[at-l] Why shelters?

[Phil.Heffington@oc.edu (Phil Heffington)]

Shane wrote, "I never understood sleeping in a shelter.  I thought the
whole idea of
getting into the great outdoors was to get away from people, not
socialize
with them..."

Perhaps your comment should read, "the whole idea of getting into the
great outdoors is to get away from certain people..."

Of course, people hike for all sorts of reasons.  Not everyone is into
solitude.  I suppose the main selling point for staying in a shelter is
convenience.  And, if you live with a snorer, then snoring probably
doesn't bother you.  If mice don't "bother" you, then mice don't bother
you.  If you are not into solitude, then company doesn't bother you.

My own personal experience in hiking for the whole month of May for the
last four years, from Springer to Port Clinton, PA has been that I have
slowly, but surely, converted from a dedicated shelter dweller to a
fairly consistent tenter.  It would have been even more so had I not
hiked through Shenandoah Natl Park this year.  My track record for
places I've stayed (not necessarily representing the same number of
nights) has been the following:

1998:	Shelters = 15
	Tenting  = 3
	Motels, etc. = 7

1999:  	Shelters = 13
	Tenting  = 3
	Motels, etc. = 5

2000:	Shelters = 11
	Tenting  = 13
	Motels, etc. = 4

2001:	Shelters = 14 (6 in SNP)
	Tenting  = 8
	Motels, etc. = 7

Totals:  Shelters = 53
	Tenting  = 27
	Motels, etc. = 23