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  1. #1
    Registered User
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    Default Brink Road Shelter

    Can't add much info., but I stopped there for lunch on 5/2/04 and it seemed just fine. It has an outside picnic table. It is a little bit of a hike to the shelter, but easy. I believe the water is from a nearby stream, but I did not go looking for it. Ticks were bad in this area in early May.

  2. #2
    Donating Member/AT Class of 2003 - The WET year
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    Default Brinks Road Shelter

    Stopped to sign the shelter register on my thru last year. I managed to stay there for around 3 minutes. Absolutely the worst mosquitoes I experienced on the entire AT last year. It was July and from all indications there is quite a bit of water out behind the shelter. Anyway ...can't comment on the accomodations, since my time there was short.
    The more I learn ...the more I realize I don't know.

  3. #3
    Section Hiker, 625 miles & counting mooseboy's Avatar
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    03-24-2005
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    I stayed there on 4/15/2005 as part of a NJ Section hike. It was the worst sleep of my hike, in that I got almost none.

    Although the shelter itself was in good repair, there was the din of revving engines down below (I'm guessing less than a mile away) from about sundown till 2 AM. At about 11 PM a huge white 4X4, full of revelers, barrelled right up the road to the front of the shelter, its huge headlights shining right in. They saw me in the shelter (alone, I might add) and turned back out. Even though the road below is supposed to be barricaded, I guess with a large enough vehicle you can get around that.

    The register made mention of many bear visits. Indeed, at 4 AM the same night, I heard the heavy footsteps of a bear not far from the bear box. I had latched the bear box as best I could, which was tough since the clasp had been broken, and put a large heavy rock on top of it, but was still concerned. My light didn't reach far enough to see the creature, but I made some noise and didn't hear from it again.

    Location: it is in a shallow valley between ridges, which gives it a spooky, hidden feeling. As I mentioned, it is too close to roads that are heavily used by hard-tooling night racers, and is in fact ON a road that is supposed to be blocked off, but accessible by determined drivers with large vehicles. Even though it was a sunny, dry spell of weather, the area around the shelter was muddy and boggy.

    There was water available from a small spring, though the walk to it was very muddy even in sunny weather, a bear box, and a picnic table. The shelter itself was fine, but my experience there was a bit annoying.

  4. #4
    Registered User Toolshed's Avatar
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    06-13-2003
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    Default

    I use to hike in the area frequently. The place was a party spot at one time, but I don't ever recall and actual barricade on Brinks Road(from the south). Just that the road is washed out and in very bad shape. So much so that I decided not to take my 4x4 any further than the washout one fine day, though I did take my Mtn bike up there.

    From the North, there is no barricade nor is there any washout, though a stream now follows part of the raod for a distance. Also there are houses on both sides of the old road and right across as well.
    .....Someday, like many others who joined WB in the early years, I may dry up and dissapear....

  5. #5

    Default

    I seem to remember seeing a large earthen mound in the road last summer. I don't remember exactly which direction it was.

    The drainage was not very good the night I stayed here, but it was quite a downpour. The only time I ever got flooded out in my tarp.

  6. #6
    Registered User whcobbs's Avatar
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    10-07-2002
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    Narberth PA
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    Stayed overnight at the Brink Rd shelter 7 Nov 2005. More than 9 inches of rain in October had filled the "vernal" pools this autumn. The spring is down a blue blaze trail (blazes skimpy) about 100y behind the shelter. Like some other NJ shelters, the shelter floor is barely a foot off the ground. The "privy" is open air. Through the night myself and three sheltermates heard an owl and some coyotes. The bear boxes (2) are usable. It is possible to run by the AT, 1000 y uphill from the shelter on the blue-blazed road, so look sharp.
    Walt

  7. #7
    I smell like New Jersey... SGTdirtman's Avatar
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    02-20-2006
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    I wasnt fond of the brink road shelter, I stayed for lunch a few times, its in a valley and has alot of bugs and not alot of room... I usually hike south through this region and if your doing the same its easier to just hike an extra 1-2 miles untill you get to the deleware water gap recreation area and set up camp right off the trail on rattlesnake moutain. If your hiking north you may be stuck camping there since the next shelter is gren anderson a good 7 miles north and they dont allow free camping off the trail to the north.

  8. #8

    Default

    I agree with SGTdirtman. I was there on 4/27/06. Was not impressed. Since I was hiking south--went on to rattlesnake mt. Good stream just before you start to climb.
    Pole Climber <><
    For me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15

  9. #9
    Registered User Navigator's Avatar
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    08-24-2005
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    Thompson, CT
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    6/20/06 Brinks shelter is mosquito heaven. There is a good area to pitch a tent just past the shelter on the left. Good reliable spring behind shelter to the right. Privy up hill to right of shelter.
    Hike safe! Stay safe! Enjoy!!

  10. #10
    Registered User BigToe's Avatar
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    06-29-2004
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    Navigator, I stayed there 6/19/06! We must have been just a day apart on the trail. It was mosquito rich - I was in my hammock so the bugs weren't bad but the folks in the shelter said they hardly slept between covering up to get away from the mosquitos and uncovering to try and get relief from the heat. The water source was fine and tasty. The open air privy was actually quite nice. It rained pretty hard that night and I didn't see any flooding. The night I was there traffic noise wasn't evident but it was a weeknight.

    The mosquitos got a lot worse as I went north, with the worst in the woods just before the Pochuk Quagmire. The Quagmire was actually beautifully bug free as it's an open boardwalk and in the sun all the way.
    BigToe
    Men have become the tools of their tools.

  11. #11

    Default

    I section hiked some of NJ in June, '04 and like you guys, suffered with heat, humidity, and mosquitos. I found them worse at Waywayanda Shelter than Pochuck. Re. Brink Rd. Shelter, I stayed there after a few days of heavy rains. The shelter was a virtual island surrounded by rivulets of wter everywhere.

  12. #12
    with a case of blind faith
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    08-06-2004
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    Default

    Tented near there 7-8-09. Shelter basically in a sea of mud. Mosquitos owned it then. Water was fine just behind and to the right a little.

  13. #13

    Default

    I spent the night here on 8-28-2010.

    Brand new privy, built in 2010. Water is clean and reliable. It was an interesting location, but I didn't much like how the shelter basically sat right on a dirt road..
    As of now, there is only one bear box--and it is a good one. I didn't see any blazes to the privy or the water source, just orange tape wrapped around branches marking the way.

  14. #14
    GoldenBear's Avatar
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    Spent the night here last week.

    The guide book states it will hold five people, and that is how many we had on this rainy night -- and it was pretty tight.

    The spring has excellent flow, but be aware that the trail to there from the shelter is not well marked. I would not recommend doing so in low light, as following the spring trail is a combo of blazes, ribbons, and watching where the path is worn.

    Bear box was clearly being used for holding people's trash, which is disgusting. If you love the A.T. enough to walk on it, love it enough to keep it clean!
    Unless, of course, you're a narcissist.

  15. #15

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    Check this out everyone!!!



    Brand new shelter in NJ!!

  16. #16
    Registered User no-name's Avatar
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    Wow, that looks great!! Looks like a good spot for a one nighter for me. Thank you to everyone who helped with this!!!!!

  17. #17
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    Nicholson, PA
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    Default

    Stayed here last night on a three day section hike. The new shelter was really nice, will hold 8 easily, more in a pinch. Privy well taken care of and bear box in great condition. There were four tents set up with room for more.

  18. #18

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    Was the spring still flowing?

  19. #19
    Registered User MikekiM's Avatar
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    04-10-2016
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    East of Montauk, NY
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    Any updates on the Brink Shelter? might be hitting on one leg of a section.

    Curious if there is water. Also concerned about open access to/from the road.
    _______________________________________
    The difficulty of finding any given trail marker is directly proportional to the importance of the consequences of failing to find it.

  20. #20

    Default

    Those dirt roads are closed around it. There was water, it's a good 100yds away though but it's easy to find. Keep walking til you find the clean little pool. I was there 2 weeks ago.

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