Snoring and staying at an AMC hut advice?

sierra said:

I cannot imagine going into the Wilderness and sleeping with 100 people.

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The huts were were a great option when my son and I were transitioning from day hikes to backpacking trips. I also used the AT shelters and AMC backcountry sites as I learned to backpack.

Now I appreciate that they serve to concentrate usage into a relatively small footprint. I would rather have that then the trashed sites you find on trail just off the Kanc or the one in Zealand Notch near the start of the Ethan Pond trail.

sierra said:

I know lakes isnt in the official wilderness. But when my feet enter the woods, I consider it all wilderness, thats why I referenced in that way.

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I tend to think of it in the same terms. I usually refer to the places that are less visited as being 'remote'.

Tom_Murphy said:

The huts were were a great option when my son and I were transitioning from day hikes to backpacking trips. I also used the AT shelters and AMC backcountry sites as I learned to backpack.

Now I appreciate that they serve to concentrate usage into a relatively small footprint. I would rather have that then the trashed sites you find on trail just off the Kanc or the one in Zealand Notch near the start of the Ethan Pond trail.

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I think there are two reasons for the Huts and concentrating usage is not one of them. Reason one, making the AMC money. Reason two, giving the AMC a large presence in the mountains. I have come to accept the huts as part of the landscape, not that I had a choice, but I do not believe the impact would be worse without them. Ill give an example. For you old timer's, remember the emergency shelter in Edmonds COl. This site turned into a destination, as it sits in about as sweet a spot as could be imagined for pressi traverses. I agreed with the descision to take it down as that is prime alpine tundra. As a result, this site is rarely if ever used for a campsite since. It has been reclaimed and made pure once again.

sierra said:

Reason one, making the AMC money. Reason two, giving the AMC a large presence in the mountains.

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You forgot reason three - they are incredibly popular and beloved by the hiking public.

Disclosure: I translated into English the first website that is linked below, but I have no other stake in the sale of sleep apn(o)ea splints.

You might wish to take a look at Current sleep apnoea splints and talk to your dentist about an oral appliance like these if you haven't.

I know such devices are prescribed in this country as well – here's some patient info from the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine

David Metsky said:

You forgot reason three - they are incredibly popular and beloved by the hiking public.

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They may be " beloved " by some of the hiking public, Ill give you that, but not by all.

The AMC huts are a complete and utter travesty..............except for when I need water, temporary shelter from a storm, a bathroom, or some of those free leftover pancakes that can often be scored at 10am'ish..........funny, but my indignation takes a holiday at those times. Go figure.

sierra said:

They may be " beloved " by some of the hiking public, Ill give you that, but not by all.

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The are full most nights, even at the rates charged. A lot of people enjoy staying at the huts and they put their money where their mouths are. As long as there are places to go without huts I'm fine with the huts being there. I really don't think of the Whites as Wilderness so the intrusion of people and buildings doesn't really bother me.

And the easy access to water, occasional food, and on site S&R are extremely useful.

But this thread isn't for discussing the merits of the AMC or the hut system, so let's get back to discussing snoring.

FWIW
http://www.hearos.com/earplugs

I use these in the studio when not hooked up to in-ear monitors.

A general comment about foam earplugs (which I used to use for work daily and now do occasionally) is that most folks dont put them in correctly and they lose much of their effectiveness.

The basics are start with clean hands and clear earplugs

Roll the plug between your fingers along its length. Its going to end up the same length but a smaller diameter.

Now using your opposite hand reach over your head and tug your ear lobe up gently

Insert the ear plug and keep tension on your ear lobe until the plug expands

It should be obvious as the plug expands, the surrounding noise will taper down.

Repeat on the other ear.

If you reuse the plugs they may not re expand as well (although they regain there resiliency when you run them through the wash).

The cylindical foam plugs work the best (I uses 3M EAR brand) and adapt to most earlobes, there are other types with a set of flaps on central shaft that do not fit many earlobes sizes. They are also far less comfortable for sleeping (although even foam earplug can bug side sleepers). There are some tapered foam plugs that dont seem to fit me as well.

In general plugs help but will not compensate for someone nearby with sleep apnea.

Billy said:

The AMC huts are a complete and utter travesty..............
except for when I need water, temporary shelter from a storm, a bathroom,
or some of those free leftover pancakes that can often be scored at 10am'ish..........
funny, but my indignation takes a holiday at those times. Go figure.

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Love this post.

My gut reaction to the OP is: Snoring is THE WORST. If you know you snore, stay out of public sleep areas. YOU'RE happily sleeping and WE'RE wide AWAKE !!!
My considered reaction is: You get what you get in public sleep areas and this is why I tent. There aren't earplugs good enough.

I know both of those responses lack compassion. I assume that the OP understands the medical aspects and wasn't looking for "That's okay..."

Why else would a bunch of strangers sleep in a rustic cabin in the mountains unless it was to hear each other snore, cough, fart, wheeze, murmur, burp, and rustle all night? Hah!

SNORE LOUD! SNORE PROUD! My fellow lumberjack!

(but maybe try and sleep on your side, if you could, if not it's OK?)


Peace and quiet can be found abundantly elsewhere in the Whites.

Try being a scoutmaster. Oh, the horrors I have heard. What is it about BSA scoutmasters (and ASMs) and snoring? Talk about an art form.

I won't name brands (unless asked), but there were certain orange earplugs that used to make my ears itch, and the purple ones I use now do not. They don't block all sound, which may be a good thing, but they do what they need to as proven by almost missing breakfast in a hut.

Bring an MP3 player with ear inserts that don't leak lots of noise. The batteries will probably be dead by morning, but the soft music is better than the snoring. I've never spent a night in the huts, but is has worked in tents, and I almost hate to add, in my bedroom with my spouse. Just don't give in to the temptation of singing along with the music that no body else can hear after drinking a few PBRs! Been there, got yelled at.

This is a main driver for me to hammock camp in the woods. I can find a good distance to keep the rumbling to a minimum.

NorthShore said:

Try being a scoutmaster. Oh, the horrors I have heard. What is it about BSA scoutmasters (and ASMs) and snoring? Talk about an art form.

I won't name brands (unless asked), but there were certain orange earplugs that used to make my ears itch, and the purple ones I use now do not. They don't block all sound, which may be a good thing, but they do what they need to as proven by almost missing breakfast in a hut.

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This seems true, my son just crossed over and at a camperee where we had a troop cabin, when I mentioned snoring, I was told I'd have to apply for a position in the snore symphony. When car camping or possible I'll camp away from the group. (if nice, I'll just sleep on a cot out in the open, I also have a one person tent with a minimal footprint. At traditional camp outs, leader are separate so not an issue.)

I try and be last asleep, to cope with other snorers, I try and find the rhythm and then just think of it as hut muzak.