Isle Royale Forums

Three relevant personal experiences come to mind:

• One year (late May) when hiking into Siskiwit Bay after a looooong day, I asked to share a shelter with another solo hiker. Nothing other than my fatigue would have induced me to ask. I crawled into my sleeping bag and woke up after he left the next morning. Thanks generous non-creepy pipe-smoking guy with the red Mammut pack!
• Another year (September) I came into Rock Harbor from Belle Isle and snagged the last shelter while the rest of the VIIs underwent orientation and permitting. Just as I dropped my pack, another hiker asked if he could share the shelter. I told him that another shelter down the way had a solo hiker (not creepy) who had already offered to share his shelter—"I bet he did" he said (creepy)—and suggested that he ask there (which he did, with success).
  
  I then took off for Scoville Point kind of expecting to have sheltermates upon my return. And I did—a wet solo hiker who'd just come off the Greenstone from Windigo. Polite, personable, not creepy. He was on a quest to visit all of the national parks, and Isle Royale was one of the last. Thanks for being considerate and not creepy!
• And then there was last year (August, COVID). On our last hiking day we had rain most of the way from Lane Cove, and when we reached Rock Harbor there were no shelters. In the end, we did get one, and invited a couple of hikers who'd also been on the island for several days to share. It was a risk we were willing to take, and given the temporary overpopulation of Rock Harbor (seaplane delays all around) was a good thing to do. And they were awesome sheltermates!

Otherwise I've either been in a six-person group taking up a whole shelter, or it just hasn't come up. Whenever I am solo, I expect to share yet it's rarely an issue.

Back in 2010 just before Labor Day quite a storm prevented both boats from the UP to arrive at RH per their schedules. The Queen finally came out two days late and it was about 10 pm when we got back to Copper Harbor. I spent three straight evenings in a shelter at RH with a couple from Urbana, Ohio and a mother and her 2 teens from Mich. The Rangers asked folks to double up and it turned out OK for us. The Rangers said 3mile and Daisy Farm were full up too.

OK, so what exactly does one say to someone who is requesting to share your shelter, assuming there are no extenuating circumstances?  I also would prefer not to share a shelter even though there is only one of me.  With COVID I guess I should be able to just say I'm not comfortable sharing my shelter and that should be enough.  But, for future years I'd like to have a canned response to the request to shelter share.  Somehow "I prefer to be by myself in this shelter" does not seem like the right thing to say.  Like Torpified, I would also be inclined to move out into my tent rather than share but I suspect I would be rather irritated to do that, especially at a place like Moskey where the shelters are just about perfectly located and the tent sites not so much.

kelly wrote: "I then took off for Scoville Point kind of expecting to have sheltermates upon my return. And I did—a wet solo hiker who'd just come off the Greenstone from Windigo."

I would never expect to leave my shelter and return and have sheltermates.  Is that really a thing that happens often?  People would actually squat in a tagged shelter without asking permission?

I had never thought of it but if I were "forced" to share a shelter I could note that I am planning on putting up my tent although I must admit no matter how cold I prefer to sleep in the shelters outside of a tent. 

I am glad someone brought this subject up as I must admit sometimes I thought I was the only one who does not want to share a shelter. I have absolutely no problem sharing tent sites (and have a number of times) but shelter sharing almost seems like sharing your tent with a stranger.

HikerGal wrote: ↑Wed Apr 28, 2021 8:04 pm OK, so what exactly does one say to someone who is requesting to share your shelter, assuming there are no extenuating circumstances? 

Social theory isn't my long suit, which is why I'd just head off to a tent site. (Or steal your brilliant idea of simply setting up my tent in the shelter!) But this could be an occasion to invoke that mainstay of solo hikers: imaginary companions. You could claim to be awaiting the remainder of your party. I'm not sure that it would be worth it though: the possible consequent awkwardness might outweigh the actual awkwardness of sheltering with strangers (which I have to admit that, when it's befallen me, I've usually enjoyed).

HikerGal wrote: ↑Wed Apr 28, 2021 8:04 pm kelly wrote: "I then took off for Scoville Point kind of expecting to have sheltermates upon my return. And I did—a wet solo hiker who'd just come off the Greenstone from Windigo."

Rock Harbor can fill up more than other campgrounds, and I'm ok with sharing with non-creepy people. It felt busy that day.

HikerGal wrote: ↑Wed Apr 28, 2021 8:04 pm I would never expect to leave my shelter and return and have sheltermates. Is that really a thing that happens often? People would actually squat in a tagged shelter without asking permission?

It's only ever happened to me that one time. He would have moved out if I wasn't comfortable with the situation.

I'm a big fan of my personal space and am not much for extroversion. However, if the situation feels safe, I find that meeting new people can be enjoyable. (Generally not on planes, though—except for that one time I sat next to a veterinarian from Kruger National Park. That caused me to rethink my whole not-talking-to-people-on-planes philosophy, at least for a little bit).

So the decision to share my shelter is situational.

There's not a right answer here—which is why this topic continues to be discussed.

Oh, and, a special note about shelter 1 and 2 at Rock Harbor - occasionally injured hikers come off the trail and need to wait for a ferry, and the rangers direct them (or assist them?) to shelter 2 (with wheelchair ramp) or shelter 1. So the rangers know where they are and can look in on them if there is any concern. Having been the beneficiary of the rangers giving me shelter 1 for three days when I smashed my knee, I would always be prepared to share or vacate one of those shelters to an injured hiker.

The rangers are helpful when someone needs help/or they're injured. 2 years ago I had a tender knee when I got to 3 mile CG. I told the ranger I was heading back to RH. When I got back to Rock Harbor the next day, another ranger came up to my shelter and asked how I was doing. That's before he asked to see my permit. (He was probably told an old man needed checking on.) I too, like Bobcat1 would be willing to share a shelter/site with an injured person/hiker.

HikerGal wrote: ↑Wed Apr 28, 2021 8:04 pm OK, so what exactly does one say to someone who is requesting to share your shelter, assuming there are no extenuating circumstances?  I also would prefer not to share a shelter even though there is only one of me.  With COVID I guess I should be able to just say I'm not comfortable sharing my shelter and that should be enough.  But, for future years I'd like to have a canned response to the request to shelter share.  Somehow "I prefer to be by myself in this shelter" does not seem like the right thing to say.  Like Torpified, I would also be inclined to move out into my tent rather than share but I suspect I would be rather irritated to do that, especially at a place like Moskey where the shelters are just about perfectly located and the tent sites not so much.

I am glad someone brought this subject up as I must admit sometimes I thought I was the only one who does not want to share a shelter. I have absolutely no problem sharing tent sites (and have a number of times) but shelter sharing almost seems like sharing your tent with a stranger.

With or without COVID, you should be able to say exactly what you propose. "I'm not comfortable sharing a shelter." Maybe you beef it up a little and go with "I'm sorry, but I'm not comfortable sharing my shelter with a stranger(s)." As long as it's not an emergency situation, that should suffice in my opinion.

And I realize that this easier for some people than it is for others, but I've always been a fan of being firm, polite and direct with others. I've always appreciated the same from others too.

My opinion, if someone shows up with a dire consequence like during severe wind/rain or has a serious injury, then I find that acceptable to ask about doubling up. At that point it is a humanitarian issue and we should help out our fellow man.

If it is fair weather and nobody is hurt and you ask to double up, I will show you where the tent sites are. I suspect that the number of people asking to "stay in your room" because they're to lazy to pitch their tent is low, but there are probably a handful. I stopped at Daisy Farm and 3M last month just to scope them out, talk about CRAYZAY. Doors slamming, loud people, and kids screaming is, in part, what leaves me with very little interest in doubling up as those are likely the type of people who would ask. Car camping at a wal-mart parking lot would be more attractive.

Iconic wrote: ↑Wed Jul 07, 2021 12:03 am My opinion, if someone shows up with a dire consequence like during severe wind/rain or has a serious injury, then I find that acceptable to ask about doubling up. At that point it is a humanitarian issue and we should help out our fellow man.

If it is fair weather and nobody is hurt and you ask to double up, I will show you where the tent sites are. I suspect that the number of people asking to "stay in your room" because they're to lazy to pitch their tent is low, but there are probably a handful. I stopped at Daisy Farm and 3M last month just to scope them out, talk about CRAYZAY. Doors slamming, loud people, and kids screaming is, in part, what leaves me with very little interest in doubling up as those are likely the type of people who would ask. Car camping at a wal-mart parking lot would be more attractive.

Haha.
I have never brought myself to stay at Three Mile. And Daisy is almost always crazy.