Man vs. Mouse at Thomas Knob Shelter
Thomas Knob Shelter on the Appalachian Trail
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APRIL, 2017
There are two things you can count on when it comes to Appalachian Trail Shelters. First, you will come to one every five to fifteen miles. 250 shelters are spread along the 2190 miles of the AT. Second, each shelter will be full of mice. Many hikers refuse to stay in shelters for that very reason. Around every shelter is some sort of space to set up a tent, hammock, or lay a sleeping bag on the ground, so there are options to avoid sleeping in a shelter. I counted myself in the ‘avoid shelters’ crowd until one stormy night in 2017 at the Thomas Knob Shelter in the Grayson Highlands. There was no doubt I would be dealing with mice that night, but I didn’t realize it would amount to a Man vs. Mouse battle with one furry, red beady-eyed critter.
“I was never truly alone in the shelters. There were always plenty of mice to keep me company. I frequently heard them scurry across the rafters and occasionally saw them run across the floorboards. Once they even got into my food bag that was hung beneath the shelter canopy.” – Jennifer Pharr Davis
Thomas Knob Shelter
Getting to the Thomas Knob Shelter
Avoiding staying in shelters until Thomas Knob
My adventure at the Thomas Knob Shelter came on the second night of my 2017 Appalachian Trail Grayson Highlands hike with Bob. That trip was actually my second AT hike, the first being my 2016 Roan Highlands AT hike. I went into my 2016 AT hike with little knowledge about shelters. My expectation was that I would stay each night in a shelter because that’s ‘what you did’ on the AT. That trip taught me there are other camping options around shelters. I stayed AT shelters each night on that trip, but never IN a shelter. That string continued into the first night of our 2017 AT hike. Bob and I tented at the Old Orchard Shelter. We anticipated tenting at our next stop, the Thomas Knob Shelter, but when we arrived all the tent spots were taken, and nasty weather was moving in.
Lower Level of Thomas Knob Shelter
Description of the Thomas Knob Shelter
Thomas Knob Shelter is a two-story shelter with room for 16 hikers. That’s a BIG shelter by Appalachian Trail standards. The first level is typical but larger than usual. It’s open in the front, relatively nice, and bright on the lower level. The second level is far less ‘nice’ – dark and cramped, with a low-sloped roof. You REALLY don’t want to stay on the second level. We were on the second level! But we had no choice if we were going to stay in the shelter. When rain, sleet, and lightning moved in shortly after we committed to ‘shelter life,’ we were happy to be there, even in the ‘attic.’ More and more hikers came in soaked from the rain. Eventually we packed 18 hikers into the 16-person shelter.
“Thomas Knob Shelter proved a sweet spot in the higher altitude. We opted for the loft reached by way of a ladder. It was great to start the next day without breaking camp in rain. Rates as the best shelter on this section.” Hiker Review
Timely but counter-intuitive mouse advice
“I Don’t Know” was an AT thru-hiker that we met the night before at the Old Orchard Shelter. He arrived at Thomas Knob shortly after Bob and me, and was also ‘sentenced’ to a night on the upper level. “I Don’t Know” took time to teach us the ropes about mouse protocol in the shelters. He helped hang our food bags and told us to keep all of our pack zippers open to allow mice freely in and out. Huh?! It turns out the mice are getting in your pack regardless. You either let them in, or they chew their way in. Bob and I followed his advice meticulously, and our packs were intact in the morning. Coincidentally, “I Don’t Know” mistakenly hung his clothes bag and left his food bag on the floor. In the morning, his food bag had a perfectly circular hole chewed through it!
Upper Level of Thomas Knob Shelter
Battle with a fearless furry, red beady-eyed rodent
I was fully expecting some ‘mouse excitement’ that night but didn’t give it much thought before immediately passing out. We were tired from two long days of hiking. Storms were hitting the shelter full-force, and heavy rain on the metal roof just above our heads was a perfect, sleep-inducing white noise. But at about 1 AM, the rain stopped, and I began to hear scratchy noises close by my head. My backpack was about a foot from my head. Lifting my head, I looked toward my pack and saw movement. I turned on the red light of my headlamp, and right in front of my face were two beady red eyes staring back at me from on top of my pack pocket. Being more tired than alarmed, I shoed the mouse away, moved my pack closer, and went back to sleep.
Upper Level of Thomas Knob Shelter
Conclusion – Man vs. Mouse at Thomas Knob Shelter
Our ongoing ‘battle’ would repeat itself multiple times until I had moved my pack right up against my head. The mouse wasn’t impressed! At 3 AM, I was lying with my face toward my backpack pocket, about 4 inches from my nose. Opening my eyes, I turned my headlamp on, and filling my view were a mouse’s two beady red eyes. I swear he was flipping me the bird! That was it. Raising my hand up, I intended to smash the mouse with a quick downward blow. I swung my arm down, but my antagonist took off (towards a sleeping Bob!). That ‘battle’ may have finally been won, but it was certainly not the end of the Thomas Knob Shelter mouse ‘war.’ No doubt my mouse friend would repeat that cycle each night with a fresh batch of hikers.
Thomas Knob Shelter
YouTube Video – Thomas Knob Shelter
I am a ‘content creator’ with a passion for backpacking, creating videos, photography, and writing – with a healthy dose of all things outdoors on the side!
