Hi Folks! I’d like to point out something I frequently read in the comment section. I left out one other pro of a shelter that I think is the best. Shelters reduce the impact to the land. If more people stay in the structure the less tents will be set up (which does cause a negative impact on surrounding habitats/ local floral). ALSO I KNOW ITS A CLIP OF LEGLESS LIZARD and NOT A SNAKE. So many pointed this out. Same concept and ick I guess. Thanks for watching! This video has really blown up and most that have watched have been positive and some have even offered helpful constructive criticism.

On a more positive note, I had taken my 6 year old son on the AT to camp overnight at the Kirkbridge Shelter in PA. It was winter and when we got there some guys in their 20's and 30's were aready there so there was no space in the shelter. They invited us to join them for a pot luck supper so we pitched our tent and joined in. I was a little nervous of how it would go with my son only being 6. As it turned out it was a reunion of professional story tellers that made their livings telling stories to groups, schools etc. After dinner, story time started and went until way after midnight. My son and I were mesmerized by these very elaborate often fully memorized stories. I don't think we moved an inch for hours and were totally entertained and amazed. I have hiked a lot of the trail and this was by far the best night ever. So it is not all bad staying at shelters, sometimes you meet some very interesting and nice folks that totally make the trip more enjoyable. I have experienced the bear problem once as well, and ended up hiking out to our car in the middle of the night when the bears would not leave us alone looking for food.

Being a light sleeper who doesn't trust people enough to sleep around strangers I find things like this mind blowing. Why would you go to the forest to be in close proximity to other humans anyway? I am always shocked at how different other people's minds work than my own. You would never ever catch me in one of those things unless the weather was life threatening.

I once woke up in the middle of the night with 3 mice in my bag with me and as i got up and shined my light there were probably 100 more waiting

I view those shelters as being there for emergency only. Why would you go out into the woods without camping gear and want to sleep around complete strangers? I would absolutely assume that hobos, thieves or murderers would seek a place like this.

Great video! I was a pest control technician for 18+ years and I can tell you with the utmost degree of certainty that in addition to the list that was provided in this video .... that Cimex lectularius and Cimex hemipterus (aka; bed bugs) are a major unseen issue when staying at hiking shelters and/or hostels. These insects can remain dormant without feeding for 12 months - just waiting for the next victim to fall asleep. They can then (and often do) get into your personal belongings without even being noticed. Next thing you know, you travel back home and unbeknownst to you .... they have set up shop in your home. This can literally cost you thousands upon thousands to rid the issue entirely. They are the number one reason I would never even contemplate staying in a shelter and/or hostel. EDIT; If there were no other options and I did decide to stay at a hostel/shelter .... I would only do so after an EXTREMELY thorough inspection. ~

We (Boy Scouts of Virgina ) hiked the AT allot in the 70's and we hardly ever ran into others on the trail and I don't remember a shelter ever having others there before we got there, but my crowning moment on the AT was as a 16 year old Boy Scout with another Scout named Tim were trying to earn some merit badges and it required us to do a weekend hike (Fri-Sun) on the AT from point A to B, this part of the trail was in southish VA around Natural Bridge, but anyway we got hit with the ice storm of the century that weekend 1977-78 blizzard and we were on the AT seriously and only 16 at the time lol, sooooooo starting early saturday night thru the next morning we were pummeled with ice/snow but mostly ice and we grew concerned about out safety, see everything was coated in inches of ice I kid you not, our tent collapsed I cannot remember how many times during the night requiring us to get out and to keep putting it back up in the storm, so we got no sleep and the sounds we heard were terrifying mostly trees not branches but whole trees crashing in the forest all around us so we were concerned one would fall on us, so the next morning in the light of day we saw disaster and beauty on a scale I've never seen before or since, it was gorgeous it was like being in a crystal world it was breathtaking too see, but, we were scared because the trail was gone unfindable due to the debris and ice covering everything, if you've ever heard a million wind chimes at once thats what it sounded like, it was incredible and as a 16 year old i knew this was special, well myself and Tim searched for awhile found what we thought was the trail, you could not see any marker on the trees thru the ice or the trail it was full of debris and super slippery, it was scary and adrenalin pumping at the same time because the ground was covered in inches of ice and we felt like we were going to slip and fall a million times with full backpacks just trying to get back to civilization, well too finish this story up, using a map a compass and after climbing over debris for hour we finally found a fire road and started following it down the mountain, this had it's own problems because it was a sheet of steeply inclined ice, at some point we realized we could use our equipment to make sleds and believe it or not we were actually able to from about half way down the mountain to slide down the fire road using our packs as sleds to the bottom using our boots covered with socks to control the speed seriously, we then walked/slid to a regular road and hitchhiked back home seriously I couldn't believe we got a ride it was a disaster all over and many many roads were unappeasable. so I was glad to get home, we were greeted by our surprised parents and our troop leader, not many others were aware of what had happened to us and of course the whole state was a disaster because of this storm, but we found the Adults did not call anybody to have us rescued because our scout leader convinced everybody we would find our way back and we did so luckily happy ending and an incredible experience on the AT for me and some guy named Tim. I also have a great story about finding a 7 foot tree stump glowing bright as day at night behind a AT shelter, the glow is called "FoxFire" its a luminous fungus that glows very brightly and if you've ever seen it it usually is only seen on a branch or twigs but this was a glowing 7' tree stump and we did not know what it was and neither did the adults, and I don't remember anybody being frightened, but since our scout leaders did not know what it was either that kind of made you wonder if the adults did not know what it was was it dangerous?, it was not and we watched it for hours, speculated as to what it was went to bed and kept on truckin the next morning, again this was the late 70s and nobody brought cameras back then so no photo's :( ....... The End.

I’ve got multiple sclerosis but I’ve set a goal of hiking the trail within the next five years. I love watching videos like this because it helps me anticipate what to expect as someone who is disabled

I have realized that being 6'4" 250lbs I don't get to experience fearful situations. The most fearful situation I get in is when im walking/hiking and it's close to night-time; I worry that people will think I was the one who committed the robbery, assault, or other various crimes

My aunt designed a shelter and my family built it on the trail as a memorial to my uncle. She was an architect. He lived the trail. Her design has been copied and you showed one.

The absence of people is the thing I enjoy most about the outdoors. I’d rather sleep in a ravine during a thunderstorm then in a nasty shelter with other people.

Worst mice I ever encountered were at the old A- frame shelters on the Jersey side of the Water Gap. They had a whole mouse city under the floors and it was party time all night. They’d figure out how to get into your pack, and once in a while they’d even come along for a little vacation of their own. We’d find them while unpacking after doing that stretch of the trail, hiding in a compartment.

Listen to your instincts, always! And the wild life, too! I was by myself in a camper on a mountain in an Idaho rest stop. I was in my bed thinking about the day, when the crickets who were chirping happily, suddenly went quiet, along with the other night creatures. Everything went quiet! After a half hour or so, the night noises began again. Iwas too afraid to look out to see what it was.

As for strange people , a friend of mine took his young son for an overnight on a local portion of the trail to for some father son bonding. A guy tried to rob them at the shelter, but unbeknownst to the robber, dad was a US Marshal.Son got to see father in action. For those of you doubters, it was documented in local paper as previous victims and locals lauded making the trail safe again.

December 10th 2007. I was hiking alone and when I reached Preacher’s rock trailhead I stoped at the parking spot for a break and there was an old grandpa wearing a bright and old green sweater that stinked kinda bad. He was sitting on the back of his van with a golden retriever so I asked him if I could pet his dog ( as I have 2 golden retrievers and they’re the best dogs) he said yes and he started asking me where I was from and what do I do for a living? And if I was hiking alone or in a group? He also asked me if a have any guns or knifes because last week there was a mountain lion attack that almost killed a hiker. I told him not I don’t have a gun but I have a small pocket knife that I showed him. He said that’s not enough to kill a mountain lion. I was like well I hope I don’t encounter one. Then we chatted for a little bit and he started ranting about the federal government. And before I was leaving he told me If he could join me on the trail because he really wanted to hike up but he being an old man and suffering from heart conditions so if something happens to him at least I could tell police where he was. I felt something, a strange sensation in my gut by the way his eyes looked. He had some really penetrating gaze and he would always make direct eye contact that I couldn’t hold so I would look away for some seconds. After thinking what should I say this old grandpa I told him “I’m sorry but I’m in a hurry and I really want to walk fast to get to the top before sunset” he kinda looked mad and said aight I’ll just wait for someone else. I proceeded to hit the trail but I could never forget his gaze. Even tho he was an old man his gaze gave me a bad vibe and I was thinking about it the whole trail. 25 days later when I was at home I watched this same guy in a mugshot on the news channel so I turned the volume up because I was intrigued I thought he died on the trial (because he told me he had heart problems) to find out he kidnapped and killed a girl about 15 miles on another parking lot. The guy I interacted with was fcking serial killer Gary Michael Hilton. I think he asked the same questions and told the same story to Meredith Emerson and she was kind and good hearted so she agreed to hike with the “old grandpa with heart problems”. So now I don’t trust anyone even if they have good intentions and they greet me I just say hi and continue my hike without stopping and if they ask me to stop to ask me a questions I just say sorry I’m in a hurry and keep going. I also carry a 9mm Glock 43x. It’s small and concealable. Another crazy experience happend another year before when I was hiking and at the distance I saw a naked old guy just walking around. So I freaked out and stopped before he was gone. Stay safe guys. Never trust anyone. Edit2023; for those saying it’s a fake story because you’ve seen this same post on other videos. Well maybe read the username before making claims. It’s me sharing my story, I also shared it on Reddit with the same username. Why would I lie? Also thanks to everyone who shared their stories as well. I’m glad we made it but it’s kinda sad to think about how many people are gone that maybe had problems with their family members and stoped communication with them and they’re forever gone without anyone asking about them.

I’m a former marine and i don’t go into wilderness without a firearm. I don’t understand civilians who don’t take personal security seriously

I'm not sleeping near any strangers and I'm a full grown man. Not to mention I wear ear buds to bed and live in maine so there's no weather that's going to stop me. I go out to enjoy myself and a hug part of that is having peace and quit and getting away from annoying people. I love hiking and camping but the appalachian trail is a tourist thing. I like camping and hiking the beautiful coast of Maine or schoodic mountain

Also, avoid shelters near public roads. The closer you get to roads the more undesirable people you will see.

One reason I hiked in dead of winter. It eliminated some of the issues she mentioned. I'm not a hot weather person to begin with. Very rarely did come across any other humans while snowshoeing the AT or the LT. But, bears don't always hibernate and that turned out to be a problem once or twice. A winter bear is usually a dangerous bear. One woman I met had a bear actually sit on top of her while in her tent. She jumped up and screamed, thinking it was a friend playing a joke, but soon realized it was a bear. It took off like a bear outta Hell, but damn that's something you'd never forget.

The AT passes through my area in several spots- one thing to look out for, safety wise- are areas where it crosses major roads and highways. Our town has a fairly large homeless population. And to be brutally honest- some of those guys look an awful lot like thru-hikers. Part of the reason for this is because it's become a bit of a sport for them to sneak up the trail and then steal supplies. We can't do trail angel work anymore because as soon as you set something up, it get's raided not long after if you don't stand over it.

One time I was sleeping in an abandoned fire lookout (not like one of the ones you can rent from the forest service, but actually completely abandoned and in ruins) and the mice were especially thick...I'm not super squeamish so I just kind of ignored it and went to sleep with them running around the outside of my sleeping bag. I set my glasses on a shelf next to where I was sleeping, and when I woke up in the morning a mouse had pooped directly in the center of each lens 😂

this is exactly why as much as I love wilderness camping and all that I wouldn't mess with trail camping at all. I go into the woods to not see people

Holy moly, if I go out in the bush, it is to get away from people. I can't imagine ever camping with a bunch of strangers under less than a real emergency situation.

You all that do this are very brave. When I go to Appalachia, I just go to Mamaw's house. Then I drive to my favorite trails and hike around and go home to Mamaw's for a snack.

They have literally made hundreds of movies about this kinda of thing ESPECIALLY if you venture down into southern Appalachia.

As a VA native who loved hiking and going through these types of shelters along the trial I wholeheartedly agree on a lot of these points. I always gave it a “Vibe” check, some people I was definitely glad I got away from quickly on the trail. If your stomach ever gives you a weird feeling on the trail about someone- listen to it! One reason why I will always carry while out and even moreso- Keep it concealed! The wildlife was a big problem- tons of mice !

I am a light sleeper, early riser, and an introvert. One of the things I like about the woods is the peace and quiet. I always stay as far from any of the shelters as possible. I don’t mind interacting and meeting people, I just want a nice peaceful night, and I don’t want to disturb anyone else when I rise early. Having practiced Leave No Trace since before it was a thing, I can camp in the same spot multiple days and you’d be hard pressed to know I was there unless you were trained to do so. I find all the shelters to be disgusting in several ways. I’m not really worried about most of the animals like spiders, snakes, squirrels, etc. The concentrated human activity draws the large rodent population as you stated, causing the issues you talked about. A few years ago at a couple shelters near where I live in eastern Tn a couple hikers caught a bug from rodent feces that put them in the local hospital. The CDC got involved because it turned out to be a flesh eating antibiotic resistant bug. One person died. I am telling this first hand because my wife is one of the nurses who had to put on a hot-suit every time she went into the patients room. The concentration of rodents and people puts me off of ever staying in one of the shelters. I’ll take my chances in the woods any day.

I liked shelters when rain was on the way , keeping my gear dry made life easier!

Meeting creeps on the AT is where me growing up in a place like NYC comes in handy. My small town friends from college (I went to a small college in the south) are all so naive and nice that they'll go along with anyone and be way too trusting. My friend and I encountered a mentally unstable man at a trailhead who kept chatting us up. At first, we were all very pleasant to one another, but as the conversation drew on, he started ranting about all sorts of things and started getting a bit too intense. I already did not dig his vibe 30 seconds into the conversation... but my friend, who was obviously uncomfortable, just kept saying yes and ok to everything. When he finally asked if he could join us, my friend of course said yes... and I immediately said "no, sorry, my friend and I prefer to remain by ourselves. Have yourself a nice day." We walked on ahead and kept an eye on him to make sure he wasn't following us. From then on, I always wanted to carry a firearm with me when doing the AT, but never did.... kind of still want to.

🐭I'm an extreme introvert. It's the Tent Life for me.

I avoided the shelters .... I'm an introvert . And I didn't like sleeping with 8 or more strangers and snoring all night long . I would just hike until I was ready to stop for the day , and look for a place to pitch my tent 👌 some call it stealth camping .... 🤔 I just call it camping !

I rarely stayed in shelters in the beginning, but did more so the end of the trail. I hated being forced to stay in a shelter (like in the smokies or whites) and loved my flimsy busted up little tent. As for crazy people, always trust your gut. There are lots of people I felt bad about judging but just knew to keep away from and I'm glad I did. One person even wrote a warning about someone in one of the logbooks and I thought he was joking only to find out that the person he mentioned really WAS a "real creeper"

When the voice on your shoulder speaks ... make sure your listening . Great video Tara.

I just want to say as a woman I don't think men really realize how much the not so great ones affect our lives. We can't just walk into a bar and have a drink. If we go out with our friends we have to make sure we all leave together and nobody gets left behind. We have to have somebody wash our drink if we get up to go to the bathroom. I live across the street from a lake and I can't just decide at night or early in the morning to just go for a nice walk for fear of getting, well you know. If I do I can't wear my earbuds because I have to constantly be aware of what's going on around me. I would love to camp alone or thru hike alone but it's just not possible to do without being rattled. We as women always have to be careful, always have to be aware of our surroundings, always have to watch a conversation we have so it's not to lead someone on and it's really affects the enjoyment of our lives. We have to go through all of the rules and regulations with our daughters, what to look out for, what to stay away from, red flags. I say this as the mother of her son I have raised to be respectful and hope he abides by that. Very sad. 😔

I only stayed in shelters a couple times during extreme rain or wind conditions . I don't go high into the mountains to hang out with a bunch of strangers . The beauty of the natural surroundings and the peaceful , soothing solitude is my quest.

Smart video. Too many people underestimate the percentage of people who are predators. 🐭

I went on a thu-hike on the Appalachian Trail back in 2007 before things like bed-bugs were a problem though things like Giardia was a problem and 'homeless' people were just starting to use shelters as a place to temporarily live. Being a lot older now I look back with a mixture of fondness of that experience as well as horror that I even tried doing that hike, considering the different types of dangers that existed. It wasn't long after I returned home that Meredith Emerson was murdered while hiking along the Trail - that really bothered me for some reason and opened my eyes about how unsafe our backpacking world had become. Stay safe!

Just wanted to mention...i met James twice on the road (i spent a yr hitchhiking the US due to sudden homelessness) and met a whole subculture of houseless by choice community that also travel...as a way of life....most mean well yet are unrefined so to speak....some have mental instabilities and some have drug/alcohol addictions.... I met Jordan twice in the woods, the last time being in Ocala FL several months bf this happened...and i met him a few months prior in CA...both times, he was a total gentleman, playing guitar and helping people and being kind....i didnt know him well but i never saw that coming... I also met another younger guy in Ocala, he was very quite and kind and helpful....he murdered a guy in a hotel....previously i heard stories of Kai....he was a travelling kid who turned out to be a killer as well... My point is (lol im long winded sorry) that not everyone on the trails is who they portray themselves as, or , not who you may meet in that moment...unless the weather is going to be unbearable, id stick to my tent or tarp...good info...thank you for the video....

I agree in modern times the shelters are terrible. (Earplugs when camping my best quick advice) I think it's important though to recognize and appreciate the history of the shelters. The AT was completed in 1925, but tents were not lightweight and portable enough for backpacking until around the mid 1980's. 1970's "portable" tents were steel poles and thick vinyl material that were around 40 pounds. Tenting was not prevalent on the AT until the mid 1990's when new synthetic materials made camping equipment much lighter. For 70 years or so, shelters were the primary method of overnight for thu hikers. Your route was dependent upon shelters. With crude maps and no GPS, you simply walked until the next shelter and knew where you were based on what shelter you were near or between. People would basically thru hike with only a blanket, canteen, and bread. There were also much less people on the AT before the 70's and shelters were the best overnight technology and experience at that time. There are "purest" type of hikers who still wish to experience the AT this way - without a bunch of modern gear and gizmos and the time it takes to manage all that gear.

Generally, I avoid staying in a shelter with people who look like they fell face first into a tackle box

I don't hike or camp (I am extremely too OCD to handle the outdoors anymore - used to love it as a kid!), but I love your channel and your kind and laid back spirit. You make wonderful points on both sides. I just say - don't have to be a hero - if something doesn't feel or look right, don't do it. It could be an actual matter of life or death. Please stay safe and be well and continue to maintain that lovely adventurous spirit!

True story I think you might like. I'm a shy guy but embraced trail families along the AT. After the trail ide live In a house with two other hikers from my trail family. A third married my childhood bestfriend. A fourth would take me in in New Mexico. A fifth drove me all across the country on a road trip. On and on until I married a fellow thru hiker and moved away with her. Of all the trails this one impacted me the most and it was the people I met along the way that did so.

Protecting yourself at all time’s is the right thing to do. Stay alert and never drop your guard. Animals are predictable, people are not.

One thing I have not read in here yet is that pitching a tent along the AT is forbidden. I was hiking the AT one year and decided to carry my tent too just in case I did not arrive at my shelter before dark. Well sure enough it was raining cats and dogs and I missed a blaze marker and had to pitch my tent that night. And all my content and clothes were soak to include my sleeping bag, so I packed up the next morning and headed for the nearest town that had a laundry mat to dry all my stuff. Well I stopped at the closest ranger station to inform them I was off the trail and told them my story, and they informed me of the rule of no tents allowed on the trail head, and I should have seeked a site well away from the AT. And no, I do not mean I pitched my tent on the actual trail itself.

I have taken my kids hiking several times. One wanted to stay in a shelter. We had a long day, dead tired when we got to the shelter. Someone had written a warning about giant spiders. No one dared use the shelter but us. Had a great night.

The challenges of a female hiker vs. a male hiker are myriad; number one having to ensure you are safe 24/7. I've hiked on the AT in the south for 40+ years, and I've never felt unsafe. My advice to lady hikers is have a trail buddy. Never hike alone. It's sad to say that, but that is the advice I'd give my daughter. Peace.

When she said "I think it's safe".... her facial expression read like she was trying to convince herself. Yeah, it's as safe as sleeping with a dozen strange (completely unknown to her) men in any place away from town & in many cases, with no phone service.

I used to be an avid outdoor's person. Until I had a hiker feel entitled to take certain liberties. No one talks about the assaults that happen on trails like these. Particularly towards women. Now I don't hike I don't camp I don't do trail running I am strictly an urban girl. My idea of roughing now is room service. I'm glad you're talking about the dangers because I feel it's overlooked.

My brother and I are getting ready to do some of the AT. I was thinking about all those things you mentioned and you reinforced my thoughts. Emergency shelter only for me. Thanks good stuff.

I have walked many miles on the Appalachian trail and stayed in every single shelter I could find. I was with my dad and we're both pretty big men so other people weren't a real concern. I really never had a single issue in any shelter and after a long day of hiking, these shelters were like an oasis in the Sahara. My dad and I would open up our prepackaged meals, eat them as slowly as we can manage so we could have enough time to talk and recall some of the events of the day. We would then open our small ish backpacks and have just enough energy to roll out the sleeping bags on the bunks that these awesome people that created the shelters provided. I never slept so well in my life. We were completely exhausted from the day's hike and literally ate and passed out. If the worst thing I had to worry about was a mouse or a loud snoring person, I was basically in heaven. I've had norovirus before but not on the trail. It's bad but you will get over it. But, again, I never got it on the trail at all. Quite frankly, I feel more in danger in my neighborhood from urban sprawl then I could ever feel on the Appalachian trail.

I'm so introvert, I only sleep in a tent in my backyard that has a fence with a lock on the gate....it's just safer that way.

Yah, I had contemplated staying in one of the traditional Adirondack mountain lean-to's on a longer hike and thought long and hard about safety. I decided it wasn't safe, especially for a woman (even with my husband with me) to be sleeping out in an exposed shelter with anyone or anything coming by. Best to start a longer hike early early and finish it before dark than to stay in the wilderness exposed to whatever dangers. Women - carry bear spray or a gun for the crazies. Stay safe.

It would probably attract bears (hence not a good idea unless in the deep of winter), but mice absolutely hate strong natural mints like peppermint essential oil. Many ants don't like it either. But yeah, the whole mice running over you in the middle of the night kind of turned me off shelters too. Plus, I'm an introvert and while I generally do like people, I need a certain amount of time alone to recharge/rebalance. One of the reasons why I got out into the woods, to be by myself, recharge/realign, etc.

I don't use group sleeping areas due to consideration of others. I have PTSD and raise hell in my sleep, sometimes fighting in my sleep. My late Wife and I even had separate bedrooms because of it. There are people like me who will stay in shelters, thinking " I'll be OK for one night ", but end up having a nightmare. Harmless, but scary as hell for those around them.

Just a bit of information, norovirus isn’t just for hikers, it’s responsible for the majority of food poisonings worldwide. You can get it ANYWHERE

A friend and I stayed in an old barn that the AT maintained as a shelter. There were three guys who came up later and set up on the ground floor. (We had put our tent up inside,on the second floor) Some of the questions that they asked had both of our "creep alarms" going off. I walked the trail with with a loaded magazine in my pistol, but empty chamber. That night, I put a round in the chamber and slept lightly with my pistol under my pillow. Lesson learned. Pick a good place, other than a shelter, and set up camp there.

My first AT experience was a Scouts group section hike in 1982, 40 years ago. A lightweight and reasonably affordable tent setup back then weighed altogether about 10 pounds. We stayed in the AT shelters a few nights every night out there along the way, with ponchos and small tarps as an alternative. It was fine. I carried a hammock too but didn't use it. I don't remember any issues with the shelters or anything else. I'm sure there weren't as many other people hiking and overnight camping on the AT back then. We made a point of not bringing food or bagged trash into the shelter areas. We ate our food away from the shelters and secured the food stuff and trash in bear bags away from the shelter areas. It's common sense that not only mice and little critters but also bears and maybe wild hogs would probably smell any food scents and come looking for leftovers during the night. I hope I'll have a chance to do it again soon. For most of the reasons mentioned in this video, I'll for sure bring a hammock and tarp or maybe the light tent.

As a rule of thumb always prep and cook your food 100 feet from where you sleeping. Because cooking food may cause crumbs and grease that may attract bugs insects 🐜 🐛 🕷 exc. you don’t wanted them to come out at night around you or on top of your sleeping bag. Or sleeping quarters. If they come out you want it near you kitchen area. Try cooking sleeping same area in a jungle area. You regret it.

One year we stayed in the campground at Glacier Lake in Montana. There were 2 guys snoring so loud you might not hear a grizzly sneaking into camp. They were at either end of the campground so it was like stereo. I felt really bad for all the campers because one of them was my husband.

Just remember the worst issue you have to deal with hiking through is other people. There’s plenty of sketchy people out there finding themselves or looking to escape something. As far as shelters I guess you have to decide whether to set up a tent or brave the shelter when it’s pouring rain. There’s also lots of hostels now on the trail people will gladly drive you to in some cases for a small fee.

Thanks for the info! I’ve done a lot of backpacking out west, so I haven’t been somewhere to have the option of a shelter. My bias is to sleep by myself in my own tent. I think it just convinced me to stick with that!😂

I caught Norovirus once, lucky for me I was in the comfort of my own home when it hit. But even that was hell. Vomiting so hard that you have trouble getting up afterwards, plus vomiting AND needing to use the toilet from the other end of your body at the same time is also no fun at all. Can't imagine living through this while on a trail.

🐭 great video, very informative. The old adage “any port in a storm” certainly applies, but based on your experiences I think I’ll probably skip the shelters unless absolutely necessary 🏕️

Thanks! Because I feel like most people glorify their videos but you just put it straight up like it is and I hadn't considered all of this. Thanks thanks thanks!

Very helpful video for new AT hikers. My 50-something buddies and I were weekend (just one per year!) section hikers for about a decade (VA-PA). We carried tents but sometimes took advantage of the shelters. Our admittedly limited experiences were mostly of the positive kind but I absolutely can see how easy it would be to have the very significant negatives. Good for you for pointing out reality. Our best shelter night was where we found an old gent finishing up, i.e., literally his last night, 30 years of section hiking. We enjoyed giving him the chance to relate his amazing experience-would’ve been sad if he had had to spend the last night by himself with nobody to share the experience-at least it SEEMED he was happy we were there… Stay safe in your hiking everybody…it’s wonderful but as pointed out in the video, occasionally your life can be on the line.

I watched a video last week about a couple who were engaged and decided to take the AT to test their relationship before getting married. If I remember correctly her name was Mollie and his was Geoffrey and they were attacked and murdered while sleeping in one of the shelters. The guy doing the video said the park department ended up tearing down the shelter and building another closeby. Thankfully they ended up catching the guy who killed them. Bless their hearts. Stay safe out there folks!

Thank you for this! I have watched other KZfaqrs hike on the AT and stay in those shelters and I’ve always thought it was creepy because of all the critters that obviously collect there not to mention the strangers you’d be sleeping next to.

🐭I had a rat buddy camping once. It was coming in at night through a small hole in the tent and running over our bags while we were trying to sleep. As someone who had pet rats before, rats and mice really don't bother me at all. Nonvenomous snakes also don't bother me. Spiders, on the other hand, I'm still working on making peace with. Some spiders don't really bother me while others do, and for the most part, there's no real rationale for my discrimination.

Hi. My hiking buddies and I never stayed in shelters. My biggest concern on the AT was ticks. Black bears and bad people stayed far, far away from us. Did I mention my hiking buddies' names? Josephine and Benmarcus, my working line German Shepherd dogs, the best buddies a man can have in this freaked out world.

Wouldn't use them unless an extreme circumstance myself being an introvert with autism. Some ideas for dealing with mice, rodents, etc. Mice hate the smell of dryer sheets, scatter a few around. They do tend to fade fast and the mice will use them for bedding after the smell fades, so keep in ziploc bag. Peppermint or spearmint extract on cotton balls also work well. Snakes go where the food is (mice) and where shelter is (your sleeping bag), but they don't like us so keeping the mice away and a sealed bag will take care of that problem. Sticky paper scattered around your bag will take care of insects, specifically spiders. Bears are problematic, wear a bell so they can hear you coming, a small air horn has worked to drive them off. Best just to eat several hundred yards from where you sleep and cache your bag at night, bury your food scraps and wash your pans. Note: Washing your pans doesn't always work as well. A fox decided to steal my bag of pans after I had washed them. Fortunately it slowed him down making it easy to chase down. He spent most of the rest of the night making lots of noise for his revenge.

I stay in them all winter long and will do so as I hike whenever needed

Yup, this helps to reinforce my fear of sleeping outside. I prefer a cabin, RV or a hotel.

I remember van camping as a child at a national park in the seventies. It was nice enough weather to have the doors propped open. My parents thought it would be a great idea to leave the leftovers out for the cute little animals. Well, the cute little animals arrived. A nice family of skunks 🦨 I’m sure all the other nearby campers enjoyed them as well 🤢🦨 😁

I've used those shelters for almost thirty years. My only concerns are small groups who think they own it, and the occasional super mutant ninja rat. As a proud Eagle Scout, yes, Scout troops tend to be awful.

🐭 Thank you for solidifying my reasons for not staying in shelters.

🐁. This was one of the more helpful videos I've seen. I've had thoughts of the shelters and wondered if they were a good idea or not-haven't hiked yet.

I let the shelters "shelter" me on 44 of my 145 nights on my thru hike. I let the weather conditions and many other factors determine where I would lay my head each night. I found that you have to be flexible, open minded, willing to flow with the changes, and not rigid in your approach to a successful thru hike. HYOH is a great place to start.

🐭 Thank you Tara! My husband and I are section hikers for 10 years now, enjoy comfort of hotels and hot meal after day hiking! We are attempting a 23 mi section in VT this summer, staying overnight in our Big Agnes tent! 🤞 We admire and enjoy visiting with thru hikers, great stories!! Thanks for sharing your experience/perspective, sleeping on the AT!

Mike, These videos are wonderful! So glad to follow this adventure. Best of luck

I agree it's better to be safe than sorry. Your gut feeling about someone is usually correct. Be careful be safe.

I experienced the AT few years ago. Completed over 300 miles - started in GA. NO WAY I would stay in a shelter again. And no way I would ever consider doing the AT in future... Just lots of weird and/or questionable humans all throughout the trail. Awesome concept! Just attract nutty and/or questionable people... I've since gravitated to Canada and far Northern areas of US... Not saying I had bad time on AT, just too much going on there...

Tara, excellent video. I'm a 76 yo retired hiker from NC and did a thru hike in 98. Your video covers each of my negative experiences. In retrospect I would not stay in another shelter again unless major bad weather was an issue. Generally getting off the trail would be my approach but I understand not every one would have that luxury. At Overmountain shelter(barn) there was a Norovirus issue when I was there. A group of thru hikers(15 or so) were staying there. They were also eating together and hiking together. Thru the night the sickness began, The wretching was loud. One girl(Chaos) was rescued by the hostel owner in Hampton, Tenn. and recuperated there. It happens every year. I've experienced hikers coming in after midnight and start cooking. Yikes. How about the smokers who come into the shelter. Our hiking club helped build "Partnership Shelter" in 97. It was a joint effort between the Forest service, AT Regional office, PATH, our maintaining club and the parents, who donated money, of a hiker who had died at a young age. New subscriber. My wife and I camped several times at the site where the young man was killed by the mentally ill man. As you know it is very remote, yet a tragedy happened. Out favorite trail town is Damascus.

You did a great job informing hikers. I can relate!

I'm in Australia. I had 4 nights on the Maryland section of the AT in 2018. First night I was caught in a thunderstorm and didn't get to the campsite. Second night I used the camping area in my hammock but the rain was really intense. I stayed dry but everything was really difficult with so much flowing water on the ground. Shelters for the last two nights but if outdoors had been more manageable that would have been much more relaxed. I'm heading back to Western Australias Bibbulmun Track next month and expect to mostly tent it but use the communal areas for socializing and food prep. Meeting other hikers can be great. Listening to their snoring, loud mattresses, music/podcasts etc that they listen to before sleep not so much.

As a snorer, I apologize to all the people who shared a shelter with me in '19. Hopefully the weight loss I experienced while hiking lessened my snoring from the decibel level that my wife usually reports. I also happen to be a heavy sleeper, so I wasn't bothered by fellow snorers (except that one night in the Smokies - HOLY COW!), or the micro-bears. Sheltering is a trade-off. It is really nice to not have to pitch/pack up a tent every day, and for that reason, my son and I stayed in shelters as often as possible. We were diligent about hanging all our smellables and leaving our zippers/packs open, so we didn't have any mouse issues, except one. Being the earlier riser, I usually got my son's food bag down when I got mine. One morning I left his bag on the picnic table outside a shelter. In the bit of time that I was away packing up my gear and trying to roust him, a mouse, whose parents I'm certain never married, chewed a quarter-sized hole through his food bag and devoured half his 720 calorie honeybun. Thankfully, Tenatious Tape saved the bag, but the honeybun was a goner.

Just a quick thought re the stomach nasties... Consider packing a few tablets of Activated Charcoal. It kills stomach bugs pretty fast...works like a pretty strong Pepto Bismol. You can get it in different strengths. There is a 250 mg and also a 500 mg for extreme cases. All you do is take one immediately after the first occurrence and then take one after every following occurrence and it should slow it down fairly quickly. The only caveat is that if you pop too much of it (and this would mean you have to really be taking lots of it after your symptoms go away) you can get the opposite problem of constipation. But I have used this remedy for many years and it works.

🐭 I've been planning a hiking trip and this video really helped open my eyes to some of the ins and outs of the process. So thank you!

As a loud snorer I mostly stayed away from sleeping near the shelters n other campers. I normally just found a hiding place off the trail n tent camped. Only stopped to eat at the shelters, rest, fill up my water bottles, then I moved on.

The truly dangerous predators are the ones who can’t be easily screened out with a brief conversation. Even if a stranger doesn’t set off your spider sense, always treat everyone as a potential threat.

I came upon a shelter in Virginia one afternoon in 2013. It had been raining for a few days and everyone's gear and clothing were wet. Four thru hikers, like myself, had decided to set up there 2-man tents in the shelter, so that it could dry out, and they wouldn't have to deal with the mosquitoes, bugs, mice, etc. They made no offer to remove their tents for me to use this shelter. Needless to say, I didn't stay in or at that shelter that night. So, I pretty much avoided the shelters mostly because I'm a terrible snorer. But, after this encounter, I only used them in basically emergency situations, etc. and avoided them like the plaque from there on out. Nice video, I couldn't agree with you more!

One piece of advice I got about the mice is this: Keep the pockets, etc, of your pack unzipped while staying in a shelter as it's better to have your food raided without a hole being chewed in your expensive pack. Even if your bag is hung up, mice can climb up and down the strap from which it's hanging.

Thank you for your honest assessment. I've often wondered how "safe" that situation would be . ❤🎉

You just described life in a typical major homeless encampment in the bowels of San Francisco. *edit* but liked and subscribed!.

When I was on the AT and I got to top of Springer Mt. I was ready to relax; it had been raining - pouring down with harsh wind , in the middle of December and I was ready to sleep. The shelter had a wire cage to draw across the front of the entrance. This was helpful as there were bears in the area . A couple ran a rope between two trees and hung their back packs on the rope. Seemed like a great idea ! Later in the night , after the fire had pretty much burned out. We heard this strange hustling, scraping sound- followed by an “ umph !” and then a loud thump . We turned on our flashlights and watched in amazement as a black bear climbed up the tree and when it got up to the height of the back packs, it launched itself out towards the packs. It would miss and slam into the ground. This didn’t seem to bother it at all. It kept doing this until, finally, success ! The packs came crashing down with the bear , which gleefully tore them apart ate all the food in there . Then the happy, well fed bear waddled away into the night. The poor folks had to leave the next morning, cutting short their vacations.

Ive been wanting to hike and camp ect. For a long time, thanks for the tips!

Yup, I stayed in an AT style open faced shelter called Great Gulf shelter #1. The people who had stayed there the night before recommended that I get a stick or club. When I asked why they said "you'll see". When it became dark they said look around and by the firelight all you could see was millions of red eyes. A quick look with a flashlight revealed millions (probably thousands) of deer mice all around us. As you said I woke up several times with mice all over my sleeping bag. A tent camper had their tent, pack, and accessible food chewed to pieces overnight with them in it. The RNC whose shelter it was removed the shelter some time after that because of the extreme infestation. This was in NH near the base of the Great Gulf headwall of Mt. Washington. I think it was in 1976, not a new issue. I never had another experience quite as extreme as this in AT type shelters but had several encounters with problem bears and almost got run over by two moose on the AT in Maine. Good luck to all you trekkers who are loving the mountains as I always have.

One thing I've noticed is the increase of hikers over the years and at times groups at shelters tend to party loudly and are inconsiderate. As for the critters, that's their world and we struggle to adapt. I've had a handful of bear issues over time but nothing serious.

I worry about people more. One time many years ago I stayed with a friend in a shelter on the Appalachian Trail in LEE, MA. Someone was already in there and he broke into the place and was having issues drinking but was somewhat hospitable making us breakfast, etc. However, he was going through other people's things and he stole my wallet leading me to go insane screaming and he didn't care because he wanted money. I learned a lesson from this not to trust anyone when you don't know them. We should have not stayed there all night.

I’ve been hiking the AT since the early 70s shelters always have been, and always will be freak shows

Great information, presented very well. Easy to listen to, and pleasant to watch. Thank you for posting this.