thanks elf, now i have more choices to make!
Very nearly.Originally Posted by runt13
Farting - better an empty house than a bad tenant!
Snoring - most snorers can't help it. Tenting apart would be appreciated, but isn't strictly necessary. Bring earplugs if you're sensitive.
Talking, including cell phones - Don't make loud noices that will disturb others. And don't inflict HALF a conversation on anyone. Step away, just as polite people would do if they have to take a call in a restaurant or at a party.
Sleepwalking - falls in the same category as getting up to answer Nature's call: unavoidable.
Dogs - I've seen wonderfully well-behaved trail dogs, and envied the fact that their owners had time to train them properly. And I've seen dogs that sleep in shelters. I've very, very seldom met a dog that belonged to both groups. Dogs are illegal in shelters in some places.
Tents in shelters - Illegal in NY state, I don't know about elsewhere.
Hammocks in shelters - Few shelters are built to withstand the sidewise pull of a hammock, and making the walls of the shelter crooked is NOT polite. Hammocking in shelters is illegal in NY state, I don't know about elsewhere.
Nudity - Don't flash people. Don't freak out if you see someone's you-know-what or someone sees yours.
Arguments - Same category as other loud talking.
Drugs and alcohol - Did you bring enough for everybody?
Firearms - Discharging firearms in a shelter is louder than most other loud noises, and loud noises are not polite in shelters. Brandishing firearms is rude in most company. It's none of your business what I have in my pack.
Bear traps - Couldn't you bring mouse traps instead? They'd be more useful!
Music - This is open to discussion. If I'm playing an instrument at a shelter, I always stop and apologize if anyone else arrives. I often get the reply, "oh, don't stop, I was enjoying that!" And the evening where two couples started dancing a Scottish reel in front of the shelter while I played (recorder? pennywhistle? Don't recall which I brought.) was magical.
I always know where I am. I'm right here.
I love live music on the trail. Whether the musician in question is an amateur or professional doesn't matter to me. There were many nights where I was quite literally soothed to sleep by someone that was kind enough to play. Those memories will never be forgotten.
I don't play an instrument but I like to walk some days with one earplug in and sing along. I receive many comments on my singing. Try working out just what a cross between a gravel road and a honking duck would sound like? If your on the trail next year you might hear one.
On a music note... After crossing Newfound Gap GSMNP bout 5 minutes up the trail started hearing flute music. This nice experience while walking through the woods continued for the next 3-4 minutes when we found the source. Hiker sitting on the side of the trail playing, the music carried so well because he was sitting in front of a huge/tall/long rock wall. Nice
I have a cat
bring it!.......................................
say it ain't so.
You mean like this guy?
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=36432
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
Kevin and others!
We have a nice little group that meets weekly to learn Contra and Square dance calling, here in St. Louis.
If you can play Irish or early American tunes, I can call a short dance at shelters or hostels.
Perhaps the most curious thing I ever saw on a trail was going down the Hunt trail on Mt Katahdin, a woman with a siamese cat on a leash. I ran across them about 2/3rds of the way up the trail from the parking area so they had been doing this for a while. The cat didn't look all that happy to be there and on a forced march to what I'm sure it felt was its certain death. I have never seen a cat on a leash before being forced to climb a mountain of that nature.
As a post script on this oddity, the woman returned to the parking area not long after us and was quickly taken to the Ranger station and escorted out of the park. Baxter has a very strict no pets policy that this gal apparently thought she could ignore with impunity.
OK, Scoutmaster here
We like to do several trips on the AT every year and a fifty miler on the trail every other year.
If you are a Scoutmaster, don't plan a camping trip at a shelter. That's not it's intent. We have encountered other troops that park a mile away, hike in and overtake a shelter. Don't do that. It's not a scout camp.
We sometimes like to camp near shelters when long distance backpacking, but not in them, unless our group is manageable and small - like 2 adults and two to three older respectful scouts. Though in these cases, these groups usually opt not to sleep in the shelter. I think it is good to expose the scouts to the shelter experience. They are fascinated by thru hikers, there is usually a good water source nearby, and privy access. There are many teachable moments around a shelter.
We understand that most people are less tolerant of other people's children than they are of dogs. To take them camping was our decision, not yours. We try not to be tone deaf to whether our boys are annoying you and will clear space if necessary. We also understand that not all Scout leaders are this in tune with the effect our boys have on you, but we try to use this as an opportunity to teach respect and consideration.
When we camp near a shelter, we try to leave it in better shape than we found it by performing some sort of service project. Often we will try to rehabilitate a spring site by clearing debris, and stacking stones to help keep it clear of mud. We will also try to leave duff buckets full and clean trash from firepits and sites.
ShaneP: Scouting in action. Thank you, sir, from a LONG time Ass't SM.
Old Hiker
AT Hike 2012 - 497 Miles of 2184
AT Thru Hiker - 29 FEB - 03 OCT 2016 2189.1 miles
Just because my teeth are showing, does NOT mean I'm smiling.
Hányszor lennél inkább máshol?
How refreshing! That was my first exposure to the AT over 45 years ago. The troop I was in had a hard time finding a place to camp (there were about 25 of us). We ended up camping up in the woods down the road from the Wildcat Mtn ski lift. Someone eventually told our scoutmaster that we shouldn't be there and should not come back. I wonder what the options are for scouts in that area?
Oh yeah. I agree, a troop shouldn't take over a shelter, but spending a night tenting around one is a great learning experience.
Thanks for helping our kids so much.
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