Carry Tent or not in Smokies

[tdoczi]

It seems clear from the quote above that he meant carrying.

we need an english teacher here. perhaps ive punctuated wrong but the "aren't allowed to" at the end of my statement is in reference to verb "use" not the verb "carry".

[TNhiker]

at the risk of no one appreciating this but me, here is an interesting thought exercise that occurred to me.

you're hiking in a very remote part of the smokies. under best case circumstances you're over a day's hiking from a road.

you very badly sprain your ankle. near the end of a day, so you sleep in the tent you're carrying just in case. you do this at a random undesignated spot. against the rules, but you're injured.

you're also carrying a PLRB.

the next morning you assess things and determine that while you could likely walk out on your own power, it will take you 3 days. you have supplies to do it, you have your tent, but theres no way you can reasonably do it and sleep at shelters the whole way. and definitely not the ones you have reservations for.

do you self rescue, requiring you to knowingly and willfully break the rules twice more, or do you hit the PLRB?

this should be it's own thread.......

[goatee]

If you are planning on hiking the Smokies do your research as apparently all who posted have. Seems the shack nasties have come out early this year. If you feel carrying or using your personal shelter is not for you, do what you do. Rangers and ridge runners enforce and the rules.We all know the rules ,but common sense rules are good as well.

[TNhiker]

we need an english teacher here. perhaps ive punctuated wrong but the "aren't allowed to" at the end of my statement is in reference to verb "use" not the verb "carry".

that's how i read it and how my responses are based on it...

but then again, ive learned to read "internet" and it's bastard form of english.....

[CalebJ]

Call in a rescue when I could walk myself out? That's not even a debate.

[Speakeasy TN]

How many losses do we have to take before people stop wanting to leave gear at home? Take it with you. If you expect reservations to reflect actual situation, be prepared for a shock.

[Emerson Bigills]

Let's say you get held up in traffic in Asheville or Knoxville on the way in and don't get to the trailhead until dark. You make the first shelter around 11pm and it is completely full. Are you going to wake up a sleeping hiker and tell them to go outside?

Sh<t happens out there. If you are not prepared for the unexpected, you are gambling with your life with winter conditions in the mountains. Rules and regulations should be followed, but as I have been told a couple times, "no one is coming to save you". Whether it is a tent, tarp or bivy, have something. Trust me, I have been that stupid hiker.

[Traffic Jam]

I backpacked for a year in the Smokies before buying a shelter. Not saying it’s right...it was pretty stupid.

[HooKooDooKu]

at the risk of no one appreciating this but me, here is an interesting thought exercise that occurred to me.

you're hiking in a very remote part of the smokies. under best case circumstances you're over a day's hiking from a road.

you very badly sprain your ankle. near the end of a day, so you sleep in the tent you're carrying just in case. you do this at a random undesignated spot. against the rules, but you're injured.

you're also carrying a PLRB.

the next morning you assess things and determine that while you could likely walk out on your own power, it will take you 3 days. you have supplies to do it, you have your tent, but theres no way you can reasonably do it and sleep at shelters the whole way. and definitely not the ones you have reservations for.

do you self rescue, requiring you to knowingly and willfully break the rules twice more, or do you hit the PLRB?

I can tell you from personal experience that park rangers will tell you to do what you need to stay safe. Safety superseeds back country regulations.

[HooKooDooKu]

And on the subject of 'carrying a tent', there are no rules saying you can not carry a tent to shelters. For those of us that regularly hike the rest of GSMNP (not just the AT), it's not unusual to plan a trip where some of your nights are at a campsite, and other nights you're at a shelter.

[tdoczi]

I can tell you from personal experience that park rangers will tell you to do what you need to stay safe. Safety superseeds back country regulations.

no doubt. but theres nothing unsafe about calling for rescue.

which would the park prefer you to do- rescue yourself or call for help?

[tdoczi]

Let's say you get held up in traffic in Asheville or Knoxville on the way in and don't get to the trailhead until dark.

in the smokies, knowing the regulations and desiring to follow them? i wouldnt start hiking.

[CalebJ]

If you are fully capable of rescuing yourself and choose to burden the rangers with doing so, your priorities are completely upside down.

[Traffic Jam]

Dang, everyone’s so serious these days, y’all need to lighten up. You people need to go hike...WITH your shelter.

[stephanD]

UL tent is not much heavier than a bivy or a tarp. The extra pound or so is worth the peace of mind, wherever you are.

[rhjanes]

And on the subject of 'carrying a tent', there are no rules saying you can not carry a tent to shelters. For those of us that regularly hike the rest of GSMNP (not just the AT), it's not unusual to plan a trip where some of your nights are at a campsite, and other nights you're at a shelter.

Thank you!!! When I first read the OP....I went over to the Great Smoky web site and hunted for 5 minutes on any "rules" saying you can not CARRY a tent. Or that you can't SET up a tent for personal protection from the weather. The rules said to me, you stay in a shelter and if a shelter is full you TENT or Hammock, CLOSE to the shelter (like 200 feet I think it mentioned).
I was still scratching my head about the OP.

[TNhiker]

The rules said to me, you stay in a shelter and if a shelter is full you TENT or Hammock, CLOSE to the shelter (like 200 feet I think it mentioned).

but, only can set up a tent at a shelter site if one is a thruhiker (by the Park's definition)............

[HooKooDooKu]

Thank you!!! When I first read the OP....I went over to the Great Smoky web site and hunted for 5 minutes on any "rules" saying you can not CARRY a tent. Or that you can't SET up a tent for personal protection from the weather. The rules said to me, you stay in a shelter and if a shelter is full you TENT or Hammock, CLOSE to the shelter (like 200 feet I think it mentioned).
I was still scratching my head about the OP.

You misunderstood the OPs question, but that's the OPs fault.

"Carry Tent or Not in Smokies"
Afternoon, yes I know it is NOT permitted...

The word 'it' in that opening sentence is what is known as "an indefinite reference", and you could rightly interpret 'it' to be "Carry Tent".

But perhaps because I'm familiar with the rules, I knew the 'it' in that sentence was "set up a tent".
So the OP meant to say something like...

Afternoon, yes I know you are NOT permitted to setup a tent at a shelter. So do I even need to bring a tent? I see from the reservation page that the shelters will likely be empty during my hike. I was told that if you set up a tent at a shelter, you will be hiked out by a Park Ranger. Since a tent is illegal to use at a shelter, seems like I need to leave it at home. Based on personal experience, what are your thought?

[HooKooDooKu]

The rules said to me, you stay in a shelter and if a shelter is full you TENT or Hammock, CLOSE to the shelter (like 200 feet I think it mentioned).

There is nothing in the rules concerning "200 feet".
Here is the quote from the web page concerning Thru-Hiker Permits:

• Thru-Hikers may tent in the immediate area around shelters only if the shelter is full. Thru-hikers are required to stay in shelters when there is space available. Thru-Hikers must always give up bunk space in shelters to those with shelter reservations.

The real point of the regulation isn't to keep you within a certain distance from shelters. It's all about limiting where tents are setup to minimize impact.

Some shelters have lots of space right near the shelter where tents can be setup. Derrick Knob comes to mind as I've stayed there during thru-hiker season and something like 20 tents were able to easily setup in the open space in front of the shelter.

Other shelters have almost no open space right near the shelter. Cosby Knob comes to mind as a shelter built on a hillside with virtually no open space around it. However, about 500' away (by trail, 300' line-of-sight) is a hill top with ample evidence that this is where over-flow thru-hikers setup tents.

Seems like at Spence Field, rangers and ridge runners have no issues with over-flow hikers tenting in Spence Field 600' from the shelter.

So the real point of the regulation is to keep the over-flow to the designated camping areas and NOT just setting up a tent anywhere along the AT that is level enough to make a good camping spot.

[Huntmog]

There are some really dramatic responses on here for first week of November. God help us come late February when your all stit crazy!!!

Why carry a tent if 99.999999% of the time you're not going to use it? How many of us have actually fallen and gotten hurt and had to camp on site, away from anyone, as you are all describing here?

Friday night i hiked into Maupin in a downpour as dusk approached. No tent. Why, because i wasn't going to use one so why would I waste space and weight. I got real cozy with some smelly ass Sobos but i lived.

There will be space in the Smokies shelters. You literally reserve a spot. Again, the odda are so far in your favor no gambler would bet you on it.

Before you all tell me it's dangerous, i'll defer to my prior questions.