East is East and West is West....

From Jay:

Mt. Collins Shelter inside. Sleeps 12 people

While hiking the first leg of the AT as a north-bounder, and being from "the West," I found the behavior of other hikers, predominantly from the midwest and eastern states, to be rather strange.... In the west, while hiking sections of the PCT, it is rare to see more than three tents pitched near each other unless you are in the vicinity of a trailhead. On the AT as a NoBo (North-Bounder) during the height of the hiking season, it is rare to see less than 5 tents pitched near each other. Part of the reason may be the vastly higher number of hikers on the AT, but there is something else going on here. I will call it "shelter worship."


As you know, there are over 250 shelters along the AT. Some are elaborate in design, while some are little more than three-sided sheds. Some have spectacular views, but many are placed in terms of closeness to a water source and distance from potential hazards such as lightning and falling trees (which tend to occur at the higher elevations on the windward sides of ridges). The  shelters offer cables from which one can conveniently suspend their food bags to keep them safe from animals. They also provide a table, a privy, and a natural water source. Few people, however, can actually sleep in the shelters because of their small dimensions. Those determined to luxuriate in these facilities must arrive before 2pm because of the first-come first-serve policy. They will enjoy a night lounging on a hard wooden floor, snuggled up beside snoring, sleep-talking strangers. Shelters are colder than tents due to their missing wall. But they offer much more entertainment from local wildlife - mainly mice, squirrels, skunks and porcupines.

Mt Collins Shelter

The puzzling behavior I observed was that, even though only a tiny percentage of the hikers could actually use the shelters, virtually everyone seems to need them. At the first crack of dawn, the air rings with the sound of tent zippers opening as the hikers begin the daily race to the next shelter, striving to stake out the "Best Spots," which are as close to the shelter as possible. The winners sit at the picnic table, reveling in their good fortune.

 If you should decide to check out a shelter near dusk, you will notice the same general population distribution at each. Radiating out from the "winners" at the shelter, you will see clumps of tents: highborn citizens nearer to the shelters, degenerating to less-desirables on the fringes such as vagabonds and lepers.

If you should have the audacity to (GASP!) approach the shelter after the village is established and naively set down your pack next to the picnic table, you will first hear the village cryer calling to "Release the hounds!" Almost immediately, swift canines will approach you and pee on your pack. If the desired affect is not achieved (e.g. you leave to stake your tent with the lepers), more drastic measures, such as boiling oil, will be employed.



Jay's tent near a shelter

 Well, so, I may exaggerate, but it is obvious that >95% of the hikers tent near shelters. I don't know whether it is for the conveniences offered (i.e. privy, water, table), or from fear of tenting alone, or because they like to (gasp!) socialize. In the west hikers tend to seek secluded tent sites where they can pee without asking others to look away, and where they can sing themselves to sleep without criticism. On the AT the solitary tent sites between shelter sites are rarely used. This is great for an introverted misanthrope from the West such as myself. If you want a western trail experience while hiking north-bound on the AT during peak season, here is how to do it:



Morning view from Jay's tent

Camp 1 mile before a shelter in a beautiful and secluded site near the trail. Start hiking in the morning at 8AM. By that time, the shelter zombies will be marching toward the next shelter after the one you are approaching. You can then check out the shelter after most of the defensive weaponry has been disassembled. You may see a straggler or two, too incapacitated from the previous night's debauchery to compete in today's shelter race. They can provide helpful intelligence such as, "That was gross when that dude peed all over the toilet seat." Alas, they share that enlightenment just after you use the privy. Or, "I wouldn't set your pack there, dude. Someone sprayed tabasco sauce all over the shelter." (These are actual quotations unfortunately.)



Privy near a shelter

You can then resume hiking in blissful solitude, between the herds. When you pass the next shelter, you no longer need fear attack from the rear, as all zombies behind you will stop there. Proceed on until dusk and camp again a ways before a shelter. Employing this strategy, I rarely see more than half a dozen hikers on the trail each day. True, I can hear primate noises as I pass the shelters, but those sounds merely sustain my appreciation of the shelter system and how they make the AT enjoyable for westerners and easterners alike.