Hikers along the Appalachian Trail today can count on some sort of shelter approximately every 8-10 miles along their route. Construction of this chain of shelters began in the 1930s, but was not completed until after the Second World War. The original route of the Appalachian Trail in Southwestern Virginia included only one such shelter -- the Rocky Knob build by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1937, pictured here. Except for this shelter, hikers along the original route had to camp either in tents or in the ruins of old barns or farm houses along the way. When Earl Shaffer passed through during his first ever thru hike of the AT in 1948, he wrote:

"I finally stumbled into Rocky Knob by starlight and found the shelter was of stone, open on three sides and with a cold wind howling through. I gathered some snags for fireplace wood and a sackful of leaves to cushion the stone floor. The temperature must have been around freezing."

Hikers along the Appalachian Trail today can count on some sort of shelter approximately every 8-10 miles along their route. Construction of this chain of shelters began in the 1930s, but was not completed until after the Second World War. The original route of the Appalachian Trail in Southwestern Virginia included only one such shelter on Rocky Knob in Floyd County. Hikers along the original route had to camp either in tents or in the ruins of old barns or farm houses along the way.

The Cherry Tree Shelter, pictured here, was constructed right around the time that the AT moved away from its original route along Iron Mountain to the present route that passes through the Grayson Highlands. Some hikers who still followed the old route of the trail into the late 1950s reported staying at this shelter -- the only one west of the New River along the old trail route.

The Willis Ross Camp stood near the shore of Stratton Pond in Vermont until it burned in 1972 and was not rebuilt. It was an enclosed cabin-style shelter of the type often found along the Long Trail/Appalachian Trail in Vermont. It was built and maintained by the Green Mountain Club.

The Rentschler Shelter was located in Pennsylvania near Bethel, PA, and was built by volunteers from the Blue Mountain Eagle Climbing Club to commemorate Dr. Rentschler's role in founding their club. The shelter was built in 1933 and torn down in the 1960s. It was a partially closed front log lean-to, typical of the shelters built during this period in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland. A memorial to Dr. Rentschler remains at the site of the former shelter.

From reverse of photograph: "Replacing the Roof on the East Carry Pond Lean-to (1954)" The East Carry Pond Lean-to is one of the many Ghost Shelters along the Appalachian Trail. In this photograph from 1954, one can see that it was a small log sided lean-to structure with a shingle roof and a dirt floor. It was maintained by the Maine Appalachian Trail Club.

The Old Job Shelter near Griffith Lake in Vermont in 1960, along the Long Trail/AT route near Mount Tabor, Vermont. The Old Job Shelter was built by the CCC during the early days of the Appalachian Trail/Long Trail. A few years after this photograph was taken, the U. S. Forest Service built a new shelter closer to the shore of Griffith Lake and named it the Griffith Lake Shelter. The Old Job Shelter was renamed the Peru Peak Shelter.

The Clarendon Lodge Shelter on the Appalachian Trail/Long Trail in Vermont in the fall of 1960. This enclosed camp has been replaced by a lean-to style shelter and is maintained by the Green Mountain Club.

The Bourn Pond Shelter was located on the shore of Bourn Pond in Vermont, on a former route of the Appalachian Trail, now known as the Stratton Pond Trail. This shelter is one of the cabin style shelters found along the Long Trail/Appalachian Trail and was built by the Green Mountain Club. It still exists, just no longer on the Appalachian Trail.

The Bigelow Mountain Shelter, pictured here sometime in the 1950s, was removed from the Appalachian Trail in the 1960s. It is a typical version of the log sided Adirondack style lean-to favored by the early shelter builders. It was located just south of the current Horns Pond Shelter.

From the back of the image: "Lean-to on the Appalachian Trail on the conifer-covered slopes of Mt. Bigelow in Maine. Here the Appalachian Trail and the Bigelow Range Trails meet, affording a crest line route of 20 miles along Mt. Bigelow."

The Big Flat Shelter in Shenandoah National Park, c. 1940s. This shelter was built by volunteers from the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club in the 1940s and was removed at some point in the 1960s due to the creation of the Loft Mountain Campground in the Park. Records on the exact location of the shelter are hazy at best. Those who have researched the location of the former shelter place it, most likely, at the site of the current amphitheater in the campground facility.

The Mohawk No. 1 Shelter is located on the Mohawk Trail in the Mohawk State Forest, a trail that was the route of the Appalachian Trail in Central Connecticut until the 1980s. This shelter was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps sometime in the 1930s. The 1968 Guide to the Appalachian Trail in Massachusetts and Connecticut describes the shelter as having a fireplace and no bunks. Hikers had to obtain permission from the Forest Ranger in the Mohawk State Forest before camping there.

The Wesser Creek Shelter was a traditional Adirondack style lean-to, located just north of Wesser Bald in the Nantahala region of North Carolina. This shelter no longer exists.