Shelter Etiquette 101

Neil said:

Does this mean that :

1. I am lucky?
2. Have too small a sample size?
3. The Adirondacks attract better people?
4. I have too a high tolerance level for jerks?
5. I am lying?

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Sorry to hear that you have too small a sample size Neil

On a serious note - I'm not exactly shy so I just usually join in on the conversation - worse comes to worse I just start saying really weird stuff, that usually get's you some space!

forestgnome said:

The average person, even out in the forest, is no longer likely to be a decent, considerate fellow adult.

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Oh man, it almost seems like its not worth hiking at all with all those grunts out there. I personally have never met anyone on the trail or in a lean-to that I did not want to immediately forcefully strike in the face with my hikeningrods.

Replace "out in the forest" with "on the internet" and you might be on to something. Otherwise hogwash IMHO.

marchowes said:

I personally have never met anyone on the trail or in a lean-to that I did not want to immediately forcefully strike in the face with my hikeningrods.

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You must be the one person who answered the poll by question # 4.

This subject reminds me of why I love BSP so much...

Well almost all people I I've met at shelters are 'decent, considerate fellow adults'...I guess it's all in your attitude, if you're an ahole you'll be sure to meet lots of others just like yourself.
IF they are jerks, I just drive them out with my farts.

Bob said:

IF they are jerks, I just drive them out with my farts.

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Good boy.

Bob said:

IF they are jerks, I just drive them out with my farts.

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Sorry I forgot that one as a poll option

I haven't had much trouble in shelters myself, but I prefer a tent. This thread reminds me of a few stories, though.

A couple of years ago I was coming down off Isolation on a beautiful, fall day. I stopped in at Rocky Branch #2 to find several angry hikers outside the shelter. When I popped around the side they gave me the evil eye. Someone had pitched two tents inside taking up most of the space. The owners were nowhere to be found, of course, and the hikers who planned to use the space were fuming. I could almost see the steam coming out of their ears. When I left, they had just about worked up the courage to toss the gear out of the shelter themselves. I was glad not to be around for the inevitable confrontation.

Back when Desolation Shelter was still around, I passed through late in the season after a rain and found a lone backpacker with all of his gear spread out along the lip of the shelter as if to ward off other hikers. It did turn some people away, but the moment someone asked him to make room, he jumped up and everything quickly disappeared back into his pack with profuse apologies. He had simply been trying to dry things out and didn't realize he was scaring away the weekenders.

Bob said:

Well almost all people I I've met at shelters are 'decent, considerate fellow adults'...I guess it's all in your attitude, if you're an ahole you'll be sure to meet lots of others just like yourself.
IF they are jerks, I just drive them out with my farts.

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Thanks for the experienced insight.

I see nothing in the poll options such as "awakening early the next morning and liberating the offending party's bootlaces."

Bob said:

I just drive them out with my farts.

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I warn folks about to share a lean-to with me about my prolific gas production and they say don't worry about it. In the morning they say they thought I was joking.

I've had an idiot puke RIGHT IN the lean-to at Marcy Dam...the payback was when the mice hid some pieces of his vomit inside his boots, and he put them on the next day.

Civil war at Garfield Shelter

I have never had a problem @ shelters (95% of my hikes are solo). My wife and I witnessed a great battle royale at the Garfield shelter one night. It was mostly due to rudeness on both parties, we both chuckled about it the next day but it was a very unpleasent exchange of words.

I have also never had a problem with shelters or the people in them. I have come across several that were full while it was raining, and set up my tent without asking. People in shelters, at least the ones I have come in contact with, have been more than accommodating and understanding, even when it was full. The rule of thumb is there's always room for 1 more when it's raining. I setup my tent in a shelter once, it was blowing snow and rain into the shelter with 40° temps, and there was no one else around. I made sure to put it in one end and would have taken it down if others had arrived. Hermit lake Shelters is a different issue, I have found some of the people there to be less than hospitable, but it's a different section than those on the AT.

Lawn Sale said:

I have also never had a problem with shelters or the people in them.

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Not exactly a shelter but did meet some kool people. This past weekend at Z-land my hiking partner and I ran into some great folks. We had packed in all our food of course but we were only a group of two staying in the hut with a group of 30 + It all turned out to be more than we bargained for. All I can figure is that in addition to being very grateful I think they must of felt guilty for dominating the kitchen as they served us Dinner and breakfeast..not to mention Beer needless to say we offered and carried out some of there Garbage. Nice in these times to have some faith in good human nature.

Shelter Etiquette

Well, I voted for B, but that is because like a good boy scout- I'm always prepared.

There was a few times way in the beginning when I did have to ask for room to be made- before I started to carry a tent. Now I like my space.


BUT- what do you do when you've set up in a leanto and return after a hike to find that a larger group has Bogarted "your" leanto?

This did happen to two of us. We were in a leanto, went on a hike and returned to find 7 more people had arrived. They had moved our sleeping bags into a corner of the leanto that had gaping holes in the floor and taken over! It was a cold rainy night and we did not have a tent, so we stayed...9 of us in one of the smaller leantos.

What kills me is ...this group of Columbia students had a large tent! And even after I pointed out that it would be warmer to sleep in the tent then the leanto (and believe me- they were not prepared for how cold it got that weekend) they still elected to stay in the leanto.

Too bad I couldn't sleep in their tent! My friends snoring kept me up half the night...and our shelter-mates.

I always carry a tent. If there are people at a leanto weather there are 2 or 5 people I will always set up a tent. If I am in a leanto and someone wants to join they are more than welcome. I will just tell them I snore like Prino

woodstrider said:

BUT- what do you do when you've set up in a leanto and return after a hike to find that a larger group has Bogarted "your" leanto?

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This happened to myself and my hiking partner about 5 years ago. We packed up and made the long trek out to our car and stayed in a hotel that night after already hiking for 12 hours. We wish we would have stayed in the lean-to that night

EDIT

Over on ADKFORUM.com I just found this cool thread. An individual concerned about Lean-to Etiquette actually e-mailed DEC about the issue in hand. Here is how they responded to his question. Courtesy of SWOOP.

10-20-2008, 05:21 PM #1
swoop
Member


Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 25 sharing of lean-tos, what the dec has to say

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

instead of debating among people who THINK they know what they're talking about, here's what the dec has to say regarding sharing of lean-tos:

"Your assumptions are correct, except that the person there first does not have to share the lean-to. At one time there had been a provision of regulation that required people in lean-tos that weren't filled to share them with others. However, that provision is no longer part of regulation.

We always encourage people, as a matter of courtesy, to share lean-tos with others. I commend you for plans do such if the situation arises. I also appreciate you contacting DEC to learn the regulation, too often on some of these forums people discuss (or disagree over) certain issues that are easily resolved by check with DEC.

I hope you continue to have safe and enjoyable experiences in the Adirondack backcountry.


NYSDEC Region 5
Public Affairs

>>> 10/19/2008 2:01 AM >>>

Hi,

I was wondering what exactly are the regulations concerning sharing of lean-tos in the Adirondacks? I've asked around on forums such as adkforum.com and have been getting conflicting information on it.

As far as I understand it, the lean-tos are first-come-first-serve, they can't be reserved, and, here's the important part: who ever is there first HAS to share it if it's not up to the capacity of the lean-to.

In the times I've been in the Adirondacks, I've never barged in on a half-empty lean-to and I've always expect to share one if I happened to be the first one there, but I just want to know for sure what exactly is the rule. thanks.



I 1ADAM12 honestly do not agree with DEC in this case. I think they should be shared up until you reach the full capacity.

woodstrider said:

Well, I voted for B, but that is because like a good boy scout- I'm always prepared.

There was a few times way in the beginning when I did have to ask for room to be made- before I started to carry a tent. Now I like my space.


BUT- what do you do when you've set up in a leanto and return after a hike to find that a larger group has Bogarted "your" leanto?

This did happen to two of us. We were in a leanto, went on a hike and returned to find 7 more people had arrived. They had moved our sleeping bags into a corner of the leanto that had gaping holes in the floor and taken over! It was a cold rainy night and we did not have a tent, so we stayed...9 of us in one of the smaller leantos.

What kills me is ...this group of Columbia students had a large tent! And even after I pointed out that it would be warmer to sleep in the tent then the leanto (and believe me- they were not prepared for how cold it got that weekend) they still elected to stay in the leanto.

Too bad I couldn't sleep in their tent! My friends snoring kept me up half the night...and our shelter-mates.

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you still had a leanto? right? but a little squeezed? you always could have voted for the last option. Thanks for sharing

I'm glad not everyone hangs on the DEC's word on this issue.....