Backcountry reservation

imported
#1

So I went to the Icewater Springs shelter this past weekend at the GSMNP. I called the park service and they said the shelter was booked. This has happened many times before, only to find out there are several spots open or even find no one there at all. So, this time was no different. A friend and I arrived at the shelter. There were four open spots avialable. All went well and had a great time meeting other hikers and the weather was great.

The next day we ran into a ranger who asked “Where did you guys sleep last night?” I looked at my friend, he looked at me. We both said Icewater springs shelter. He then asked for a permit and we stated we didn’t have one. He then whipped out a big fat pad and wrote us a ticket. I asked what exactly did we do to deserve this? He stated we attributed to the erosion of the trails and campsites and whatnot. I then replied, we slept in a shelter that had extra room in it. I do agree with not contributing to the erosion of our environment. But, I had to ask… was that really what I did?

As we hiked back to our car I passed around 30 tourists who were stomping around cutting through the trail and stepping all over the flora. I also noticed people leaving trash all over the trail and cigarette butts. Upon arriving at my car I noticed 50 cars packed into the Newfound Gap parking lot and two large tour buses. I just can’t imagine sleeping in an empty 3x7 slot on a wooden bunk contributing to hurting the environment. I left no trace as I have respect for the environment. I found the irony too thick to state I was hurting the environment while witnessing tourists pollute our trails with their SUV’s, trash on the trail and cutting through switchbacks.

Overall, I don’t mind paying a $75 ticket. It allowed me to have a great time. This was a small price to pay for that. I will continue to camp illegally when there’s room available and I’m not imposing on someone who has a reservation. Next time I’m asked “Where did you sleep lastnight?” I’ll respond, “I’m a dayhiker.”

guru

#2

I guess the only excuse would be if the shelter was full on arrival and you had to tent it. Are you allowed to tent in that area?

In either case, the guy was being a Bureaucrat. If anything he should have let you off with a warning as a reward for being honest.

jalanjalan

#3

Next time I’m asked “Where did you sleep lastnight?” I’ll respond, “I’m a dayhiker.”

Better yet, respond: “In the pines, in the pines, where the sun don’t ever shine, and I shivered the whole night through.”

Nirvana

#4

The guy was being a jerk, IMHO.

I would have greatly protested it.

If you had day-hiked to the shelter, that’s okay, but if you spend the night there . . . ?

Kineo Kid

#5

Guru:

Sorry to hear you got the ticket. You probably feel about the same as I did when I got caught in Knoxville doing 70 MPH in a 55 (in a work zone) on my way to Trail Days in ‘05. Telling the cop I was grovin’ to Europe '72 (Cumberland Blues) didn’t help any - I still got the ticket.

Both of us knew we did something that we could get busted on, right? When that Ranger appeared, you knew there was a possibility that you would be asked for a permit that you didn’t have. Just like when I passed that cop, I knew I’d be seeing the blue light. I wasn’t disapointed.

One question… did it realy take a ticket for you to see others litering and straying from the treadway? I would say that they were there all along. Maybe this will be a catalyst for you to get involved as a volunteer?! I hope so anyway.

Happy Hiking.

Jeffrey Hunter

#6

Next time just tell him you’re a thru-hiker.

Wolf

#7

Next time:
“I slept in the shelter so not to disturb the fragile ecosystem like many of the tourists at the Newfound Gap do on a daily basis. On my way out, as a wilderness service project, I plan to volunteer my time to GSMNP and pick-up cigarette butts and litter, and leave the area in better condition than when I arrived. I even have a lawn rake (in the trunk) for the little stuff. Is there a dumpster near your headquarters where I can deposit the garbage bag…or should I take it home with me? Further, and with all due respect sir, did you not also contribute to erosion by walking in here to ticket my friend and me? Had we purchased the permit ahead of time would that have lessoned our impact on the environment? Can you issue permits on the spot(?)… and if so, we are more than willing to pay you here, in addition to the conservation project which we planned to do in advance of our trip. Nevertheless, we feel this fine is unfair, but will pay it without protest in appreciation of this fine parkland and the dedicated, fair-minded rangers who risk their lives everyday”

true blue

#8

screw that, just don’t pay it.
next time i’d say “been hikin’ all night, chief.”

the goat

#9

Maybe you guys caught me in a bad mood but this is the elitist attitude that I saw and didn’t like on my thru-hike. Sure I disliked the hut system through the Whites and I did stealth camp one night due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time above tree line. But overall the rules and such imposed by the National Park Service within SMNP are there for a reason and your complete avoidance of them is you believing you can do whatever you want. That overall attitude is what is wrong with this country and particularly when it comes to our nation’s trail systems. And by commenting about the tourist you are attempting to justify what you did.

I have the same question presented above by Jeffrey. Would you have noticed the behavior of the tourist on your way out had you not gotten the ticket?

Two Scoops

#10

Jalanjalan, no you can’t tent there. It’s shelter camping only. Kineo Kid, I agree with you. If I had hiked there it would have been okay. It’s the fact that I stopped, closed my eyes for 8 hours that was wrong. Jeffrey Hunter, I believe you’re right. I knew going into it I could get a ticket. But didn’t think it would actually happen. Nor did I think someone would give me one and tell me I was hurting the environment. And yes, everytime I go to Newfound Gap I notice all the tourists leaving trash and stomping all over the place. It was not just this time. Two Scoops, I don’t think of myself as some kind of elitist. The GSMNP has a horrible way of making reservations for shelters or even campsites. People will reserve them, then not show up or only a few will show up. If the Park Service was concerned about our fragile environment they would issue a hiking pass to hike in the backcountry. This would insure no excessive damage was taking place. But no, anyone at anytime can go hiking, stomp around, leave trash, cut through trail switchbacks. But the moment you stop and close your eyes in a wooden shelter that has extra room in it somehow you’re damaging the environment.

I would have had more respect for the Ranger if he has just said “I’m giving you this ticket because that’s the rules and I’m an idiot.”

guru

#11

Instead of “reservations,” why doesn’t GSMNP do what its close cousin Shenandoah National Park does?

SNP, also a National Park Service unit, simply insists that anyone camping in the Park’s backcountry get a free permit, on which identifying info and itinerary is written. It doesn’t reserve space, but it gives the Park a general idea where you can be found in case of an emergency. It provides an overview (eventually the data is entered into a database) of where people are camping so overused areas can be revegetated. It also serves as a “toe tag” should your body be found cold and lifeless in the woods.

Since in SNP the permit is not a reservation, space at shelters and campsites are first-come, first-serve. Very democratic. Shelter full? Use the nearby designated tentsites. Tentsites all in use? Go a quarter mile away and camp a little more rustic-like. Works well enough, and we have plenty of black bears in SNP just like the Smokies.

Skyline

#12

GSMNP manages backcountry visitation different for a variety of reasons. It is the most visited National Park in the entire system. The backcountry areas also pose far greater hazards to the visitor than Shenandoah.

Jeffrey Hunter

#13

Guru

"I would have had more respect for the Ranger if he has just said “I’m giving you this ticket because that’s the rules and I’m an idiot.”

Let’s me make sure I’ve got this right. You break the rules knowing a ticket could be the result, get caught, get the ticket and the ranger’s the idiot? I’m having trouble with this picture.

Two Speed