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  1. #21
    Registered User Papa D's Avatar
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    Saw Sleepy the Arab's post above - we never caught up to you - always one day behind - chased you for 25 days - followed your posts all the way - I was saddened by your post at Journey's End Shelter - I think you hurt some feelings with that one - you were my hero until then. LOL - Papa D LT' 10

  2. #22

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    I really can't think of any shelters to definitely avoid. Govenor Clements has been rehabbed very nicely - in '07 I had planned to stay there, but it was in terrible shape and looked like a trashed out drinking spot. Road access cut off through September 15, so it might be a place to avoid in the Fall.

    If you are in a hurry or want to conserve energy, you might want to avoid the shelters that are well off the trail. For example - I stayed at Buchanan and Glen Ellen this year out of curiosity. Both are very nice shelters but are about 1/3 of a mile downhill from the trail. If starting your day heading uphill to get back to where you started is an issue, then I'd skip these. Douglas and Beaver Meadow are even further off the trail.

    You might also want to avoid the fee shelters if your budget is tight.
    Last edited by pedxing; 09-12-2010 at 17:25.

  3. #23
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    Shelters are nice to meet folks and get water but I avoid them for a good nights sleep. Try the (small) campsite just north of Baker Peak. Enjoy a wonderful sunset and great views of the valley below.
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  4. #24
    Registered User Dahoyt's Avatar
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    where is the secret shelter!?

  5. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dahoyt View Post
    where is the secret shelter!?
    I believe it's south of the Gov. Clement Shelter. I considered going there on my SOBO hike but Gov. Clement looked OK (better than expected) so I stayed there. It's been a while but someone told me that hiking south, you come to an old Forest Service dirt road, turn left, and it was somewhere off there on a side trail.

    But my memory may be playing tricks with me.

  6. #26
    Coach Lou coach lou's Avatar
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    Congdon camp is infested with mice.........bring your cat!

  7. #27

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    LT - excellent trail to hammock so you can avoid most(all?) shelters. Same old same old. Shelters where folks can easily walk or drive/ride to tend to have a higher incidence of getting trashed. And, shelters that are heavily used by hikers also can get beaten up. At one time Gov Clement(this has been addressed with recent improvements), Cooper Lodge, some of the pay for huts on Mansfield(MICE?), etc

    Here's a site with info and pics of LT Shelters that I've used. Be mindful of the dates of these pics and info. For example Gov Clement has been improved since the pic. Also info about the Swansong Shelter(Secret Shelter) on PRIVATE LAND(RESPECT THAT!). IMHO BEST time to thru the LT is in the Fall somewhere in late Sept - Nov. Cmon a little snow just makes it more scenic and less(NOT?) crowded. Little exposure on Camel Hump and Mt Mansfield though. Lots of well worth short loops OFF THE LT on Mt Mansfield alone. PLEASE NOT ADVISABLE going over CH and MM with a dog! Hiking down/up apparatus with a dog IN YOUR ARMS is what you would have to do.

  8. #28

  9. #29
    Registered User Nar Nar's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by coach lou View Post
    Congdon camp is infested with mice.........bring your cat!
    Maybe I will bring my cat when I stay there next month
    But I'll be in the hammock so I need not worry.

  10. #30

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    There's a "not very secret" shelter located on the shores of Ritterbush Pond. A couple of them, in fact! The place looked positively trashed, though, by locals who prefer to party overnight rather than sleep. The lake is gorgeous and well worth a visit, but I actually preferred to camp near the shoreline well away from the shelters. (Good thing too--a bunch of nosy partiers showed up long after dark. It would have been a miserable night had we actually tried to stay in the shelter.) It's about a mile north of Spruce Ledge Camp. You can actually see one of the shelters from the lookout there, in fact.

    -- Ryan

  11. #31

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    Quote Originally Posted by coach lou View Post
    Congdon camp is infested with mice.........bring your cat!
    I stayed there on 7/20 this year, slept on a lower bunk, and didn't see or hear any mice. Go figure.

  12. #32
    Coach Lou coach lou's Avatar
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    When I was there last fall....they were like the flying Walendas..........they were jumping off the tuna cans onto my food bag....trying to get at Overloads Cheesecake. That is the time I used it as a pillow! I smacked one off the bag with my pole and it went splat on the wall....and then ran into the wall. The other 2 did a pull-up back on the tuna can and took off into the rafters!

  13. #33

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    Quote Originally Posted by GreenTurtle View Post
    There's a "not very secret" shelter located on the shores of Ritterbush Pond. A couple of them, in fact! The place looked positively trashed, though, by locals who prefer to party overnight rather than sleep. -- Ryan
    Those would be, or were, privetly owned "camps". The Ritterbush shetler (actually a cabin or lodge as the GMC likes to call them) used to be located near the pond, 1/2 mile or so north of Devil's gultch. I once spent a good hour looking for that cabin which I knew for a fact should be "right here", not knowing it had been taken down and the Spruce Ledge shelter built to replace it. So much for using a 20 year old guide book from my early days in Vermont!
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  14. #34
    AT 4000+, LT, FHT, ALT Blissful's Avatar
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    Just take your tent and avoid them all.







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  15. #35
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    When I hiked over Killington and Pico this spring, Cooper was trashed. Skiing stickers and trash everywhere. That's what happens when it's that close to the chair lifts.

    I'm sure it's better later in the season though.

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