Hawk Mountain Shelter On Georgia AT To Be Torn Down

[cneill13]

I spoke with two trail maintainers this past weekend who had just finished up work on a 1/2 mile side trail on Hawk Mountain which is shelter number 3 (8.1 miles north) on the Georgia AT.

The Hawk Mountain shelter and privy are going to be torn down later this year due to over use. There is going to be a 1/2 mile side trail from the AT that leads to a new place for tents (and hammocks of course). They said there should be room for around 30 tents. Not sure if a new privy is going to be built.

Carl

[Lone Wolf]

i've been at the shelter when no less than 50 were there. gonna need more than 30 sites

[Tennessee Viking]

0.5 miles from Hightower Gap. Its too easy of an access for partiers and rotten hikers.

[SteelCut]

http://georgia-atclub.org/index.php?...=33&Itemid=684

[Slo-go'en]

http://georgia-atclub.org/index.php?...=33&Itemid=684

It would be nice if they used a font which is easier to read! It does say a moldering privy will be built at the new camping site.

Good luck keeping people from camping at the current location unless they build a wall around it.

[Gambit McCrae]

Tent sight is still going to be less attractive then a hiker box, I mean shelter. IMO I don't think there should be any shelters south of blood, (Because it is of stone), or maybe even Fontana. Its just a comfort zone for newbies and in the end destroys those spots. It enables rotten hikers to continue on a higher mental note and is a trash magnet/ bear magnet. I hiked GA sobo last year during the spring and was disgusted at the amount of not only trash, but gear as well. Thermorests, dry bags, stoves and canisters.

My frustrations are in no way directed at volunteers, I cannot imagine the undertaking to maintain these sections during those spring months. I wish there was more pre-hike education available but in the end, your gunna have the people that I guess just pop up with no pre thought and expect to be successful in the woods.

[shelb]

. It enables rotten hikers to continue on a higher mental note and is a trash magnet/ bear magnet. I hiked GA sobo last year during the spring and was disgusted at the amount of not only trash, but gear as well. Thermorests, dry bags, stoves and canisters.
.

This is so sad! Hikers really need to be trained in LNT.
Trail Maintainers - and Hikers who know about LNT - thank you for your work to clean up and educate these children of the trail.

[Venchka]

This is so sad! Hikers really need to be trained in LNT.
Trail Maintainers - and Hikers who know about LNT - thank you for your work to clean up and educate these children of the trail.

Seems to me that many of them are barely potty trained. Training? LNT? Right Sure.

Wayne


Sent from somewhere around here.

[MuddyWaters]

Seems to me that many of them are barely potty trained. Training? LNT? Right Sure.

Wayne


Sent from somewhere around here.

That is the function of the Ridge Runners, to inform hikers how to be LNT, in a friendly supportive and non-confrontational manner.

Do it work?

Well, NC is cleaner than GA, so maybe. A little.

To hell with LNT, staying at a shelter has nothing to do with LNT. Just pack out your fricking trash, dont leave crap behind, and dont write on things with a $%^&*# sharpie.

[FatMan]

Yep, Hawk is a mess and I agree it needs to be closed. 30 tent pads will not handle the demand and will get trashed in short order as well. There is no solution to the throngs of thru hikers other than limiting them with a permit system.

[Lone Wolf]

Yep, Hawk is a mess and I agree it needs to be closed. 30 tent pads will not handle the demand and will get trashed in short order as well. There is no solution to the throngs of thru hikers other than limiting them with a permit system.

and a caretaker at every shelter and designated campsite

[4eyedbuzzard]

Not passing judgment one way or the other, but just a somewhat evil thought that comes to mind: a specially trained dog and a paddy wagon at USFS 42 would likely thin the herd substantially.

[SWODaddy]

Not passing judgment one way or the other, but just a somewhat evil thought that comes to mind: a specially trained dog and a paddy wagon at USFS 42 would likely thin the herd substantially.

"at least 10 characters."

[MuddyWaters]

Not passing judgment one way or the other, but just a somewhat evil thought that comes to mind: a specially trained dog and a paddy wagon at USFS 42 would likely thin the herd substantially.

In slavery times, groups of young white men, sons of the plantation owners , would patrol the roads at night on horseback looking for runaways . In the dialect of the times, these groups of patrollers were called the "paddy rollers" by the slaves.

And now you know, where the term "paddy" in paddy wagon came from. In fact, the very act of policing and patrolling as we know it, started with policing the slaves. Which carries over into the historic distrust and fear of police black people still have today. Some things change slowly.


Many people wont go 1/2 mile off the AT for a shelter, darn sure not a campsite.
Sometimes I think trail clubs....just like to build new trail and change things


The concept of the shelters IS to overuse them. Its called concentrated impact. You preserve other areas, by sacrificing some.

[gpburdelljr]

In slavery times, groups of young white men, sons of the plantation owners , would patrol the roads at night on horseback looking for runaways . In the dialect of the times, these groups of patrollers were called the "paddy rollers" by the slaves.

And now you know, where the term "paddy" in paddy wagon came from. In fact, the very act of policing and patrolling as we know it, started with policing the slaves. Which carries over into the historic distrust and fear of police black people still have today. Some things change slowly.


Many people wont go 1/2 mile off the AT for a shelter, darn sure not a campsite.
Sometimes I think trail clubs....just like to build new trail and change things


The concept of the shelters IS to overuse them. Its called concentrated impact. You preserve other areas, by sacrificing some.

While "paddy rollers" and "paddy wagon" both have "paddy" in the term, I don't think they are related in any other way, i.e. the term "paddy wagon" was not derived from the term "paddy roller".

[Puddlefish]

While "paddy rollers" and "paddy wagon" both have "paddy" in the term, I don't think they are related in any other way, i.e. the term "paddy wagon" was not derived from the term "paddy roller".

I suspect you're right. Etymology is a tough thing to pin down exactly. Both seem to be bastardizations of the word patrol/patrol wagon. Words drift, and it's not unknown for the same word to drift in different locations at different times. One might have drifted because of the pronunciations, one might have drifted because of the Irish descent of the officers, or more cruelly the occupants in the back.

It's also a bit strange/coincidental that both groups have had ancestors enslaved in the past. Although, that can also be said of far too many groups. Growing up Irish, with recent ancestors from the Boston area, I always felt the term was derogatory and coined by Boston WASPs, rather than ex slaves. It would probably make an interesting research project/thesis paper.

As to the shelter, I'd much prefer a spread out tent/campus near a privy and water source than a noisy box. I do wonder "Why not both?" We'll just have to wait and see what they end up building and how it works out.

I officially booked my flight to Atlanta and my Hiker Hostel reservation today for April 6th, so I'll be interested in seeing what time frame "later this year" entails. If at all possible I'll be avoiding shelters anyway.

[MuddyWaters]

While "paddy rollers" and "paddy wagon" both have "paddy" in the term, I don't think they are related in any other way, i.e. the term "paddy wagon" was not derived from the term "paddy roller".

Paddy rollers became the municipal police departments. Primary function was slave / minority control before the war, and after for many decades.

The shortened paddy is simply slang for whats known as police.

Or you can believe its because people think all policeman are irish and paddy is like patrick...maybe up north in ny, not in the south.

[MuddyWaters]

While "paddy rollers" and "paddy wagon" both have "paddy" in the term, I don't think they are related in any other way, i.e. the term "paddy wagon" was not derived from the term "paddy roller".

Paddy rollers became the municipal police departments. Primary function was slave / minority control before the war, and after for many decades.

The shortened paddy is simply slang for whats known as police.

Or you can believe its because people think all policeman are irish and paddy is like patrick...

Paddy wagon means police wagon.

[RockDoc]

Tearing down shelters because of overuse!! The logical response would be to build more shelters. Not that I like or commonly use shelters...

The same sort of thing happened in Montana/Idaho a few years ago. The Forest Service decided to close FS roads because of "too much use" by the public. So began a human-elimination program, coupled with a new fee structure. Ah, trickle-down tyranny at it's best.

[Sly]

Tearing down shelters because of overuse!! The logical response would be to build more shelters.

Or in this case tent pads. Seems silly to tear down the shelter which will concentrate the impact.