Why not tent more?

imported
#1

Hi everybody. I’ve been following a couple of trail journals of current hikers, and I’ve noticed something that strikes me as odd. The three hikers that I’m reading seem to almost always sleep in shelters, but then they have problems with mice, with late-arriving hikers, with early-departing hikers, with snorers, with call-of-nature in the middle of the night trips, and with rowdy up-all-night hikers. I’m wondering why not just tent it? Are most hikers so tired at the end of a day that the prospect of setting up a tent is just too much, or are tents too hot/cold, or what? Just curious, and hoping that Those Who Have Gone Before can shed some light on this for me.

Jonna

#2

Good question Jonna, I was wondering the same thing. I am planning a run on the AT in '04, and want to tent most of it, though some of the shelters are supposed to be nice, and bad storms may influence that decision at times as well. Intersted to read the next few posts on this subject…

xtn

airferret

#3

I have often wondedred that same thing. If people are too tired when the reach the shelter, why don’t they just stop earlier while they still have the energy to set up a tent. One of the good things about a tent is that (with a few excetions) you can sleep anywhere. The only reason I can see for staying at a shelter is if it’s near a good water source.

Bill

#4

I thu-hiked the AT’99 & stayed whenever possible in my tent. Most of the time around shelters for water reasons. In maine we stayed in shelters a lot, but it was late october and no one was out there and the smokies where they want you in the shelter unless it’s full. If it’s storming out when you get there it just makes sense to stay in a shelter instead of setting up your tent. I also believe if you make it a choice to stay in shelters all the time you can’t cry about mice, snoring, or people getting up, it’s a fact of life. Very rarely is there a shelter without mice. Bring ear plugs someone’s going to snore. Not everyone will get there and leave around you. Remember it’s not your shelter. There is common curtesy about making noise, but don’t count on it. Besides you should enjoy your hike. To answer aquestion above tents are usually warmer than the shelter. In the summer with fly off they are probably cooler depending where you pitch. Plus they are great against bugs. Hike Happy!

noworries

#5

Myself, I favored shelters because it was one less thing to be done. I didn’t need to set up a tent, which was a small one person tent. More importantly, I didn’t need to take it down in the morning, which takes time. And I didn’t need to worry about drying it out so it didn’t mildew.

That being said, I always had the tent with me. If the shelter was filthy, then I could tent if I wanted to. If the shelter was crowed, then I could tent if I wanted to. If there was a known snorer, then I could tent if I wanted to.

But, when there is a clean shelter that is not too crowed, and the people congenial, I’ll probably use it rather than set up a tent.

I actually used my tent about 1/3 of the time, which was more than I planned on.

Peaks

#6

During our 2000 thru we stayed at shelters early because of the novelty, but quickly got tired of the aforementioned problems. Later, in Maine, we moved back to the shelters because we had them to ourselves. I remember Woods Hole Shelter, our first week out, when a mouse literally took a fleece cap right off my head.

But in the Smokies and Shenandoah NP you have to stay in the shelters. In SNP hikers with tents set up were fined $50 a day for “disturbing” the natural area, said ticket issued by a ranger who drove up to the shelter. :rolleyes

raru

#7

…basically suck. Never could understand cramming into a crowded, dirty, wooden, hard floored box with thousands of acres all around you to camp. Most folks aren’t comfortable in the woods. They need srtuctures.

Wolf

#8

True, the “old” Shenandoah National Park backcountry regs made “criminals” out of those who tented near shelters. But the “new” Y2K regs, which must have gone into effect after Raru’s 2000 thru-hike, have ended those dark days.

Each SNP overnight A.T. shelter (called “huts” in SNP) now have designated tentsites nearby. Setting up a tent on these spaces is now encouraged. Some of these sites are great (large enough, flat enough, not too rocky), but others are in need of some improvement in these areas.

Contrary to popular opinion, there are definitely tenting alternatives along the A.T. in Shenandoah–most not too far from water except during drought of course. In fact, prior to the Reagan/James Watt years (talk about Dark Ages!), there were nearly twice as many shelters in SNP and knowledge of these sites is helpful in finding alternatives. Otherwise, just be creative.

“Skyline”

#9

The night before my attempt to thur hike in 2000,I stayed in the shelter at Amicalola Falls.I was indoctrinated by a mouse in my sleeping bag.After that,I kinda accepted if you stayed in a shelter,that was one of the things you had to tolerate.My partner and I sectioned hiked this past April, from Hot Springs to Bland Va.The weather during the early part of April caught alot of hikers off guard.We noticed that there were several hikers staying over 20 hours in the shelters.They would be dry,while soaking wet and cold hikers had to hike on due to no space.
We also noticed that when we arrived at a shelter,and it was raining,the hikers in the shelter didn’t try to make extra room.The unwritten policy of"Always room for one more"wasn’t considered by the hikers in the shelter.
So…We chose to tent most of the time ,rather than shelter

Bill Harris

#10

I’ve been wondering about this very question and I’m really glad Jonna posted it - why I didn’t, I don’t have a clue.

Since I’m a slow hiker, I’ve been thinking I might need to do the tortoise routine and hike an extra hour or two. I’m naturally an early morning riser and figured that if I could get started early, I could replenish my water but keep going past the shelters, stopping about an hour before sunset and setting up my bivy (I must admit, hammocks are starting to sound pretty good).

Hopefully, I could end up averaging about the average weekly mileage.

Does anyone know if there are plenty of tentable areas along the trail outside of the shelter areas?

Too-Dang

#11

Yes there are PLENTY of places to thrown down other than shelter areas

Wolf

#12

One point that I didn’t see mentioned is cooking. Boy, it sure is A LOT easier cooking at a shelter than anywhere else. Picnic tables rocked! And even when there was no table, cooking was still easier, as you had a place to sit. That was a big driver for us. That and the water source. We tented a fair amount, especially when it started to get buggy, but when the weather was real bad we headed for the roofs.

Gravityman

#13

Gravityman makes a good point. Cooking is just one of the amenities shelters offer. Others include the possibility of a privy, water source, comaraderie if you want it, and more.

But you don’t usually have to put you or your gear inside the shelter structure overnight; you can set up your tent/tarp/hammock someplace nearby. And no need to be RIGHT next to the shelter to take advantage of the amenities–anywhere within 0.1 or 0.2 mi. will work most often. In fact, if mice are an issue being a bit further away from the shelter structure should improve the odds that mice won’t invade your nylon cacoon.

“Skyline”

#14

Is hobo man having a go at at naive me? I’ve been reading journals for years and I’ve never heard anyonee talk about “dirty needles, crack vials and shady characters” at AT shelters. A few mention marijuana, but this is the first reference to the really nasty stuff I remember. Is anyone else surprised?

DADDY

#15

He’s joking…

gravityman

#16

Dirty needles and crack vials…No.Shady characters and pot…Yes.Luckily and always, the good characters were the majority.

Bill Harris

#17

I found that most people stay near shelters, because there’s
water them.

I also found that the more I hiked, the less I needed to stay
in a shelter, unless the weather was really bad.

It takes a few minutes to set up a tent, and a few more to
pack it up. When it’s a wet tent, it’s heavier to carry. But
the convenience and solitude is great. If you’re carrying
enough water to cook dinner and breakfast, then you can camp
just about anywhere, as long as you LEAVE NO TRACE that you
were there.

There are some great ‘stealth’ sites where you can catch
a sunset, or overlook a gap, etc.

If you like companionship, then near shelters is good.
There’s always some conversation at the shelters.

Hike your own hike. If it’s raining and you don’t want to
carry a wet tent tomorrow, then stop early at a shelter. If
you find the shelter full, wait for the rain to slack, then
pitch tent.

Flexibilty is a good thing on a thru-hike.

Scamp
BTW, I don’t think finding water was a problem this year.
It was hot and dry in '02.

Scamp

#18

Roy Mercer’s words ring true.I specifically agree about the Gomer and his guitar.We must have hiked about the same time of the year.Unless…There are two of them out there.Hope to bite my tongue…You have my vote, Roy

Bill Harris

#19

Shelter’s suck. They’re nice if there’s a storm blowing in… rain or snow. Some even have a place to cook dinner almost like a front porch or even a table. Those are nice options, but for sleeping… im off in my henry shire’s tarptent! The quality of sleep from a hard wooden platform is horrible. I even use a 1.5 inch thermarest and it’s still not comfortable. It’s tollerable and that’s all I give it. The ground is so much more comfy than any shelter will hope to be. I’ve wondered why with all the remodeling and time spent taking care of the shelters no one has thought about installing a layer of foam over the platforms? This would make it so much more comfortable to sleep on as you have one more layer of softness… who knows, it may not even be enough.

scott

#20

Many thanks for the good imput on this topic. I think it’s a socializing opportunity, as well as a security-blanket. Since I’m a closet hermit, it’s hard for me to relate to shelter-staying…I imagine I’ll camp near a shelter for the water, but far enough away to avoid the problems.

Jonna