate shelters and never stay in one, it is amazing how full they always are - especially when its raining!

Surplusman
01-13-2011, 16:45
I don't mind shelters, but no matter how much padding I have underneath me, when I wake up in the morning I feel like I've been thrown off a cliff and bounced off the rocks on the way down. So I went to a hammock. I get a great night's sleep, I'm not half as sore in the morning, and I can snore to my heart's content without bothering anybody. Even if the shelter is full of members of the goon platoon, I'm still sleeping elsewhere.

The Cleaner
01-13-2011, 17:08
Seems like recently some hikers think the shelters are drop-off points for anything they no longer want to carry....:eek: Like somebody is going to use the crap.It turns into trash which has to be burned or packed out by trail maintainers...:(

swamp dawg
01-13-2011, 18:10
I like shelters when the weather conditions are bad and I do not feel like fighting the elements other than that I love my tent. Tenting near the shelter gives me a chance to be social and pick up on any trail news then I can retreat to my private suite. It is nice to have the privacy of a tent and not worry that you are a bother to other hikers. I can snore, use the privy, use my pee bottle, get up early and not get folks bent out of shape. Ain't life good on the trail .....swamp dawg