The Original A.T. Shelters

Approximately 12,000 years ago as the last of the glaciers made their final retreat northward as the weather warmed, causing them to rapidly melt, the ancestors of the Lenape tribe made their way into the land that now comprises New Jersey, New York, and parts of Pennsylvania and Connecticut. The first landscape was a barren tundra, resembling those now found in the northern reaches of Canada and Alaska. Caribou, mastodon, and even the occasional mammoth roamed the land, serving as prey for the newly arrived people. Few trees existed. Large boulders strewn across the landscape, known as glacial erratics, and overhanging rock ledges on the sides of mountains were all that existed to shelter the Lenape from the frigid, arctic-like weather. As the climate improved over the millenia, tundra gave way to spruce and birch forests, and from there, to a forest similar to the one we know today comprised of oaks, hickories, maples, and other well known species.

The bare and gray background developed into a lush, forested landscape. Trees towered over the once all important “rockshelters.” Though wigwams and longhouses were now being constructed from the ubiquitous vegetation, these simple, craggy structures were still being utilized by Native Americans. A lone hunter deep in the woods tracking his quarry for miles might spend a night beneath an overhang afforded by a massive boulder to avoid the wind of a cool fall night or perhaps to escape the drenching rain of a summer thunderstorm. Additionally, these places were also frequented by larger groups as they migrated. These people moved seasonally from site to site to be in a better position to collect newly ripening plants or to make it to a certain spot in time to find arriving game animals or spawning fish. They might move to a grove of mast producing species to collect the nuts of oaks, hickories, or chestnuts, of which they were especially fond. And in the spring they might traverse the land to encamp near a stream or tributary of the Delaware or Hudson River to trap the herring that swim up them to spawn. Their lives were variable and subject to the capricious whims of the environment, but the rockshelters were the one solid constant that could always be relied upon when they needed protection from the elements.

Many of these once occupied rockshelters can still be seen along portions of the A.T. today, even in some of the highest and most seemingly inaccessible locations. As such, thru-hikers and Natives of the past seem to share a few similarities. Apart from visiting these remote spots, both have known the pain of lugging a tremendous amount of weight around for lengthy distances—the hiker, a 30 pound pack on his back; a Lenape native, a recently shot deer carcass that had to be dragged back to camp, or maybe a pack-like bundle that contained the camp itself and needed transportation to a seasonal locale that could only be accessed by crossing over a steep mountain range or two.  Each has also witnessed the beauty of the forest, of nature itself, and has reverenced the mysteries that are contained within. Though separated by centuries they share a common uniting force—the rocky land of the Appalachians.

Every day a hiker makes his way through the Mid-Atlantic States he passes by a multitude of sites used by the Lenape, although few recognize them.  Many see stone, but nothing more. The cultural aspects of the land are just as important as its ecology or natural history.

 Many rockshelters appear as though they would be the perfect spot to encamp; others are smaller or more covert and their tales are only told by the archaeological record. The occasional open air campsite can also be found on flat terraces near streams and lakes, as are larger village sites.

Right around the creation of the Appalachian Trail in the 1920’s, archaeologists began seriously investigating the land that exists within the bounds of Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks in New York. It was a boon time for excavations and for the documentation of new sites. Many of the artifacts pulled from these digs made their way into the historical museum at Trailside Museums and Zoo, located directly adjacent to the Bear Mountain Bridge. Trailside was envisioned by Benton MacKaye, who wanted a nature center such as this placed at regular intervals along the A.T. This is the only one that actually came into being, unfortunately.

Apart from the remains of Fort Clinton from the Revolutionary War, there are numerous archaeological sites located within Trailside relating to Native Americans.  The largest is an open air campsite overlooking the Hudson River atop an airy bluff. This is the lowest spot along the entire A.T., at only 120 feet above sea level. The site is directly opposite the bear den and is identified by a small sign that briefly discusses the history. Follow the “Geology Trail” east and you will pass though part of the campsite that is bounded by a small stream on the left. A sunny promontory at the trail’s end was probably used by the Natives to fashion stone tools via a process known as flint knapping.  Recent invasive species removal has restored the site to its former glory and probably closely matches what it would have looked like several millennia ago when the first Indians occupied it.

Over the years, 4 or 5 excavations have taken place near the bear den campsite, the most recent being in the fall of 2013. A water pipe that is buried through part of the campsite needed repairs, and as such, the surrounding area had to be dug up. A 6x3x3 foot plot uncovered 2 chert knife tips, 2 hammerstones, various chert and jasper cobbles, and slightly over 100 stone waste flakes, known as debitage. This rich spread of artifacts in such a small area is somewhat unusual, especially considering that previous excavations have been done here in the past. However, in the early days of Trailside’s history archaeologists on staff were mostly concerned with preserving museum quality specimens (usually arrowheads) that were coming out of the ground and paid little attention to the raw material or tools required to make them. Contemporary archaeologists now tend to focus just as much of their attention on the seemingly most insignificant of artifacts as they do on the most prestigious and well-made. They realize that much can still be learned from broken artifacts and purposely discarded waste pieces.

Despite what many people might think, Native Americans, in most cases, actually ate quite well. We can tell this was true by examining the bones, shells, and to a lesser extent, carbonized remains of organic material left behind in rockshelters. Due to the acidic nature of northeastern soil, many faunal remains will not generally survive more than a few centuries. If sequestered within a rockshelter these artifacts may remain in better shape and survive longer than they would in an open air campsite.  A majority of surviving organic items pulled from these structures in New Jersey and southern New York date back to the Late Woodland period (1,000-400 years ago). These people consumed a wide array of animals, many of which are now extinct or extirpated from the region, such as passenger pigeons, Alleghany woodrats, mountain lions, and even bison (their historical range extended to the western side of the Hudson River). They further supplemented their diet with deer, turkey, beaver, bear, and shellfish that used to exist in copious quantities in the upper reaches of the Hudson and Delaware Rivers that routinely were as large as an outstretched hand. The Natives certainly appear to have eaten better than some hikers do today.

Next time you’re on the trail I would definitely recommend taking a few minutes to examine a rockshelter or two, especially the larger ones. It’s no secret that the NYNJ Trail Conference purposely routes numerous trails so that they pass by the most interesting rock formations.  Usually a shelter is among them.  While many look shabby today and are infested with myriads of insects and have a dense leaf strewn floor, in prehistoric times, if these sites were used for more than a few days at a time, the appearance would be significantly different.

Let’s say for example, two people, a man and a woman, are occupying a shelter for several days 1,000 years ago. If we were to look inside we would find that the ground is swept of leaves and a fur garment is covering the dirt floor to ensure a warm and congenial feel; the man is just outside butchering an animal. When his task is complete he hands a clump of meat over to the woman who promptly begins cooking it over the fire that’s constructed under the rock eave. By her side in the rockshelter, sitting on the ground, stands a couple small, decorated clay pots filled with water collected from a nearby stream that will be utilized for a variety of tasks. When night settles in the two move closer to the fire for added warmth and light. As they lightly converse the man does some minor tool repair. Shortly after he finishes up, the two fall asleep wrapped in blankets of thick deer and bear hides. The fire slowly wanes and all is enveloped in darkness, with only the occasional yelp of a coyote sounding in the distance.

 You have to look past the dreary mess in the shelters today and imagine how it once was.

The Cats Rock Rockshelter in Pawling, NY would have fitted a pair of Natives comfortably like the ones just described. This very large glacial erratic, on par with the size of a small house, is situated on a steep mountain slope just north of the Telephone Pioneer lean-to.  Its ample overhang would have ensured great comfort, and ease when walking around.

These sites are fragile so it’s best to tread lightly. There’s nothing worse than to see an archeological site contaminated with modern debris—it really does diminish the ambiance of it. While this shelter is a prime example of what Natives would seek out for a night’s rest, this particular site is moderately degraded by the buildup of trash and through use by rock climbers.

The Lenape viewed this world differently than most of us now see it. Everything, living and non-living, was imbibed with a spirit, even the cold and prosaic rock beneath our feet. Mankind was but a single puzzle piece to this world. All deserved respect. The last remaining Lenape today hold the rockshelters and other sites utilized by their ancestors to be sacred.

When it comes to sacred sites, some were revered more highly than others. Waterfalls were especially meaningful to the Lenape and many would travel far out of their way to reach one to pray or conduct ceremonies. The same could be said with certain overlooks atop hills or mountains that afforded sweeping views of the landscape that kindled their connection to the divine.  Every bit of the land was precious, but especially the stone, which they used for shelter, made tools out of, along with stone bowls and ceramic pots, not to mention use as a canvas—the occasional petroglyph can be found etched into bedrock outcroppings. Though they no longer frequent the rockshelters or tread the valleys and peaks of the Appalachians, the land is still looked after and maintained by like minded beings—A.T. hikers that see there is more to the land than just the value of natural resources it contains.


Michael Adamovic is an avid A.T. hiker and serves as a site steward at several state parks in southern New York as part of the Native American Site Steward Program (NASSP). He holds a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies from Manhattanville College.

This article will be appearing in the July 2014 issue of A.T. Journeys.