Icewater Trail Shelter in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park - April, 2012 - surely crowded shelters become a nuisance to hikers. This has become a new and consistent reality in recent years for thru and section hikers.

Beginning in Georgia, the majority of Thru-Hikers swarm trail shelters, litter and lighten their pack weight at the expense of the environment and trail volunteers, and pollute the natural experience that hikers originally sought. While any hiker can complain about the crowds, it is a double standard with no one and everyone to blame. A similar paradox is that while the National Park Service is aware of the volumes of hikers and issues they bring, they also wish to increase attendance and diversity along the Trail and other parks. Along with overcrowding, the crowds themselves have become increasingly ill-mannered on the trail, openly drinking alcohol, aiding to noise pollution, and littering.