Double Spring Gap Shelter

[Former Admin]

Info, questions, comments, experiences (good or bad) regarding - Double Spring Gap Shelter

Past/Present hikers - what can future hikers expect here? Have any good stories or memories from here?

Future hikers - any questions?

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[dionalaniz]

The picture of it here on whiteblaze.net looks really dark and dank. Is it as cold, wet, and dank as it looks?

[manzana]

I was up there last month and it didnt seem any danker than the rest. 8-) This is the shelter which had the double lightning fatality.

[halibut15]

I took shelter @ double springs during a nasty thunderstorm while on my section hike of the smokies this summer. Now I'm glad I didn't get struck hearing of the double fatality. It's not too bad, just a major mudhole during rain

[chris]

Both water sources at the shelter are flowing well, as of 11/14/03.

[Bearbait]

Double Springs shelter is mice infested and the fire place will smoke you out. It's one of the worst shelters in the Smokies. It has a nice out house though......

[Former Easy]

Double Springs shelter is mice infested and the fire place will smoke you out. It's one of the worst shelters in the Smokies. It has a nice out house though......

I would re-phrase that to one of the worst of the worst, most the shelters in the Smoky's are dumps. I'll stealth camp before using them again. I don't like the Smoky's policy that you must stay in them if there not full. I hear that they really don't care though if your a thru-hiker and camp out near the shelter whether its full or not, or at least that they don't hassle you, does anyone know about this, or am I better off stealth camping were the'll have a hard time finding me and risk the fine if they do.

[hungryhowie]

I would re-phrase that to one of the worst of the worst, most the shelters in the Smoky's are dumps. I'll stealth camp before using them again. I don't like the Smoky's policy that you must stay in them if there not full. I hear that they really don't care though if your a thru-hiker and camp out near the shelter whether its full or not, or at least that they don't hassle you, does anyone know about this, or am I better off stealth camping were the'll have a hard time finding me and risk the fine if they do.

If you're thruhiking "in" season, you most likely won't have to worry about staying in the shelters to begin with. The Smokies in the spring time are filled with Spring breakers. On my thruhike I only have to stay inside 1 or 2 shelters - the other times I just camped outside. I did camp outside a couple of times when the shelter wasn't really full, but a bucket of boyscouts is more than I can stand.

I wouldn't stealth camp if I were you, Smokies ridgerunners don't look too kindly on that from what I've heard (emergency camps are another matter, however, but thruhikers are hardpressed to find an excuse for that...)

just (grin and) bear it.

-Howie

[Brushy Sage]

Glad to hear they now have a privy. When I was through there a few years back, I started toward one of the springs and came to a sign that said "toilet area," whereupon I turned and went the other way.

[tech30528]

This photo taken the morning of 4/23/06. The day before, it rained most of the day. My hiking partner an I collected a good amount of firewood (you can see some of it in the foreground), but it was all too wet to burn. Somebody will be set up nicely this week, I'm sure. You are welcome. The mice weren't that bad, the guys on the lower shelf heard a few. Yeah, that fireplace needs some work. Look up in to the firebox, it's not far from falling in on itself.

[Doctari]

I had planned on stopping there in 2000 as my car was at newfound gap I wanted to linger on the trail. Seems a nice enough shelter. No privy then, minimal "toilet area" so a privy is a happy addition.

I had hiked about 7 miles on reaching the shelter, on arrival found a family of: Mom, Dad, 2 early teen girls, Dad was carrying a small pack. They looked totally waisted. I (cheerily) asked how far they had come, "from Clingmans dome" (about 2 miles, downhill to where they were, plus a steep 1/2 mile to the dome) "How far did you come?" I said 7 miles, the look on their faces was worth the price of admission (I am carrying a frame pack, a BIG frame pack).

I settled down for a nap, about the time I got comfy, 2 guys I had been hiking with passed by & asked me if I was staying (it was only 11:30) We decided that Mt collins shelter was a good destination, "Yea, it's only 7 more miles" said I. The looks on the faces of the 4 was even better this time I packed up, offered them food / water & hiked off.

They were obviously thinking something like "OHMYGODWEHAVETOHIKEALLTHEWAYBACKUPTHATHILL!" & the 3 of us talk about a 14 mile day like a short walk to the car from the house. Poor day hikers.


Doctari.

[CaptChaos]

Hello Everyone:

I have reported before that myself, my son and two of his scouting friends packed from New Found Gap to Spence Field hitting every shelter along the way for a great trip. Started out at New Found Gap and stayed at Mt. Collins. Then went over Clingmans Dome stayed in the shelter there. At that time, Mt Collins and Spence Field had privys but the rest did not. I found that of all the shelters we stayed in that I did not care much for Mt. Collins. It was wet, cool and dark. But this is me.

You will find all of the shelters are the same except for the ones that have been redone and they are great. Spence Field was redone last Oct. My understanding is that Mollies Ridge is new, and it might have been double springs that was redone when we were going thru during our trip. The shelter before going over Thunderhead was the old style but it was fun anyway.

It is the people that you run into that make the trip not the shelters.

John

[NINpigNIN]

Stayed at Double Springs last Thursday (6-8-2006). Not renovated, fence still in place, but a very nice privy. Water source was flowing well and if there were mice we didn't see hide nor hair of them. Not the best shelter, nor the worst I think.

[scothiker]

Stupid question from a relative newb, but how do they know if you're a thru-hiker v. a section hiker?

[NINpigNIN]

Stupid question from a relative newb, but how do they know if you're a thru-hiker v. a section hiker?

The funk.

Honestly there probably is no real way to tell the difference by any 100% accurate method, but people are mostly honest about it I've found. Sometimes it can be timing (someone in the Smokies in August claiming to be a NOBO thru-hiker either isn't being honest or are possibly unstable), but for the most part it just relies on the honesty system more or less.

[sliderule]

Then went over Clingmans Dome stayed in the shelter there.

There has not been at shelter at Clingmans Dome in my lifetime. And I wasn't born yesterday.

Or maybe there is!!! Are you referring tho the "shelter" with the long, curved ramp and nice view?

[sliderule]

Stupid question from a relative newb, but how do they know if you're a thru-hiker v. a section hiker?

The NPS definition of a thru-hiker is not the same as the conventional definition. By their definition, a section hiker can be a thru-hiker.

[NINpigNIN]

My lovely wife got me a membership to the Friends of the Smokies Association for Christmas today and I was looking through the recent newsletter that they sent out with my membership card. It appears that Double Spring got renovated this year, finished up in September. No more cage and added the extended front porch.

[Mocs123]

[Rockhound]

Stupid question from a relative newb, but how do they know if you're a thru-hiker v. a section hiker?

the smell