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  1. #21
    Registered User ChinMusic's Avatar
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    While I have not seen the movie, I have read that the Overmountain Shelter is used in the 1989 movie "Winter People". Watch at your own risk.
    Fear ridges that are depicted as flat lines on a profile map.

  2. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by ChinMusic View Post
    There is simply no redeeming qualities to RHK when compared to Overmountain. It really is an easy call.
    I have to disagree, since I believe shelters are best when you need them, not when the weather's pleasant. I stayed at Roan High knob and was VERY glad to have four walls. My biggest complaint was that there was so much snow and ice on the ground and the trail to the spring wasn't blazed. We got scared of falling while trying to find the spring and I ended up pumping from the snow melt trickling over the ice on the trail instead. Our fears were justified: the trail took a tricky turn not far past that shelter where at least 2 thru-hikers broke arms the day after I passed through. But you shouldn't have an bad weather issues in June, so enjoy camping out somewhere if the weather's nice.

  3. #23
    Registered User ChinMusic's Avatar
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    You do realize that Overmountain is a barn, right? It has PLENTY of shelter from Mother Nature.
    Fear ridges that are depicted as flat lines on a profile map.

  4. #24
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    Overmountain is a barn with holes and cracks in the walls. Also it has a lot of nails sticking out of the ground and is mice infested.

    The sleeping platforms in front of the shelter are pretty exposed too.

    Nice area with pretty view. The barn isn't really that great though.

    Sent from my GT-I8750 using Tapatalk

  5. #25

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    I have never stayed at either but on both of NOBO's thru-hikes i camped at the little shelter thats between those two "i forgot it's name" it's a really great place to camp with an AWESOME water source, but no i don't think i would like sleeping in an old barn, i only been down to overmountain shelter once and i didn't like what i saw so i hiked on.

  6. #26

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    Quote Originally Posted by RED-DOG View Post
    I have never stayed at either but on both of NOBO's thru-hikes i camped at the little shelter thats between those two "i forgot it's name" it's a really great place to camp with an AWESOME water source, but no i don't think i would like sleeping in an old barn, i only been down to overmountain shelter once and i didn't like what i saw so i hiked on.
    Stan Murray shelter is the name.

  7. #27
    Registered User Old Hiker's Avatar
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    Hiked by Overmountain - looked very pretty from the Trail, but too early to stop. I should have walked down to look - one of my 2016 things to do: slow down - check out stuff.

    Roan High - steep, rocky trail going up, but was in a very nice, deep shaded grove - pine? hemlock? Most of the branches for several hundred meters around were snapped off up to head level, though. I just looked inside and tented outside, about 50 meters up the slope. Most of the uphill ground around the shelter was cleared off pretty well. No problem finding a clean place to tent. I recall it was cold, cold, COLD that night.

    Regarding Little Hump - there were several tenting places at the base of Hump Mountain, plus a good water supply. Had several college students there when I hiked past. Got to talk with some Education majors, which was neat. They were getting college credit for hiking and camping !!
    Old Hiker
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  8. #28

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    I stayed at Overmountain Shelter last week. It's a neat structure but it was crowded and noisy and I did not enjoy staying there. Fletcher, the ridge runner, did a great job educating some unseasoned hikers about cutting down trees for firewood and taking up all the space on the platforms. If you see Fletcher, take a few minutes to talk to him, he's very knowledgeable about the wildlife and plants in the area.

  9. #29
    Springer to Elk Park, NC/Andover to Katahdin
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    Like most everyone else I would go with Overmountain Shelter hands down. Spent a wonderful night there in October in a storm. I was cozy and warm hanging in in my hammock in the loft. When I was last at Roan High Knob it was a low of 2 degrees, 4 ft drifts and 35-40 mph wind and I stayed outside. The shelter was dark, cold and drafty.
    BTW, did you know that the barn, Overmountain Shelter, was used in a movie. A log cabin was built beside it but was removed after filming.
    I am not young enough to know everything.

  10. #30
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    Overmountain by far. Except for the privy.
    IMG_0278.jpg

    RHK was in the right place on a cold rainy day for a rest and warm lunch. But it's a dump.

    My trail notes say that I was cold and wet, almost hypothermic. Lunch, etc helped and I hiked the seven miles to Overmountain. I thought about staying at RHK but just couldn't, it would not have been healthy.
    Last edited by RangerZ; 01-31-2019 at 11:46.
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  11. #31
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    Overmountain was beautiful, and it was fun to camp in the upstairs portion of the barn. But it was crowded as hell, and from my one night's experience, crowded with some rude and entitled campers.

  12. #32

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    Quote Originally Posted by Nathan428 View Post
    Overmountain was beautiful, and it was fun to camp in the upstairs portion of the barn. But it was crowded as hell, and from my one night's experience, crowded with some rude and entitled campers.
    I do the Carvers to 19E section once a year, used to do it twice a year. There are many ways to skin a cat but this is my rendition these days...

    Friday night hike sobo up to roan high knob
    Saturday backtrack back down past the car for some breakfast beers and start heading over to the balds
    Saturday night camp at Doll flats, usually some campers there but not near the amount as the Barn.
    sunday sleep in, quick jaunt down to 19E

    I have stayed at the barn I believe 5 nights, and have really enjoyed staying at Doll Flatts
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  13. #33
    Registered User Tennessee Viking's Avatar
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    The Barn
    Long valley views, old barn converted shelter, view Yellow Mtn Bald, on-site privy, large sleeping areas, lots of camping, .5 to nearest trailhead, a bit drafty, mice, idiots poop around the shelter because they can't wait for the privy, water near shelter or down road

    Roan High
    In the treeline, no views, 4 wall shelter, no privy - idiots poop around the rocky areas instead of cat-holing in the woods, create place in blizzard on Roan Highlands, water source behind shelter, not much camping

    If you want to camp on the Balds, then the Grassy Ridge site.
    ''Tennessee Viking'
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    Former TEHCC (AT) Maintainer

  14. #34

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tennessee Viking View Post
    The Barn
    Long valley views, old barn converted shelter, view Yellow Mtn Bald, on-site privy, large sleeping areas, lots of camping, .5 to nearest trailhead, a bit drafty, mice, idiots poop around the shelter because they can't wait for the privy, water near shelter or down road

    Roan High
    In the treeline, no views, 4 wall shelter, no privy - idiots poop around the rocky areas instead of cat-holing in the woods, create place in blizzard on Roan Highlands, water source behind shelter, not much camping

    If you want to camp on the Balds, then the Grassy Ridge site.
    Sorry to hear that the RHK shelter is falling on hard times - I stopped in on my first thru in '76 and it was a falling down wreck. Came back with my wife in the early '80's during peak rhododendron flowering season to find it fully restored and we had the place to ourselves for the afternoon and night - deep, dark, quiet spruce-fir forest less than a quarter mile from overflowing parking lots and milling throngs.
    Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.

  15. #35
    Registered User bus's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tennessee Viking View Post
    The Barn


    If you want to camp on the Balds, then the Grassy Ridge site.
    Is the Grassy Ridge camping site near the Cornelius Peake plaque ?

    Hoping to do some of the balds this spring and summer with my eight-year-old son.

  16. #36
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    Quote Originally Posted by bus View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Tennessee Viking View Post
    The Barn


    If you want to camp on the Balds, then the Grassy Ridge site.
    Is the Grassy Ridge camping site near the Cornelius Peake plaque ?

    Hoping to do some of the balds this spring and summer with my eight-year-old son.
    If the weather looks rough, and it can be rough on Grassy Ridge, it's an easy hike to the Stan Murray shelter and a much more protected campsite and you have a 3 sided shelter if you really need it.
    You can walk in another person's shoes, but only with your feet

  17. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lone Wolf View Post
    it's a dump
    But at least it is well known as a dump.
    You never know just what you can do until you realize you absolutely have to do it.
    --Salaun

  18. #38
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    [QUOTE]Is the Grassy Ridge camping site near the Cornelius Peake plaque ? [/QUOTE




    if one takes the grassy ridge split from the AT-----it dead ends in a little field area...

    can camp there..

    and there's a spring a touch to the north i believe.....its downhill a little bit...

  19. #39

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    As the majority have said, OM shelter is a better spot to stay at. More scenic and lower elevation, more protected. Having said that, on my 2017 thru, I had vowed not to get stuck spending the night at the Roan High shelter. As luck with have it, it snowed for several days well beforehand, but had warmed up and snow north of Erwin was starting to dissipate. I decided to stretch some miles and relented to stay on Roan because all seemed well. About at the 5000 ft mark, probably not far from Ashe Gap, the trail started collecting snow and within a few hundred yards, the snow melt had refrozen and was a solid sheet of ice for the entire way up to the summit/shelter. It took me about 1.5 hours to make it and I was so relieved to see the old fire warden's cabin in the dark. There was another thru already in there. To close the story, by the end of the night there were 15 people that had crammed into the two storied shelter, including a group of spring break college students from FL, who were still in good spirits, but shocked. Temps were down into the low 20's and the wind howled as usual.

    Roan Mtn is always a beast. Never underestimate it.

  20. #40
    Registered User ldsailor's Avatar
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    If you stay at Overmountain, either be sure to get a spot in the loft or pitch a tent. I stayed there a couple of years ago and couldn't get into the loft. It was full, so I stayed on the lower open platform. That night a cloud bank moved in and soaked everything. It didn't rain, but the moisture in the cloud covered the building and did its thing. After that I found out, that cloud banks moving in over the shelter is not uncommon.

    Geez, I got sucked into another 5 year old thread. I got to start watching those OP dates.
    Last edited by ldsailor; 02-26-2019 at 12:58.
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