Staying at a Shelter

[grrickar]

The youths in Scouting are a reflection of their leaders -- they will do what the leaders allow, and their knowledge/skill in the outdoors is derived from what they are taught by their leaders.

Good statement. The Scouts was a way for me and my father to connect (I came along late in his life, 11 years after his last child) so my dad was much older and wasn't into camping and such as much. Scouts allowed me many opportunities, from learning how to be a man to taking a leadership course at Philmont. I hiked, camped, rapelled and canoed more in those few years that I have in all the years since.

Teaching kids to me is the most important job there is, period. Thank God there are teachers who are willing to work with kids, despite the fact they are not getting paid much for it.

I spoke with a hiking pal of mine last night and he has two sons. I explained to him that I would like to help out the Scouts again, but that I felt weird approaching them since I did not have a son (I have one daughter, and the wife and I decided we weren't going to have more kids). He explained that their troop had just lost 3 adult leaders, and that they really would be happy to have me help, and I plan to.

So for those of you without sons in Scouts, don't be reluctant to ask your friends who have sons in the Scouts if you can help out. As an Eagle Scout, I think it is my obligation to try and help others earn their rank.

[Flash Hand]

its nice to wake up in the morning with dry sleeping bags. It sucks that winds keep ramming the tent, make me think its bears and puddle created on the floor during downpours.

I have no problem with snorers or hikers talking to themsleves all night at any shelters.... (poor on One Leg at Plumorchard Gap Shelter)

Flash Hand

[Mushroom 96]

I prefer staying in shelters as long as they aren't full. I met a lot of neat people in them. Also i carry a bivy to keep bugs at bay.

Boy Scouts can be both bad and good on the trail, it depends alot on their Leaders I think. Met alot of nice scouts (boy and girl scouts) that i enjoyed telling my tails of adventure too. They had extra food and i was happy to share it. Also I ran into one troop with Letitbe that almost turned into a fight with the troop leaders due to their dog almost attacking us. They where rude, littering and obnoxoius (this included the boys). But i also met hikers who were just as bad at shelters.

[neo]

When you come to stop for the night at a shelter. Where do you put up for the night?

it depends,i love my hammock,but i average 20 to 25 miles a day so that is a big factor for me,i finish hiking late at nite sometimes so i avoid shelters to keep from waking people up at nite,plus i love my privacy.shelter are handy when the weather sucks,but thats when they are full,happy trails to all were every ya stay neo

[JoeHiker]

Pothead: What have you done lately to encourage and teach proper outdoors/trail etiquette and skills to youth? What have you done (ever) to help teach the volunteer leaders so that they might pass on that knowledge to the boys?

Perhaps instead of sitting there complainging, you ought to get involved. You can make a difference if you choose to do so, a difference which will have a positive impact on many people's lives.

Sadly though, too many people find it easier to just sit back and complain.

Sadly though some people find it easier to come up with ridiculous points like this call bad behavior for what it is.

How exactly does complaining about rowdy behavior by scouts in a shelter obligate someone to get involved with scouts and teach kids how to behave properly? If someone cuts me off in traffic tomorrow, am I obligated to go teach a driving class before I can complain? Maybe he hikes to get away from behavior like that.

Regardless of the cause of any bad experiences he might have had, to scold him for complaining about with, "Why aren't you out there teaching them?" is ridiculous.

[minnesotasmith]

IMO Boy Scouts are generally fine, more a net plus to have around than a net minus. They are high-spirited and energetic, yes, but they are good-natured fellow lovers of the outdoors, and often likely future distance hikers. I got my start with hiking as a Scout, and owe Scouting much that I will repay one day as an adult leader (once I have kids of my own). A little noise is worth having them around, even if they don't give you any food.

FWIW, there were Scouts in one of the shelters I stayed at on my recent GA AT section hike, and they were polite and a pleasure to be around.

Eyahiker is IMO exactly correct on the Scouts and morality. Scouting is part of the (sadly shrinking) side of what is good and moral in this country. When someone is against Scouting in general, it says far more (of an uncomplimentary nature) about that person than it does about the Scouts.

[fiddlehead]

Although i probably wouldn't stay in a shelter if there where boy scouts there, i like to see them out there. It is showing kids what's important in life. I don't need to stay in a shelter. Let them have a little bit easier experience in the woods if they want to use the shelter. When i was 13 and the Twin Pine Shelters were still in place near where Eagles Nest Shelter in PA know stands, I had some great memories from there. Not only in my camping and hiking experiences, but in the people i met there. It may have been my 1st experiences with people from out of the area and i was fascinated to have such meetings.
The boy scouts are out there for the right reasons, they're just a bit immature at times going through a learning process.
Since i started thru-hiking, i've had some of my most memorable conversations with strangers who i've met in shelters.
On the other hand, i have been thinking about starting a poll on this website to see who prefers that all the shelters be ripped down (like they do out west), which would make your AT experience much more of a wilderness experience.

Keep an open mind! fh

[minnesotasmith]

Fiddlehead, it rains too much in the Eastern U.S. for that to be a reasonable idea. Now, relocating as many shelters as possible to be a mile or more away from roads, I'm all for that. The Gooch Mtn. shelter, for example, was moved a mile west, even though its distance from shelters in either direction is a little less convenient IMO (too close to the one to the west, too far from the one to the east).

[Lone Wolf]

Yup. Rip em down.

[bulldog49]

Yup. Rip em down.

I think shelters should be removed as well.

[Footslogger]

I was actually thinking of building one in my back yard here in Laramie ...even stocking it with mice and spiders. Then when hikers pass through on their way to the PCT and CDT they'd feel right at home.

Just kiddin ...but it would be a funny sight !!

'Slogger

[Alligator]

I was actually thinking of building one in my back yard here in Laramie ...even stocking it with mice and spiders. Then when hikers pass through on their way to the PCT and CDT they'd feel right at home.

Just kiddin ...but it would be a funny sight !!

'Slogger

I'll send you a tape of my snoring for added effect.

[Footslogger]

I'll send you a tape of my snoring for added effect.

===========================
Thanks but don't need it ...you haven't heard BadAss Turtle and me yet (but don't tell her I said that !!)

'Slogger

[Mags]

Fiddlehead, it rains too much in the Eastern U.S. for that to be a reasonable idea. Now, relocating as many shelters as possible to be a mile or more away from roads, I'm all for that. The Gooch Mtn. shelter, for example, was moved a mile west, even though its distance from shelters in either direction is a little less convenient IMO (too close to the one to the west, too far from the one to the east).

Nonsenes. That is what a tent or tarp is for.

Ripping down all the shelters would be nice, but not very do-able.

What I'd like to say is more of staus quo. Maintain the ones already built rathern that build these new huge, swanky shelters. Some of these new shelters look like they could double as homes!!!

[fiddlehead]

Fiddlehead, it rains too much in the Eastern U.S. for that to be a reasonable idea. Now, relocating as many shelters as possible to be a mile or more away from roads, I'm all for that. The Gooch Mtn. shelter, for example, was moved a mile west, even though its distance from shelters in either direction is a little less convenient IMO (too close to the one to the west, too far from the one to the east).

I know that it rains a lot, that's why i am living in thailand instead of PA now.
It also rains a lot in Wash. state and they have one or two shelters on the PCT in that state. But it's a big controversy (of course, what isn't)
I know that the AT has a personality and it includes shelters which help the social aspect of this great trail. It's just that if you really want to learn backpacking, you need to lose this security blanket, eventually. I remember reading that Wingfoot once said that completing an AT thru-hike puts you in the top 1 percent of hikers all over the world. I can't agree with that because of the shelters, lack of exposed snow travelled routes, and plentyful roads and water.
But on the other hand, the AT wouldn't be what it is without the shelters. I mean what would we bitch about besides the snoring, dogs waking us up, over/under crowded sleeping conditions, mice, who got there first?, changing clothes in front of strangers, farting, shelter design, registers every 7 miles (of course now that there's cell phones out there, the registers aren't quite as important in knowing where your friends are), and i'm sure there's lots more complaints that originate from shelters. Sounds like a whole new thread could be made here on this but perhaps it's already been done??? fh

[Mountain Hippie]

I prefer to sleep in my hammock so I don't stay in a shelter. Whether or not I stay near one depends on whether I am near one when I decide to stop for the day.

[Buckingham]

Now that I have my Hennessy, shelters are a thing of the past.

[neo]

Now that I have my Hennessy, shelters are a thing of the past.

happy hammock hanging to ya ,shelters suck neo

[kyhipo]

i like to stay when i feel like it ,i generally stay in my tent nowadays unless its pouring out ky

[Ratbert]

The shelter experience certainly seems to cement the communal aspect of an AT hike. I always hike solo, so while I prefer camping alone, there are times when I like to sit around the fire jawing with others.

Interesting concept regarding tearing down the shelters. I wonder what sort of drop in hiker numbers would you see? I'm guessing that a fair % would not step foot on the trail for an overniter, much less a thru-hike attempt, without shelters. Remove the shelters and you might cut the number of folks out on the trail in half.

But, I think you'd also see more negative environmental impact. At least with the shelters, that impact is more or less confined to the shelter area (not always, I know). Without them, we might have 2200 miles of continuous fire rings and tent sites. Not to mention the profusion of tp blooms without the privies.

I like dropping over the edge of a ridge and camping out of sight of the trail and others. That's where my new hammock comes into play!