Mt Collins Question
My wife will not stay at a shelter that doesn't have the fence across the front. Can anyone tell me if Mt Collins have the fence across the front?
yes it doesOriginally Posted by WeBeHikin
At least for now, I think it is being remodeled in Sept. of 09
That is great news because that is one of the most horrible shelters I have ever stayed in.
Hmm, when last I was there (09) it was pretty nice. WAY BETTER than the now torn down Birch Gap shelter. Now that was a NASTY place.
FYI: about 10 years ago a hiker was "trapped" in the privy for about 2 hrs by a bear.
Also, if the fence is missing, just be sure to hang all your food & "smellables" from the bear cables. And cook away from the shelter if you can.
Curse you Perry the Platypus!
I was there last weeeknd and it still had a fence and it was kind of nasty
I love Mt. Collins. One man's trash another one's treasure.
It is really going to awesome when it is remodeled.
There are 2 shelters on the AT in the park that still have the fence.
a) Mt Collins. This shelter gets a renovation the week of Sept 15-22. Prep work has already began there. I believe the shelter is going to be closed for the week prior to that, so as to keep hikers from burning the new construction materials that are being air lifted to the site.
b) Russell Field. This shelter is scheduled for renovation in 2010. It is hard to get reservations to Russell during the summer/fall, due to bear activity. This shelter is usually closed during summer and hikers are not authorized to stay there.
If you are just looking to hike in the park, and not necessarily on the AT, there are two other shelters that still have the chain fence.
1) Kephart Shelter. About 5 miles south of Icewater shelter via either Sweat Heifer or Dry Sluice Trail.
2) Laurel Gap Shelter. About 5 miles southeast of TriCorner shelter via the Balsam Mtn Trail.
If you really want to impress the wife, hike to Mt LeConte Lodge by Rainbow Falls trail, Alum Cave, or the Boulevard.
Heard Kephart is pretty nice. But Laurel Gap is a mud hole. Heavy drainage and horse traffic around that shelter.
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b) Russell Field. This shelter is scheduled for renovation in 2010. It is hard to get reservations to Russell during the summer/fall, due to bear activity. This shelter is usually closed during summer and hikers are not authorized to stay there.
When I stayed at Russel Field Shelter two years ago, I saw three bears between dusk and dawn, and another 100 yds down the trail the next morning. I guess that wasn't that unusual.
Kephart shelter was renovated in '05 along with Spence Field.
Kephart didn't have a fence back in May.
That's a gorgeous shelter site
Update on Russell Field Shelter renovation. It has just been scheduled for Sept 12-20 of this year. Architects will be up there later this month to do the official measurements so the design can be finalized and approved by the park service. That will be the last shelter currently planned to be renovated in the park.
No love for Laurel Gap Shelter on the BMT?
You might suggest to your wife that she will be safer in a shelter that does not have a fence across the front. Mt. Collins shelter was a people zoo when I stayed there last summer. The people were on the inside and the bear was on the outside -- all night long. The fence had seen better days and was not strong enough to keep the bear outside. Fortunately nobody informed the bear, and we made it though the night safely. My kids will never forget that night. At least until they renovate Mt. Collins shelter, it doubles as petting zoo. Pet at your own risk.
fences have been removed to protect the hikers since they encouraged dumb asses to feed bears
The trail was here before we arrived, and it will still be here when we are gone...enjoy it now, and preserve it for others that come after us
Mt Collins no longer has the fence. Renovation was completed October 2009. We will see this coming year whether the bears are still an issue at that shelter.
For years , I have asked the NPS to remove the wire. It encouraged people to cook in the shelter and hang food inside. Even with the wire gone and cables to hang food from, hikers still wanted to hang food inside the shelter. I worked as a Ridgerunner in 2001 and everytime I came to a shelter, I would have to cut down and pack out several food hanging cords.
When I hiked through the Smokys last summer we hung food, cookware, and everything else that might attract bears from the cables. We hung the packs in the shelter to keep them away from the mice. So, you were possibly cutting down pack hanging cords? Is there a better way to store your pack at night in a mouse infested shelter?
when in the Smokes I always felt safer in a shelter without the fence...that said, when I go back to that park I'm stealthing it.
Start out slow, then slow down.
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