Cooking at shelters

[TurboPants]

I try to follow the principle of cooking your dinner a mile or two away from where you are sleeping to avoid making yourself smell like a giant snickers sandwich. But what I see on YT videos is everyone cooking at the shelters. If mother nature is dropping buckets of rain for days I can sympathize with cooking under the shelter roof, it makes sense. But in the case where you want to eat a meal away from a shelter while it's raining do you just avoid "cooking" and eat the snack foods until its dry enough to cook? I think i'm mentally prepared to just trudge through rain all day but the cooking thing I haven't figured out. I thought may use my tent fly for a quick shelter but in a downpour you'll be opening your bag in the rain and risking getting everything wet.

All that said, what would you past hikers recommend for cooking in the rain, AND is cooking at shelters is acceptable? Thanks in advance!

[rafe]

Most long distance hikers don't fire up their stoves mid-day. Cooking at shelters is acceptable, but courtesy to fellow hikers is always a priority. If the shelter's empty, do as you will -- but please clean up after yourself if you spill any sort of food.

Some folks are OK cooking in their tents, or under the tent awning. I've always been a bit wary of that. The cost of a spill is just too great.

[Damn Yankee]

Not cooking at shelters is a safety issue with food spills odors and a like. You should not cook near shelters. That being said, what to do in the rain? If you have a rain fly I would set that up and cook under it as far away from tent sight as possible. Now if you don't have a fly then the only obvious choice would be to set up your tent and cook under the vestibule

[Sarcasm the elf]

The majority of hikers cook at or in the shelters. Don't kid yourself into thinking that the shelters don't already smell like food.

[4eyedbuzzard]

The majority of hikers cook at or in the shelters. Don't kid yourself into thinking that the shelters don't already smell like food.

There are picnic tables, etc. at many shelters - for eating at I presume There is obviously food waste as well all over the place from all the previous hikers, which is why there are mice, which is why there are snakes and owls and such. Shelters are food oases. But yeah, shelters reek of human food.

If you do cook under your tent fly or especially in your tent (which is not a recommended practice - the AT isn't an alpine expedition), be sure to understand safe practices and the necessity to maintain proper ventilation - people have died from carbon monoxide poisoning in tents. Add that nylon fabrics are extremely flammable. And of course your tent will now smell even more like food than it did before.

[rafe]

Shelters don't necessarily "reek of human food." That's BS, sorry. First off, most hiker food doesn't smell like much, half the time what's being cooked is Lipton's noodles or Ramen. Something you boil in water.

Shelters are more likely to smell of food after being filled with weekenders, or youth outing or some such. In nearly 600 miles of AT from Lehigh Gap to Catawba VA, I didn't encounter a single AT shelter that "reeked of human food."

[rafe]

You should not cook near shelters.

Says who, exactly

[Coffee]

In nearly 600 miles of AT from Lehigh Gap to Catawba VA, I didn't encounter a single AT shelter that "reeked of human food."

Maybe not to humans but many animals have much keener sense of smell and might beg to differ.

[rafe]

Maybe not to humans but many animals have much keener sense of smell and might beg to differ.

I don't recall being molested by any animals over the course of that hike. Not even mice. But as I've said in other posts -- it seemed at times like I was the only person on the trail. Most nights I had the shelter to myself.

[Sarcasm the elf]

Says who, exactly

Usually it's people who are taught precautions meant specifically for grizzley country out west and then (in good faith) try to apply the same rules the A.T.

I'll admit to that I used to be one of them.

[FarmerChef]

Maybe not to humans but many animals have much keener sense of smell and might beg to differ.

This. To many animals the shelter smells of a buffet, especially the mice that hang around in the shelters. To you or I it probably doesn't smell like anything other than damp wood or stone unless, of course, the previous hiker(s) threw their leftover ramen into the fireplace thinking it would "burn" it.

[rafe]

For sure, in grizzly country, I'd be talking a very different tune. But I thought the PCT and CDT were mostly devoid of shelters anyway. Closest analogy to AT I suppose would be shelters in NJ or SNP where black bears are common.

Bottom line, AT hikers cook in shelters all the time. Obviously if weather allows, you cook at the picnic table or as far from the sleeping platform as possible. But if it's pouring rain and it's not overcrowded, I'm gonna cook my Liptons noodles in the shelter. And if it is overcrowded, I'll probably do so anyway -- but hopefully clear it with whoever else is there.

[flemdawg1]

Not cooking at shelters is a safety issue with food spills odors and a like. You should not cook near shelters.

Everybody cooks at the shelters. Even folks who claim to hate shelters will normally stop and cook there if its close to dinner time before hiking on to tent elsewhere.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Maybe not to humans but many animals have much keener sense of smell and might beg to differ.

This. To many animals the shelter smells of a buffet, especially the mice that hang around in the shelters. To you or I it probably doesn't smell like anything other than damp wood or stone unless, of course, the previous hiker(s) threw their leftover ramen into the fireplace thinking it would "burn" it.

Imagine not being able to see particularly well, not blind, but maybe needing to be three times closer to see something, and then seeing everything blurry from about three feet in. Also imagine having a sense of smell 1000's and 1000's of times better than you do. You would experience the world first and primarily through your sense of smell, not your eyes. This is how many animals, including mice, dogs, and bears experience the world.

[BobTheBuilder]

Everybody cooks at the shelters.

Yep - I remember one shelter last spring where 8 hikers were cooking on the picnic table at the same time. It was kind of funny and I almost took a picture. It would have been quite appropriate for this thread. I'm not big on people cooking in the shelter itself, but what else are the picnic tables for - playing cards?

[FarmerChef]

Yep - I remember one shelter last spring where 8 hikers were cooking on the picnic table at the same time. It was kind of funny and I almost took a picture. It would have been quite appropriate for this thread. I'm not big on people cooking in the shelter itself, but what else are the picnic tables for - playing cards?

Uh, actually it's for the book club....

[Sarcasm the elf]

Uh, actually it's for the book club....

I thought it was for the exclusive use of the norovirus exchange club.

[HooKooDooKu]

I don't know about most shelters along the AT, but the shelters in the GSMNP seem to have tables specifically set up to cook/eat. Now these tables are located either at the far front of the shelter, or an area beside the shelter. In both cases, these areas are still under the protection of the shelter.

However they post warnings about cooking and eating in the sleeping areas. I don't see many cooking in the sleeping areas, but I've seen plenty of numskulls eating and spilling food in the sleeping areas... especially at the shelters where the lower bunk doubles as a sitting area.

[TurboPants]

Well I guess the important thing I go answered was nobody is going to crucify me for cooking dinner at a shelter. If it's raining and there is a convenient shelter along the way it would be silly to NOT stop there under a roof and cook my food as opposed to the vestibule of my tent. I think I'd still much rather find a nice cozy spot in the woods to sit and cook my pasta if weather permits, especially if there's a view!

There have been a decent amount of aggressive bear reports in GA shelters the last couple years. I'd venture to guess it's because more inexperienced people are starting thrus and only make it a few weeks into GA and quit. I intend on sleeping with my food and will go to a few extra measures to make sure the least amount of odors are on me or in the tent. If bear cables are available that's where the food will go, though. If I can figure out the PCT hanging method I may give it a try but I know after hiking 25 miles I may get lazy if the weather is annoying.

[FarmerChef]

Turbo - I've found that cooking while either sitting with the cooking surface at chest height or standing with it at waist height is far preferable to crouching over the ground while cooking my food. After a good day of walking I'd like to just rest my bum with my legs something less than flat out in front of me. Maybe that's my age talking but boy do I look forward to a good bench style seat, log or rock with a 2 foot clearance off the ground. Not having to bend over while cooking is the main reason I like to hunt for a picnic table and/or firepit.