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Phoenixdadeadhead
05-02-2009, 00:37
I recently asked why a lot of people hated the shelters on the AT, and got a few answers from everyone.
1. they were dirty
2. the mice
3. snoring people um sorry guys that is me lol
4. late arrivals
5. early leavers
6. Hard Surface

Am I the only one who finds more pros than cons?
1. Normally a good source of water
2. A nice level spot to cook
3. The privy
4. Bear lines all though not all of them have these
5. friendly conversation
6. A dry place to get out your wet gear in the rain
7. A goal to hike to I know weird huh


I will admit I am getting to old for those hard planks, and have been debating on building a bridge hammock, but even then I would stay close to the shelter for all the pro's listed. Am I the only one?:-?:-?

aaronthebugbuffet
05-02-2009, 00:46
Am I the only one who finds more pros than cons?
1. Normally a good source of water
Plenty of other sources and I can carry what I need.
2. A nice level spot to cook
I rarely cook anymore
3. The privy
Cat hole works for me.
4. Bear lines all though not all of them have these
No problem hanging anywhere in the east below treeline
5. friendly conversation
Plenty of that around home, work ,bars, visitor center parking lot, etc
6. A dry place to get out your wet gear in the rain
Tarp
7. A goal to hike to I know weird huh
Other natural landmarks work for that


I will admit I am getting to old for those hard planks, and have been debating on building a bridge hammock, but even then I would stay close to the shelter for all the pro's listed. Am I the only one?:-?:-?
Sorry still not convinced:D

The Mechanical Man
05-02-2009, 00:50
Makes a great place for my dog to hang out while it's raining. :D

Gaiter
05-02-2009, 00:59
I recently asked why a lot of people hated the shelters on the AT, and got a few answers from everyone.
1. they were dirty
2. the mice
3. snoring people um sorry guys that is me lol
4. late arrivals
5. early leavers
6. Hard Surface

Am I the only one who finds more pros than cons?
1. Normally a good source of water
2. A nice level spot to cook
3. The privy
4. Bear lines all though not all of them have these
5. friendly conversation
6. A dry place to get out your wet gear in the rain
7. A goal to hike to I know weird huh


I will admit I am getting to old for those hard planks, and have been debating on building a bridge hammock, but even then I would stay close to the shelter for all the pro's listed. Am I the only one?:-?:-?

there are advantages to both

in response to your cons list
1. take a piece of tyvek or plastic lay it down before you put your sleeping bag down
2. don't hang food in the shelter
3. ear plugs
4. ear plugs, choice of position in a shelter
5. asking around then don't sleep next to the early risers ear plugs help here too
6. sleeping pad

in response to the pros list
1. many campsites w/ water too
2. found at campsites too
3. sometimes a tree is better
4. .....
5. pick friends and campsites wisely
6. dry place under your tent?
7. campsites can be goals too!


basicially what it boils down too, is that its a personal preference and we could argue about which is better for years, but its pointless
so get out and hike your own hike, if you like sleeping shelters then sleep in shelter if you like campsites then you like campsites

Mags
05-02-2009, 01:04
Keeps people away from the good camp spots... :)

Tin Man
05-02-2009, 05:33
Makes a great place for my dog to hang out while it's raining. :D

bet that makes you really popular with the shelter crowd :rolleyes:

Tin Man
05-02-2009, 05:34
Keeps people away from the good camp spots... :)

amen :banana

adamkrz
05-02-2009, 06:54
I pack a tent but enjoy staying in shelters that are empty and fairly clean also. Just spent 3 days in Mass. and used the shelters every night - It seems the porcupines are also loving them lately..

Lion King
05-02-2009, 06:58
I enjoy talking and joking with people as I cook, thats about it.

The social aspect fo shelters is a good one, but the list of other reasons is what makes me go in, eat, joke for a bit, and move on.

I slept in Stover Creek shelter this trip, none others.

Camped in the smokies the whole why through this year and loved it.

Homer&Marje
05-02-2009, 07:03
I love how everyone bitches about all the shelters downfalls. To me it's just a box in the woods. And I love them.

Expect it to be dirty, expect people to snore, expect hard floors, and expect the little critters that roam about.

ITS THE WOOODS!!!!! There was a few good threads a couple months back about this, I think there was a poll attached.

Learn to love the expression "I'm a thru hiker please make room for me. I hate shelters and please try not to snore."

kayak karl
05-02-2009, 07:12
i like them in the winter, ONLY if i have it to myself or somebody im hiking with at the time. i hang in the porch area, so the other has the floor to themselves.

aaronthebugbuffet
05-02-2009, 07:41
Keeps people away from the good camp spots... :)
Yes shelters are the greatest.

Homer&Marje
05-02-2009, 07:42
I am willing to agree that I do prefer to be alone at the shelters. Just not the social butterfly I once was:D

Lone Wolf
05-02-2009, 07:43
shelters are great for carving your name in and leaving stuff you don't want

rickb
05-02-2009, 07:45
Few things sound nicer than than rain on a tin shelter roof.

Homer&Marje
05-02-2009, 08:13
shelters are great for carving your name in and leaving stuff you don't want


I knew that LW '74 in New Hampshire was you:D

Mrs Baggins
05-02-2009, 08:20
I don't mind them. I usually tent but sometimes, when I'm just too beat or it's too cold and I don't want to fumble around with putting up and taking down a tent, I'll sleep in the shelter. I don't mind the mice in the least. I like having a picnic table or benches of some kind to sit on and to cook at, I like having a fire ring, I like having a spring and a privy nearby (although I have no problem just using the woods), I like having people to talk to. I wear ear plugs and never hear the snorers, early risers, rustling of bags and mats.

superman
05-02-2009, 08:52
The good thing about shelters is that all the funny looking people go there to talk crazy stuff and thus the good part is that they aren't trying to stealth camp around me.:-?

Rockhound
05-02-2009, 09:00
I always know when I hit a shelter that I'm within a mile or two of a great campsite. They make great land markers.

Rain Man
05-02-2009, 09:14
You ask-- "Do any others have positive thing to say about shelters?"

Sure. Just read Earl Shafer's book. He often wrote very positively about reaching this or that shelter.

Same for all the accounts in "Hiking the Appalachian Trail," volumes one and two.

And just about all the thru-hike accounts I have read, perhaps two or three dozen or more, have positive things to say about shelters.

I can take 'em or leave 'em.

Rain:sunMan

.

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-02-2009, 10:20
I was beginning to feel alone in my fondness for shelters. When shelter to shelter hiking is not what I am in the mood for, I hike other areas. Really could have used some shelters in Montana lol. I loved starting off o a sunny 80 degree day, and hiking into the snow. The next morning though, there is nothing that would have been nicer than 3 walls, a firepit, and a nice place to cook breakfast lol.

Mags
05-02-2009, 10:26
, there is nothing that would have been nicer than 3 walls, a firepit, and a nice place to cook breakfast lol.

They are call huts. (http://www.huts.org/) :)

I use 'em in winter.

JAK
05-02-2009, 10:35
I like shelters and such in the off season, when things are desolate. Then they have a totally different air about them. I recall one winter long ago, when I was a boy of six or so. Whatever it was that made me leave the house and wander down to the ball field I can't recall, but I found solace under the bleachers, with a few spindrifts of snow, and left over leaves, and the wind blowing softly overhead.


Charles G. D. Roberts (1860-1943)

In an Old Barn

Tons upon tons the brown-green fragrant hay
O'erbrims the mows beyond the time-warped eaves,
Up to the rafters where the spider weaves,
Though few flies wander his secluded way.
Through a high chink one lonely golden ray,
Wherein the dust is dancing, slants unstirred.
In the dry hush some rustlings light are heard,
Of winter-hidden mice at furtive play.

Far down, the cattle in their shadowed stalls,
Nose-deep in clover fodder's meadowy scent,
Forget the snows that whelm their pasture streams,
The frost that bites the world beyond their walls.
Warm housed, they dream of summer, well content
In day-long contemplation of their dreams.

Alaskanhkr23
05-02-2009, 10:53
there pro's to them but it depends on were i am,alaska most of the time there small huntin cabins that u gotta put together an take down most people cowboy camp or tent

Feral Bill
05-02-2009, 11:02
They are call huts. (http://www.huts.org/) :)

I use 'em in winter.



Yet, Colorado is not Montana.

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-02-2009, 11:17
Yet, Colorado is not Montana.Lol
Off subject, but Bill I would like to tell you a story of my first hike in Monatana. I had rolled into Helena in 97, and not long after settling in I found some friends and talked them into a hiking trip. We went to a small town called Boulder, it was so small the closest police were over 30 miles away lol. Anyways on our second day of hiking, we came across an old mine, and decided to do some exploring, once inside we found GOLD, all through the walls GOLD. It's Montana so we thought ok makes sense. We emptied our packs leaving our gear behind and load up on all we can carry. The Hike back was H. E. double Hockey sticks, but the thought of all the money we had on our backs kept us going. We finally made it back to my van, which had a flat tire, and a flat spare, because we had gotten a flat on the way lol. So we loaded up the GOLD, and hiked a tire to town, if you can call it that, about another mile away. We finally get a tire, get back home and go to a jeweler to find out how much our score was worth. He looks at us and says about 20 bucks. We had 4 packs full, so we were really shocked, the jeweler seeing the look on our young faces explained to us, it was Iron Pyrite. What made it worse was we had left all of our gear, which we had to hike back, and find lol.

Bearpaw
05-02-2009, 11:30
They are call huts. (http://www.huts.org/) :)

I use 'em in winter.

after a week of very unusual continuous cold rain on the Colorado Trail in 2006, I was really pleased to find a yurt. The wood-burning stove was a real joy with every night hitting freezing.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v425/bearpawat99/Colorado%20Trail/CT37a.jpg?t=1241278056

JAK
05-02-2009, 11:38
LOL. Nice pic. Yeah, you totally fit right in in Colorado Bearpaw. :D

Seriously though, I'd like to try one of those Yurts someday.

Homer&Marje
05-02-2009, 12:10
Yurts look kind of cool. And on top of all, is obviously a funny word....like spork...funny word and functional:D

middle to middle
05-02-2009, 12:49
I am very happy to come up on a shelter when it is raining or after dark or when I want company and someone else comes along. The mice are such fun! A stack of fire wood left by the person ahead of me is nice.
Mostly i stealth tarp it but both are good.

warraghiyagey
05-02-2009, 12:50
I like shelters. ..

The Weasel
05-02-2009, 13:35
Trail registers. Like reading the newspaper.

TW

Mags
05-02-2009, 15:19
Yet, Colorado is not Montana.


They have them in Montana too.

There is one right near Chief Joseph pass on the CDT.

I am glad there are no shelters on most trails personally.

And thanks for being so persnickety! I love how on WB all the nice users are so willing to banter and joke and not
merely score points to prove what smart cookies they are... Ahem.

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-02-2009, 15:29
Never did the CDT. I lived in Helena, and did a lot of hiking around there, also to a few trips south of there but forget the name of the park. For the most part in L&C county Montana there were not any trails. There were a few leading to old and sometimes current private mines (not a good idea hiking those lol), and there were a lot of logging roads. So backcountry was where it was at for hiking. I am sure the CDT, like the AT has shelters all over, but like I said I never did the CDT. Are they like the shelters on the AT?

SunnyWalker
05-02-2009, 20:01
If I stopped to read all the logs in the Shelters I'd never get anywhere. I think . . . .

Tin Man
05-02-2009, 20:09
I like shelters. ..

you would :D . . . but do you ever wonder...

why do people who enjoy getting away from everything by going into the woods plan their whole day around getting out of the woods?

Tin Man
05-02-2009, 20:12
If I stopped to read all the logs in the Shelters I'd never get anywhere. I think . . . .

they all say the same thing...

ooo, such a lovely spot
ooo, lovely weather
ooo, weather stunck, thank god for the shelter and trail maintainers
ooo, next party town is awesome
ooo, next party town stinks
ooo, this place stinks of piss, barf and is full of mice

Engine
05-02-2009, 20:51
Lol
Off subject, but Bill I would like to tell you a story of my first hike in Monatana. I had rolled into Helena in 97, and not long after settling in I found some friends and talked them into a hiking trip. We went to a small town called Boulder, it was so small the closest police were over 30 miles away lol. Anyways on our second day of hiking, we came across an old mine, and decided to do some exploring, once inside we found GOLD, all through the walls GOLD. It's Montana so we thought ok makes sense. We emptied our packs leaving our gear behind and load up on all we can carry. The Hike back was H. E. double Hockey sticks, but the thought of all the money we had on our backs kept us going. We finally made it back to my van, which had a flat tire, and a flat spare, because we had gotten a flat on the way lol. So we loaded up the GOLD, and hiked a tire to town, if you can call it that, about another mile away. We finally get a tire, get back home and go to a jeweler to find out how much our score was worth. He looks at us and says about 20 bucks. We had 4 packs full, so we were really shocked, the jeweler seeing the look on our young faces explained to us, it was Iron Pyrite. What made it worse was we had left all of our gear, which we had to hike back, and find lol.

You know what they call Iron Pyrite don't you? :-?

Two Tents
05-02-2009, 20:57
I have had many good times in shelters. I like to cook at a shelter site,hang out and BS. If I choose to stay then I settle in like an Alabama tick. People don't usually bug me cause I sleep sound. It has been rumored I snore but I don't believe it cause I stayed awake once to see if it was true and I didn't snore at all! ---Happy Trails---Two Tents.

Tin Man
05-02-2009, 21:45
I have had many good times in shelters. I like to cook at a shelter site,hang out and BS. If I choose to stay then I settle in like an Alabama tick. People don't usually bug me cause I sleep sound. It has been rumored I snore but I don't believe it cause I stayed awake once to see if it was true and I didn't snore at all! ---Happy Trails---Two Tents.

post more, snore more, and we will judge more... or less... not!

Many Walks
05-02-2009, 23:31
Do any others have positive things to say about shelters?

Sure, we walked past a few that looked good.

Tinker
05-02-2009, 23:39
Lol
Off subject, but Bill I would like to tell you a story of my first hike in Monatana. I had rolled into Helena in 97, and not long after settling in I found some friends and talked them into a hiking trip. We went to a small town called Boulder, it was so small the closest police were over 30 miles away lol. Anyways on our second day of hiking, we came across an old mine, and decided to do some exploring, once inside we found GOLD, all through the walls GOLD. It's Montana so we thought ok makes sense. We emptied our packs leaving our gear behind and load up on all we can carry. The Hike back was H. E. double Hockey sticks, but the thought of all the money we had on our backs kept us going. We finally made it back to my van, which had a flat tire, and a flat spare, because we had gotten a flat on the way lol. So we loaded up the GOLD, and hiked a tire to town, if you can call it that, about another mile away. We finally get a tire, get back home and go to a jeweler to find out how much our score was worth. He looks at us and says about 20 bucks. We had 4 packs full, so we were really shocked, the jeweler seeing the look on our young faces explained to us, it was Iron Pyrite. What made it worse was we had left all of our gear, which we had to hike back, and find lol.

Iron Pyrite - "Fool's Gold". I bet he told ya that, too. ;)

Great story! :D

Tinker
05-02-2009, 23:42
Yurts look kind of cool. And on top of all, is obviously a funny word....like spork...funny word and functional:D

There once was a man with a yurt...........

Next line, please.

Keep it clean :o;)

Blue Jay
05-03-2009, 09:29
Let me get this straight. Are those of you who claim to hate shelters are saying that when its pouring rain, you're tired and you are passing a shelter, you don't at least go sit there for a short while? It's my theory that a large number of people on this site say one thing but do another. I've spent a great deal of time on the AT over the years and when it's raining I see very few tents and very full shelters. :eek:

Blue Jay
05-03-2009, 09:32
I like shelters if for nothing else a place to set up a tent under cover and then move it to where you want to sleep. Also I'm not afraid of mice or snoring or fart gas or any of the other so called horrors of shelter life.

Homer&Marje
05-03-2009, 09:40
There once was a man with a yurt...........

Next line, please.

Keep it clean :o;)

....He walked all day till it hurt....

..on hot days he even did it in a skirt....

..and on even hotter days....:-?

..Thankfully he's staying at his yurt....


Next verse?

kanga
05-03-2009, 09:41
Let me get this straight. Are those of you who claim to hate shelters are saying that when its pouring rain, you're tired and you are passing a shelter, you don't at least go sit there for a short while? It's my theory that a large number of people on this site say one thing but do another. I've spent a great deal of time on the AT over the years and when it's raining I see very few tents and very full shelters. :eek:

yes, that is it. if i was hiking in the rain and saw a shelter, i would keep on hiking in the rain. the more time i waste anywhere near that miserable nasty rathole is that much more time it takes to get to where i'm going and set up my tent. i've stopped at one in the last ten years and that was because i felt the beginnings of hypothermia and to go on would have been retarded. i view them as emergency only, but then again, the more people that like them, the more awesome campsites i'll find undisturbed.

warraghiyagey
05-03-2009, 09:45
yes, that is it. if i was hiking in the rain and saw a shelter, i would keep on hiking in the rain. the more time i waste anywhere near that miserable nasty rathole is that much more time it takes to get to where i'm going and set up my tent. i've stopped at one in the last ten years and that was because i felt the beginnings of hypothermia and to go on would have been retarded. i view them as emergency only, but then again, the more people that like them, the more awesome campsites i'll find undisturbed.
Wet hiker. . . . . . ha! :sun

saimyoji
05-03-2009, 09:47
Let me get this straight. Are those of you who claim to hate shelters are saying that when its pouring rain, you're tired and you are passing a shelter, you don't at least go sit there for a short while? It's my theory that a large number of people on this site say one thing but do another. I've spent a great deal of time on the AT over the years and when it's raining I see very few tents and very full shelters. :eek:

despite what some may delude themselves into believing, only a small fraction of the people who hike the AT and stay in shelters have ever heard of WB.

warraghiyagey
05-03-2009, 09:48
despite what some may delude themselves into believing, only a small fraction of the people who hike the AT and stay in shelters have ever heard of WB.
Excellent point!

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-03-2009, 10:17
Iron Pyrite - "Fool's Gold". I bet he told ya that, too. ;)

Great story! :DHe did, but I was hoping no1 would know that lmao

SunnyWalker
07-10-2009, 01:17
I have section hiked and never stayed at a Shelter. But when I through hike the bottom line will be I will do almost anything to make it all the way mg. So if that includes staying in some shelters, so be it.

Silver Bear
07-10-2009, 17:45
Getting too old for the hard planks???? I slept real good Tuesday night in LeConte shelter. Didn't know age had anything to do with it. I'm 66 (twice your age), I should have been awake all night???

CrumbSnatcher
07-10-2009, 19:04
i can live without the shelters, but i don't hate them! to me it was always cool to see them when i was coming around the bend or over the hill!

Different Socks
07-10-2009, 19:13
When I did the AT in 1992, I looked forward to each and every shelter i visited or slept in b/c I believed that they were part of the trail, its surroundings and the trail experience.
Then when I did the trail again in 2001, things had changed so much. Too many of the shelters had been replaced by the "hilton" designs that are out there even more now. I still enjoyed seeing them , but it wasn't the same from 10 years earlier.

CrumbSnatcher
07-10-2009, 19:33
When I did the AT in 1992, I looked forward to each and every shelter i visited or slept in b/c I believed that they were part of the trail, its surroundings and the trail experience.
Then when I did the trail again in 2001, things had changed so much. Too many of the shelters had been replaced by the "hilton" designs that are out there even more now. I still enjoyed seeing them , but it wasn't the same from 10 years earlier.
my first hike i enjoyed the shelters now take'm or leave'm

Mrs Baggins
07-10-2009, 19:37
Dissing shelters is very cool among the hard core crowd. WGAF. It's like alcohol stoves vs any other cooking system. If you're not using a home made alcohol stove you just aren't among the in crowd. Again, WGAF. I like shelters. I like knowing I have a place to sleep if I don't feel like setting up my tent. I like having a bench or table to sit at. I like having the other hikers to talk to. And I love my Pocket Rocket and refuse to waste my time with some kind of home made cat food alcolhol stove because the cool crowd says it's right.

CrumbSnatcher
07-10-2009, 19:40
i used to use shelters once in awhile,have a few favorite shelters i won't pass up. if no one or just 1-2 people show up i might stay. if it even starts to fill up i move on or go tent! usually? and i love my pocket rocket too:D

Tin Man
07-10-2009, 19:46
i love my msr superfly stove... it's a pocket rocket with the flame spread out, which helps cook pancakes and omelets more evenly

tents are cool... but in my quest for what's best, i'm going swining in a hammock for the first time very soon...

:)

CrumbSnatcher
07-10-2009, 19:48
Hell i haven't seen a shelter in a long time, i wouldn't mind seeing one! the trail doesn't pass thru Nebraska.

CrumbSnatcher
07-10-2009, 19:56
i love my msr superfly stove... it's a pocket rocket with the flame spread out, which helps cook pancakes and omelets more evenly

tents are cool... but in my quest for what's best, i'm going swining in a hammock for the first time very soon...

:)i kept my whisperlite stove around to use my backpacker oven. works great!!! my specialty is pizza:) real crust! not that tortilla crap!!!

Wise Old Owl
07-10-2009, 20:09
http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/efi/lowres/efin571l.jpg
Makes a great place for my dog to hang out while it's raining. :D


Yea that must be in jest! the last guy that cracked the joke was tarred & feathered!

Tin Man
07-10-2009, 21:29
i kept my whisperlite stove around to use my backpacker oven. works great!!! my specialty is pizza:) real crust! not that tortilla crap!!!

whisperlites are being sold while they last at campmor. it appears they are being replaced by a stove costing twice as much. progress, huh?

I bought three recently for our scout troop - just in case.

kanga
07-11-2009, 06:50
Dissing shelters is very cool among the hard core crowd. WGAF. It's like alcohol stoves vs any other cooking system. If you're not using a home made alcohol stove you just aren't among the in crowd. Again, WGAF. I like shelters. I like knowing I have a place to sleep if I don't feel like setting up my tent. I like having a bench or table to sit at. I like having the other hikers to talk to. And I love my Pocket Rocket and refuse to waste my time with some kind of home made cat food alcolhol stove because the cool crowd says it's right.
aren't you scared the mice will carry you off?

middle to middle
07-11-2009, 08:18
The last walk I took was in early April and I did not meet another person, the shelters were nice in the rain or arriving late and previous hiker left fire wood.

JERMM
07-11-2009, 12:09
Dissing shelters is very cool among the hard core crowd. WGAF. It's like alcohol stoves vs any other cooking system. If you're not using a home made alcohol stove you just aren't among the in crowd. Again, WGAF. I like shelters. I like knowing I have a place to sleep if I don't feel like setting up my tent. I like having a bench or table to sit at. I like having the other hikers to talk to. And I love my Pocket Rocket and refuse to waste my time with some kind of home made cat food alcolhol stove because the cool crowd says it's right.


aren't you scared the mice will carry you off?

:D:D:D you two are cracking me up, this is hilarious

I must be a member of the "cool" crowd cause I don't stay at shelters and I use a homemade alcohol stove and darn PROUD of it. :D:D:D

Nearly Normal
07-11-2009, 13:41
:D:D:D you two are cracking me up, this is hilarious

I must be a member of the "cool" crowd cause I don't stay at shelters and I use a homemade alcohol stove and darn PROUD of it. :D:D:D

I'll bet you blue blaze too!
A few here think eggzactaly the way you do. :sun

superman
07-11-2009, 15:36
Wet hiker. . . . . . ha! :sun
Do you know anything about "wet hiker?":)

superman
07-11-2009, 15:46
:D:D:D you two are cracking me up, this is hilarious

I must be a member of the "cool" crowd cause I don't stay at shelters and I use a homemade alcohol stove and darn PROUD of it. :D:D:D

Holy mouse crap, I don't stay at shelters and I cook and drink alcohol. Perhaps I am also cool for the first time since my sons were born. They will be soooo proud.:cool:

CrumbSnatcher
07-11-2009, 16:24
Holy mouse crap, I don't stay at shelters and I cook and drink alcohol. Perhaps I am also cool for the first time since my sons were born. They will be soooo proud.:cool:
damn right your cool:cool: or you wouldn't be on my friends/contacts list:D

JERMM
07-11-2009, 16:32
I'll bet you blue blaze too!
A few here think eggzactaly the way you do. :sun


blue blazed just yesterday, will do it again on Monday :banana:banana:banana



Holy mouse crap, I don't stay at shelters and I cook and drink alcohol. Perhaps I am also cool for the first time since my sons were born. They will be soooo proud.:cool:

ooooooooooh...I like that phrase Batman, I mean Superman, welcome to the cool side of hiking...:welcome with your alcohol stove and non-shelter dwelling practices...;)

Cookerhiker
07-11-2009, 17:11
I've probably stayed in shelters more often than not. The biggest advantage is getting out of the rain and ice storms - I've spent many a night in a shelter with pounding thunderstorms or ice storms raging overhead. Twice on my '07 Long Trail (http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=201787)hike, I arrived at a shelter minutes before the deluge - great feeling.

Most of my AT miles were hiked off season where I often had shelters to myself or at least very few other occupants. And hiking off-season, I've found that mice are rarely a problem in fall or winter.