Whitely Gap Shelter

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#1

I have heard stories of a bear taking up residence in Whitely Gap Shelter in Ga and was wondering if this is true. Also have heard that the trail in that area is not very well marked, Has any one here heard this bout the shelter or the trail not be well marked in that area?

The Comeback Kid

#2

That’s pretty funny… If it’s true, I think we should let him have it.

Bubble Boy

#3

We should find out if these are “illegal” resident bears, or if they have “sovereign” rights to the shelter. What’s the snore factor increase ? But I heard they do smell better than thruhikers…

fishngame

#4

When you are hiking a mile into the shelter,one wants to know what to expect before wasting time to get there.

The comeback kid

#5

Are you are refering to the shelter closest to Hogpen Gap in GA? If so I have been there and in the log book it mentions a bear with a cub down further into the gap past the shelter and trail. The trail stops at the shelter. I found the trail marked well enough.

Tony

#6

Yes,Tony that is the shelter I am referring to,thanks for the information. Another question is do most hikers pass on staying at that shelter because of the bear and its cub and shoot for Low Gap Shelter instead?

The comeback kid

#7

Hikers tend to pass this shelter up as it’s about 1.2 miles away from the AT and down in a gap…hard to get in and out of and Low Gap Shelter is not far away.

MoodyBluer

#8

When I hiked in 2006 I heard the same story about a bear at that shelter. But again, it’s way too far off the trail so many of us passed it up - perhaps thats just a rumor to keep a good thing hidden?

HeartFire

#9

The spur trail to the shelter is well-marked. You won’t miss it. Low Gap has always been an area with high bear occupancy rates, but I’ve never heard anything similar about Whitley Shelter(or read anything in shelter journals further north which usually are a great indicator of previous bear encounters). The bears probably hate the extra 1.2 miles, as well.

Matt

#10

I stayed there in 2004. Awesome hideaway. Most people bypass it because it’s a 2 1/2 mile round trip in and out of there. I saw a momma bear and 2 cubs about a mile southbound of Testanee Gap last fall. She was beautiful.

Midway