Blue Mountain Shelter (GA)

[Frosty]

When I was there last year, someone has strung a tarp over the front near the table/counter thing, blocking off a lot of the wind, but also the view. Wind still blew up through the floorboards, though.

[Smile]

So heading NoBo this area is about a mile before this shelter?

[Frosty]

So heading NoBo this area is about a mile before this shelter?

My recollection is that it was much closer than a mile. I hate to jinx you by saying this, but "you can't miss it." It is after all the stupid rocks where you slab across the hill and just around when you begin climbing again. Clearing on both sides of the trail. Water was just up the trail, or there may even be water at the campsite. I didn't investigate but continued on to the shelter.

[Dances with Mice]

So heading NoBo this area is about a mile before this shelter?

Now that I'm back home and can check my Trail Guide:

It is half a mile before Blue Mtn Shelter, and you really can't miss it. NoBo, it'll be a big flat open area a couple miles past Chattahoochee Gap (10.1 miles from Tesnatee), after Chatt Gap you'll leave the ridge and sidehill across some loose rocks just like Frosty said (10.7 mi.) then drop down into a cove with the campsite, listed at 11.8 miles. Blue Mtn Shelter is listed at 12.3 miles, then Unicoi Gap at 14.5.

SoBo, you'd just walk past the water source at Blue and continue downhill until the trail flattens out at a big campsite.

[Mongoose2]

I was there in the spring and the tarp was still in place, however, it was so brutal I elected to hike off the mountain. It was so cold and windy my teeth are still clacking together. I have no idea how the mice survive!!

Mongoose

[Youngblood]

.... I have no idea how the mice survive!!
...

They make little mouse sleeping bags filled with TP.

[Frosty]

They make little mouse sleeping bags filled with TP.

Fortunately for the mice, there is a lot of tp available, scattered for yards around the shelter.

[Smile]

The GATC still has not put a double blaze on the rocks at Blood Mountain where the Trail takes a sharp LEFT. The only blaze points straight and MANY hikers end up at the bottom of a rock cliff before realizing they just might possibly be going in the wrong direction. MANY have complained, nothing's been done.

I see in the 05 TH's handbook that there is Blood Mtn Shelter listed, but not "Blood Mtn" itself. Anybody have the mileage NOBO on this Mtn? Or is the shelter at the top?

[Skidsteer]

I see in the 05 TH's handbook that there is Blood Mtn Shelter listed, but not "Blood Mtn" itself. Anybody have the mileage NOBO on this Mtn? Or is the shelter at the top?

The shelter is at the top; the trail goes by so close you can reach out and touch it.

I would plan on staying at Wood's hole shelter, however, or just push on to Neel's gap. The Blood mtn. shelter is a rodent condominium and there is no water.

[minnesotasmith]

I was sectioning from Neels Gap to (as it turned out) Dick's Creek Gap. I was alone that night on a relatively cool (for July) night. I actually didn't have much problem with mice at all, but then, I put absolutely everything up on bear cables (pack, toiletries, cooking stuff, clothes not part of my clothing bag pillow, etc) that I did not feel I needed to have immediately available to me during the night. Too, I swept out the shelter immediately upon arrival, and did not eat up on the wooden area (did so on the too-narrow benches at the front edge of the shelter area). I did not put out mousetraps or sleep with a light on.

The register contained more notes about close-call bear sightings than any other shelter register I've read (and I've stayed in virtually every shelter on the AT in GA).

BTW, judging from my experience last summer, there is a lot of Trail in GA that needed pruning, once you get North of the first shelter past Neels. I had a couple of miles where the brush practically touched and was 2 feet above my head.

[justusryans]

Blue mountain shelter now has a privy!!

[Smile]

Coosa: Well, Youngblood, if it were ONLY one or two hikers, I can understand that maybe it's the Hikers who need the education.

But when it's dozens and dozens of hikers when the weather is "perfect" for hiking or when it's just plain so cold a hiker keeps her head down and watches those white blazes, trusting in those who placed them on rocks and trees or when it's nearly impossible to see blazes on rocks and the blazes on trees are covered with rime-ice or when a hiker has to hike in the dark early in the Thru Season when the days end early in the evening, I kind of think there might be a problem. At least a "small" one.

Yes, this was a bad area.....I pulled into Neels Gap around 4 pm, and well into dark, folks were coming into the shelter, most had missed the turn, it was a really nice day up until dark, then the next two days turned very ugly. Perhaps they need someone to buy them some paint - I'm surprised that a local hiker has not taken it upon themselves to put up a little arrow/blaze on the rocks to help out other hikers.....

I am thankful that I wrote this in my guidebook before leaving, thanks to WhiteBlaze I have several notes like this throughout the book - it really helped me that day, and I can't imagine what it must be like up there in the pea soup fog that happens regularly in the spring.

Today, I was checking through trailjournals, and this section was mentioned several times by folks on there recently, several who went on down the steep hill, in bad weather this is just plain dangerous. There is also not a blaze at the TOP of the moutain either, one right next to the shelter would be nice ;-) to say...uhh....go this way....

What is the hold up with the GATC to get this done, anybody know?

[River Runner]

Tried sleeping beside this shelter in my hammock Easter Sunday evening, but the wind came up so strongly during the night it tore a stake loose twice, and the fly was flapping so much I just gave up, took the hammock down and crawled into the shelter. The shelter provided a lot of protection from the wind that night at least.
One mouse spotted earlier that evening didn't show again and no noticeable mouse activity during the night.
The new privy is nice. Getting water on the way if you are northbound is a smart idea - it's a good little jaunt back to the water otherwise.
By the way, it didn't seem water was very close to the campsite others have described a mile or so south of the shelter. Maybe because I passed through in a dry spell?

[UnkaJesse]

Hey guys, I'm a newbie and you all get to read my first post!

I can't beleive that after reading all this good info on the Blue Mountain Shelter that no one mentions bees. I stayed @ this shelter last August ('05). No problems with the wind, and great privy. I did not find that the mice were any worse here than at Tray Mtn.

The problems started when the sun came up. (Great sunrise, btw!) That woke up about a billion bees that seemed to live under the shelter. It was terrible, but at least it got us on the trail quickly. I got stung on the butt in the melee and one of my hiking partners had to pull the stinger out for me. I still live in fear that a photo of that will surface on the web.

To sum up, I think it is a great shelter to us if:
1)

[UnkaJesse]

[quote=UnkaJesse]Hey guys, I'm a newbie and you all get to read my first post!

I can't beleive that after reading all this good info on the Blue Mountain Shelter that no one mentions bees. I stayed @ this shelter last August ('05). No problems with the wind, and great privy. I did not find that the mice were any worse here than at Tray Mtn.

The problems started when the sun came up. (Great sunrise, btw!) That woke up about a billion bees that seemed to live under the shelter. It was terrible, but at least it got us on the trail quickly. I got stung on the butt in the melee and one of my hiking partners had to pull the stinger out for me. I still live in fear that a photo of that will surface on the web.

To sum up, I think it is a great shelter to us if:
1) You mis the weekend crowds.
2) You get up before sunrise.

[scope]

I can't beleive that after reading all this good info on the Blue Mountain Shelter that no one mentions bees.

Just stayed at the BMS this past weekend, and I can verify that bees are a problem. It appeared that bees were prevalent in the area, not just at the shelter, but at the shelter there was a constant buzzing of bees on the pebble pad that fronts the shelter. They never bothered me, but there were so many that it would seem inevitable that someone would get stung at some point (I was the only one there).

p.s. no mice, no TP, and no wind other than a pleasant breeze. Shelter was very clean, complete with a ladder and old tarp stored underneath. Recent journal entries did not mention mice, but their were bear sightings from the trail. After passing all the blackberries bushes on the trail I can see why! Also, newer privy and no picnic table.

[scope]

By the way, it didn't seem water was very close to the campsite others have described a mile or so south of the shelter. Maybe because I passed through in a dry spell?

There were two blue-blazed markers SOBO of the shelter, one is supposed to be .3 mile - water was not flowing well here but there was a small pool/puddle to pull from which didn't seem apetizing to me. Another .3 mile or so further is a blue blaze for water requiring a short jaunt down the hillside and I found this to be a better source, although still not flowing well. I did not see a water source at the campsite either. Keep in mind this is July and we've had a drought, although mother nature didn't get the memo - I got a nice little bath from her!

[Dances with Mice]

no TP,

I assume you meant there were no TP blossoms sprouting just outside the camping area and that's a good thing.

[scope]

I assume you meant there were no TP blossoms sprouting just outside the camping area and that's a good thing.

No, just weeds, lots of that. Got scratches on my leg on the way to the privy.

[bulldog49]

I stopped here for a lunch break last week.

Has the shelter been turned away from the wind? It appeared to be facing in an easterly direction and all week the wind was blowing into shelters facing the west. Not much of a breeze while I was there but it was clean.