Low Gap Shelter

[khaynie]

I saw someone last year tyring to use isopropyl alcohol (only 70% alcohol) as the energy source...of course this didn't work. This wasn't the case was it? Perhaps it was faulty engineering on the stovemaker. Who knows? I've never had a problem with mine at any temp/condition; granted I made it out of a Budweiser can. Red, white, and blue, baby:-)

Back to Low Gap - you didn't happen to see any bears did you. I knew someone recently that spotted several in this area. Were most of the leaves still on the trees? I'm planning on possibly hiking this section over the weekend...

Glad you had a nice trip.

[bulldog49]

I'm not sure what they were using, but they had just bought the stove and fuel at Neels Gap because their gas stove died, so I assume they were using the correct type. Probably more a result of their inexperience than anything else.


I did not see any signs of bears the week I was out, in fact, other than squirrels and an owl, I did not see any wildlife. Perhaps that's because of hunting season, but I did not come across any hunters or hear any guns being fired.

I camped at Tray Mt, Low Gap, the gap just north of Blood Mt (forget the name), Gooch Mt and Stover Creek. Peaceful nights all, except for what I believe may have a wild boar creeping around my tarp and tripping on a guy line at Blood Mt.

The leaves were still on the trees and at peak color, really beautiful. The views from Cowrock and Blood Mountains were really great.

This is my favorite time of year to get out there. Enjoy you trip.

[hopefulhiker]

Last year, I got to Low Gap shelter, and it was very crowded, There was even a German guy there singing love ballads on his full size guitar. It was miserable weather, sleeting and cold, There was 'no room in the shelter' and no reasonable campsites around.. I was a Newbie at the time and was already soaked.. I needed a dry place, so I slept underneath the shelter. I managed to slip myself under there and get comfortable when I felt something at the bottom of the sleeping bag... I though it was just a zipper of a windshirt I had down there.. I reached down and grabbed this warm pulsating little critter! I'm not sure what it was, maybe a vole, but I hurled it out and sat up suddenly bumping my head on the bottom of the shelter shouting profanities..Everyone upstairs started laughing. I thought that stuff like this was supposed to happen later in the hike, not at the beginning...

[Rain Man]

... the gap just north of Blood Mt (forget the name) ....

Uh, that would be .... NEEL's Gap?!!! LOL

RainMan

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[Rain Man]

... I was a Newbie at the time and was already soaked.... I reached down and grabbed this warm pulsating little critter! I'm not sure what it was, maybe a vole, but I hurled it out and sat up suddenly bumping my head on the bottom of the shelter shouting profanities..Everyone upstairs started laughing. I thought that stuff like this was supposed to happen later in the hike, not at the beginning...

Only to you, Hopeful, only to you!!! Thanks for the story!

RainMan

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[Jaybird]

ahhhhhh...LOW GAP SHELTER (#1)....of course there are a few more Low Gaps (some with shelters) up the trail...

i have fond memories of this shelter (2002)as i arrived there on a cloudy, brisk day &
(my hiking partner for that year) "TeePee" & i enjoyed the company of:
"Alabama". "NotKeith" "the Mad Musician" (carrying a Backpacker guitar & a gallon of whiskey),"Bootless", "Yankee Clipper" & "Winslow".

my best memory is seeing a 20-year-hiker that "zipped" past me for 2 days....sitting in this shelter "resting" his knees....that "S" on his chest wuz wearing a bit thin ....i still wonder if "the Mad Musician" made it all the way.....

[Monkeyboy]

Stayed there 7-3-07.

Good water source and privy. No mice.

[buckowens]

Stopped in there in mid-June and it looked like a nice location. Great campsites, good water, and an easy hike off the trail. They also saw a bear the night before charging off the hillside. We just stopped for a break and for Roo to sign the register.

[Midway Sam]

Stopped in there in mid-June and it looked like a nice location. Great campsites, good water, and an easy hike off the trail. They also saw a bear the night before charging off the hillside. We just stopped for a break and for Roo to sign the register.

Correction... The bear was two nights previous. The night before you were there the place was overrun by a million freakin' mice. I bailed out and put up the tent. My buddy said he was too tired to put up his tent and didn't figure the mice could carry him away.

[buckowens]

Correction... The bear was two nights previous. The night before you were there the place was overrun by a million freakin' mice. I bailed out and put up the tent. My buddy said he was too tired to put up his tent and didn't figure the mice could carry him away.

Sam,

My mistake as I am sure my days were off. We were real disappointed in not seeing a bear as that was a goal for Roo. I know she did not want to see any mice. It sure did seem like the mice were bad around that time!! We heard horror stories from most shelters.

My favorite information in the White Blaze guide was for Blue Mountain Shelter. It said as the last sentence "This shelter is mouse hell". Roo thought that was hilarious, and made sure we were not staying there... we pushed on to Unicoi Gap and stayed just above the road (could not get a ride into town)...

[cody taylor]

Just stayed there a few nights ago and I must say it was pretty gross when I got there. Trash EVERYWHERE, mice nests in the ceiling, toilet paper everywhere which had been chewed up. I cleaned up the place much as possible in the rain, just before a bear came in from the privy trail.

[minnesotasmith]

Only one other hiker in the shelter. I Got up at 0200 for a biological reason. Walked by the bear cables en route to an appropriate location. Saw a tiny flying squirrel atop my hung food bag. Yelling and flashing my headlamp at it made it flee. Hauled down my foodbag to find a dime-sized hole and 5 food items sampled. A bag of almonds was ignored, but two whole-grain blueberry bars and a Hershey's chocolate bar were hit hard. (This experience made me open to buying an Ursack when I later heard about them.)

[Yahtzee]

Also, full when there and had to sleep under/behind the shelter on a rainy night. My first experience of the "dead stare" of hikers who had no plan of making room when you arrive. C'est la vie.

My best experience there was early March in '02. I went up from Fla for Spring Break. Temps got down to low digits. Absolutely freezing. Ez-Does-It was there, as well. In the morning, me and Freebird decided it was best to go hike where it was warm and Ez decided it was time to hit the casinos. So cold it was funny.

[Ekul]

Stopped in for water and a snack. Located right off trail. Excellant water source no more than 10ft from shelter. There is a table but no over hang and shelter is pretty small. Saw a small spaniel type bird dog running around up there with no owner in site. wouldnt come near me and still had it blaze orange collar on.

[ithai]

Nice stream. Shabby shelter, though. Mice were running over my head during the night.

[SnuffySmith]

Low Gap Shelter! Should be noted, me and a small band of misgrins hung our food with confidence at the Low Gap bear cables to the side of the shelter. Our bags got hit by a flying squirrel around 2 in the morning!! We turned the flashlights on to the noise we were hearing on the cable, and out popped a head from my buddy's food bag. The squirrel ran around the bag two or three times in 5th gear and then spread his limbs and glided off to safety. Maybe a half hour later we heard him at the top of the hill raiding someone elses bear bag. He had a fondness for GORP. All the obstacles and height in the forrest is not going to ward off a squirrel with the skill in avionics!
Snuffy Smith

[Hooch]

Nice stream. Shabby shelter, though. Mice were running over my head during the night.

I hate to break it to ya, but even the "nicest" shelters have mice scurrying about and scavenging for food. Just another reason to avoid them, IMO.

[Jaybird]

Info, questions, comments, experiences (good or bad) regarding - Low Gap Shelter
Past/Present hikers - what can future hikers expect here? Have any good stories or memories from here?Future hikers - any questions?
Stats: ?

Are we talking LOW GAP SHELTER in NC or VA?

[Survivor Dave]

Are we talking LOW GAP SHELTER in NC or VA?

Look at post #26. You answered your own question 3 years ago.

[daddytwosticks]

Took a dayhike in from Hogpen Gap today. Didn't see another soul on the trail. Beautiful day. Shelter area was reasonably clean. Streams out front were flowing well. There are two bear cables here now. Haven't been here since 2004...they now have a privy. I elected not to check it out...