Greetings from New Zealand

[pmcke]

I am from Rotorua, New Zealand and am a keen hiker. (We call hiking Tramping here). Anyway, I was given a copy of Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods" for Christmas, which I really enjoyed.

Well, lo and behold, it turns out that I will be in Baltimore in the first week in June for a family occasion and I was thinking of sneaking away to check out some trails. I will probably only be able to get away for a day and was thinking of maybe getting to one of these famous shelters and back again and maybe soak up some of the AT culture. My hosts have suggested Harper's Ferry as a starting point and I am interested in the historical significance of Harper's Ferry as well.

I am a bit of a GPS nut so any GPS resources that one can steer me to would be appreciated. I do have a GPX file of all the AT shelters which I got from somewhere a long time ago.

Any advise appreciated.

[dune]

You found a really cool site. These guys will turn you on to some good "tramps.I am thru-hiking this year,leaving in March. Aside from a bunch of section hikes in New England,I'm not your guy for travel info. I spent 3 months in New Zealand .The "hut"system on the trails was awesome! The AT shelters are alot more rustic. I also learned alot from Kiwi trampers. And yes, Im going back for another New Zealand adventure. I hope you enjoy your visit, if you get to the Lake Michigan area look me up.

[whisperingwind]

First off, welcome to TP, home of the nuts and the best place to search for some info on the AT.

Harpers Ferry is rich with history. It's most popular history story is the John Brown Takeover Attempt. He tried like heck to take over Harpers Ferry with a bunch of his followers, only to get caught in the weapons storage unit. A majority of his followers were killed, and some years later, he was hung. My favorite place in Harpers Ferry for John Brown is the Wax Museum. Talk about realistic!!! It makes you feel like you are there, as well as in the middle of the war.

[Nickel]

If you're looking to hike to one of the shelters and back, starting at Harper's Ferry might not be the best. I'm not sure if there is a shelter there, but the nearest shelter outside of town is 8.7 miles south, to make a 17.4 mile round trip. (About 28 Kilometers).

The link below is to a site that shows most of the towns along the AT and all of the shelters. That might be a good starting point. That being said, Harper's Ferry is a really interesting town, so if you're not determined to see a shelter, that might be your best route.

http://www.thebackpacker.com/trails/...=From+Katahdin

[Linda09]

Go here for ESRI GIS files of the shelters, parking areas and the trail centerline and Google earth files.
http://www.appalachiantrail.org/protect/gis/agree1.html

I have the ESRI GIS files and have loaded shelter and parking area points as I need them in my Garmin GPS manually based on the coordinates in the GIS files.
I also used them to track in ArcGIS what sections of the trail I've hiked.

The only problem with the centerline shape is that it contains way too many verticies to convert and load into the Garmin. I use DNR Garmin to convert the files.

Linda

[pmcke]

Thank you very much for all your replies and especially the GPS/GIS resources. I have had a look at those and they look very useful. I have mucked around with SHP files before. Probably the best approach with that one would be to convert it into a .img file and load it as a map. Tricky to get right but i might just try.

Nickel... What happened to the Ed Garvey shelter? I see it on the GPS files but it isn't on thebackpacker.com database. That one looks like it is quite a reasonable distance from Harper's Ferry.

But I will be guided by a nephew who has done part of the AT and he might have quite different plans for me.

Anyway, I will be trolling around to see what info I can gain. Seems that quite a lot comes up in Google.

I look forward to getting over there and absorbing some of your outdoor culture

[double d]

Welcome to TP and thanks for coming to the U.S. to visit and see our country. As for Harpers Ferry, very interesting place for visiting the HQ of the A.T. and of course the site of pre Civil War history and Civil War history (the Conferates took over the town in the early fall of 1861). Great location to see an important city.

[JimHalpert]

Originally Posted by pmcke

What happened to the Ed Garvey shelter? I see it on the GPS files but it isn't on thebackpacker.com database. That one looks like it is quite a reasonable distance from Harper's Ferry.

the garvey shelter is 6-7 miles north of harpers ferry. if that's too far for a day hike, there is a road crossing about 3 miles south of the shelter.

[Nickel]

well PMCKE, I apologize, I had no idea that database was incomplete. 6.7, even roundtrip, is a very reasonable distance even when you include driving to and from. I'll have to just look in my guidebook next time instead of on the internet. You never know what you'll find on it. Good luck with wherever your nephew leads you. You won't be disappointed.

[pmcke]

Originally Posted by Nickel

well PMCKE, I apologize, I had no idea that database was incomplete. 6.7, even roundtrip, is a very reasonable distance even when you include driving to and from. I'll have to just look in my guidebook next time instead of on the internet. You never know what you'll find on it. Good luck with wherever your nephew leads you. You won't be disappointed.

No worries Nickel... it is always a problem getting complete information. Shelters and huts get burnt down, removed by the authorities if considered unnecessary etc etc.

I have once had the experience of arriving at a hut, only to find a pile of ash, unaware that it had burnt down a fortnight before. Not a pleasant feeling.

I have seen a couple of pictures now of the Ed Garvey shelter and it certainly looks like it is worth a visit.