[at-l] Trail Etiquette

[wb4pan@mindspring.com (Chase Davidson)]

Yo,

	Unless shelters have a reservation plan like the Smokys I believe they are on a first come basis no matter how far you hiked or extend to hike. It is your duty to welcome others to stay as they arrive, until there is no more room to lay down. Some folks say you must welcome everyone that arrives, to stay as long as there is room to stand. This is silly. Why even stay in a shelter if there is no room to lay down? Everyone should bring alternative shelters for themselves. No one should rely on
sleeping in a shelter. If you get to a full shelter and are not prepared then you can crawl under the shelter for cover or go back where you came from. hahahah People that come to a full shelter and plead there feeble case on how they are going light and its raining and they only have a tiny tarp etc. They really piss me off LOL.
	Sometimes you have to allow for your fellow hikers momentary stupidity and certainly for incidents that are out of ones control. Yes I have left the shelter and set up my tent or bivi to let some worthy dummy sleep in the shelter. I slept in a shelter once on my two week hike. There where 4 snores all at different rhythms. And of course there was those folks that arrived late and still set up a tent in the shelter.... so they would be warmer hahahah. Kept poking me through the tent wall all
night. I thought everyone knew the ground is warmer than a shelter, even snow is warmer than a shelter floor with colder air underneath it.  
	Yes campsites are private. One regulation in the Shenandoah is to not backcountry camp in sight of another tent. Difficult sometimes on those narrow ridges. Check out the situation to make sure you are welcome, wait for an invite before camping close to another party. The sole purpose of their hike may be to be alone! Then again a lot of folks believe in safety in numbers :-).

chase