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  1. #61
    Registered User
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    Is the fire ban for the shelter site only? Or does it apply to the various tent sites in the vicinity? Thanks.

  2. #62
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    Default Thomas Knob Repairs

    I went by Thomas Knob shelter last Sunday about 1100 am. Whoever did the repairs did a fine job. The exterior walls were covered with log siding nailed on 2x4s, providing protection for the log structure and keeping (most of) the rustic appearance. The new siding extended to the top of the gables making the 2nd floor much more weather tight than had been the case.

    With this level of effort and expense, there appears to be little danger of this shelter being removed any time soon.

    Many hikers had camped just off (as in 10' or so) the AT north of the shelter. My guess is they hoped to stay at the shelter but found it full. An area that exposed can't stand this level of abuse if it occurs very often, but the area looked fine so perhaps it is an infrequent event associated with the foliage peak on a perfect weekend.

  3. #63
    Registered User AngryGerman's Avatar
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    Myself and another thru-hiker spent New Year's Eve in that place; 60-70mph winds, ice, snow, cold. We arrived around 8pm to find two weekend hikers up top with tent set up and kindly asked them to make room for us as sleeping downstairs was out of the question! It sounded like the Abominal Snowman was throwing 6 foot sheets of ice at the shelter all night, insane! In the morning I had a chance to look at the improvements made and was not surprised it was still standing in the AM.

  4. #64
    Registered User Kaptainkriz's Avatar
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    Bump - We plan to be passing through this area in a couple weeks as part of a loop in and around the area. Any recent insights into the water flow near the shelter?
    Plaid is fast! Ticks suck, literally... It’s ok, bologna hoses off…
    Follow my hiking adventures: https://www.youtube.com/user/KrizAkoni
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  5. #65
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    07-08-2009
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kaptainkriz View Post
    Bump - We plan to be passing through this area in a couple weeks as part of a loop in and around the area. Any recent insights into the water flow near the shelter?
    i stayed in Thomas Knob last Wednesday. Water was flowing ok, the shelter was clean and members of the Mt Rogers Club were there earlier in the day cleaning the privy and doing trail maintenance. There is a roll up tarp to cover the opening when it gets cold. It was a great evening to watch the sunset!

  6. #66
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    07-08-2009
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    image.jpg Sunrise at Thomas Knob last Thursday.

  7. #67
    Registered User Kaptainkriz's Avatar
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    @doritotex, thanks!
    Hopefully we have nice weather like it appears you did!
    Plaid is fast! Ticks suck, literally... It’s ok, bologna hoses off…
    Follow my hiking adventures: https://www.youtube.com/user/KrizAkoni
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  8. #68
    Registered User Pajj's Avatar
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    I didn't stay there, but as others have said I heard that it was extremely cold and windy. Other than that, it it a beautiful shelter with an amazing view, good water, wild ponies. I would suggest camping a little bit north of the shelter in the awesome campsites around the rhododendron gap area.

  9. #69
    Hiker bigcranky's Avatar
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    10-22-2002
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    Winston-Salem, NC
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    Water was pretty slow up in the High Country over the weekend. The spring in the middle of Pine Mountain (in the corral at the intersection of the Crest Trail and the Lewis Fork Trail) was completely dry - something I'd not seen in many years up there. The springs on the west side of Wilburn Ridge and at the shelter were flowing slowly, but getting water wasn't difficult.

    Keep an eye on the weather radar for SW Virginia over the next few weeks and see how much (if any) rain they get.

    The weather this past weekend was perfect, and the crowds reflected that.
    Ken B
    'Big Cranky'
    Our Long Trail journal

  10. #70
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    At 5400 feet, it will be cool, but of course it is not cold and windy ALL of the time. I had perfect weather last week, it was less windy than camping on top of Pine Mtn. We had no wind at the shelter, and when I hiked out Thursday morning I met a group who camped two miles south atop Pine Mtn who told me that they had an extremely windy night.
    Just be aware of the weather forecast and adjust the temps accordingly for the elevation. And yes, there are some beautiful, flat campsites with a view just north of the shelter.

  11. #71
    Registered User Kaptainkriz's Avatar
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    Thomas Knob was packed on Saturday, 9 upstairs and 7 downstairs. The hammoc crowd set up a virtual floor 2.5 to make space for people to sleep below. We stayed in our tent just south of the shelter. Saturday was a soggy mess (lots of mud) but Sunday made for a nice hike to the summit of Mount Rogers.
    image.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpg
    Plaid is fast! Ticks suck, literally... It’s ok, bologna hoses off…
    Follow my hiking adventures: https://www.youtube.com/user/KrizAkoni
    Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alphagalhikes/

  12. #72
    Registered User shlugger's Avatar
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    11-29-2015
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    High Point, North Carolina
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    great two story shelter. Water is close but this is a prime location for boys scouts and big groups!!

  13. #73
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    I stayed at Thomas Knob shelter last Saturday night. Winds were very strong so we were glad to be there. It was pretty full with 5 upstairs and 6 downstairs. It was clean and in reasonable shape. The front of it is a mud pit however. Luckily there are big rocks so you can go rock to rock avoiding the worst of the mud.

    And as others have noted, there is a good camping site about 100 yards north of the shelter. It was also full.
    SC Ed
    -- My greatest adventure can be tomorrow!

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