Do any others have positive thing to say about shelters?

[Many Walks]

Do any others have positive things to say about shelters?

Sure, we walked past a few that looked good.

[Tinker]

Lol
Off subject, but Bill I would like to tell you a story of my first hike in Monatana. I had rolled into Helena in 97, and not long after settling in I found some friends and talked them into a hiking trip. We went to a small town called Boulder, it was so small the closest police were over 30 miles away lol. Anyways on our second day of hiking, we came across an old mine, and decided to do some exploring, once inside we found GOLD, all through the walls GOLD. It's Montana so we thought ok makes sense. We emptied our packs leaving our gear behind and load up on all we can carry. The Hike back was H. E. double Hockey sticks, but the thought of all the money we had on our backs kept us going. We finally made it back to my van, which had a flat tire, and a flat spare, because we had gotten a flat on the way lol. So we loaded up the GOLD, and hiked a tire to town, if you can call it that, about another mile away. We finally get a tire, get back home and go to a jeweler to find out how much our score was worth. He looks at us and says about 20 bucks. We had 4 packs full, so we were really shocked, the jeweler seeing the look on our young faces explained to us, it was Iron Pyrite. What made it worse was we had left all of our gear, which we had to hike back, and find lol.

Iron Pyrite - "Fool's Gold". I bet he told ya that, too.

Great story!

[Tinker]

Yurts look kind of cool. And on top of all, is obviously a funny word....like spork...funny word and functional

There once was a man with a yurt...........

Next line, please.

Keep it clean

[Blue Jay]

Let me get this straight. Are those of you who claim to hate shelters are saying that when its pouring rain, you're tired and you are passing a shelter, you don't at least go sit there for a short while? It's my theory that a large number of people on this site say one thing but do another. I've spent a great deal of time on the AT over the years and when it's raining I see very few tents and very full shelters.

[Blue Jay]

I like shelters if for nothing else a place to set up a tent under cover and then move it to where you want to sleep. Also I'm not afraid of mice or snoring or fart gas or any of the other so called horrors of shelter life.

[Homer&Marje]

There once was a man with a yurt...........

Next line, please.

Keep it clean

....He walked all day till it hurt....

..on hot days he even did it in a skirt....

..and on even hotter days....

..Thankfully he's staying at his yurt....


Next verse?

[kanga]

Let me get this straight. Are those of you who claim to hate shelters are saying that when its pouring rain, you're tired and you are passing a shelter, you don't at least go sit there for a short while? It's my theory that a large number of people on this site say one thing but do another. I've spent a great deal of time on the AT over the years and when it's raining I see very few tents and very full shelters.

yes, that is it. if i was hiking in the rain and saw a shelter, i would keep on hiking in the rain. the more time i waste anywhere near that miserable nasty rathole is that much more time it takes to get to where i'm going and set up my tent. i've stopped at one in the last ten years and that was because i felt the beginnings of hypothermia and to go on would have been retarded. i view them as emergency only, but then again, the more people that like them, the more awesome campsites i'll find undisturbed.

[warraghiyagey]

yes, that is it. if i was hiking in the rain and saw a shelter, i would keep on hiking in the rain. the more time i waste anywhere near that miserable nasty rathole is that much more time it takes to get to where i'm going and set up my tent. i've stopped at one in the last ten years and that was because i felt the beginnings of hypothermia and to go on would have been retarded. i view them as emergency only, but then again, the more people that like them, the more awesome campsites i'll find undisturbed.

Wet hiker. . . . . . ha!

[saimyoji]

Let me get this straight. Are those of you who claim to hate shelters are saying that when its pouring rain, you're tired and you are passing a shelter, you don't at least go sit there for a short while? It's my theory that a large number of people on this site say one thing but do another. I've spent a great deal of time on the AT over the years and when it's raining I see very few tents and very full shelters.

despite what some may delude themselves into believing, only a small fraction of the people who hike the AT and stay in shelters have ever heard of WB.

[warraghiyagey]

despite what some may delude themselves into believing, only a small fraction of the people who hike the AT and stay in shelters have ever heard of WB.

Excellent point!

[Phoenixdadeadhead]

Iron Pyrite - "Fool's Gold". I bet he told ya that, too.

Great story!

He did, but I was hoping no1 would know that lmao

[SunnyWalker]

I have section hiked and never stayed at a Shelter. But when I through hike the bottom line will be I will do almost anything to make it all the way mg. So if that includes staying in some shelters, so be it.

[Silver Bear]

Getting too old for the hard planks???? I slept real good Tuesday night in LeConte shelter. Didn't know age had anything to do with it. I'm 66 (twice your age), I should have been awake all night???

[CrumbSnatcher]

i can live without the shelters, but i don't hate them! to me it was always cool to see them when i was coming around the bend or over the hill!

[Different Socks]

When I did the AT in 1992, I looked forward to each and every shelter i visited or slept in b/c I believed that they were part of the trail, its surroundings and the trail experience.
Then when I did the trail again in 2001, things had changed so much. Too many of the shelters had been replaced by the "hilton" designs that are out there even more now. I still enjoyed seeing them , but it wasn't the same from 10 years earlier.

[CrumbSnatcher]

When I did the AT in 1992, I looked forward to each and every shelter i visited or slept in b/c I believed that they were part of the trail, its surroundings and the trail experience.
Then when I did the trail again in 2001, things had changed so much. Too many of the shelters had been replaced by the "hilton" designs that are out there even more now. I still enjoyed seeing them , but it wasn't the same from 10 years earlier.

my first hike i enjoyed the shelters now take'm or leave'm

[Mrs Baggins]

Dissing shelters is very cool among the hard core crowd. WGAF. It's like alcohol stoves vs any other cooking system. If you're not using a home made alcohol stove you just aren't among the in crowd. Again, WGAF. I like shelters. I like knowing I have a place to sleep if I don't feel like setting up my tent. I like having a bench or table to sit at. I like having the other hikers to talk to. And I love my Pocket Rocket and refuse to waste my time with some kind of home made cat food alcolhol stove because the cool crowd says it's right.

[CrumbSnatcher]

i used to use shelters once in awhile,have a few favorite shelters i won't pass up. if no one or just 1-2 people show up i might stay. if it even starts to fill up i move on or go tent! usually? and i love my pocket rocket too

[Tin Man]

i love my msr superfly stove... it's a pocket rocket with the flame spread out, which helps cook pancakes and omelets more evenly

tents are cool... but in my quest for what's best, i'm going swining in a hammock for the first time very soon...

[CrumbSnatcher]

Hell i haven't seen a shelter in a long time, i wouldn't mind seeing one! the trail doesn't pass thru Nebraska.