The new Hurricane Shelter

[Lone Wolf]

Just back from clearing blowdowns and debris from the trail and stopped in at the Hurricane Shelter. It is located approx. 3 miles north of Fox Creek/Va. 603. It's on a side trail about 75 yards from the AT. The water source is a creek just opposite the side trail. The shelter is similar to Saunders, Wise and Lost Mtn. shelters but this one has a large overhang with a picnic table underneath. There are no flat tent sites at the shelter but a few down by the creek. It also has a composting privy.

[Flash Hand]

Very nice shelter and plenty of fire woods to burn. About 1/4 to 1/2 miles north of Hurricane Shelter, A.T. make the immediately right turn, from the gravel road downhill, and really need two white blazes painted on tree to alert hiker to make a turn. I missed it and walked all the way down cuz I didn't see two white blazes.

Flash Hand

[Frog]

The team building and designing the trail into this shelter did an excellent job. I didnt care for the location of the fire pit but i dont like useing them anyway. Stayed there one night in August and saw no mice or other varmits, probably because it hasnt been used enough for any food droppings to have acculated as of yet. The team did an excellent job routing the drainage around the shelter and also an excellent job making the trail out to the shelter. It will probably have some kind of view this winter when all the leaves have gone.

[The Gnome]

I stayed at Hurricane in Late Oct. By my calculations it is 6.4 miles south of the old Raccoon Shelter or exactly 20 miles south of the Partnership, just on the north slope of Iron Mountain.
Like Flash Hand, I went off blaze north of the Shelter and continued down hill on the gravel road until I met blacktop and a sign for another trail. This was very annoying as I was pushing 20 miles for the day. The blazing in this section is infrequent. Once the leaves cover the foot tread, you are left wondering where the trail went.
The Shelter is nicely constructed of squared logs with double splined joints. It looks like a commercial log home kit in many respects. I wonder if it was a donation?
Great features are the large overhang for keeping the table dry and the height of the stub walls is just right for standing a cook stove.
There were mice in attendance and my sleep was interrupted by an F-16 (probably from Virginia Beach) blasting up the valley at 2a.m. with full afterburner.

AFAIK from asking our publications person, Hurricane will be in the 2005 data book and companion. The local trail club did a good job of putting up notices at the shelters either side but of course, all the roadside entry signs will need to be reworked before next season.