Carlo Col is the first shelter you come to after crossing into Maine from New Hampshire. It is located on a blue blazed trail about a third of a mile downhill from the AT, but the trail is not too steep and not difficult. The water source is a small stream about ten yards in front of the shelter (you cross the water source to get to the shelter). There is a privy in good repair, complete with the quarter moon carved in the door (a must for all Privys, Outhouses, Heads, Jakes, and Chapels of Ease). There is also a metal bear box located just to the left of the shelter entrance. The shelter itself has two sleeping levels, a couple of skylights, and a smaller opening in front (about the size of two standard doors side by side) instead of being totally open to the elements. There are four or five tent platforms located in the woods near the shelter. The platforms are very nice and fairly new. The area around the platforms has seen heavy camping for a long time and the impact is obvious. The tent pads and "icebergs" will hopefully alleviate that stress on the ground. Unlike some other sites with tent platforms, the ones at Carlo Col are spread out a bit so you are not right on top of your neighbors. That about sums it up. I spent a zero day here in 2004 during a section hike, after hurting my knee on Mt. Success. Met a few thru-hikers and a group of college kids on an orientaion trip. One more thing, there is a memorial stone in the woods about twenty feet from the shelter (on the uphill side) with a metal plaque that reads: "A mountain is a world unto itself - Magnificent." PAM MORSE 1950-1975.