Mice???

**sloetoe** · 10-19-2009, 11:38

Originally Posted by Lyle

I think you've gathered by now, traps will be useless, except to give you the feeling of gaining some revenge. Better to just learn to live with the mice if you stay at/near the shelters.

They will crawl over their dead brethren to get to your food. If your food is outside, they will rummage around in your pack just to whiff the air. They will crap in your Sierra cup (does anyone carry one of those anymore?) if you forget to invert it, or in your spoon, or play King of The Hill on your ass if you sleep in the shelter.

"Revenge." Great observation. If you take traps, you will be kept awake not only by mice, but by the sounds of your own revenge.

There are better things to plan for in arranging a throughhike -- like knowing where all the AYCE are. Go for that.

**Montana** · 10-19-2009, 14:20

Forget the traps, you will soon find them to be worthless weight in your pack.

The best thing to do if you must stay in the shelters is hang all of your food, and leave all of the pockets on your pack open. Many shelters have mouse ropes that have a dubious usefulness. As previously mentioned, shelter mice are extremely adept and well trained, and those ropes may not protect your food. If you are really worried about loosing a bit of food, hang a proper bear bag and rest easy. To save your pack from getting chewed on, leave all of the zippers open so that mice can easily access any part of your pack. If you leave a zipper closed, and a mouse decides it wants in, it will chew a hole. They do like to use pack towels and TP as nesting material, but I never found mine chewed up.

Learn to live with the mice, they really aren't that bad.

**Montana** · 10-19-2009, 14:26

Originally Posted by ShelterLeopard

A- most shelters don't have too many mice, especially if a lot of people are sleeping there.
B- when there are mice, there are a LOT (I've come to find), and you will be emptying that trap every five minutes.
C- You really need to worry about chipmunks. (They like to hide in your boots, so you may want to give 'em a shake before shoving your foot in- it was very funny actually, last time I made the mistake of not checking, I picked up my boot, and this ball of fur comes flying out, straight at my head.)

I only have anecdotal evidence to rely on, but I'd say the more frequently used shelters are the ones with more mice.

**Darwin again** · 10-19-2009, 15:44

Hantavirus.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/h...s/symptoms.htm

Another good reason not to stay in shelters.

**slowandlow** · 10-19-2009, 15:57

Originally Posted by Wise Old Owl

Some shelters come pre-equipped with these!

**Trooper** · 10-20-2009, 09:11

Either hang your pack, or keep your pack totally open so if mice want to get in there they will not have to chew holes in your pack to get in. Definitely hang your food and other "smelly" stuff away from your campsite. If you do this they shouldn't be coming around you when you're sleeping.

**Rainman** · 10-20-2009, 19:55

Relax. They're kinda cute anyway.

**Wise Old Owl** · 10-20-2009, 20:10

Originally Posted by Panzer1

Hikers like to kill mice because it somehow satisfies a need to be cruel to small animals. Otherwise it serves no useful purpose.

Panzer

Hell I have personally seen uniformed folk at shelters beat a non venomous snake to death with a stick.... go figure...

**Wise Old Owl** · 10-20-2009, 20:13

Originally Posted by ShelterLeopard

A- most shelters don't have too many mice, especially if a lot of people are sleeping there.
B- when there are mice, there are a LOT (I've come to find), and you will be emptying that trap every five minutes.
C- You really need to worry about chipmunks. (They like to hide in your boots, so you may want to give 'em a shake before shoving your foot in- it was very funny actually, last time I made the mistake of not checking, I picked up my boot, and this ball of fur comes flying out, straight at my head.)

that would have mad a good viral video on U tube!

**ShelterLeopard** · 10-21-2009, 11:21

I know! If only someone had been standing there with a cell! I was the only one in the shelter (all the thrus wanted to get to DWG and get a shower, so I had the whole shelter to myself- kinda like sleeping in a king sized bed). I was watching the chipmunk all night before bed- someone had left swedish fish in the fire pit, and he kept taking them somewhere- at least he wasn't storing them in my shoes for winter. Would've been sticky...

**David@whiteblaze** · 10-21-2009, 11:42

you know, a fire pit really is a lousy cache point...

**ShelterLeopard** · 10-21-2009, 12:00

Originally Posted by David@whiteblaze

you know, a fire pit really is a lousy cache point...

He was taking them out of the fire pit. Some human left a bag there, and he'd go and grab three, stuff them in his mouth and run and hide them somewhere. I wonder if his mother knows he plans to eat nothing but swedish fish throughout the winter...

**David@whiteblaze** · 10-21-2009, 12:14

zi was talking about the human who cached them there.

**JoeHiker** · 10-21-2009, 12:16

Regarding the uselessness of mousetraps:

When I tried to hike the Long trail a few years ago, some friends joined me for one day's worth of hiking. I was waiting in Johnson VT for them and realized they might not be too fond of the mice in shelters (as I wasn't either). So I picked up 4 mousetraps and some peanut butter. Later that night in the shelter I set the traps and fell asleep. They very quickly wer full and my poor friends were up all night. If I just had not had the traps in the first place, all would have been well.

So later on in the hike I was at Duck Brook Shelter (I think that's the one -- just north of Jonesville) and I still had the mousetraps. I saw a mouse when I showed up so I decided I was gonna get rid of every mouse in the shelter. I kept laying down the traps and they kept getting filled with mice. I would throw out the mouse and keep going.

In the end I was up all night and completely exhausted. I killed more mice than I can count and there were still more coming.

That was the last time I ever slept in a shelter.

**ShelterLeopard** · 10-21-2009, 12:26

Maybe if you hadn't had tons of peanut butter everyone, there wouldn't have been so many mice.

**David@whiteblaze** · 10-21-2009, 12:32

you know, maybe we should force the ATC to provide a bucket in every shelter so we could do the whole peanut butter ala drowned mice.

**JoeHiker** · 10-21-2009, 17:47

Originally Posted by ShelterLeopard

Maybe if you hadn't had tons of peanut butter everyone, there wouldn't have been so many mice.

On the other hand, maybe the peanut butter did not cause the mice to come into existence.

**JoeHiker** · 10-21-2009, 17:47

Originally Posted by JoeHiker

On the other hand, maybe the peanut butter did not cause the mice to come into existence.

Should ahve been a smiley face in that reply

**Maddog** · 10-21-2009, 17:55

Originally Posted by Rambler1

really.....mice.....really......come on.....put your pants on. There are bigger things to worry about than mice.

that's what i'm talkin' about!

**David@whiteblaze** · 10-21-2009, 18:25

Originally Posted by David@whiteblaze

you know, maybe we should force the ATC to provide a bucket in every shelter so we could do the whole peanut butter ala drowned mice.

correction: peanut butter ala pedestal with a side of drowned mice

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