Sleep Setup for a GSMNP Section Hike

[tdoczi]

Everyone is 10 feet tall and bulletproof on the interwebz.

no, its just simple reality that the odds youre going to meet a gun or hatchet wielding psycho who is going to violently take on 15 or more strangers is up there with being hit by lightning crossing rocky top or having a sudden spontaneous rockslide sweep you off of charlie's bunion.

95% of the people in the world, if theyre in the situation of being the thru hiker who is there and doesnt belong, theyre going to leave if you nicely, but firmly, point out to them that its the right thing to do.

now i suppose theres exists a possibility of encountering 20 thru hikers and youre the only one with a reservation for the night, but i again refer you to the part about the lightning, though the odds are probably not quite as long.

[tdoczi]

But by that logic, if you a come to a stop on the interstate because of traffic congestion, you're breaking the law and subject to being ticketed for violating the minimum speed limit (typically about 40mph on most interstates).

by that logic, if the traffic jam happens to be within sight of my office building and i ahve an important meeting that i ca not miss, exiting the vehicle and leaving it in the middle of the road is fine and i am not guilty of abandoning it.

a ridge runner in the park told me point blank when asked (mostly out of curiosity) "get to the shelter youre supposed to be at, get your reservation changed if you can get someone on the phone, or exit the backcountry."

by that logic, if you the shelter is full and you either do not want to engage the people there or they refuse to leave, your correct remedy is to leave the backcountry.

[Starchild]

...
a ridge runner in the park told me point blank when asked (mostly out of curiosity) "get to the shelter youre supposed to be at, get your reservation changed if you can get someone on the phone, or exit the backcountry."

....

That was not how I was trained when I 'Ridge Ran' the Smokies. The term used in this case is a 'off sequence hiker'. If it was possible for them to get back on sequence we were to encourage them, if not contact the Back Country Office via radio to replan their route (sometimes later at the shelter if needed to let the radio traffic die down). Either way there was a 'mandatory' LNT talk about plan ahead and prepare that this person needed to hear - including knowing their limits, and why it is important to make every reasonable effort to stay on reservation. But it was never suggested that I encourage them to leave the backcountry for the simple reason that they are off sequence, it would be if they were seen to be in trouble, but that's a different issue.

[tdoczi]

That was not how I was trained when I 'Ridge Ran' the Smokies. The term used in this case is a 'off sequence hiker'. If it was possible for them to get back on sequence we were to encourage them, if not contact the Back Country Office via radio to replan their route (sometimes later at the shelter if needed to let the radio traffic die down). Either way there was a 'mandatory' LNT talk about plan ahead and prepare that this person needed to hear - including knowing their limits, and why it is important to make every reasonable effort to stay on reservation. But it was never suggested that I encourage them to leave the backcountry for the simple reason that they are off sequence, it would be if they were seen to be in trouble, but that's a different issue.

this was last year. things no doubt evolve and as it is a fairly new system i'm sure it has been tweaked over the first few years of its implementation.

i also asked where exactly and how exactly i would exit the backcountry were i not able to reach the shelter i had a reservation for. he suggested clingman's dome (at that point about 8 miles away) i asked what i would do when i got there. the answer was a slightly more pleasant variant of "not my problem."

none of the above is a criticism of him in any way.

the approach you describe is more like what i once was told at grand canyon when i ended up off sequence. that was after being laughed at, in good humor, for not having a headlamp. ahh to be a newb.

[Deacon]

That was not how I was trained when I 'Ridge Ran' the Smokies. The term used in this case is a 'off sequence hiker'. If it was possible for them to get back on sequence we were to encourage them, if not contact the Back Country Office via radio to replan their route (sometimes later at the shelter if needed to let the radio traffic die down). Either way there was a 'mandatory' LNT talk about plan ahead and prepare that this person needed to hear - including knowing their limits, and why it is important to make every reasonable effort to stay on reservation. But it was never suggested that I encourage them to leave the backcountry for the simple reason that they are off sequence, it would be if they were seen to be in trouble, but that's a different issue.

Here is Starchild and Gray Beard as ridgerunners in the Smokys - 2014.

Remember when you asked me for my permit?




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[JC13]

no, its just simple reality that the odds youre going to meet a gun or hatchet wielding psycho who is going to violently take on 15 or more strangers is up there with being hit by lightning crossing rocky top or having a sudden spontaneous rockslide sweep you off of charlie's bunion.

95% of the people in the world, if theyre in the situation of being the thru hiker who is there and doesnt belong, theyre going to leave if you nicely, but firmly, point out to them that its the right thing to do.

now i suppose theres exists a possibility of encountering 20 thru hikers and youre the only one with a reservation for the night, but i again refer you to the part about the lightning, though the odds are probably not quite as long.

The more likely possibility in this day and age is the other people watching as you get attacked and hoping they don't. But good luck out there.

[MuddyWaters]

as for the "unstable people" angle, i guess i just feel like if i'm standing in front of a shelter full of 20 people, 18 of whom belong and 2 who do not, i'm going to win. no matter how crazy the 2 are

What if its raining , and those 2 people are good friends with the other 18 in that shelter , been on the trail with them since Georgia , and you arent.

Now what's your chances

[StuartM]

I did that section last year with a group of 6. Two of our party had hammocks and they almost always had places to hang them. There might have been 1 or 2 places where they didn't so a pad or something to sleep on at a shelter might be a good backup.

[HooKooDooKu]

I did that section last year with a group of 6. Two of our party had hammocks and they almost always had places to hang them. There might have been 1 or 2 places where they didn't so a pad or something to sleep on at a shelter might be a good backup.

There is a HUGE difference between "having places to hang" and being able to legally hang.
The ONLY legal way to hang a hammock is to have a Thru Hiker Permit (which has certain rules to acquire) AND the shelter be already full.

[Starchild]

Here is Starchild and Gray Beard as ridgerunners in the Smokys - 2014.

Remember when you asked me for my permit?




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Yes I do remember, that was my training session w/ Gray Beard mentoring me. Good times! Thanks for the photo.

[StuartM]

We hiked the Smokies last year and my wife used her hammock at every shelter. We were registered as thru hikers but it was never an issue.

[HooKooDooKu]

We hiked the Smokies last year and my wife used her hammock at every shelter. We were registered as thru hikers but it was never an issue.

But the point is "legally" you can not EXPECT to get to hammock at shelters since it takes the combo of thru permit & full shelter.
During the thru "bubble" you're almost guaranteed those conditions can always be meet... But there are no guarantees. So you always need to be prepared with a backup plan.

[Countyline]

OK so I'm more confused now than before reading this thread. I am section hiking the AT in sequence NOBO over a period of years. My plan is for one such section to be just the Smokies. I will be hiking the 50 miles before and after but not as part of the same hike. So my question is do I get an AT Thru Hiker permit or do I get a backcountry camping permit? Am I eligible for either or both? Which is more advantageous to me?

[tdoczi]

What if its raining , and those 2 people are good friends with the other 18 in that shelter , been on the trail with them since Georgia , and you arent.

Now what's your chances

theyre better than the chances that they have been hiking since georgia with 18 people who all have reservations for that shelter for some strange reason even though they'd be qualified to have thru hiker permits.

[tdoczi]

The more likely possibility in this day and age is the other people watching as you get attacked and hoping they don't. But good luck out there.

thats what watching TV would have you believe. it hasn't been my personal experience of the world.

[Burrhead]

OK so I'm more confused now than before reading this thread. I am section hiking the AT in sequence NOBO over a period of years. My plan is for one such section to be just the Smokies. I will be hiking the 50 miles before and after but not as part of the same hike. So my question is do I get an AT Thru Hiker permit or do I get a backcountry camping permit? Am I eligible for either or both? Which is more advantageous to me?

You will need a backcountry permit listing every shelter you stay at.

[TNhiker]

I will be hiking the 50 miles before and after but not as part of the same hike. So my question is do I get an AT Thru Hiker permit or do I get a backcountry camping permit?

i'll at to what burrhead said----since you are not hiking 50 before and 50 after as part of this hike, that's why you will need a reservation (permit) for each shelter you stay at...

it it was all part of the same hike----then you would be eligible to get the thru hiker permit......