Ignoring the Shelters

[MyMusclesHurt]

I think we are all individuals, we make choices. As a 18 year old I stayed in the shelters a lot. Likely I was part of the drunken noise making, light flashing annoyance so many have described. Now at 60 plus I would prefer a quiet 7-8 pm bedtime in my own tent. However, on a cold rainy night neither the 18 year old in me or the 60 plus year old I have become would turn down a roof and 3 sides. I’m glad the shelters are there, and thankful to those who maintain them. Use them if you want, if not hike on. “Hike your own hike”.


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[Nooga]

I don't mind camping near a shelter to take advantage of water source & privy. But I never sleep in the shelter.

[Bubblehead]

I prefer not to stay at shelters, but in my travels between Springer Approach and just south of Mt Everett in Mass. (1511 miles), they sure do come in handy when it's pouring outside and you want to keep your gear dry as possible...and also on days where you're just flat out worn out and don't have the energy to put up your tent.

[LittleRock]

You can rant and rave about loving or hating AT shelters, but the fact of the matter is they're there. Use them if you like them, avoid them if you don't. HYOH!

I'm usually about 50/50 staying at shelter sites/non-shelter sites. Really it's all about convenience - if a shelter site lines up nicely with my mileage plan, I take advantage of it. Other times, I've shown up at a shelter site, decided I didn't like the company, and moved on. When staying at a shelter site, I usually tent if it's not raining. I've also noticed that I tend to get lazy and stay at more shelters the longer I'm out.

For example, on my last trip I was out for 8 nights. I spent 3 nights camped at shelter sites, 3 nights camped at non-shelter sites, 1 night IN a shelter, and 1 night in a hostel.

One of those days, I had planned to camp at a non-shelter site, showed up and looked around for 10 minutes and there were no decent places to pitch a tent, so I ended up walking an extra 2 miles to the next shelter. Turned out great, the shelter site was beautiful and I had it all to myself. The weather was nice and there were lots of good tent sites, so I still ended up camping about 50 feet away.

Another day, I spent the afternoon power hiking the last 8 miles trying to beat an approaching rain storm to the shelter. Also turned out great - I showed up dry, went to get water, and it started drizzling on the way back. Two minutes later, it started pouring and I decided to spend the night in the shelter. The pouring rain continued until after midnight. Let me tell you, the 4 of us there were all very thankful for that shelter!

[LittleRock]

What I will not do is leave a shelter area an hour or two before dark, hoping to find some random spot along the trail to camp at. That will often bite you in the butt and you'll end up having a very uncomfortable night on the side of a hill. Once you get into Virginia, the number of places one can set up camp along the side of the trail without a lot of site work is limited, by both vegetation and terrain. Finding a good spot as the sun is setting is like winning the power ball. It does happen, but rarely.

This is absolutely true. Some of my worst camping experiences on the AT have come when I tried to do this. And yes, most of them were in Virginia.

One time, even though I was probably 100 yards off-trail, a local must have seen my tent and decided to mess with me by firing 6 rifle shots directly over my tent at 4 AM. Needless to say, I got a very early start the next morning.

The last time I did a true "stealth" camp was in SNP. It was 40F, windy, and raining hard, I'd been walking in it all afternoon, and it was still several miles to the next hut. I started feeling hypothermic. I came upon one of the PATC maintenance huts, which was locked. I ended up setting up my tent under the roof overhang in front of the hut and then moving it out into the rain, right in front of the "No Camping" sign. I figured no one would show up in such terrible weather, and no one did. Took a hot meal and over an hour in my bag to get warmed up.

[Crushed Grapes]

One time, even though I was probably 100 yards off-trail, a local must have seen my tent and decided to mess with me by firing 6 rifle shots directly over my tent at 4 AM. Needless to say, I got a very early start the next morning.

Ok this is terrifying. Jesus

[Deadeye]

The Long Trail is my home, and often the shelter area is the only legal place to stay or camp. On the LT, I've cowboy camped, tented, hammocked, and stayed in shelters and lodges, alone or with others. Every camp has it's pros & cons, and just about every night on the trail is a good night.

[Lone Wolf]

The Long Trail is my home, and often the shelter area is the only legal place to stay or camp. On the LT, I've cowboy camped, tented, hammocked, and stayed in shelters and lodges, alone or with others. Every camp has it's pros & cons, and just about every night on the trail is a good night.

used to go to jay camp a lot in the winter when i lived there. would have a fire in the woodstove after snowshoein' thru 3-5 foot of snow

[Slo-go'en]

used to go to jay camp a lot in the winter when i lived there. would have a fire in the woodstove after snowshoein' thru 3-5 foot of snow

Those were the days. I'm pretty sure you were in Jay the same time I was down the hill at the bankrupt ski lodge. There's only one wood stove left on the LT, down by Manchester Center. I can't remember exactly which one. Spruce Peak might be it.

[tdoczi]

and also on days where you're just flat out worn out and don't have the energy to put up your tent.

if i'm hiking the way i aim to hike, thats EVERY day.

[Rift Zone]

I used my tent almost every night. The only time I can legitimately sleep without one is when it's too cold for bugs. They'll wake me and keep me up, so "shelter" for me specifically means from bugs and weather. That ruled out the wooden structures most of the time.

I probably camped at the shelter sites ~65% of the time. Mostly for the social aspect. As for the other ~35%, it was much like OP describes: more convenient to the day's hike! The spacing of shelters minimally impacts how far I go any given day.