Makeshift shelters in the woods

[hikermiker]

Every once in a while I come across something that appears to be a tepee or lean-to in the woods. These are basically a somewhat structured pile of sticks. Does anyone have an idea of what they are about? Are these people practicing survival skills by making a temporary shelter and then not taking them apart or is something else going on?

[MuddyWaters]

That depends
Lots of yahoos out there that brand themselves bushcrafters thanks to internet.

But scouts do make and sleep in shelters as part of wilderness survival merit badge too. I would hope they would destroy and scatter their materials though. Ours did. And it should be done on private land if conscientious.

[Deadeye]

And it should be done on private land if conscientious.

On private land? Maybe with permission.

[MuddyWaters]

On private land? Maybe with permission.

Goes without saying

Scouts have their own lands.

Actually creating any structure on public land is illegal...everywhere I know of.
Even blinds for hunting typically are required to be dismanteled daily. It doesnt happen always, but usually the law

[JohnHuth]

Yup, I did that with my son's scout troop for his wilderness survival merit badge, but took it down and scattered the tree limbs once we were done.

There are a bunch of these in my local woods. I have half a mind to take them down.

[Bronk]

People watching survival shows and trying to think they are a bad ass. If you read stories of old time bush crafters it was pretty common back in the day to not bring tent poles or stakes...they would just cut fresh ones every time they made camp. This is completely out of line with modern Leave No Trace principles. Back in the day they were going into wild areas that very few other people would ever go to and the land could withstand the impact. But if people did that today in the areas most people camp in it would not take long before every sapling was cut down.

[Tipi Walter]

I call these wannabe Davy Crockett individuals Bashcrafters for wanting their brief bushcraft moment in the woods---"Bash" denotes the small destruction they do to the woods. Examples---

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I found this fresh fort on the South Fork Creek in Citico wilderness whereby the idiots cut down dozens of standing rhododendrons along the creek just to achieve their Davy moment. A few hours later they were driving down the Interstate probably listening to Lady Gaga.

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I went back a few months later and looked at their wonderful example of Bashcrafting---

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A couple years later I found this camp thing on Slickrock Creek in the Kilmer wilderness---since collapsed.

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And then there's idiots who cut down living trees in wilderness areas to fulfill their Davy fantasy---camp furniture. I cut everything apart and scattered the crap. Bad thing was, they left their camp fire burning but were long gone.

But I myself built tipi hooches to live in during my Tipi Years---1980 to 2001.


I built this crude tipi in 1981 but then again I lived in the thing for several years.


A couple years later I built this lodge on a ridgetop in NC (had permission from the landowners) and it was my home for the next 21 years (with several rebuilt improvements). So yes, there's a place for these fantasies---when put into reality.

[Francis Sawyer]

Hunting blind perhaps?

[George]

ah yes - typical responses: if it is not what I am into, I will look down my nose

yeah it probably should be taken apart, but if it really offends you go ahead and dis assemble what you find - whining optional -

a "debris shelter" is a concept that answers the question - what can be done with bare hands for an emergency shelter?….. and then an infinite variety of variables for what else you may have with you

it is something interesting to practice - for me, as I use bivies, it could be a supplemental shelter, say if a big snow was coming, but a shelter or bail out could no be reached

[Tipi Walter]

ah yes - typical responses: if it is not what I am into, I will look down my nose

You missed the point about wannabe bashcrafters coming onto public land and cutting down living trees to achieve their davy crockett moment. It's not allowed, btw. It's more than a personal "if it's not what I am into" thing---the forest service does not allow the cutting of living trees by individuals. (Of course the USFS will bulldoze in roads and clearcut a whole mountainside but that's a different subject).

If all outdoorsmen and backpackers decided to cut trees down to make campsites, well, think about it.

[fiddlehead]

Like I have said on other threads, those people building huts from dead trees in the woods and riding bicycles are not your enemy.
Those bulldozers are.

[MuddyWaters]

Usfs maintains 375,000 miles of roads.

Let that sink in. 375,000 miles.
To provide access to natural resources and recreation in non wilderness areas

[gpburdelljr]

Bigfoot made them.

[Berserker]

I've seen more of these things recently, and it's no coincidence that it coincides with the rise of the reality TV survival shows in the past several years...Survivor, Naked and Afraid, Alone, etc. I'm assuming a lot of these shelters are people heading out to practice to try and get on one of these shows. I don't have an issue with the shows, but it's a shame that people are doing this on public land. Last one I saw was a big teepee style shelter down at the bottom of Big Fat Gap near Slickrock Creek. Took a lot of wood to make it, and there was doodoo all over around it. All I gots to say is go practice this stuff on your own private land.

[Tipi Walter]

I've seen more of these things recently, and it's no coincidence that it coincides with the rise of the reality TV survival shows in the past several years...Survivor, Naked and Afraid, Alone, etc. I'm assuming a lot of these shelters are people heading out to practice to try and get on one of these shows. I don't have an issue with the shows, but it's a shame that people are doing this on public land. Last one I saw was a big teepee style shelter down at the bottom of Big Fat Gap near Slickrock Creek. Took a lot of wood to make it, and there was doodoo all over around it. All I gots to say is go practice this stuff on your own private land.

Exactly. I spend extra effort dismantling these structures. The poop I leave for hopefully the same guys who pooped and wants to use his "tipi".