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  1. #21
    Registered User The Cleaner's Avatar
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    FWIW....I just confirmed shuttle to Round Knob Picnic area Sunday @ noon.From RK it's 1.75miles up to the AT and then 1 mile over to the shelter.I should be able to get there and do some clean-up before too late in the day.At 4pm I'll be having tea and listening to NPR's "This American Life".Will be taking extra Coleman fuel to burn trash and can pack out the fire leftovers.Doesn't get much better than that for a short winter hike.Monday's plan is to hike to Little Laurel and check things there and spend the night.Anyone who wants to come up is welcome,I should have a nice fire going to warm up by....

  2. #22

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    Thanks for your efforts.

    One time I was day hiking over Three Ridges, got to the Harpers Creek Shelter and planned on chilling for a few minutes when I noticed a large plastic trash bag filled with, um... trash. I suppose the people that left it thought the trash collectors came by later in the season. In this case they did. Super pissed, I immediately grabbed the bag an headed down the Tye River trailhead where my girlfriend was waiting.

  3. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sly View Post
    Thanks for your efforts......
    Absolutely!

  4. #24
    PCT, Sheltowee, Pinhoti, LT , BMT, AT, SHT, CDT, TRT 10-K's Avatar
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    You know, speaking ATV trails, I followed an ATV trail from Big Butt almost all the way to Jerry Cabin shelter and only got on the AT to go over the bald just south of Sarvis Cove trail.

    I've always wondered if that was possible and had time to give it a shot to see where it went. The ATV trail goes right by the Horse Creek Trail (really a jeep road) and then right up to the bald.

    So basically, you can almost go from the Shelton Graves all the way to Jerry Cabin shelter on the ATV trail instead of the AT....except for that little stretch over the bald that may be .3 of a mile....

  5. #25
    Registered User Tennessee Viking's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tenderheart View Post
    Have the graves always been on the trail?
    Within the next year or so, the trail will be relocated into the Rocky Fork valley. When it does...unfortunately, the trail will split off just south of the graves.
    ''Tennessee Viking'
    Mountains to Sea Trail Hiker & Maintainer
    Former TEHCC (AT) Maintainer

  6. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tennessee Viking View Post
    Within the next year or so, the trail will be relocated into the Rocky Fork valley. When it does...unfortunately, the trail will split off just south of the graves.
    Why is that being done?
    I love the smell of esbit in the morning!

  7. #27

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    Every time I have been through the JC area it has always been trashed. Its not just the hunters. I have hiked out of that shelter with useless hiking gear, bags of trash. I used to frequent the area when I was living in Asheville. Piles of hiker dinners in the fire pit. Not trying to start anything but placing blame on other groups besides hikers is a little silly. Hikers are some the worst when it comes to littering. I will say that there are some really nice areas to tent before and after JC with in a mile or so.

  8. #28

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    Quote Originally Posted by Chaco Taco View Post
    Every time I have been through the JC area it has always been trashed. Its not just the hunters. I have hiked out of that shelter with useless hiking gear, bags of trash. I used to frequent the area when I was living in Asheville. Piles of hiker dinners in the fire pit. Not trying to start anything but placing blame on other groups besides hikers is a little silly. Hikers are some the worst when it comes to littering. I will say that there are some really nice areas to tent before and after JC with in a mile or so.
    I'm going to disagree with this (assuming by "hikers" you mean actual AT backpackers). In all my hiking days, with one exception, I don't think I've ever run across a truly backpacking campsite or shelter (one without easy access to hunters, ATVers, horse-riders, mountain bikers, day-hikers, or plain "locals") that was trashed. The reverse certainly has not been my experience, though. That one exception was college boys with booze on a spring break hike at Overmountain Shelter, and a thru-hiker read them the riot act, and I added my two cents about dumping beer cans and whiskey bottles in the privy. Listening to their conversations for an evening and morning, it seemed their experience was more about booze than hiking, but booze often seems involved with a lot of AT problems.

    In my estimation, about .1% of backpackers are jerks when it comes to leaving their trash behind, but perhaps 10% of those in the woods for other reasons are jerks about it. That's one hundred times as much, in my unscientific, rough estimation, but ten times would still be too much, and worthy of being singled out for blame. IMHO.

    Rain Man
    Last edited by Rain Man; 12-18-2011 at 00:51.
    [I]ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: ... Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit....[/I]. Numbers 35

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  9. #29
    Registered User Papa D's Avatar
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    +1 to what Rain Man says - I believe that most bona-fide backpackers (for the most part) do a pretty fair job of keeping things clean -- obviously the ATV folks, party people, and locals are easy to blame and are a problem, but I am going to (cautiously) add the un-experienced boy scouts, church group, and over zealous Dad crowd -- far too often I see these amateur groups with their Bowie knives stuck in trees, messy cooking practices, big ol' bon fire, and "survivalist mentalities" -- they tend to camp with things like foil burgers and things in cans -- they also tend to bring a ton of expensive Mountain House stuff (which is fine) but they try to burn their foil lined food containers -- these folks leave an awful mess and mostly just need a little education.

  10. #30
    PCT, Sheltowee, Pinhoti, LT , BMT, AT, SHT, CDT, TRT 10-K's Avatar
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    I cannot even imagine sitting at a shelter throwing trash on the ground. I mean, who would that?

  11. #31
    Registered User The Cleaner's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chaco Taco View Post
    Every time I have been through the JC area it has always been trashed. Its not just the hunters. I have hiked out of that shelter with useless hiking gear, bags of trash. I used to frequent the area when I was living in Asheville. Piles of hiker dinners in the fire pit. Not trying to start anything but placing blame on other groups besides hikers is a little silly. Hikers are some the worst when it comes to littering. I will say that there are some really nice areas to tent before and after JC with in a mile or so.
    You hit the nail on the head with your post.After working in this area for almost 30 years I've found that this area recieves little use other than hikers& backpackers.After cleaning up after the bear hunters the stuff I find seems to be from hikers.From now till the spring thru season starts there won't be a lot of stuff left.Then in March&April the trash starts showing up again.Kinda strange but its true.Some hikers are so lazy&stupid as to how to properly dispose of their trash.Lots of hikers just throw all kinds of stuff in the fireplace/pit and expect someone else will burn it.Also as of the last few years lots of gear (dirty clothes&you name it) gets left behind,for what reason I don't know.Last May someone left a pair of Wally World boots at the shelter.Burned them.If it gets left behind then it soon is trash.20 years ago I didn't find as much stuff.Well now hikers can get to a resupply about every 3-5 days so I guess they just chunck stuff and figure they can get a new one just up the trail....

  12. #32
    Registered User The Cleaner's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 10-K View Post
    You know, speaking ATV trails, I followed an ATV trail from Big Butt almost all the way to Jerry Cabin shelter and only got on the AT to go over the bald just south of Sarvis Cove trail.

    I've always wondered if that was possible and had time to give it a shot to see where it went. The ATV trail goes right by the Horse Creek Trail (really a jeep road) and then right up to the bald.

    So basically, you can almost go from the Shelton Graves all the way to Jerry Cabin shelter on the ATV trail instead of the AT....except for that little stretch over the bald that may be .3 of a mile....
    This jeep road was the original route of the AT till the mid 80's when the USFS aquired the land from Duke Power Co.Till then The CMC didn't want to work the area.This is what got Sam Waddle started because he could drive his small jeep right to the shelter.For a while he tried to maintain a trashcan at the shelter which was always a mess...

  13. #33
    Registered User The Cleaner's Avatar
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    FWIW there will someday be the need for Ridgerunners for every inch of the AT ....just my 2 cents worth...Hey I gotta pack&hit the trail....

  14. #34

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rain Man View Post
    I'm going to disagree with this (assuming by "hikers" you mean actual AT backpackers). In all my hiking days, with one exception, I don't think I've ever run across a truly backpacking campsite or shelter (one without easy access to hunters, ATVers, horse-riders, mountain bikers, day-hikers, or plain "locals") that was trashed. The reverse certainly has not been my experience, though. That one exception was college boys with booze on a spring break hike at Overmountain Shelter, and a thru-hiker read them the riot act, and I added my two cents about dumping beer cans and whiskey bottles in the privy. Listening to their conversations for an evening and morning, it seemed their experience was more about booze than hiking, but booze often seems involved with a lot of AT problems.

    In my estimation, about .1% of backpackers are jerks when it comes to leaving their trash behind, but perhaps 10% of those in the woods for other reasons are jerks about it. That's one hundred times as much, in my unscientific, rough estimation, but ten times would still be too much, and worthy of being singled out for blame. IMHO.

    Rain Man
    Well I am going based on my own experiences with some of the day hikes and the countless overnights I used to take up out of Sams Gap and Jerry Cabin when i was living in Asheville. Frequented both pretty often, 9 out 10 times, trashed. And what makes one a "bonafide" backpacker? Sounds like you make it like an elite club or something. I have been around hikers/ Backpackers in Maine that have absolutely no regard for cleaning up after themselves. Id say about a quarter of the people that use these trails and shelters dont typically pay any mind to any leave no trace mentality. Thruhikers are even worse, can always spot a thruhiker trashbag at a shelter, over stuffed ziplocks and msr canisters left in the corners. So thats based on my experience Rain man and Papa D. The sectiosna round Hot Springs are typically the more trashed sections because of the many road crossings and FS roads. Its aint just the boy scouts,dad groups and college frat boys. I met a group that had driven up from Florida a couple of years. Best group of guys. Passed along free booze, food, enjoyed listening to stories and suggestions about places to go on their travels.

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    I passed through there last December in about 6" of snow & it was still really coming down, the place looked beautiful! The person before me, stacked a ton of firewood up & it was clean as a whistle. That spring was flowing out of there at full force. I ended up moving on. I must have caught it on a good day.
    Take Time to Watch the Trees Dance with The Wind........Then Join In........

  16. #36
    PCT, Sheltowee, Pinhoti, LT , BMT, AT, SHT, CDT, TRT 10-K's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by wornoutboots View Post
    I passed through there last December in about 6" of snow & it was still really coming down, the place looked beautiful! The person before me, stacked a ton of firewood up & it was clean as a whistle. That spring was flowing out of there at full force. I ended up moving on. I must have caught it on a good day.
    Sounds like you just missed The Cleaner...

  17. #37

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    Quote Originally Posted by 10-K View Post
    Sounds like you just missed The Cleaner...
    Hey 10-K, hows the hiking going down there? Miss it like crazy. I do have The Whites and Vermont within and hour but I miss those rolling NC hills

  18. #38
    PCT, Sheltowee, Pinhoti, LT , BMT, AT, SHT, CDT, TRT 10-K's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chaco Taco View Post
    Hey 10-K, hows the hiking going down there? Miss it like crazy. I do have The Whites and Vermont within and hour but I miss those rolling NC hills
    All good. I've had some health issues keeping me from going on longer backpacking trips but I've hiked the sections between Unaka Mountain and Allen's Gap 3-4 times since August.

    I've also been exploring trails in Pisgah and Cherokee National Forests and am really liking that.

    Soon as I'm feeling better I plan on getting down towards your old stomping grounds and hiking the Art Loeb. Did you ever hike that?

    Love living in Erwin!

  19. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by 10-K View Post
    Sounds like you just missed The Cleaner...
    No Doubt!! Thanks Cleaner!! Actually, 10-K that was the same hike that I ran into you near Spivey Gap
    Take Time to Watch the Trees Dance with The Wind........Then Join In........

  20. #40

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    Quote Originally Posted by 10-K View Post
    All good. I've had some health issues keeping me from going on longer backpacking trips but I've hiked the sections between Unaka Mountain and Allen's Gap 3-4 times since August.

    I've also been exploring trails in Pisgah and Cherokee National Forests and am really liking that.

    Soon as I'm feeling better I plan on getting down towards your old stomping grounds and hiking the Art Loeb. Did you ever hike that?

    Love living in Erwin!
    Did the good parts of it. The Beginning at the scout camp is pretty cool but after the balsams it flattens out. Its worth doing though. SOme really cool spots to camp before Black Balsam.

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