The Unwashed and the Upper Crust in Connecticut

[Tin Man]

August 29, 2008

The Unwashed and the Upper Crust in Connecticut

By CHRISTOPHER PERCY COLLIER
ARRIVING in Kent, Conn., fresh off the Appalachian Trail, two hikers who go by the trail names Mudbug and Bones ambled for about a quarter of a mile along a country road. First they passed the well-kept athletic fields and stately brick structures of the Kent School. Then came two chocolate shops, a trio of hulking bovine statues, a smattering of art galleries and a series of sidewalk cafes.
Designer purses hung on racks not far from a Victorian house doubling as an antiques shop. A shiny black Porsche was parked on the street nearby. The camping supply store, when they arrived there, was selling backpacks alongside pink-and-green neckties bearing the preppy fashion design label Vineyard Vines. Mudbug carried a gray, javelin-sized walking staff fully stripped of its bark. Bones wore a light brown bandanna. His teak-stained ukulele was rolled up in a gray sleeping pad. Both sported beards and backpacks.
Like many hikers of the Appalachian Trail, Bones and Mudbug (whose names off the trail are Andrew Simpson and Tyler Geymann) hold that there are only two kinds of towns along the way: those friendly to hikers and those not. At first, they weren’t sure which side of the fence the upscale town of Kent was on.
Then the silence was broken.
“So have you seen any bears?” asked Larry Cunningham, a jovial middle-aged patron of Caralee’s restaurant who was eating brunch at an outdoor table not far from a woman wearing a shirt from Taft, another Connecticut boarding school.
“Sixteen,” Mr. Geymann said casually as he adjusted a strap on his pack. “There were a lot in New Jersey.”

...


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/29/tr...se&oref=slogin

[ed bell]

From the article:"It seems more like a place for blue blazers, penny loafers and pink shorts."
Blue-blazers don't wear no stinkin' penny loafers and pink shorts.

[sasquatch2014]

Hey Tin Man thanks for Posting this it is a good piece.

[NICKTHEGREEK]

My kind of town

[Nearly Normal]

From the article:"It seems more like a place for blue blazers, penny loafers and pink shorts."
Blue-blazers don't wear no stinkin' penny loafers and pink shorts.

Yep,
Blue blazers find the best least traveled spots where the scaredy-cats don't go.

[Lone Wolf]

i've been goin' thru kent since 86. the only thing that sucks about the town is the uptight hikers that visit there. the locals are great

[skinny minnie]

i've been goin' thru kent since 86. the only thing that sucks about the town is the uptight hikers that visit there...

Uh, and the cost of ice cream. I seem to recall it being a bit steep for two scoops. Upper crust pricing, perhaps...

Good article though. And Kent and the surrounding area is very pretty.

[Lone Wolf]

Uh, and the cost of ice cream. I seem to recall it being a bit steep for two scoops. Upper crust pricing, perhaps...

Good article though. And Kent and the surrounding area is very pretty.

bfd. you're hikin'. eat it or don't

[skinny minnie]

bfd. you're hikin'. eat it or don't

yeah, yeah.

I'll bite my tongue next time. Can't really whine about how poor I am when I'm shelling out 5 bucks for coffee or ice cream. Cause if I really was, I wouldn't be buying it...

You win LW.

[Grampie]

Chris Collier is right to a certain extent when he said, "there are two types of towns along the AT."
I find that what the difference is mainly in the owners of town establishments. Those who need the income that hikers provide and those who don't need the income from hikers.
Most of the folks who live in these towns are great.

[minnesotasmith]

i've been goin' thru kent since 86. the only thing that sucks about the town is the uptight hikers that visit there. the locals are great

-no hostel

-no supermarket

-no AYCE

-no place to get non-WIFI online access

-no good large general discount store

-no dollar store

Other than that, it's a first-rate trail town with everything.

[Tin Man]

there is a supermarket, Davis IGA

what happened? they didn't let you in?

the rest is luxuries for hikers. resupply, pay CT rates to stay/eat or not, then leave
no town has an obligation to cater to hikers on a budget

[MOWGLI]

A Dollar Store in Kent. Now THAT'S funny.

I really enjoyed a Sunday AM in Kent. I bought a newspaper, baked goods and coffee, and lounged around for a couple hours. It was just what I needed, and close enough to the trail that I walked both ways.

[minnesotasmith]

there is a supermarket, Davis IGA

I didn't personally have a need to stop there either time I was there, making arrangements for resupply elsewhere.

[RITBlake]

-no hostel

-no supermarket

-no AYCE

-no place to get non-WIFI online access

-no good large general discount store

-no dollar store

Other than that, it's a first-rate trail town with everything.

A town has no obligation to be a great trail town. The town came first then the trail. God forbid a town doesn't cater to your every need. You could always......walk past the town!!!!!!!!!!

[MOWGLI]

I didn't personally have a need to stop there either time I was there, making arrangements for resupply elsewhere.

I hear they carry Cuddlefish in Salisbury.

[Montana Mac]

Actually Davis IGA is a fairly well stocked market with a good deli department for having sandwiches made.

Before the trail relo Monroe's Store in Cornwall Bridge was another good re-supply place. The best part of Cornwall Bridge was that the liquor store would give a free cold beer (hiker's choice) to thru hikers. Since the relo further up Rt 4 I don't know if this practice is still done.

Both Cornwall and Kent and northwestern Conn in general have experienced a large influx of NYC residents for weekend homes and retirement homes.

I grew up in Cornwall when it was still a "rural farm town" and land prices were reasonable. There use to be at least of half of dozen dairy farms in Cornwall.

[Tilly]

I liked walking through Kent. The IGA has everything you need. It's not a discount store, but the prices are in line. The green is nice. The Pizza Garden is a good place to eat and get a beer.

I really like walking through all the different towns on the trail. I like it when they are a little different, too. "Upper-crusty" "tourist" "blue collar" or whatever. It's interesting & fun for me.

[Grampie]

The problem is: Kent is not a trail town. It's a town on the trail.

[RITBlake]

The problem is: Kent is not a trail town. It's a town on the trail.

Nothing wrong w/ that.

Why rent hostel space to hikers for 10 dollars a night when other people will stay at your B&B for $300 a night. You'd be an idiot to open a hostel in Kent.

Towns have no obligation to cater to hikers. Get over it.