Resolution Shelter closed

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Waumbek

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Due to deteriorating condition, Resolution Shelter is closed, and the immediate area is posted off limits to camping. It was earmarked for removal in 2008, but grandfathered until it became hazardous. That time has apparently arrived. No one could argue about its sorry state, but it's still a shame to see this vintage shelter go. There's been shelter of some sort in its location for 150 years. It won't be rebuilt.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/white_mountain/conditions/Resolution Shelter is Closed.pdf
 
Due to deteriorating condition, Resolution Shelter is closed, and the immediate area is posted off limits to camping. It was earmarked for removal in 2008, but grandfathered until it became hazardous. That time has apparently arrived. No one could argue about its sorry state, but it's still a shame to see this vintage shelter go. There's been shelter of some sort in its location for 150 years. It won't be rebuilt.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/white_mountain/conditions/Resolution Shelter is Closed.pdf
The Whites just got a little lamer.

Rebuild the shelter...

-Dr. Wu
 
Although the loss of lean-to's in the Whites does not sadden me nearly as much as the loss of the suspension bridge in the heart of the Pemi, I am sad to see these structures go, not because I use them, but because they are part of history. My guess is that the lean-to at Perkins Notch in the upper Wild Basin is also not long for this world, and I am really glad that I got the opportunity to see these sites, even if I never did do battle with the mice on an over-nighter. R.I.P. Resolution Shelter.
 
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Forgive my ignorance on this one ... was the surrounding area already no-camping, or is that new with the closure of the shelter? What saddens me more than the loss of the structure is when suddenly a well-established camping location, which concentrates use and is very manageable, is closed, meaning that there will be herd paths galore as people look to camp just beyond the closure boundary.
 
But there are better designated camping areas just a short distance before and after the shelter site. It's not like there are no places to camp near there, and the shelter itself was just one step above the old Camp Shehadi for decrepitude. The spot itself isn't a great one for a shelter as it doesn't have a very good water source.

I'm always sorry to see a shelter go, but this one isn't a big loss, IMO.
 
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Resolution has been "endangered" for some time; I paid it my final visit on Aug. 17, 2005, because I thought it might come down soon. Lo and behold, it saw almost another five years of use. My diary notes from that last visit had me wondering why it was initially sited where it was:

"We descended to the shelter first. It is a fairly steep drop. This is indeed an 'endangered' shelter that may soon be in need of repairs so I’m glad we got there for a last visit while it was still standing. It clings to the side of a cliff and snugs up against a big bolder. It’s unclear to me why it was built this way when there was more level ground nearby. Perhaps the builders wanted the protection of the boulder in front? The right side is also built up on a rock, which takes up part of the interior space. The left wall is pulling away from the roof, there are holes in the roof covered by plastic, a gap in the back wall, and the back two corners of the shelter have no firm anchor on the ground.

Nevertheless, this was a charming old rustic structure with the old peeled sapling pole roofing (covered by tar paper and edged with sheet metal). Truly a vintage building. It has a deep interior recess, again possibly because of winter conditions. It's very dark inside. No privy was marked nearby, and the nearby water source (brook) was dry. Water was probably lower down in the brook but we did not look for it. There was evidence of “stealth” (illegal) camping in the area. No designated spots and no platforms. The area is probably at too high an elevation (2950') to revegetate easily. There was no shelter log so it’s unclear how much use it gets. We saw only one other hiker near the end of the day. I found graffiti from 1934 and ‘35 pencilled in the right interior wall." --Aug. 17, 2005
 
But there are better designated camping areas just a short distance before and after the shelter site. It's not like there are no places to camp near there, and the shelter itself was just one step above the old Camp Shehadi for decrepitude. The spot itself isn't a great one for a shelter as it doesn't have a very good water source.

I'm always sorry to see a shelter go, but this one isn't a big loss, IMO.

All correct Dave, as are the other comments about the mice and leaking roof, etc, but it still had some great memories for me. Sorry to see it go. And who could forget that toilet. I don't know if I have any pictures but that was about as dangerous and basic as you could get for a privy. I really wish I had a picture of that.

Keith
 
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And who could forget that toilet. I don't know if I have any pictures but that was about as dangerous and basic as you could get for a privy. I really wish I had a picture of that.

Keith

I wasn't going to respond to this thread but seeing how you brought it up...
The place was a dump in '71 when I first went there, mice and all. We were three teenage boys doing the Davis Path and stayed there on the first night. The next morning I ventured off to the "Out" as there was no"House" around it. As I sat there reading my guide book in what I thought was solitude the only other inhabitant of the shelter, a twenty something young lady walked up and asked me what I was doing. I thought the answer was pretty obvious. Ewww, awkward! as my teenage daughter would say. Needless to say I was quite embarrassed (no jokes on that one) and the guys ribbed me about it for months.
There are just some things I like to do alone....I'm just sayin'
Bob

ps I'm sad to see it or any shelter go:(
 
It clings to the side of a cliff and snugs up against a big bolder. It’s unclear to me why it was built this way when there was more level ground nearby. Perhaps the builders wanted the protection of the boulder in front?
Supposedly it is very well protected from the storms, some folks there during the 38 hurricane thought it was just a little wind

Actually the design was well ahead of its time, the trend on the AT is to locate new shelters on steep sidehills where nearby camping is difficult as the best way to discourage illegal use
 
I spent an unplanned night there last August and enjoyed my time in the aging hovel. It was afternoon and a storm was building. I was about 10 days into a backpacking trip and started the day planning to hike out to 302 and hitch a ride into North Conway, but hitching in a storm seemed like a bad idea. I had to organize my things around the pattern of leaks - but I was happy not to set up camp in the wind and rain.
 
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