Avoid Standing Bear Hostel

[mcrainbow]

Stayed at SBH in 2010 and have to admit it wasn't one of my favorite places. The facilities are nice, especially the shower. The composting privy was almost overflowing. I noticed that some hikers were treated well and others not. A couple spent around $90 resupplying and decided not to stay because they were treated badly. One guy I hiked with later told me he was double charged on his credit card. When he discovered this he called SBH and they said they were too busy to do anything about it. I heard other hikers had the same experience.

$90 in resupply?

[Danl]

Was he a Marine?

[Tennessee Viking]

I stopped by SBH after visiting Gatlinburg just to tour the place. Curtis showed me around and was such a funny guy.

Just because hikers stop through places doesn't make them god. Be gracious to your host.

Watch out what you post as Curtis also roams WhiteBlaze.

[Hikes in Rain]

Curtis let me park my truck at his place last summer. I had blowout of my hiking boots, and had to backtrack. When I got there, my truck battery was deader than a doornail. Curtis took about 45 minutes out of his evening, at dinner time, no less, to get me jumped and started on my way. I'd payed in advance for seven days of parking, but I told him if he could get me going, any "refund" was his. He just grinned, and said, "we give refunds??", then winked.

Got the truck started, he headed back, I went forward and turned around. He was waiting at the turnoff. (Bless him!) I just smiled, waived, and hollered out the window that as mentioned, any so called refund was his!

Great place. Wish I'd been able to stay. They had gumbo that night. Smelled wonderful!!

[SouthMark]

Was he a Marine?

Yes I believe so. He also worked for the Park Service in the Smokies.

[sheepdog]

Curtis Rocks.

[RockDoc]

Well there aren't many places offering lucrative employment to aging hippies.
The people who like it most seem to drink/smoke heavily, and make racket around the fire late into the night.
Oh and how cool is it to sell people's uncollected mail items, instead of returning the items to them?

[Wise Old Owl]

This comment sounds positively diagnostic.

so what... lets move on.

[Wise Old Owl]

One of my favorite hostels on the trail. Curtis doesn't suffer fools gladly. I do believe he gets a bit tired of people tru eating him like he's the doorman at the Ritz rather than the owner of a homestead who is graciously allowing you onto his property.

Damn nice post!

I will be the first to say its not the ritz it is a Hostel and its on the cheap... if you are a deadbeat you have no right to compain... I find the head but thing awful. but I can guess stuff is out of proportion as this is Wb and not the dry by news. It is incredibly difficult to run a place like this _ I see both sides with open owl eyes.

You are incredibly lucky to have any hostel open in these times... cus they are drying up!

[Praha4]

I stopped at SBH on my northbound section hike in May2010. I loved the place and the atmophere, it was a great place to stop after leaving the Smokies en route to Hot Springs. Curtis was helpful and courteous to everyone when I went thru there. I honestly don't know how most folks have the patience to operate an AT hostel, by the snotty attitudes I encountered from many hikers. Many so called "thru hikers" seem to feel entitled, and do treat folks rudely and I'm sure Curtis has to put up with a lot of crap and hikers ripping him off in the store, which is run on an honor system. It's well known that his store offers a basic seletion of food and supplies to get you to Hot Springs. We had pizza and ice cream and used the internet service to check email. It was one of my favorite stops on the AT. Good job Curtis!

btw, anyone know what Curtis charges for a shuttle ride from SBF back to Fontana Dam? I'm looking at a section hike sometime this summer thru the Smokies.

[Jack Tarlin]

I have visited Standing Bear Farm more times than I can remember and have never been treated with anything but kindnesss and respect by Curtis and his wonderful family. I cannot help but make this one simple comment: When hurtful and malicious comments are made on forums of this sort, with the sole intent of causing other people harm and distress, either financial, emotional, or otherwise........these comments are inevitably made in the middle of ther night......and anonymously. This speaks volumes. I think the folks that run Standing Bear Farm are great folks who've helped out thousands of hikers over the years. SBF is a cool place. This is what I think, it's what I believe, and I don't have a problem putting my name on the comments, either. To start a thread saying "Avoid this place!" or "Stay away!" without putting your name on it reduces one's comments to the sort of thing one occasionally finds scrawled on the walls of a public easement facility. In short, if you have something to say to or about a trail provider.....well come out and say it. End of story.

[Northern Lights]

Damn nice post!

I will be the first to say its not the ritz it is a Hostel and its on the cheap... if you are a deadbeat you have no right to compain... I find the head but thing awful. but I can guess stuff is out of proportion as this is Wb and not the dry by news. It is incredibly difficult to run a place like this _ I see both sides with open owl eyes.

You are incredibly lucky to have any hostel open in these times... cus they are drying up!

LMAO it was a chest butt according to the OP

[Wise Old Owl]

well welcome to my FAUTLY TOWERS>

[mcrainbow]

To RockDoc:
In response to your posting about "how cool it is to sell people's uncollected mail items, instead of returning the items to them" accusation, I personally shopped for (yes, it's slightly used), hand-selected (with hikers in mind), bought and paid for each and every item for my resupply at Standing Bear Hostel. Where else can you buy a Patagonia jacket for $7.00 (including tax)? How "cool" are you to "assume" anything?
Maria, owner of Standing Bear Hostel

[stranger]

I wonder how people would feel if Curtis shut down SBF and let everyone do the 70 mile carry from Gatlinburg to Hot Springs? Probably more complaints.

I've been around the AT for many years, hiked thousands of miles over those years...the one thing I've noticed that has changed is:
- lighter gear
- more hiker facilities (towns, hostels)
- more and more thru-hikers claiming some type of entitlement and acting stupid

I suspect we know why Curtis might have a problem with some people. I think it's a great place, and I had a great time with Curtis, I never asked him for anything, he offered to drive us into town, he offered to take me down to Mountain Mama's, he offered to take our packs to Hot Springs if anyone wanted to pull a 33, etc...

But then again, I don't have expectations when I hike and use these services other than to be grateful that they are there when and if I choose to use them.

[owl]

I have met up with Curtis many times he has always been a great guy, sometimes people clash but usually that is from poor communications, Curtis has always been fine to me

[Lyle]

Several years ago, I sent a re-supply box to Curtis. Unfortunately, I needed to cut my hike short, and never retrieved the box. The only non-consumable in the box was a phone charger. A week or two after my scheduled arrival, I got around to emailing Curtis explaining the situation and asking him to place my box contents into a hiker box.

I was not aware of how his re-supply system worked, but if he found it useful, I have NO PROBLEM with him incorporating the packaged items in my box into his inventory. He is offering a mail holding service for free, so if an item is abandoned/uncollected, and the sender does not think enough of the contents to contact Curtis and arrange for postage to return the box, what would you have him do with it? More power to him finding a way to supplement his services.

[Biggie Master]

We stayed at SBH about 4 weeks ago. Curtis was more than accommodating. Shuttle ride was 60 minutes in a pouring rain and late in the evening - without complaints. I wouldn't hesitate to stay again, or arrange a shuttle with him. I personally appreciated everything. He's a funny guy -- if you'll stop and listen.

[stranger]

What I find amusing is that prior to Standing Bear Farm...the option was Mountain Mama's. Now for those who have been around a while, we know what that means...for the newer hikers, let's just say that Standing Bear Farm operates at an extremely high level comparably speaking.

Also, I don't have a problem with people expressing their opinions about certain trail businesses, but when the title of the thread is to avoid a certain place, that takes it to an inappropriate level. I could think of a few places I would vote against, however it takes a special person to start a thread up saying "Avoid Standing Bear Hostel".

Is that really necessary?

[Grampie]

I stopped at the Standing Bear Hostel but the owner was such a rude a$$hole I purchased the minimum needed to get me to Hot Springs and left. Ran across a couple of hikers a few miles down the trail that said they had a similar experience. A week or so later a 71 year old gentleman told me the owner had chest butted him the year before and tried to start a fight because he accidentally was about to open a door the owner did not want opened...nothing is labelled and the place is confusing...save your time and money for Hot Springs.

Sounds to me like just another thru-hiker who wanted special treatment and didn't get it. Standing Bear farm is a great hiker stop. Curtis is O.K. in my book.