Protocol for claiming spot at shelter

[Gator]

I apologize if this question has been covered. I searched a lil' and didn't find an answer.

I want to stay at guyot tommorow night (friday). I plan to get a super early start so I can get there as early as possible. If I do, can I claim a spot with my gear and then leave and come back? ...or would my "spot" be fair game for anyone else who arrives before I come back? I don't have a backpacking tent yet. My plan is to skip doing the bonds and head out if the shelter is full when I get there, otherwise I plan to claim a spot, do the bonds and come back to the shelter.

Thanks and I hope this is a reasonable question. Never done the shelter thing before so I don't what's cool and what isn't.

 

[Peakbagr]

A good question, and one that has been discussed on other theads. Lay out you pad and bag, put it along a wall, make it obvious you'll be back. You might even want to leave a note saying so.
Some folks come to a shelter, and try and take the whole thing. A longstanding convention is that the shelter is filled when there is no more room for any more sleeping bags, not the gear of a few.
Some will stand and argue with the inhabitants. Others feel its best to move on and not spoil eveyone's outing.
Even thinking about it though, is stressful, isnt' it?

Peakbagr

 

[Doc McPeak]

Guyot's cabin is pretty big, and you would have checked in with the caretaker so you should be in good shape. Since this is a pay site, and you will have paid and been "checked in", I think this is about the safest insurance there is at a shelter ... if it isn't already full by the time you get there. And Friday on Labor day weekend is rolling the dice...

 

[giggy]

left gear should be fine - I always thought that was pretty common practice. most people there will think gear is a saved spot. wouldn't worry

 

[kmac]

I've always left my gear in the shelters. I usually find a spot in the corner, and roll out my sleeping pad and keep my pack to the back of the hut on the pad. I have never had a problem. Remember to take out your food and tie it up, to keep it away from those pesty rodents!! They are extremely bold--and very clever, both the mice and squirrels. They will chew right through your pack to get at your food--I try to make it very difficult for them not to reach my food.
Have a wonderful time.

 

[MichaelJ]

Definitely roll out your sleeping bag. If it's just gear alone all packed up, nobody has any way of knowing that you're returning, or just doing a day hike before grabbing your gear and leaving. Certainly, I would not account for space on the floor based on just a pack in the corner; however, a bag is a bag and that space is owned.

 

[Periwinkle]

We went this route last spring at Guyot: We came in via the Twinway and took the time to go down to the shelter and drop gear. I put my ThermaRest and sleeping bag on the top corner, my buddy "marked turf" in the bottom corner with his sleeping bag and the non-essential gear. We stowed the food, set off for Bond and Bondcliff and then returned. In the meantime, a few others had obviously arrived at the shelter, seen our gear, and decided to tent it. We scored the shelter to ourselves. Bonus! Keep in mind, this was in May, not Labor Day weekend.

There are nasty shelter-hogs out there, but if you can arrive early enough and claim a little turf you might gain a bit of advantage. No guarantees tho -- it's sad to say but you might come back and find yourself surrounded by undesirables. It's always good to have a backup plan.

 

[tonycc]

There are nasty shelter-hogs out there, but if you can arrive early enough and claim a little turf you might gain a bit of advantage. No guarantees tho -- it's sad to say but you might come back and find yourself surrounded by undesirables. It's always good to have a backup plan.

Like taking their shoestrings when you leave? (ala Katz).

Seriously, everytime a shelter is part of my planning I get a bit stressed. It is so much easier to bring my own and not worry about it.

Tony

 

[Puck]

Guyot's cabin is pretty big, and you would have checked in with the caretaker so you should be in good shape. Since this is a pay site, and you will have paid and been "checked in", I think this is about the safest insurance there is at a shelter ... if it isn't already full by the time you get there. And Friday on Labor day weekend is rolling the dice...

I have found that during the day the caretakers are not around. They are out doing projects. They come back and walk thourgh the area with the registration cards.

 

[bobmak]

I have had a few bad experiences with people and shelters.... one involving a group of boy scouts on a very rainy spring weekend. I never count on them and always carry a tent.

 

[Redwood]

Was up there a few weeks ago. We claimed spots along the outer walls by laying our sleeping pads, some assorted gear and then we took off to do West Bond. Arrived back, a few folks were there setting up not having a problem with our "reserving" a few pieces of real estate.

Redwood

 

[BrentD22]

Caretakers

Part of the caretaker's job is to insure the shelter is utilized correctly. If there is room, but it is taken up by packs or people too wide spread out kindly ask the caretaker to fix the problem. I helped out at several backcountry shelters and have stayed at many. I've never found any problem at a lean-to or cabin that couldn't be solved by being polite and/or the offer of sharing some booze!

 

[AOC]

Tents in a lean-to

More than a few times in the Adirondacks, I've come across parties that have pitched a tent in a sought-after lean-to, taking up every available millimeter of space. I usually tell the offenders this is against the rules, and drop strong hints the tent should be removed for the sake of the common good. But it has never worked. I've always ended up shouldering my pack and moving on. Has anyone forced the issue and insisted a tent be removed from a lean-to?

And if so, did you get any sleep that night?

 

[Peakbagr]

Yep, and unless you have the numbers on your side( a bigger group ) its doubtful the ignorant are going to pull their tent down just so you can have the space you're entitled to.
Back in the days when the backcountry had real rangers(Pete Fish for example), you could always threaten to get a more offical person to remove them, usually well after dark.

In any case, you evening is ruined.

I know this is not nice, but there are some who feel a nice handful of gorp thrown all over the leanto site as they leave will probably assure the squatters of an "interesting" evening.

 

[Neil]

I know this is not nice, but there are some who feel a nice handful of gorp thrown all over the leanto site as they leave will probably assure the squatters of an "interesting" evening.

Shame on you!
However, an opened can or pouch of tuna works a lot better.

 

[AOC-1]

.
Back in the days when the backcountry had real rangers(Pete Fish for example), you could always threaten to get a more offical person to remove them, usually well after dark.

Back in the day Pete Fish "suggested" I remove my tent from a Marcy Dam lean-to. I pleaded my case, "It's January, no one else is around, the temperature is minus 20 right now and is forecast to hit minus 40 tonight." "Please," I begged, "I'll need every possible advantage to survive the night."

He still made me move the tent.

 

[ghassert]

Tents in a leanto

Several years ago we were hiking to the Garfield site with the intention of staying at the platforms. It was a midweek in May. I had problems hiking up that day and ended up going much slower than anticipated. As i reached the site, it was about 40 degrees and raining like crazy. I made up my mind that I didn't feel like pitching my tent in the rain and was going to stay at the shelter the first night. Imagine my surprise when I arrived at the shelter and there was a tent pitched in it. I turns out it was a young, solo, female hiker from Oregon. This was her first trip to the white mountains and she had no idea how rough the terrain was and hold cold it was going to be, it was 85 in the valleys and she was hiking in teva's with snow and ice still on the trails. But as soon as she realized that I was staying at the shelter, she immediately took down her tent.

 

[Neil]

Once upon a time we pulled in to the Bradley Pond LT at 3 am on a fine April morning (I'll let the viewer imagine the trail conditions) and lo and behold there was a tent in there with real live humans inside sawin' logs. There were 2 other people sleeping in the LT and when we arrived I could here everyone's thought processes go," What the f***" ? The nontenters politely asked us how we wanted them to make room for us. The tenters didn't even hesitate , they exited their tent and then literally chucked it out to the side of the LT.
Now THAT'S back country etiquette!

 

[Periwinkle]

Darn -- wish I thought of gorp or tuna the time I met up with the worst shelter-hogs I've ever been unfortunate enough to meet -- squatters that had set up their tent in the Flat Mtn. Pond shelter. It wasn't so much the fact that they had "claimed" the entire shelter (their gear was strategically assembled across the remaining space), it was their attitude that really floored me. They stood in the shelter, holding their ground, with a big attitude on. We were a bigger group, but had come prepared to spent the night out anyhow. So we did. Just couldn't imagine having to share close quarters with people like that.

Their bad behavior has ultimately been redeemed by total strangers: An AT thru-hiker who made my husband, my muddy dogs, and me completely welcome at the Garfield shelter. And two gentlemen at the Imp shelter -- although my buddy and I arrived with two cranky dogs after dark as they were cooking their dinner, they immediately started to move their gear to make from for us. We refused the offer, considering the hour and the tired pooches' attitude. I've never forgotten their consideration and kindness.

I'll be interested too find out how Gator made out on Labor Day weekend at Guyot.

 

[Rick]

ultralight be damned. I will now forever carry a pouch of Tuna and some extra gorp in my pack in the event I ever again meet up with L/T Hogging Tent in the shelter squatters.

I once ran into a couple of young woman at Avalanche Camp who set their tent up inside the L/T because it was raining and they did not want it to get wet. Long story, but it didn't stay there long.