Pass Mountain Hut

[Former Admin]

Info, questions, comments, experiences (good or bad) regarding - Pass Mountain Hut

Past/Present hikers - what can future hikers expect here? Have any good stories or memories from here?

Future hikers - any questions?

[ez-does-it]

This shelter located in the Shenandoah National Park and 1.2 miles north of Thornton Gap were Panorama is is a very nice place to stay.There are 2 out house's one for him and one for her LOL
and a very good piped spring right in back of the shelter.There are very good spots and many of them for tenting out.

[Skyline]

We've been trying to make some improvements at Pass Mt. Hut the past couple years in between ice storms and hurricanes. PATC volunteers have re-done the shelter roof, the privy, deepened the spring, etc. in addition to everyday maintenance. The Park put in eight designated tentsites in 2000 plus two more bear poles, and we're slowly improving the tentsites to be more useful (levelling left to right, extending length, sloping them slightly so your head is higher than your feet, enhancing erosion control, eliminating hazards). Just repainted the shelter last Monday. We've lost a few trees the past decade, but the infamous "kissing trees" are still there to the left of the shelter.

Skyline
Co-overseer, Pass Mt. Hut

[Skyline]

BTW, please be aware that Panorama Restaurant--1.4 miles south of Pass Mt. Hut--is no more. It closed at the end of the 2001 season for good. A gift shop is still open through the end of the 2003 season, but then the building will be converted to a CCC museum.

[captleo]

Thanks Skyline! You guys do a great job there. I spent the nite by myself 3rd week in Oct 2004. The cutting of the branches over the bear pole must have done the trick. I saw where the overhanging branches were sawed off and I had no problem with my food bag. You and your buddies do a super job at that shelter. I tented at the site however and they were all well maintained also.
Had a 3:00 am wake up by a couple of coyotes.

[captleo]

Er... Ah 2003!! I'll bet it'll still be a great hut in 2004 too!!

[gumball]

We stayed at the Pass Mtn. Hut during a section hut in the late summer--yes, Skyline, you do a very nice job maintaining here. Thank you. And, on the whole, I think the PATC does an excellent job of maintaining its trail pieces and shelters.

Pass Mtn. Hut does (or did) come with a buddy--a rather large, grey rat, who fancies scurrying from side-to-side in the middle of the night. He didn't bother me, but once my husband realized the buddy was a rat, and not mouse at 5 am, he fled the shelter, not to be seen again until about 6:30 Poor fellow--he says he will only tent from now on. Personally, I would rather see the furry rat than the copperheads at Manassas Gap!

[Skyline]

Thanks Skyline! You guys do a great job there. I spent the nite by myself 3rd week in Oct 2004. The cutting of the branches over the bear pole must have done the trick. I saw where the overhanging branches were sawed off and I had no problem with my food bag. You and your buddies do a super job at that shelter. I tented at the site however and they were all well maintained also.
Had a 3:00 am wake up by a couple of coyotes.

Captleo, were you awoken by the SOUND of coyotes, or the SIGHT of coyotes? I've camped up there numerous times with my dog, and twice HEARD 'em, but never saw 'em. For my dog's sake, I hope they're not starting to come into one of the tenting areas!

[Skyline]

We stayed at the Pass Mtn. Hut during a section hut in the late summer--yes, Skyline, you do a very nice job maintaining here. Thank you. And, on the whole, I think the PATC does an excellent job of maintaining its trail pieces and shelters.

Pass Mtn. Hut does (or did) come with a buddy--a rather large, grey rat, who fancies scurrying from side-to-side in the middle of the night. He didn't bother me, but once my husband realized the buddy was a rat, and not mouse at 5 am, he fled the shelter, not to be seen again until about 6:30 Poor fellow--he says he will only tent from now on. Personally, I would rather see the furry rat than the copperheads at Manassas Gap!

Gumball,

We have a woodrat living in the right corner of the shelter's upper platform. He's not as destructive as the mice BTW. Or is he a she? Never checked.

The Park strictly forbids us from putting out d-con or any other poison to rid the shelter or the privies of mice. The best advice I have so as to not attract MORE critters, I've written in the register:

•Do not EAT in the shelter
•Pick up any crumbs you may accidentally drop outside the shelter (or better yet, encourage a dog to eat 'em)
•Do not STORE food in the shelter from mouse hangers (use the bear pole or rope it)
•Most importantly, don't leave behind food as "gifts" for other hikers. This is the single issue that I think causes most of the attraction. Hiker A has too much food and leaves some behind as a "gift" to Hiker B, allegedly a hungry hiker. But Hiker B doesn't take it. Instead, Hikers C through M leave more food on the pile. Usually, no one takes any, it just accumulates. It's like urban graffiti attracting more graffiti. Except this food attracts varmints. And Maintainer A or B gets to carry it all out after it's been chewed through. Save the "charity" please for hiker boxes at hostels in towns, not the shelters; pack it in-pack it out etc. etc. Just my rant for the day. Sorry. Returning to smile mode.

[tribes]

Spent the night there last year on 11/1/01 on a sobo section hike. Nice stay. Met Heald w/ Dog Wonder there as well as about 5 or so trail maintainers. Thanks PATC for the great spot

[Jack Tarlin]

I have stayed (tented, usually) at Pass Mountain 6 times since 1995. It is a wonderful place to spend the night, and is always in beautiful shape; thanx Skyline for helping keep this place looking so nice!

[Noggin]

Can someone post a photo link?

[Skyline]

Can someone post a photo link?

Finally, a photo:

http://www.whiteblaze.net/gallery/sh...cat/566/page/1

[jlb2012]

now that is what I call trail majic - firewood cut and stacked by the shelter - dang and all this time I thought that was against PATC policy

[Footslogger]

BTW, please be aware that Panorama Restaurant--1.4 miles south of Pass Mt. Hut--is no more. It closed at the end of the 2001 season for good. A gift shop is still open through the end of the 2003 season, but then the building will be converted to a CCC museum.

================================
Yeah ...we found that out the hard way. Vic (RockHopper) and I had tried to do 3 waysides that day (and eat a warm meal at each). Got to Panorama and saw the "CLOSED" sign. With only a mile or so left to hike to get to Pass Mtn Shelter we dropped our packs and cooked our dinner along the wall outside the restaurant. Then finish off our hike up to the shelter.

Water source was great and plenty of room for tents/hammocks. One vivid memory, although this could be said for a lot of shelters at that time of year, was that the mosquitos were murder. Sure glad I had that Bug Bivy !!

'Slogger
AT 2003

[Skyline]

now that is what I call trail majic - firewood cut and stacked by the shelter - dang and all this time I thought that was against PATC policy

Well the Firewood Angels must've missed that memo. :-) That pic was taken late Fall '04. Most of that wood is gone now (March '05).

BTW, to update a previous post Panorama's gift shop DID operate in 2004, but that's the end of the road for it. According to a client who works at the ARAMARK office in Luray, it will NOT open in '05.

[rswanson]

Just a quick note of appreciation to Skyline and the crew for doing a great job mantaining this shelter (and the others in this region of SNP!). We just stayed here and enjoyed ourselves thouroughly. There's a stack of firewood beside the shelter (I'm guessing from the recent ice storm) and everything was well maintained and well thought out. Tent pads with pine duff carpeting were exceptional and plentiful. Thanks guys for all that you do!

[Hurricane]

Surprised i didnt see any posts on the wildlife at that shelter.Its been a few years but whenever i know there are friends that will be passing the panorama area i tell them to stop by Pass Mtn as it is a guaranteed place to run into all shades of wildlife.SNP in general is almost like a zoo but Pass Mtn?Wow.
On the service road that winds up above the ranger/park entrance i have run into bears(juveniles) twice and absolutely,completely,no lie i had a deer SPIT on me on that road winding up left before you get to the flat area with the green water tanks(they were there in 02').Also in the blind thickets before the shelter i had a very large bear snort so close it would have been no more than 3 feet.Enough to smell berry breath.Also pre-panorama closure there was a herd of deer that used to bed down at the shelter.I had my tent set up on the floor and had heard them walking up but then saw them pressing against the side,i unzipped and shined a light and expected a quick flee but the one closest just sat there and then walked over to the grass and started grazing.
Unreal behavior that i figured was encouraged by day hikers from panorama with food but learned later that pretty much every side of Pass is nothing but raspberry and other wild berry thickets that are haagen das for the wildlife in spring.Took my brother up there after some fishing to prove the zoo and didnt disappoint,two cubs and a momma bear were messing around in one of the dead trees right before the corridor towards the shelter-also saw a bobcat and heard from road workers coming down that said they had seen a panther that morning.And every time i have overnighted there i have heard some sort of wild dog/coyote song early and late at night.
Place is wild wild west.Dont know if any of that has changed(a few friends who went recently confirmed mas deer) but around pre-panorama closure and before it was 100% wildlife interaction every time.If you are up there,keep your food away from you at night,use the bear pole but beyond that,enjoy the show!If you dont freak,the animals will be mellow as well,with all the encounters i really never felt any raw danger from the bears,think they were more interested in berries but dont think it would be wise to hang a snickers around your neck!

[Scaper]

Looks like the shelter was built on a pre-park homesite. Bears use the trails in area nightly and in the morning.

[dovecote]

Stayed there the night of 9/28/09. Well maintained shelter with piped spring directly behind the shelter. Water had an adequate flow. Stayed with two sobos, Turtles and Restless (maybe Wreckless). Turtles saw three bears on the side trail to the shelter in the afternoon and plenty of deer grazing around the shelter from dusk to dawn. The journal mentioned that Skyline was there on 9/23. Perhaps the reason why the privy had toilet paper and air freshener. Thanks Skyline for maintaining this shelter. It certainly was a pleasant place to stay.