Where have you seen black bears at or near an AT shelter?

[Toon]

Not sure the exact day. The trip was over Memorial Day weekend, so maybe May 28 or 29 of 2012? According to the trail register and reports from hikers headed south, every night at Cosby Knob was like that. The night we were there, there was probably 12 people at the shelter, but I remember hearing that a night or two earlier there were only 4 because everybody else left to get away from the bear. One person said they woke up and the bear was inside the shelter sniffing around. We also ran into someone (a big guy) who said a bear tore his hammock - while he was in it!

While all this was quite exciting, I don't want to contribute to the perception by some non-hikers/newbies/whoever that the woods are a dangerous place infested with bloodthirsty bears. There are a few bears that have been taught to hang out at shelters for a meal. They become problems. That's it. As long as I'm not alone, I don't worry about bears attacking me. On the other hand, re-reading Bryson's A Walk in the Woods, he recounts something about a group of 4 bears working to get a pack down. Four bears at a time would scare me real bad!

I ran into the big Guy too the morning after the bear chewed up his hammock. Don't leave food where u sleep and your OK. He had a Snickers in his hammock

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[Traffic Jam]

Numerous sightings and encounters on trail, only 2 in shelters.

Spence Field shelter (GSMNP) several years ago. A yearling hung around all afternoon then slept in a tree near the privy all night. It was fairly aggressive, coming within 8-10 feet of us at times. The shelter was closed two days later and the bear was eventually relocated.

Mollies Ridge shelter this summer. The largest bear I've ever seen in GSMNP. It came lumbering out of the woods as soon as we started cooking. We banged our hiking poles against the shelter and the bear turned and ran off.

[MuddyWaters]

Where there is food, and garbage, in bear territory there WILL be bears.

You may not see them, they may not come close enough at night to disturb anyone, but they are around. They are basically a big raccoon at heart, opportunistic scavengers.

Anyone that is worried about an AT bear, would crap their sleeping bag in Yosemite.

[illabelle]

I ran into the big Guy too the morning after the bear chewed up his hammock. Don't leave food where u sleep and your OK. He had a Snickers in his hammock

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Interesting the things and people we remember! We wondered about that guy, whether he would be able to get to his destination (he seemed to be struggling a bit). You must have been a short distance - maybe just a few hours - behind us. I wasn't sure about the Snickers, so I didn't mention it, but I thought I remembered some chocolate in the story. I think he or maybe his companion said the bear also ran off with his mp3 player or something. I suppose we'll have to start hanging our electronics in the bear bag too.

[aficion]

[maybe his companion said the bear also ran off with his mp3 player or something. I suppose we'll have to start hanging our electronics in the bear bag too. [/QUOTE]

They use the gps function to find other shelters.

[Feral Bill]

Yes, but it was many years ago.

[Toon]

Interesting the things and people we remember! We wondered about that guy, whether he would be able to get to his destination (he seemed to be struggling a bit). You must have been a short distance - maybe just a few hours - behind us. I wasn't sure about the Snickers, so I didn't mention it, but I thought I remembered some chocolate in the story. I think he or maybe his companion said the bear also ran off with his mp3 player or something. I suppose we'll have to start hanging our electronics in the bear bag too.

I just remember that big Guy because of the bear and he kept bragging how light his gear was. I was thinking ( you must weight 350 pounds who cares how light your bag is)

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[illabelle]

I just remember that big Guy because of the bear and he kept bragging how light his gear was. I was thinking ( you must weight 350 pounds who cares how light your bag is)

Whenever I hear a heavy person talking about using a hammock, I remember this guy and I wonder how strong that hammock fabric could be...
* * * * *
Uh, never mind, just checked with my husband. He remembers the incident well and he corrected me, it was the big guy's buddy who was in the hammock, but he confirms that the bear ran off with an ipod, still playing.

If you've ever wondered why Campmor would sell a 3X shirt - well, the Big Guy is why. I'm carrying a few extra pounds myself, so I can understand that just getting out there and walking had to be difficult for him. As I recall, he had a pretty ambitious destination in mind, LeConte Shelter, I think. I hope he's still hiking and losing that weight - makes it easier to outrun those bears.

[Cookerhiker]

My AT bear sightings were Virginia, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. None were at or near shelters.

[RED-DOG]

I have had bear encounters at several AT locations, Cold Spring Shelter, Spence Field, Tri-Corner, and Davenport Gap these were in NC, i also had encounters in TN, VA, NJ couple of these were at shelters, but most were on the trail while hiking.

[CB1821]

This past May we met a person as we summited Blood Mountain that told us he had stayed at the Woods Hole shelter the night before. Apparently, he left his backpack on the outside wall of the shelter and a bear took it in the middle of the night (he found it the next morning a few hundred feet from the shelter). I think he posted about it here under the name henry-g-wilgo.

I have never seen any bears around shelters though.

[Kerosene]

My bear sightings have been in NC, VA and NH, with all but one of them running away on sight. The one that didn't run was after I ate lunch at Double Springs Shelter in the Smokies in October 2010. From my journal:

The mid-day sun felt glorious as I ate a lunch of gorp, a few cheese sticks and iced tea. I took advantage of the privy, keeping my pack close at hand, and then headed down to the spring to re-fill my water bottles. On the way down, I heard a rustle in the woods and shouted “Shoo Bear!” but didn’t hear anything else. I returned to the shelter to treat my water when I glanced up to see a 200-lb yearling bear eyeing me. He(?) had followed me up from the spring and was unfazed by my stupid yelling, barking and howling (a local had told me they were afraid of hunting dogs this year as many were coming out of the national park to search for food). The bear was unmoving and clearly wanted to check out the
shelter, or get a handout from me. Fortunately, most of my gear was packed, so I picked up everything and angled off down the AT. We watched each other closely but he chose not to follow. I think I set a record pace for the next half mile, when I finally stopped to put everything back in my pack.

[Del Q]

I know that this is a public site, having said that, with certainty that my wife has zero interest of being on or ever coming to this site, as a happily married man there have been a few times, on VERY cold nights, where very large, soft, furry animals came into shelters, that I may, or may not have been in, and from what I heard, were unusually "friendly".

As a real lover of the outdoors I would never pass any judgment here.

But time in the woods for me continues to be very special. Regardless of circumstance.

[Duramax22]

Cosby knob in the smokies

[canoe]

My very first overnight at Blackrock shelter in SNP July last summer, a bear came right in an hour before dark. I thought he was going to come and get my supper. Being the first night out and no bear experiance it kinda freaked me out. Didnt sleep much that night as I was tenting. Since bears dont bother me.

[Koozy]

While not a shelter directly on the AT, I was charged by a full grown female black bear just before sunset at the Pipe Bellows Lean-to, which is just short of 1 mile east of the AT near Mt. Greylock in Massachusetts. It came around the shelter full speed directly at me and veered off last second when I yelled at the top of my lungs, talk about a rush. I saw 2 cubs up on the hill right after and realized why it charged. We also noticed somebody left what appeared to be chicken bones on the ground near the shelter, which I assume is why they were in the area in the first place.

While I've seen bears in VA and NH before, this was the first aggressive bear. I don't believe there is anything I did to cause this so I haven't changed my approach to backpacking, but have purchased bear mace.

[njburg]

In NJ they've started doing a short bear season in North Jersey around the AT corridor - usually in early December. Don't really know how I feel about it - basically, it seems to be yet another way for NJ to obtain revenue - you pay to sign up for the lottery, then you pay for your permit, then you pay when you report your kill, etc. I think they sold a couple thousand licenses last year, and a couple of hundred bears were killed.

The bear permits in New Jersey cost $2.00, there are noother costs. Without the bear season, hikers would be tripping over bears.
I saw a bear just after leaving the backpacker campsite inWorthington SP in July, I guess that’s the same as a shelter.

[Mitey Mo]

Pinefield hut in SNP in September this year

[The Solemates]

seen plenty in the smokies, at shelters.

[trinzushi]

Key word is see. I haven't seen one but only a bear can produce the loud cracking noise I head walking down the trail to Gravel Springs Hut in SNP back in May. A lot of word of bear activity and sightings in the logbook. Cowboy camped that night at a tent site and could hear it further back in the woods behind the shelter. Surprisingly I haven't seen any bears in both SNP and Jersey. I have on other trails in NJ, but none on trail.