View Full Version : White House Landing Closed for 2014
tim&vickie
03-23-2014, 08:41
I talked to the owner of WHL recently. He told me he has no plans to open for the 2014 season.
WILLIAM HAYES
03-23-2014, 13:26
too bad thru hikers will miss a great place and some mega burgers and pancakes
CarlZ993
03-23-2014, 13:28
I'd heard that (earlier post, maybe). That really broke up the 100-mile wilderness into manageable chunks. It's a shame the 2014 hikers (& beyond?) will miss that.
Lone Wolf
03-23-2014, 13:34
I'd heard that (earlier post, maybe). That really broke up the 100-mile wilderness into manageable chunks. It's a shame the 2014 hikers (& beyond?) will miss that.
we pre-2000 hikers had no problem managing the 100 mile walk :)
I went to Maine, east of Ellsworth/Acadia to the coast last year the first week of October...... let me put it nicely.
There is basically nothing for miles and miles that stays open past the tourist season, which is like end of June/July.
The ride I took from Ellsworth to Quoddy Head (Most eastern point in the US), was about 2 hrs along a very scenic area.... but with nothing civilization wise.... we drove for two hours, seeing only one McDonalds along the bigger highway there.... (highway 1). I use McDonalds as an example b/c you can find there pretty much everywhere.
Saw lots of closed shops, food stands... a giant blueberry house (weird). The lady at Quoddy Head even told me that people around there basically are all end of life retired, or on public assistance b/c there is nothing out there for miles..... even the fishing and blueberry picking is all seasonal.
Outside of the major cities in Maine, Portland/the coast..... maine is still pretty much US frontier in a sense. I dont see how anyone could be profitable off the beaten path.
Starchild
03-23-2014, 14:44
Too bad it was a very unique stop that was much in the character of the AT.
we pre-2000 hikers had no problem managing the 100 mile walk :)
We bad. I have to admit, the HMW felt a lot more magical before the shuttle services and seaplanes "opened it up" and started servicing every remote trailhead between Abol and Monson.
I skipped WHL in 2010 'cuz it was only my third day southbound, and too early in the day. If it had been day five or day six, maybe a different story.
I spent the night at WHL in 2010 and it was ok. In hindsight I don't feel like I would have missed anything had I kept going - I was almost to Baxter and had enough food to make it the rest of the way. I mean it was a great setting and beautiful and all that - but that's not limited to WHL because Maine is an eye-feast already.
So, to me, it's not the end of the world that it's closed this year.
Too bad it was a very unique stop that was much in the character of the AT.
+1 Ditto. WHL allowed a HMW AT hiker to carry 1 1/2- 2 days less food from Monson. Indeed, WHL was a unique, and much in the character of, the AT experience. I enjoyed my two stays there. Always enjoyed the novelty and convenience of sounding an air horn to come pick me up for a boat ride on a 2000+ mile footpath just as I also enjoyed the experience of Stephen Longley aka The Ferryman paddling me across the Kennebec River with the White Blaze painted on the floor of the canoe. These types of experiences broke up the hiking. I an very glad I was able to experience them as part of AT thru-hiking experiences.
The WHL setting was beautiful. Washing clothes in the old tub and wringing them out with the old hand cranked laundry ringer overlooking the lake on a colorful cool fall evening nearing the conclusion of a 2000+ mile multi month hike as I watched the ocassional fishing boat or seaplane out on the lake was iconic Maine. WHL made decent pizzas and burgers which allowed one more filling up on in town type food calories before the rest of the HMW. Maybe, I'm a reminiscing sentamentalist and maybe this stop wasn't for everyone but I always thought stopping at WHL was delightful. I was appreciative for what WHL offered. I'll miss WHL. THX for all the yrs of service to AT hikers WHL.
camp mom
08-06-2014, 18:05
Thank you dogwood:)due to having to keep our son in one school florida we are unable to open for such a short time,we are hoping someone will come along and buy our camps to re-open to the hikers...it is very quite here with out all the hikers and the sound of the air horn..good luck sobos and congrates to all the north bounders!!!
You're welcome. Your family deserved every word I said about WHL. We can sometimes forget it is not just about a hostel, resupply pt, a boat ride, etc but also about the people we meet, the goodwill they share, and the experiences they help provide. :) All My Best.
Traveler
08-07-2014, 09:50
I went to Maine, east of Ellsworth/Acadia to the coast last year the first week of October...... let me put it nicely.
There is basically nothing for miles and miles that stays open past the tourist season, which is like end of June/July.
The ride I took from Ellsworth to Quoddy Head (Most eastern point in the US), was about 2 hrs along a very scenic area.... but with nothing civilization wise.... we drove for two hours, seeing only one McDonalds along the bigger highway there.... (highway 1). I use McDonalds as an example b/c you can find there pretty much everywhere.
Saw lots of closed shops, food stands... a giant blueberry house (weird). The lady at Quoddy Head even told me that people around there basically are all end of life retired, or on public assistance b/c there is nothing out there for miles..... even the fishing and blueberry picking is all seasonal.
Outside of the major cities in Maine, Portland/the coast..... maine is still pretty much US frontier in a sense. I dont see how anyone could be profitable off the beaten path.
Maine is a different kind of place to be sure, and very easily misunderstood when all people may see of it are along the coastal areas during the off season. The tourist industry that serves a variety of needs with tourists and summer residents, or as they are called "people from away", tends to provide a lot of work for locals both on and off season in the various trades and can provide in many instances adequate seasonal income for the area. The tourist season ends pretty much after Labor day in September (very few places close by July unless they are going under financially) but has some hangers on in the lodges, inns, and scenic areas through the fall. Then a second season wave of ski resorts and winter sports attractions create another few months of tourism dollars. Of course the famed "Black Fly Season" and festival brings nearly three dozen to the State in late March during the Mud Month.
The economy of ME is still agrarian in nature, timber is a big part of it as well. Tourism in all of its forms are a fair industry there as well. Some manufacturing industry in the old river valley towns and cities like Rumford, Skowhegan, and Lewiston for example. Not visible in a casual drive along interstates or coastal US Highways like Rt 1, but there nonetheless.
The attraction of ME for many people is in its wilderness and relative inaccessibility. There are not many places in the US you can hike for days and reach mountain tops that do not have a view that includes distant houses, roads, or lights from a nearby town. Its more a state of mind than a place overall, its quirky and has charms that are easily missed when making comparisons to "civilized" when looking at a very, very small sliver of a very large State. Maine can be a tough place to live, seasonally it can be a challenge. Though some are there by no decision of their own, most are there because they really enjoy it.
AT trailtowns have been hit hard by the changing economy over the past few decades. Millinocket and Monson residents work hard just to hang on to the dwindling job opportunites.
Bluebearee
09-19-2014, 20:34
Maine is a different kind of place to be sure, and very easily misunderstood when all people may see of it are along the coastal areas during the off season. The tourist industry that serves a variety of needs with tourists and summer residents, or as they are called "people from away", tends to provide a lot of work for locals both on and off season in the various trades and can provide in many instances adequate seasonal income for the area. The tourist season ends pretty much after Labor day in September (very few places close by July unless they are going under financially) but has some hangers on in the lodges, inns, and scenic areas through the fall. Then a second season wave of ski resorts and winter sports attractions create another few months of tourism dollars. Of course the famed "Black Fly Season" and festival brings nearly three dozen to the State in late March during the Mud Month.
The economy of ME is still agrarian in nature, timber is a big part of it as well. Tourism in all of its forms are a fair industry there as well. Some manufacturing industry in the old river valley towns and cities like Rumford, Skowhegan, and Lewiston for example. Not visible in a casual drive along interstates or coastal US Highways like Rt 1, but there nonetheless.
The attraction of ME for many people is in its wilderness and relative inaccessibility. There are not many places in the US you can hike for days and reach mountain tops that do not have a view that includes distant houses, roads, or lights from a nearby town. Its more a state of mind than a place overall, its quirky and has charms that are easily missed when making comparisons to "civilized" when looking at a very, very small sliver of a very large State. Maine can be a tough place to live, seasonally it can be a challenge. Though some are there by no decision of their own, most are there because they really enjoy it.
The area described is Washington County Maine and is always struggling, high unemployment, and no not a lot of industry, it's also the gem of the Maine coast and is considered by most of us to be the "real Maine" - not Boothbay, Bar Harbor. I encourage anyone to leave Acadia behind and explore the coastline downeast, no you won't find lots of restaurants and McDonalds and tourist services, this is where real people live and try to scratch out a living. Maine isn't Disneyland. We all work many many jobs, cobbled together during the year, go without health insurance, have high heating costs and property taxes. I wouldn't live in any other state. But we pay a cost to live in this beautiful place. But to a person when I tell someone outside the state where I live I see the dreamy look in their face and a wistful smile as they say "Maine..... yeah.... I've always wanted to go there" - not everyone gets that reaction about their home state. I am grateful and thankful every day for the natural beauty of an enormous conifer filled state that many don't see or understand. It's a choice to live here.
I talked to the owner of WHL recently. He told me he has no plans to open for the 2014 season.
What about 2015? Has anyone seen or heard anything to indicate that WHL might be opening up this season?
No indication of reopening this year...and not listed in AWOL's 2015 AT Guide.
Water Rat
06-07-2015, 09:38
White House Landing is still for sale...and I highly doubt they have changed their minds about opening back up. I would think White Blaze would be the first stop to make that announcement if they had changed their minds. I say that because camp mom was here last August to post, so she knows this thread exists.
peakbagger
06-07-2015, 17:29
It's still listed for sale at a price that would be hard to make a go of it for someone making payments. I expect it will either sell at a substantial discount at some point or will end up as a private camp. If the owners aren't making payments, the carrying costs for land in unorganized townships isn't outrageous so they can probably afford to wait. There is a market for remote camps in Maine especially if the property is owned, there are a lot of camps on leased lots in that region although I haven't looked if any are on the same lake.
http://www.campsforsalemaine.com/whitehouse-landing-camps-for-sale-millinocket-maine-44.html
I stayed at Whitehouse Landing in 2006. It was a nice place, but the owners didn't seem to particularly enjoy catering to thru hikers and weren't the most polite or patient. I strongly suspect that by now they are sick of it and want out for good.
chiefduffy
06-08-2015, 05:10
Not open this year.
Old Hillwalker
06-08-2015, 05:11
There have been several references here and on FB lately about resupply and access to a phone at WHL. I wanted to correct these references, but don't know if it is still closed. I would hate to see anyone counting on access if it is in fact not accepting hikers.
Old Hillwalker
06-08-2015, 05:12
Thanks Chief.
The Solemates
06-08-2015, 10:00
It's still listed for sale at a price that would be hard to make a go of it for someone making payments. I expect it will either sell at a substantial discount at some point or will end up as a private camp. If the owners aren't making payments, the carrying costs for land in unorganized townships isn't outrageous so they can probably afford to wait. There is a market for remote camps in Maine especially if the property is owned, there are a lot of camps on leased lots in that region although I haven't looked if any are on the same lake.
http://www.campsforsalemaine.com/whitehouse-landing-camps-for-sale-millinocket-maine-44.html
is the property of WHL owned or leased?
peakbagger
06-08-2015, 16:36
The listing lists it as owned, generally if its leased they will mention it. Given the access it was probably once in the GNP landholdings. On rare occasions they did sell land or it may have been an inholding. Generally when lots up in that area are owned they aren't listed for very long. The hassle with all these lots are that even though they may have deeded access rights, they are only accessible if the major landholder elects to keep the roads open. Logging pounds the heck out of the roads and if the major landowner doesn't fix it after a cut, the road rapidly become impassible. I have never visited the camps but it looks like there may be one or two other camps nearby? they may share in maintenance but once a beaver plugs a major culvert, and washes out the road that's the end until the major landowner needs to access it again. Alternatively the major landowner may assess a road maintenance fee that is far more than a lease ever was.
Brookfield Hydro bought the GNP hydroelectric system and inherited a lot of camp leases, they stated in the news last year or the year before that they weren't interested in being landlords and planned to sell the leases back to the lease holders. I don't know if it happened with the Brookfield leases but in similar situations, the camp owners get a non negotiable cost that they have to pay and its usually well in excess of the worth of the camp. I knew of some folks on a similar lake in Maine with a family camp that has two 100 foot lots and the cost was 350k to buy out their lease and this was about 8 years ago. Generally if a lease holder elects not to continue they have to remove the structure unless the leasing firm allows them to leave it.
I don't miss that guy. He loved to say how much he hated hiking, which he called "prolonged misery".
Very dismissive attitude about hiking food as well, believed that we want candy and junk food. Some do, but not the smart ones.
I asked specifically about fruit, vegetables, and nuts and was sternly insulted for making such an absurd suggestion.
mrcoffeect
06-09-2015, 20:17
Since 2008 I have had the good fortune to spend close to 30 days roofing, building or hiking and relaxing as a guest of bill and linda's. And I consider them to be very good friends of mine. And one thing I can say bill does not have an attitude toward hikers in general, just toward whiners. When your at their place you are at one of the most beautiful places on this side of north america. And in the grand scheme of things out of all the billions of people that have been or ever will be, you get to be one of just a handful of humans to enjoy the peace and beauty of that place. And what defines some folks experience there, is weather or not they had vegetables or their kind of soda, or I couldnt charge my whing-ding.
swjohnsey
06-09-2015, 22:11
Ole Bill left me sitting on the dock for a couple of hours. If he heard me whining he had good ears.
mrcoffeect
06-10-2015, 19:15
I have had times where my shuttle driver has been more than an hour late. I didn't get my nose all out of joint over it even though I was a paying customer. I was still thankfull that someone took time out of their day to help me. You can tell a whole lot about a person by the way they treat someone they hire.