Happy 4th! Vandeventer LT, then and now on the AT

 Happy Fourth!

The day before left the Trivett House in Elk Park, NC, on July third and hitched back to the Trail and hiked an easy 10 miles to our camp.  Lots of road walking along the way, in a stretch that had since been relocated several times to secure a permanent and SAFE trail corridor.

It was the fourth of July in 1974 when we left Moreland Gap LT (built 1960) with Ralph, Don and Pete.  Pete is shown warming his hands over the fire at the camp.  Don, on the left is collecting firewood.  Ralph's walking stick is between them.  You can click on any pic for a larger image.

We then arrived at this Appalachian Trail Leanto.  Ralph shot this pic that night.

Vandeventer LT was built in 1961 and still stands. Some additional facts: 5 ft high roof in sleeping area 15' x 7' sleeping area: plywood, 2 ft off of ground. Shelter is 10' x 16'.

You will notice in the back, there is an opening in the trees to look southeast.  Lots of great views along the Iron Mountains.

Today, the NPS photo shows this.

Looks like a new roof?

From the AT Map.  Check this site out for lots a great pics of LTs on the AT.

And the same area from the USGS Watauga Dam Quad

Details of this day from my AT log:

4 July Thursday

20.1 miles fucking hard ass miles

Arrived at Leanto (which we got) at 730 pm after a hard day.  1 or 2 pics from fire tower on White Mt. 3 pics at waterfall 2 (I guess) or Wautuga (?) lake from leanto of views. Scratched my arms and legs on pricker bushes.  Had banana cream pudding which was good. Expected to have a good fireworks display from LT in the valley but no go.  Bought beer and peanuts at a joint along trail.  Tasted like shit.  Hotter than hell today. Sweated balls off. 45 miles from Damascus.

Glad today is over.

###

More pics, first White Rock Tower, and the USGS map from Moreland Gap to the Tower.

Next Laural Fork Falls and the USGS map of the time.

And then Wilbur Lake from the top of a tuff climb.  The lake was built sometime between 1938 and 1960. So, the first AT hikers would not have had this view.

and one from a power line.

Finally, a page from the AT guidebook for the section viewed above and my comments.

The guidebook map shows this.

You will notice I had highlighted LTs with a red marker and put a blue X with camps that we used.  The scale is in the upper right and according to the guide and trail mileage sheet it was a bit over 20 miles and ALL uphill.

So, fifty years ago, hikers had the ATC Trail Guide and Maps, plus the Mileage Fact Sheet. No GPS.

Check marks are my nightly camps and if underlined, we stayed inside the Leanto,

Guides were published (about) every 5 years since the 1960s. This copy was a blended copy reporting only northbound travel from Springer Mt, Georgia to Damascus Virginia. Back in the day when you could remove pages.  So it essentially covered three different books and about 400 miles of Trail.

RELOS were published in the Appalachian Trailway News and look like this entry from the May 1972 edition.

Don, Ralph and I finished the AT in 1975.  We were one of the 92 hikers to complete the AT that year. I am not sure about Pete.  It was a great experience.

For more on the history of the Appalachian Trail, see the Special Collections at George Mason University Library.

You can also visit the AT Museum, where my book is for sale.  All proceeds go to the museum.

I am working on a new edition with color photography, so stay tuned.

Easter 1975

 Easter 1975 was held on Sunday March 30th. On that date I was hiking south on the AT and did 18 miles arriving at Outerbridge LT at 430 PM.  I don't have a picture of this LT, but you can see one here.  And another here.

I wrote in my journal... "Great spring here a (sic) shelter last time I saw anything like this was in N.H. or Maine.   Snowed a little at nite."

"Left Leroy Smith LT at 8:30 am." I think this shelter has been replaced since 1975.

Crossed Lehigh Gap that day shown on this topo from the period/

and an airphoto from 1976.

Appalachian Trail Lean-tos

 More recently known as shelters, I prefer the old name fashioned after the classic Adirondack LT.  The ATC has a page devoted to the shelters and suggests the positives and negatives as well as Shelter Etiquette!

High Point Number 1 LT, NJ. at 1230 miles from Springer Mtn.

For a list and map of the AT Shelters, look no further than here.  

On my 2,000 mile I stayed in lean-tos probably 79 times.  Not so much in Georgia, though, since I was in synched with the gaps and not the ridge lines.

Gentian Pond LT, NH at 1766 miles from Springer and brand new in 1974!

The AMC crew was leaving the site and left us a bunch of food.  

Most LT were nice, (Locust Ridge LT),

some had resident mice, (Russell Field LT),

some leaked (Neys LT),

many were trashed by hikers (Curley Maple LT),

and a picnic table was always nice! (Old Orchard LT).

Now for two great references one free and one not. For example search for this title in the Whites.

"WHITE MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST HIKING SHELTER SYSTEM"

Plus this one on a slide sharing website.

For a nice coffee table book, see The Appalachian Trail: Backcountry Shelters, Lean-Tos, and Huts

Finally, do youe search with Google; Bing is not complete.

a 19 mile day on Saturday 31 May 1975

"I sweated my ass off."

Stayed at Stokes LT (no longer there?).

Little did I know it, but this article was in the paper the year before:

Here is a shot of the trail on the USGS map of the period.

Crossed Highway 206 sometime too.