My son and I were hiking north. With Cosby Knob closed, there were few options. We got to Davenport shelter and we saw no place for hammocks unless there was something near the privy. Needs some work also.
My son and I were hiking north. With Cosby Knob closed, there were few options. We got to Davenport shelter and we saw no place for hammocks unless there was something near the privy. Needs some work also.
There is no privy there, just poop under every rock in the "Privy Area".
AT: 695.7 mi
Benton MacKaye Trail '20
Pinhoti Trail '18-19'
@leonidasonthetrail https://www.youtube.com/c/LeonidasontheTrail
I understand, though I am not a hammock camper. I will say nothing good about Davenport Gap area. Car break-ins are common, as is partying at the shelter. I won't go into the details of who or what I am, but I can tell you, the National Park Service does NOT like hammocks. They are banned from many Park's nation-wide and a whole hosts of other public lands. Adding poles to accomodate hammocks is not an option on NPS lands. It literally took years and an act of Congress to have the firerings installed at the backcountry campsites/shelters. Hammockers are like mountain bikers and climbers, most get out of it within a few years and move own to 'other' means. I'm not trying to rain on your camp style/party, just letting you know the current position of the NPS and its massive archives/studies of Park users. They validate everything before a decision is ever taken. Hammocks are barely tolerated, barely.
One should not expect hammock provisions while thru hiking or hiking shelter-to-shelter in GSMNP. I would be prepared to go to ground as you are supposed to stay in the shelter unless you have reservations at a backcountry campsite or shelter is overflowing with thru hikers and those with reservations. I would bring a pad to sleep on in this section of the trail.
Here is a list that of hammock camping rules at National Parks.
https://sierramadreresearch.com/blog...national-parks
AT: 695.7 mi
Benton MacKaye Trail '20
Pinhoti Trail '18-19'
@leonidasonthetrail https://www.youtube.com/c/LeonidasontheTrail
Whenever he says that Davenport Gap shelter is not hammock friendly I believe what he means is that there aren't many open areas with trees that are spaced the right length apart. As a hammock camper myself this is very useful info. It helps me plan my trip and decide which shelters I want to reserve. He's not expecting the NPS to add poles to shelter areas. Also serious hammock campers are not anything like mountain bikers. The people that give hammockers a bad name are the people that just buy a hammock for the fun of it and just hang it up any place. Just because somebody has a hammock doesn't mean they are a hammock camper. There's a difference and that's what the NPS needs to learn.