Cabin will open on May 13th and close on October 22nd (last overnight stay on Oct 21st)--assuming the Park Service isn't shut down this summer...
Cosmo
Printable View
Cabin will open on May 13th and close on October 22nd (last overnight stay on Oct 21st)--assuming the Park Service isn't shut down this summer...
Cosmo
why would the park service being closed matter? i dont think goose pond is on federal land, but even if it is, would a closure mean private organizations cant do the things on that land they usually do? i suppose it would, but thats just silly. particularly in the case of a cabin that is.... what? 1.5 miles from the nearest highway?
I think that shelter is overseen by the NPS, but I could be wrong. Volunteers do most of the work but the easement there may be what makes it federally controlled.Quote:
Originally Posted by tdoczi
I believe the last time it had something to do with the government closure stopping the insurance that covers those who volunteer to staff it.
That's correct. The Feds provide workman's comp insurance for on the job injury, and tort protection in the event a volunteer was sued--provided they are working within their training. So when the Trail is officially closed, volunteers (who are for these purposes considered Federal employees) are without this coverage. Therefore, we have to send the caretakers home and close the Cabin. When you're in bed with the Feds, the world can be a strange place.
Cosmo
We closed up the Cabin for the season on Sunday. We also pulled in and broke apart the floating dock--as it really wasn't floating much anymore. We'll install a new one in the spring. Attachment 40763
Don't have the full accounting of hiker numbers yet, but reports suggest it will be about the same as last season, despite another uptick in the number of NB starters this year.
FYI, we installed a new "people counter" on the trail between the Cabin and Dalton. It recorded 3,138 hikers between April 6th and Oct 8th. Probably it will record a hundred more before we decommission it for the winter.
Cosmo
What exactly is a people counter and how accurate is it ? I would have guessed that more people would have passed through that section each peak seasonQuote:
Originally Posted by Cosmo
It senses movement of warm objects at a specific trail location. We've calibrated it for people sized things, so we're not picking up smaller mammals. The count might be off by a deer or two, possibly a moose or bear here and there.
Cosmo
Had a great stay on my thru this year. This is one of the few places I could see coming back to hang out for a day. Such a good time, clean, friendly, and the lady (I forgot her name) made us all some cookies. :)
UGP cabin was a great stay for me this year. Nice cabin, great conversation around the fireplace and the host was very informative. Wish it had been warmer outside, but..... Breakfast was awesome. It is one of those really special things about the AT. Thanks for what you do for the hiking community.
Stayed there September 9th. Great atmosphere. Kevin was wonderful and helpful.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Here’s this year’s stats for stays at Upper Goose Pond Cabin. We had 2398 overnight visitors this season. In 2015: 2435, and in 2016: 2419. This does not reflect the steady increase of Georgia starters/Katahdin finishers recorded by ATC/BSP during the same time period (thankfully)--but there is sustained heavy use July and August.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cosmo
We do not differentiate hikers by the length of their trip or direction, so the total includes groups, weekend, section and thru hikers. It does not include locals just out for the day. Our biggest days were 45 on 7/28 and 8/6.
Attachment 40920
Cosmo
My wife and I had a very good experience there a few years ago.
Thanks to everyone who makes that available to us hikers.
Enjoying your stats Cosmo.
I have only heard positive comments from hikers regarding UGP. Where else will thruhikers walk 1/2 mile off trail to shelter for the night??!! They love the hospitality the caretakers offer.