When I did the Smokies in Sept. '99, only Icewater Springs had been rehabbed with the skylight/lack of fencing. A ranger at Davenport Gap told me some others would be rehabbed as well as time and budgets permitted. In fact, it seemed as if they were working on Davenport Gap Shelter when we went by.
What I found most impressive about the Smokies’ shelter upgrades (then) were that privies were being added here and there (lord knows if there’s anyplace where privies should be mandatory it’s the Smokies), and the then-new backcountry cables.
The cables were designed to get all the food and hopefully all gear except for bare necessities for sleeping OUT of the shelter and high up in the air. In its inaugural phase they were working flawlessly. Very few rodents in the shelters when we went thru, and no bears hanging around.
4+ years later after a lot of real-world experience, is there a consensus on these things one way or the other? Have they proven to be sturdy or have they deteriorated? Do they require a lot of maintenance? Have hikers continued to use them, or do some leave their gear in shelters overnight? Have wildlife figured out ways to defeat them? If after four seasons they have proven themselves, it might be worthy to use them as a model for other high-use parts of the A.T.–SNP comes to mind, as our bear poles are not quite enough.
“Skyline”