Rausch Gap Shelter

[Nasty Dog Virus]

I was out at Rausch Gap Shelter a few weeks ago. I was able to get a cell signal if I stood on the roof of the shelter. I came in on the Sand Spring Trail off of 325. I guess that my over-nighter was illegal because I didn't go 25 miles and start/end in a different place. I'm thinking of hanging my hammock off "the General" later this week. Hopefully I don't run into the woods police....

[shelterbuilder]

I was out at Rausch Gap Shelter a few weeks ago. I was able to get a cell signal if I stood on the roof of the shelter. I came in on the Sand Spring Trail off of 325. I guess that my over-nighter was illegal because I didn't go 25 miles and start/end in a different place. I'm thinking of hanging my hammock off "the General" later this week. Hopefully I don't run into the woods police....

Not to be encouraging illegal behavior, but if it was me heading for an overnight at "the General" or any other "day-use only" site, I probably wouldn't broadcast it to the world!

I'm just sayin'....

[Nasty Dog Virus]

Not to be encouraging illegal behavior, but if it was me heading for an overnight at "the General" or any other "day-use only" site, I probably wouldn't broadcast it to the world!

I'm just sayin'....

Shelter, you want to head into Stony Valley with me this weekend? We could check on the condition of the Rausch Gap Shelter/Privy? Nothing better than hanging your hammock on Rausch Creek right near the turnoff to the Shelter! and what's up with the re-route near the railroad bridge / limestone well? The last time I was out there, the bridge was fine to walk across but the trail seemed to be re-routed across the creek upstream of the limestone well.

[Mrs Baggins]

Read through all of the posts here - - no one has updated this thread since last June. We're planning a very short section hike - 28 miles - from the area of Clark Creek nobo and our first night would be at Rausch Gap shelter and then William Penn Shelter. The posts go back and forth - - can't stay there if you're not hiking a certain distance; can stay there; can't tent; can tent. The 2010 AT Guide says "no tenting" and "no fires" yet many posts mention the nice fire ring.

So what IS the REAL, honest, (not the "just go and you'll probably get away with it") deal on this shelter???? Also, posts mention nice water source right in front of shelter, yet the Guide says nothing about where the water is. Directing me to the website for the area is no help. It's just as confusing and many others on this thread have said as much.

[Cookerhiker]

Can't tell you about camping or fire regs or current conditions but the water source is arguably the most convenient on the entire AT. It flows right in front of the shelter in a sluiceway - as I recall, you don't even have to bend down to fill your cup/bottle. Famous last words but true: you can't miss it.

[emerald]

We're planning a very short section hike - 28 miles - from the area of Clark Creek nobo and our first night would be at Rausch Gap Shelter and then William Penn Shelter.

Any confusion stems from considering all of the information posted and trying to make sense of it. Ignore everything except information provided by The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (PGC) or conveyed on their behalf by KTA, ALDHA in it's Companion or BMECC (meaning shelterbuilder and myself). Consider ki0eh's posts (SATC) reliable too.

Based upon Mrs Baggins recent post quoted in part above, she would be considered a through hiker and could legally use Rausch Gap Shelter. Through hikers traveling 25 miles may use the shelter up to its capacity.

Camping is not permitted in the area immediately surrounding Rausch Gap Shelter. Those who do not wish to make use of it are expected to comply with The Pennsylvania Code as it relates to Pennsylvania State Game Lands where camping is not permitted except as specified in the link provided.

Mrs Baggins has been added to my contacts list and I have forwarded our correspondence to shelterbuilder.

[shelterbuilder]

Read through all of the posts here - - no one has updated this thread since last June. We're planning a very short section hike - 28 miles - from the area of Clark Creek nobo and our first night would be at Rausch Gap shelter and then William Penn Shelter. The posts go back and forth - - can't stay there if you're not hiking a certain distance; can stay there; can't tent; can tent. The 2010 AT Guide says "no tenting" and "no fires" yet many posts mention the nice fire ring.

So what IS the REAL, honest, (not the "just go and you'll probably get away with it") deal on this shelter???? Also, posts mention nice water source right in front of shelter, yet the Guide says nothing about where the water is. Directing me to the website for the area is no help. It's just as confusing and many others on this thread have said as much.

I tried to send Mrs Baggins a PM last night, but my computer had a stroke this week and I'm not sure that she got it. However, for the benefit of all:

The Rausch Gap Shelter lies within State Game Lands 211 (one of the largest tracts that's owned by the PGC). The shelter is - and has always been - a favorite destination of hikers, bikers, horsemen, and hunters since its construction in the early 70's, and because of this, the Game Commission patrols this area FREQUENTLY. Back in the 70's and 80's (when it was still illegal to camp anywhere along the AT on State Game Lands), there were special-use regs that were developed just for this area...but now, the regs for Game Commission-owned land along the AT are pretty standardized (perhaps emerald could post the link, since I'm not very good at that sort of thing).

Basically, the PGC regs permit "thru-hikers" (who enter and leave the AT at 2 different points that are at least 25 miles apart) to engage in "primitive, one-night camping" WITHIN 200 FEET of the footpath, PROVIDED that the campsite is more than 500 feet away from streams, parking lots, road crossings, and trailheads. Small warming fires (please, no supersizing!) are permitted EXCEPT when the danger of wildfires is "HIGH, VERY HIGH, OR EXTREME" (as defined by the Bureau of Forestry).

The shelter is at this location by special permission of the Game Commission. The PGC's primary focus is habitat preservation that serves to enhance and sustain wildlife populations, so in this case, the PGC and I see eye-to-eye about the shelter: it is a resource management tool that's designed to concentrate human use/abuse into one area. This allows the rest of the Game Lands - and the AT - to remain relatively untouched.

In spite of any evidence to the contrary, the various campsites surrounding the shelter are NOT legal campsites, since they are all beyond the 200 foot zone surrounding the AT, and several are actually within 500 feet of Rausch Creek. Anyone caught camping at these sites by the Game Commission - and they usually patrol at dusk or shortly thereafter - can and will be fined for illegal camping. Got a bonfire going? That's another fine! Oh, and that's per person, too!

And please, don't shoot me - I'm only the messenger....

[Mrs Baggins]

I did get the PM Shelterbuilder and thank you very much! I passed it on to the people I'll be with so that we all understand the rules.

Keep up the good work!

[Bloomer]

Stayed ther for one night and it was a wonderful stay. No noise and the best spring water. No mice casue there was very little to no trash. Hope this shelter stays this way.. One of the best

[shelterbuilder]

Stayed ther for one night and it was a wonderful stay. No noise and the best spring water. No mice casue there was very little to no trash. Hope this shelter stays this way.. One of the best

Hey, that's GREAT - glad to hear it!

I still have to get in to the site to do some repair work on - what else? - the toilet, and we will have to do a MAJOR rebuild on the roof sometime in the near future, but I'm glad that the place gets some good use from time to time.

[shelterbuilder]

As some of you already know, BMECC is working on a major "restoration" of the Rausch Gap Shelter. The upper (wooden) section of the shelter is deteriorating from nearly 40 years of exposure to the elements, and the series of "complex spot-repairs" that we had planned were simply not enough to justify the new, larger roof that we were planning.

During the summer, BMECC harvested over 2 dozen Japanese Larch trees from a nearby tract of State Forest land. The logs were delivered to the club's property in Bernville, and we are now in the process of trying to "recreate" much of the original shelter's design using a "Scandinavian Scribe" style of cutting. During this "pre-fab" phase, the work will all be done at the club's Bernville property (easier to get to, plus there's HEAT if we get cold). The current shelter will be left in place (minus the front section of the roof, which was in danger of collapsing); later next year, we will tear out the old wooden section, bring in the new section, and put on a much larger roof that will give the entire structure more protection from the weather.

And so...the old shelterbuilder is at it again....

[Bloomer]

I like the table around the tree out front of the shelter. It makes cooking easy and is very unique compaired to other shelters on the AT. This is one of my favorites and not just because its' the closest to my home. I have noticed over the last few years that the amount of water that flows through the piped springs has slowed and amount of water flowing over the approach trail has increased. I've hung my hammock and observed many people camping along the approach trail on the left going to the shelter. These spots are very large and worn areas with fire rings and logs to sit on. I will be going there tomarrow, hiking in from Rt 72 parking area. Anyone want to join me drop me a email.

[shelterbuilder]

I like the table around the tree out front of the shelter. It makes cooking easy and is very unique compaired to other shelters on the AT. This is one of my favorites and not just because its' the closest to my home. I have noticed over the last few years that the amount of water that flows through the piped springs has slowed and amount of water flowing over the approach trail has increased. I've hung my hammock and observed many people camping along the approach trail on the left going to the shelter. These spots are very large and worn areas with fire rings and logs to sit on. I will be going there tomarrow, hiking in from Rt 72 parking area. Anyone want to join me drop me a email.

Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the tree that supports this table is dead, and we need to figure out what we are going to do about the situation. Obviously, a dead tree THAT CLOSE to the shelter can't be allowed to remain, as it is a "hazard tree" that threatens both the shelter AND anyone who happens to be stopped there. I was at the site today trying to make a determination.

We've always had somewhat of a water problem on the access trail. The raised treadway along the side of the access was built 20 years ago by the Mid-Atlantic Trail Crew to keep the access from becoming a complete "wet-foot" trail, but the drainage fills with leaves and has to be cleaned out every so often. BMECC and ATC are keeping an eye on the run-off problem at this site; at this time, we feel that global warming is contributing to the severe storms that are dumping rainfall in record amounts; this was never this much of a problem in the past.

The main spring for this site is "diurnally cyclic" - when the trees are "awake", they draw down the water table and the spring stops flowing; sometime between midnight and 3 AM, the spring starts running again!

We were also doing some trail reconstuction in the area - Irene and Lee really did some damage to the main trail.

[shelterbuilder]

As some of you already know, BMECC is working on a major "restoration" of the Rausch Gap Shelter. The upper (wooden) section of the shelter is deteriorating from nearly 40 years of exposure to the elements, and the series of "complex spot-repairs" that we had planned were simply not enough to justify the new, larger roof that we were planning.

During the summer, BMECC harvested over 2 dozen Japanese Larch trees from a nearby tract of State Forest land. The logs were delivered to the club's property in Bernville, and we are now in the process of trying to "recreate" much of the original shelter's design using a "Scandinavian Scribe" style of cutting. During this "pre-fab" phase, the work will all be done at the club's Bernville property (easier to get to, plus there's HEAT if we get cold). The current shelter will be left in place (minus the front section of the roof, which was in danger of collapsing); later next year, we will tear out the old wooden section, bring in the new section, and put on a much larger roof that will give the entire structure more protection from the weather.

And so...the old shelterbuilder is at it again....

Just a quick update on the shelter restoration project - BMECC's website has a new feature - a slideshow - that we will update from time to time to show everyone our progress. http://www.bmecc.org - this will take you to the club's homepage, then scroll down and look for the "special projects" link on the left of the page.

As the weather deteriorates, I expect that some of the wintertime worktrips will be cancelled, but we will do our best to get the pre-fab work completed this year (and maybe even get the old shelter removed and the reconstructed one installed).

[lunchbx]

Im not sure what shelter it was but a few years back a shelter got smashed to bits buy a fallen tree i remember seeing a pic of it if someone has it please post.

[shelterbuilder]

I vaguely remember an incident like that - I'm thinking maybe in Conn. or Mass.

[Slow n' Steady]

I loved this location because of the history surrounding it. Thank you for restoring this shelter...I hope to visit it in 2013. Sorry to see the tree and table go. I liked being able to prepare my dinner there.

[shelterbuilder]

With regards to the tree and table, I actually have a plan to keep the table for a bit longer. If we can remove the top of the tree without weakening the existing roots, the table could be used for a few more years. (But here we go again...another difficult tree job...ropes, pulleys, come-alongs, ground crew....) I need more folks on my work crews with tree experience.

[shelterbuilder]

Hi, folks!

Just a quick update on our shelter restoration project: during the last 2 worktrips (February), we made some INCREDIBLE progress, due in large part to the efforts of former thru-hiker and BMECC club-member Todd Gladfelter, who showed up with Mick from the Eckville Shelter and a whole bunch of tools and chainsaws. They are coming back this Sunday, and if we keep up the kind of pace that we've had during those other 2 worktrips, we may be able to get the front purlin laid across the walls! Pray for good weather, and don't forget to check out the slideshow at the club's website http://www.bmecc.org - scroll down to the "special projects" link on the left.

Stay tuned...there's strange stuff "in the wind" on this project!

[shelterbuilder]

WOW! It's been over three months since I reported our progress on this shelter restoration project.

We've been busy! The new shelter-shell is almost 100% completed, and sits quietly on BMECC's property in Bernville, Pa. It's been much easier to do the pre-fab work here that at the actual site which is on PGC land (where access is sometimes a problem due to conflicts with hunting seasons, etc). The new shelter will have a substantially larger roof (more protection from the weather), but will maintain the same basic size and shape as the old shelter. We aren't "going large" - just correcting some old mistakes to give the shelter a new lease on life.

And now, we've started the on-site work! We recently got the "all clear" from the Game Commission to begin the demolition of the old log-work. Yesterday, we had a small crew (4) and got all of the shingles and tarpaper off of the roof, and removed almost half of the plywood (which we hope to recycle into the new roof later this year). And we had so much fun being "vandals" that we've decided to go back this coming Saturday and do it again!!!

So here's the deal: anyone who is reading this and who would like to lend a hand (and see just how involved a shelter-maintenence project can be) is encouraged to meet us at the GOLD MINE ROAD PARKING LOT on SGL#211 at 12:30 PM this coming Saturday (June 16th). (Gold Mine Road is the connecting road between Pa Rt. 443 and Tower City, and can be found on MapQuest and other internet mapping sites.) This will be an all-afternoon event, so bring plenty of water and a snack or two to keep up your strength. We hope to remove the remaining plywood from the roof and remove the rafters as well. If there's time, we can begin cutting up the logs in the walls with reciprocating saws (we cannot use chainsaws because this shelter was pinned together with steel rods, and we have NO idea exactly where the rods are located). Work gloves, old clothes, and an irrational desire to get dirty will be helpful. Wrecking bars, hammers, and wheelbarrows can also be put to good use.

We have permission from the Game Commission to drive back along their dirt road to within about 1/3 mile of the shelter site, but we cannot leave the gate unlocked, so we will all have to go back as a single group, and leave the same way.

Questions? PM me here. We hope to make this one of the best shelter-maintaining projects ever - come out and be a part of something really special!