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  1. #1
    GSMNP 900 Miler
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    Default LeConte Shelter already closed for the year

    Had a permit to camp at LeConte Shelter next month.
    Got an email from GSMNP that the shelter is closed due to bear activity.
    We're not even to Memorial Day and the shelter has already been closed. If it's anything like recent years, the shelter will be closed until September.

  2. #2

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    With the highly dense bear population in the Smokies and the problems that causes, remind me why we allow it to persist? Who benefits from that?

  3. #3
    Registered User BuckeyeBill's Avatar
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    I can see it coming, GSMNP will start requiring bear canisters for the entire park. I honestly believe that tourist more than hikers are the cause of the bear problems we face today. I have seen more of them throwing food at bears just to watch them eat. Also saw a mother give her daughter (I am guessing about 6-7YO) some food then standby as the girl walk up the bear. She ended up throwing the food at the bear and running back to her mother. At the 441 parking lot at Newfound Gap, I watched a bear pretty much destroy a door on a mini van to get at the food inside. Oh well life goes on.
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  4. #4

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    I had a conversation with a long time friend of the GSMNP and he believes the fences should have never been removed from the shelters because it actually saves bears, not people. As we all know a fed bear is a dead bear.


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  5. #5
    GSMNP 900 Miler
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    Quote Originally Posted by Turk6177 View Post
    I had a conversation with a long time friend of the GSMNP and he believes the fences should have never been removed from the shelters because it actually saves bears, not people. As we all know a fed bear is a dead bear.
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    From what I understand, the fences were taken down in part because people used them improperly, such as staying safely behind the fence while they either fed or taunted bears.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by BuckeyeBill View Post
    I can see it coming, GSMNP will start requiring bear canisters for the entire park. I honestly believe that tourist more than hikers are the cause of the bear problems we face today. I have seen more of them throwing food at bears just to watch them eat. Also saw a mother give her daughter (I am guessing about 6-7YO) some food then standby as the girl walk up the bear. She ended up throwing the food at the bear and running back to her mother. At the 441 parking lot at Newfound Gap, I watched a bear pretty much destroy a door on a mini van to get at the food inside. Oh well life goes on.
    LeConte is on top of a mountain at least 5 miles into the backcountry. "Tourist" are not causing the problem at places like LeConte shelter. It's misbehaving hikers unwilling to follow simple rules, such as no cooking or eating in the sleep area of the shelter, or leaving their pack unattended.

    With camping only at designated campsites, and bear cables at every one of those sites, bear canisters are not needed in GSMNP.

  7. #7
    Registered User -Rush-'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BuckeyeBill View Post
    I can see it coming, GSMNP will start requiring bear canisters for the entire park. I honestly believe that tourist more than hikers are the cause of the bear problems we face today. I have seen more of them throwing food at bears just to watch them eat. Also saw a mother give her daughter (I am guessing about 6-7YO) some food then standby as the girl walk up the bear. She ended up throwing the food at the bear and running back to her mother. At the 441 parking lot at Newfound Gap, I watched a bear pretty much destroy a door on a mini van to get at the food inside. Oh well life goes on.
    LeConte is tourist central and for a good reason; it's the best area in the entire park. I wouldn't be too worried if they mandated bear canisters, even with the added hassle and pack volume it would be for the greater good, but as you stated, it would do little to thwart the underlying problem. With the Alum Cave trailhead always jam packed with tourists, you can imagine the kind of abuse that goes along with crowds like that. That and the roadblocks of tourists that form whenever a bear is seen on the side of the road or up on the ridge.

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  8. #8
    Registered User -Rush-'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by HooKooDooKu View Post
    LeConte is on top of a mountain at least 5 miles into the backcountry. "Tourist" are not causing the problem at places like LeConte shelter. It's misbehaving hikers unwilling to follow simple rules, such as no cooking or eating in the sleep area of the shelter, or leaving their pack unattended.

    With camping only at designated campsites, and bear cables at every one of those sites, bear canisters are not needed in GSMNP.
    It's hard to pinpoint the problem being hikers or tourists. I wouldn't call LeConte the backcountry. Maybe if you approach from the Boulevard, but the Alum Cave trail is a mess. I hike up to LeConte every year with a few retired vets. We always go in the fall, and it's always a full house of tourists in the cabins, and there's always conversations about having to book those cabins way in advance. Last year there were only two hikers sharing the shelter with us, but the vistas were crowded at sunset with at least 20-30 peeps that were there from the cabins. I'd imagine that's the case most of the time.
    "Though I have lost the intimacy with the seasons since my hike, I retain the sense of perfect order, of graceful succession and surrender, and of the bold brilliance of fall leaves as they yield to death." - David Brill

  9. #9
    Registered User gollwoods's Avatar
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    If the shelter is closed why not the lodge.

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  10. #10
    Leonidas
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    Quote Originally Posted by gollwoods View Post
    If the shelter is closed why not the lodge.

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    Lodge equals $$$, shelter equals $.
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  11. #11
    Registered User gbolt's Avatar
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    There were a few regular Bears that stayed in the area of the lodge and shelter. So regular they had names and were recognizable. One gave some problems last fall or maybe early spring. However, I also wonder if the fires last fall have forced other bears to concentrate in this area. One major trail below the mountain ridge continues to be closed and probably will be for the entire year.
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  12. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by HooKooDooKu View Post
    From what I understand, the fences were taken down in part because people used them improperly, such as staying safely behind the fence while they either fed or taunted bears.
    He said that too. It is irresponsible hikers regardless. Every shelter I stayed at in the GSMNP had Bear cables so maybe the answer lies in having more rangers or volunteers at the shelters educating and ensuring proper food storage is adhered to. I am no fan of having more rangers, but when people can't police themselves, we have to increase the number of authorities.


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  13. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by BuckeyeBill View Post
    I can see it coming, GSMNP will start requiring bear canisters for the entire park. I honestly believe that tourist more than hikers are the cause of the bear problems we face today. I have seen more of them throwing food at bears just to watch them eat. Also saw a mother give her daughter (I am guessing about 6-7YO) some food then standby as the girl walk up the bear. She ended up throwing the food at the bear and running back to her mother. At the 441 parking lot at Newfound Gap, I watched a bear pretty much destroy a door on a mini van to get at the food inside. Oh well life goes on.
    Bears belong in the Smokies. Do automobiles and rolling traffic?? The GSMNP is already so heavily regulated for backpackers that I avoid it---no matter if they require bear canisters or not. The honchos want me to register and tell them where I'll be camping every night. IMPOSSIBLE hoop to jump thru on a 21 day trip.

    Quote Originally Posted by gollwoods View Post
    If the shelter is closed why not the lodge.

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    Excellent question. And many people dislike the rat-box shelters, so the more they close the better in my opinion.

  14. #14

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by gollwoods View Post
    If the shelter is closed why not the lodge.

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    i would tent to say-----different food storage methods.............different sleeping arrangements..........different cooking arrangements as well.........

  16. #16
    Registered User Venchka's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TNhiker View Post
    i would tent to say-----different food storage methods.............different sleeping arrangements..........different cooking arrangements as well.........
    Different time zone.
    Wayne


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  17. #17
    Registered User gollwoods's Avatar
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    Lodge people don't feed bear the lodge management don't want bear fooling around. But bear are everywhere and will hang out where they get fed.
    Must be the shelter.


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  18. #18

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    The lodge posts a daily blog with weather conditions and other topics germane to Mt Leconte and they often remark about spikes in bear activity around camp: http://www.highonleconte.com/daily-posts.

    They've already had to call in the NPS to trap a bear once this season. This is from the blog post on Saturday:

    We have had increased bear activity in camp and around the backcountry shelter recently. Effective since last night, the LeConte Shelter is officially closed until the NPS deems it safe to reopen for overnight visitors. All questions and reservations pertaining to the shelter are of course handled by the NPS, not the lodge. As we regularly advise our guests, please be responsible with your belongings and behaviors around bears. Don't leave doors to unoccupied buildings open, keep your belongings that carry scents inside, and don't entice the animals with your packs or food. Stay in groups, make noise, stand on higher ground, and alert a crew member should you see one.

    Then again from yesterday:

    Kudos to our friends from the NPS wildlife management team for helping us with the rise in bear activity around camp recently. It's obvious through their diligent work that they truly care about protecting the animals in the park and are invested in educating the millions of visitors the Smoky Mountains see annually. A bear recently trapped and assessed differs from the one reported at the shelter a few days ago, so it's possible the backcountry shelter will remain closed for a bit longer. We'll be sure and let you know when that changes. In the meantime, we hope our latest fuzzy acquaintance has lost interest in the goings-on of camp and returns to foraging in the acres upon acres of lush forest. As always, we appreciate hikers and overnight guests informing us of any bear activity on the trail, that way we can keep everyone well informed.

    Seeing bears around Leconte is a regular occurrence but it's obvious that the folks at the lodge have a vested interest in keeping the bears from becoming a nuisance.

  19. #19
    Registered User scope's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JC13 View Post
    Lodge equals $$$, shelter equals $.
    Yeah, bears are cheapskates.
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  20. #20
    Leonidas
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    Quote Originally Posted by scope View Post
    Yeah, bears are cheapskates.
    While your response is funny, I was implying that the shelter makes very little money compared to the lodge.
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