View Full Version : Mashipacong Shelter temporarily closed
Id just like to let WB know that Mashipacong Shelter as of this morning is temporarily not available for overnight or day use. The trail in front of the Shelter is still operating but due to a bear trapping, the High Pt Rangers and US Fish and Wildlife need to close off the site. There has been a "problem" bear visiting the shelter for the past few weeks. The bear is an older female who has been depending on human food at great frequency. This has been mostly attributed to poor camp clean-up of food by groups of campers using the shelter. We already had one potential major incident where a bear was caught on camera (don't ask) munching on a child's sleeping bag who was sleeping in the grass outside the shelter.
Don't misinterpret things. No one wants to shoot the bear, but it seems a potential tragedy could be in the near future if action is not taken. At current time I don't know what the parks plan is. I'll keep everyone updated with more info.
If you are a thru-hiker reading this from the hostel at DWG, you might want to plan accordingly. Gren Anderson 5.8 miles south is a fine place to spend the night as is Rutherford, 3 miles North.
I stayed at this shelter about 13 years ago, and a ranger told me that they had recently reopened it. Some clown had spread peanut butter on the walls and the bears were having parties there every night. The bear population in NJ and NY has grown tremendously since then.
I stayed at this shelter about 13 years ago, and a ranger told me that they had recently reopened it. Some clown had spread peanut butter on the walls and the bears were having parties there every night. The bear population in NJ and NY has grown tremendously since then.
wow that sucks,peanut butter to attract bears:cool: neo
Apparently, the bears liked it. I was told they came each night for a couple of weeks, and would lick the walls and fight with each other.
Thanks for the post A-Train--we are looking forward to our NJ section hike starting next weekend, so appreciate the heads up!
Toolshed
07-29-2005, 07:54
Was this the shelter right at Deckertown Turnpike Rd, or am I thinking of the wrong shelter??
http://www.njherald.com/307207592292689.php
Tuesday, August 2, 2005
By LYNN OLANOFF
Herald Staff Writer
MONTAGUE — A bear bit a sleeping camper and tried to drag him away from a shelter along the Appalachian Trail at High Point State Park last month, state officials said Monday. The bear was killed Friday after becoming ensnared in a trap at the same campsite, officials said.
The male camper, whose name has not been released, was sleeping with a group around 6:30 a.m. on July 13 at the Mashipacong Shelter when the bear bit him on the leg and attempted to drag both him and his sleeping bag, said Karen Hershey, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Protection.
The bear left "marks" on the camper, Hershey said, but would not release details of his injuries Monday.
State officials learned of the incident from a High Point State Park ranger on July 21, Hershey said. The spokeswoman said the late notification combined with a weeklong investigation into the incident was the reason for delayed public notification.
The State Division of Fish and Wildlife set a trap for the bear Wednesday at the shelter, the campsite on the Appalachian Trail in Montague where the July 13 incident occurred, Hershey said. The shelter is near Deckertown Turnpike in the southeast corner of the park close to the Wantage border.
The 152-pound, 5-year-old female bear caught in the trap Friday was later identified as the same bear who bit the camper, Hershey said. She did not say how the bear was identified.
"The Division (of Fish and Wildlife) was confident it caught the offending bear," she said.
DEP Press Director Elaine Makatura said the department does not release the names of people involved in bear incidents to "protect (their) anonymity."
The Mashipacong Shelter and nearby sections of the Appalachian Trail were closed for a few days during the investigation. They have since been reopened.
High Point State Park Superintendent John Keator referred a call Monday inquiring about the incident to the DEP press office.
Air Head
08-03-2005, 01:35
Was this the shelter right at Deckertown Turnpike Rd, or am I thinking of the wrong shelter??
Yep, that's the one, Toolshed.
To Any thru-hikers in the area: I'd suggest the Gren Anderson shelter. I was at the Rutherford shelter July 29. It's clean, but it's close to a swamp, and the bugs were out in full force.
Yes, so as you can see the shelter is back open and now has a picnic table too! There is no water there and I believe RUtherford is almost dry, so tank up at Gren Anderson, if heading north to High Point. Yeah skeeters at Rutherford can be ridiculous, but Gren Anderson has its share too