Full Shelter Question:

[jduncan7998]

The best time to hike through the GSMNP is in December!! You will have the trail basically to yourself. The shelters will be empty, unless they are booked by invisible people. lol. This December I hiked from Fontana Dam to NewFound Gap and saw a total of about 10 people. I stayed in Mollies Ridge, Derrek Knob, and Mt. Collins. Those 3 shelters were empty, along with the Fontana Dam shelter. Whats strange is that when i made my reservations, i was told that Derrek Knob was full. When we arrived at Derrek Knob at 930pm, no one was there and i wasn't about to continue on to silers bald shelter that i had reservations for. All in all, it was a great hike. I can't wait to return from Afghanistan and hike some more.

[Jeff]

I always carry a tent, only do shelters in bad weather, and will always give up a spot for anyone going further then I. Not rules just the manners I was taught.

I don't understand why long distance hikers should get more respect than others.

[jeffmeh]

I don't understand why long distance hikers should get more respect than others.

They shouldn't, but they shouldn't get any less either.

[Sailing_Faith]

The best time to hike through the GSMNP is in December!! You will have the trail basically to yourself. The shelters will be empty, unless they are booked by invisible people......

Your post is insensitive. Invisible people are still people! They deserve our respect... they DID make reservations after all.

If one comes upon a shelter filled with invisible people they should either keep going and hike through the night, or should sleep just outside the shelter standing up.

This is of course tempered by the fact that invisible people are hard to see, but ignorance of their presence is really not an excuse to be rude....

[P-Train]

Wow. I wouldn't wish December there on anyone. It snowed six times in the valley last year not to mention the higher elevations. You'd find yourself without a trail in no time.

[jduncan7998]

i was only stating a fact that if you want to hike the smnp without the crowds, then the off-season is the best time. I was not being insensitive, i was actually expecting the shelter to be full and was prepared to tent next to the shelter or continue on to the next shelter. I wasn't being rude either. I'll just say that a prayer was answered when i came upon the shelter and it was empty.

[P-Train]

i was only stating a fact that if you want to hike the smnp without the crowds, then the off-season is the best time. I was not being insensitive, i was actually expecting the shelter to be full and was prepared to tent next to the shelter or continue on to the next shelter. I wasn't being rude either. I'll just say that a prayer was answered when i came upon the shelter and it was empty.

This past year was mild, actually. It was the year before that snowed so much.

[ekeverette]

i take it, should you come to a shelter in the gsmnp and it is completly full, you have no choice but to tent. is this correct?

[Grampie]

If you are a thru-hiker and the shelter is full you can put up your tent neer the shelter. I never heard of being bothered by a rige runner or park ranger for doing so.

[carolinablonde]

I'm a section hiker, and this year I'm picking up at Winding Stair Gap (which I think is 50ish miles before the Smokies, so I'll be a "thru" hiker by their definition for purposes of camping) and ending at Davenport Gap. Here's the thing. I'm not afraid of bears, snakes, scary men, spiders, big foot, etc. But I have a rodent phobia. A completely irrational fear and I literally cannot sleep in a shelter out of fear of mice. This is not something I can suck up and get over. I'm really worried about hiking through the Smokies because I cannot stomach the thought of sleeping in a shelter. I'm hoping the shelters will be full and/or it won't be an issue, but this thread is freaking me out. Is there really going to be a ranger there telling me I have to sleep with mice chewing on my hair? Even cowboy camping close to a shelter freaks me out. I need to zip up in my tent.

[DaSchwartz]

But I have a rodent phobia. A completely irrational fear and I literally cannot sleep in a shelter out of fear of mice.(deletia) Is there really going to be a ranger there telling me I have to sleep with mice chewing on my hair? Even cowboy camping close to a shelter freaks me out. I need to zip up in my tent.

Here's the problem. The rules are there for good reasons and if enough hikers stop following the rules, they will add more restrictions to thru-hikers as a result. Sorry about your phobia, so you'll probably want to do an alternative like the Benton MacKaye Trail, where you can camp with just a backcountry permit & none of the shelter worries. The BMT should be considered an official alternative to the AT when it comes to being counted as a thru-hike.

[vamelungeon]

The BMT should be considered an official alternative to the AT when it comes to being counted as a thru-hike.

I wish it were. I have zero desire to sleep in a dirty rodent filled box in the middle of a beautiful forest. I really don't want to be forced into one in the Smokies but as things stand now I would have to, or risk getting caught trying to stealth camp.

[beaudetious]

I have a rodent phobia. A completely irrational fear and I literally cannot sleep in a shelter out of fear of mice.

I too share a fear of mice. It started when I had a shelter to myself and the mice used me a trampoline and my hiking shorts (hanging on a line) as a nest.

On a recent 3 day section hike of the Northern end of the Smokies I slept in a shelter (well zippered in my sleeping bag and had no mouse issues) and the other night I hammocked next to the shelter but only set up at night. The shelter wasn't even close to full.

I need to get over this mouse issue sooner than later if I am to ever thru hike the AT. Maybe having one as pet would help.

[mcrainbow]

I'm a section hiker, and this year I'm picking up at Winding Stair Gap (which I think is 50ish miles before the Smokies, so I'll be a "thru" hiker by their definition for purposes of camping) and ending at Davenport Gap..

You are not considered a thru hiker....50 miles end/start outside the Park border.

[RichardD]

It was my desire during my thru to hammock near the shelters in GSMNP. A ridge runner was present at the first, he was very clear and insistent, if you were one of the first four thru hikers at the shelter then your place in it was secure. If you were #5 up and the shelter was not full you were required to stay in it. If the folks who had reservations showed up, even late at night you had to make room for them even if it meant setting up a tent late at night. In reality fewer than half of the reserved spaces ever show so the need to leave late at night is very rare but is possible.
I had three nights where I had to stay in shelters, the rest of the time I waited until the shelter was full then hung my hammock nearby. The ridge runner was present overnight three times and he was very insistent that we followed the rules to the letter.

[carolinablonde]

Seriously contemplating hiking all night with my headlamp and then sleeping in the shelters during the day when the mice aren't out. It's a shame that overly strict rules and regulations on taxpayers at a publicly owned park detract so much from the experience. I'm all for minimal impact on the environment, but restricting the number of people without forcible use of shelters is possible. Can't wait to get this section out of the way and get on to more hospitable parts of the trail.

[rocketsocks]

Seriously contemplating hiking all night with my headlamp and then sleeping in the shelters during the day when the mice aren't out. It's a shame that overly strict rules and regulations on taxpayers at a publicly owned park detract so much from the experience. I'm all for minimal impact on the environment, but restricting the number of people without forcible use of shelters is possible. Can't wait to get this section out of the way and get on to more hospitable parts of the trail.

I think you just gave a textbook definition of ;Bureaucracy

[jburgasser]

I'm a section hiker, and this year I'm picking up at Winding Stair Gap (which I think is 50ish miles before the Smokies, so I'll be a "thru" hiker by their definition for purposes of camping) and ending at Davenport Gap.

Unfortunately, your hike must include at least 50 miles north of Davenport Gap as well as 50 miles south of Fontana Dam to classify you as a thru hiker.

[jburgasser]

Seriously contemplating hiking all night with my headlamp and then sleeping in the shelters during the day when the mice aren't out. It's a shame that overly strict rules and regulations on taxpayers at a publicly owned park detract so much from the experience. I'm all for minimal impact on the environment, but restricting the number of people without forcible use of shelters is possible. Can't wait to get this section out of the way and get on to more hospitable parts of the trail.

It's the most visited park in the country! I support efforts to limit/monitor the number of users/visitors. So many posters advocate bending the rules, or just ignoring them if no one sees you. It is a lot easier to just FOLLOW THE RULES. Here is a radical idea: If you don't agree with the rules, then skip the Smokies!!

Enjoy your hike
JB

[One Half]

try carrying some fabric softner dryer sheets. I haven't tried it but I was recently told to use these in a garage mice get into. Evidently they don't like the smell? I would cut into strips, place around my sleeping area as possible. Maybe the mice will decide to pester someone else.