I'm planning of heading through late November just to clarify are there tent sites near the shelter area? I'll be hanging but my buddy is tenting.
Thanks WB
"Sometimes you have to make a clean break from the past to make a new beginning"
Yes, a couple.Originally Posted by Waterbuffalo
Cool Thanks!
"Sometimes you have to make a clean break from the past to make a new beginning"
Stayed there last night. Great shelter, but it would be helpful if there were a broom to help keep things clean. Though not many of them, the mice have already moved in!
Still no broom? The last several times I visited, I couldn't find a broom either and the shelter needed a really good sweeping.
Wasn't a broom at Longbranch or at the Muskrat Shelter and both could have used one. They weren't a total mess by any means, but would have been nice to give them a sweep before we stayed for the night and after we packed up.
Longbranch is a great looking shelter though!
Any food hoist bear cables at this shelter?
Life Member: ATC, ALDHA, Superior Hiking Trail Association
Did a section hike in April of 2015 and stayed the night at the shelter. No bear cables for hanging food then.
I stayed there last year. No cables, but also NO MICE! This was by far the nicest shelter I passed. The only bad thing about it was the nearly mile-long blue blaze to get to it.
Somebody needs to study why this shelter seems to have solved the mice problem. I think it must be the fact that they caulked up all the corners and sealed the roof so the mice can't make nests. Yes, they can still get in through the open end, but there is no place for them to hide once they do. And it's not like there are no mice in the area. My friend stayed in his tent nearby and they harassed him all night (he slept with his food).
Mile long? It is listed at 0.1 mile off trail, though it felt slightly longer.
Is there another Long Branch Shelter somewhere else other than NC?
I think you are mistaking the Long Branch for some other shelter. The Long Branch is virtually new and is only 0.1 off the trail.
No, just checked my journal. It was a LONG walk from the trail. Even passed several camp sites on the way. NOBO, it's a left turn and then a hike around the mountain, with the creek down below. Did you see .1 in a book? It sounds like a misprint.
You described the walk to it perfectly, but it is definitely not a mile. The walk felt longer than 0.1 for sure though.
Sorry, that walk is not anyway near one mile. As stated above, maybe 0.1 to 0.2 max.
In addition, I stayed there one night over the 2014 Labor Day weekend. Slept in the loft. I was absolutely terrorized by mice...worst night ever. You could hear them squeeking and gnawing all night long. I was waiting on Willard to make an appearance.
Well, I checked my copy of AWOL's guide, and sure enough it says .1. Can't be right. You'd be able to see it from the trail. But it was such a long hike that I even mentioned in my log that the only thing bad about this shelter was how far it was from the trail and from the water. I clearly remember a 15-20 minute hike, and wondering why they picked a site so far away. And the water was a real hassle. You have to hike halfway back to the trail and then down the hill to get to the water.
Oh well... maybe I woke up in an alternate universe this morning.
No bear cables. That seems to be norm in NC. GA has cables, NC doesn't.
It's hit or miss. Haven't been to Silers Bald shelter in a while. Last time there, the cables were in sorry shape. None at Wayah Bald shelter. But there are cables at Wesser Bald shelter as of May 2016.
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