Group of 104 on trail in NC

[skater]

I think it was an outrageous and inexcusable violation of all good hiker and trail norms. I can't say that there was any better action than what you did. Actually, I think you showed tremendous restraint.

If at any point this group passed through a wilderness area, they likely violated USFS regulations and could have been ticketed. However, I don't know how you could have reached a ranger at that time. Short of gathering information on the group members to pass on to officials, which could have placed you at risk, I think you did all that was possible.

[TallahasseeTom]

I think it was an outrageous and inexcusable violation of all good hiker and trail norms. I can't say that there was any better action than what you did. Actually, I think you showed tremendous restraint.

If at any point this group passed through a wilderness area, they likely violated USFS regulations and could have been ticketed. However, I don't know how you could have reached a ranger at that time. Short of gathering information on the group members to pass on to officials, which could have placed you at risk, I think you did all that was possible.

I encountered a similar experience on Tray Mountain about 3 years ago. If I remember correctly this group of about 35 "marching" about 30 inches apart were from a Saturday Adventist training facility somewhere in the area and were having a bonding experience before departing into the world for missionary work. This was extremely disarming. No way can back country sites absorb such a heavy impact. Just the sanitary issues are overwhelming. But it seems that the entire southern AT, especially during the bubble season, is being overwhelmed by far too much traffic. How long before health officials will have to begin limiting the number of hikers on the trail one time?

I was at Derrick Knob Shelter in the Smokies in early September. When I when to use the potty on the non-water side of the mountain, I encountered what looked like more than a hundred "flowers" of unburied toilet paper. Now if the paper was unburied, then surely what goes with it was also not buried. This seems to be an fast expanding problem at all shelters without privies. Now at some shelterers the Poop side too the mountain is not clearly delineated with signage. This probably means that the water source is probably or potentially contaminated with fecal material and the health hazards that go along with it.

While I am at it, what about the major about of horse poop along the trails that surely finds its way into the areas streams. Probably a few parts per million horse poop? n top of this, horses basically destroy trail sections that are narrow and on real steep slopes. Horses and their s***** don't belong on steep mountain trails.


On a positive note,104 hikers trodding down the vegetation must be as effective as an ATC SWEAT crew in clearing the trail.

[JoshMcR]

I encountered a similar experience on Tray Mountain about 3 years ago. If I remember correctly this group of about 35 "marching" about 30 inches apart were from a Saturday Adventist training facility somewhere in the area and were having a bonding experience before departing into the world for missionary work. This was extremely disarming. No way can back country sites absorb such a heavy impact. Just the sanitary issues are overwhelming. But it seems that the entire southern AT, especially during the bubble season, is being overwhelmed by far too much traffic. How long before health officials will have to begin limiting the number of hikers on the trail one time?

I was at Derrick Knob Shelter in the Smokies in early September. When I when to use the potty on the non-water side of the mountain, I encountered what looked like more than a hundred "flowers" of unburied toilet paper. Now if the paper was unburied, then surely what goes with it was also not buried. This seems to be an fast expanding problem at all shelters without privies. Now at some shelterers the Poop side too the mountain is not clearly delineated with signage. This probably means that the water source is probably or potentially contaminated with fecal material and the health hazards that go along with it.

That's such an unfortunate experience. I've heard this is becoming a massive problem out west where there's a lot more resistance to development. Trails like the JMT have AT numbers now, but far fewer amenities. I only encountered a couple poorly dug catholes on the AT. One person just put their toilet paper in a tree stump.

On my fourth night of my thru, Low Gap Shelter had around 100 people.

[mississippi_dan]

Yes, Standing Indian Mountain is in the Southern Nantahala Wilderness Area. Group size is limited to 10. Sad that some groups are clueless or just completely disregard any rules.