View Full Version : Trail town: Small Maine community shaped by AT hikers - Bangor Daily News
WhiteBlaze
09-26-2015, 00:10
<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="7" style="vertical-align:top;"><tr><td width="80" align="center" valign="top"><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNE2RnbB30CUbXy0qDGUo3F9ZoNgIA&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&cid=52778958514773&ei=qRoGVvhVisDxAZbKh7gG&url=http://bangordailynews.com/2015/09/25/outdoors/trail-town-small-maine-community-shaped-by-at-hikers/"><img src="//t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcToTrtagV4NBfpLa1D1liz7wg4sJAqXs _gb3oAlhXDx_PPuu3ODQUcmij146ns4Ziq7Igr2eik" alt="" border="1" width="80" height="80"><br><font size="-2">Bangor Daily News</font></a></font></td><td valign="top" class="j"><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"></div><div class="lh"><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNE2RnbB30CUbXy0qDGUo3F9ZoNgIA&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&cid=52778958514773&ei=qRoGVvhVisDxAZbKh7gG&url=http://bangordailynews.com/2015/09/25/outdoors/trail-town-small-maine-community-shaped-by-at-hikers/"><b><b>Trail</b> town: Small Maine community shaped by AT hikers</b></a><br><font size="-1"><b><font color="#6f6f6f">Bangor Daily News</font></b></font><br><font size="-1">With an estimated population just shy of 700 residents, the tiny town of Monson is located near the <b>Appalachian Trail</b>, a famous footpath that stretches from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Katahdin in Maine. For hikers, the town is an important place <b>...</b></font><br><font size="-1" class="p"></font><br><font class="p" size="-1"><a class="p" href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=d_8Gj2QEZB5JaEM&authuser=0&ned=us"><nobr><b>and more »</b></nobr></a></font></div></font></td></tr></table>
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Rain Man
09-26-2015, 14:06
Nice article about Monson, Maine, but also covers several general aspects of AT hikers, such as:
Not all business is good business
Three years ago, registered Maine Guide Phil Pepin opened 100 Mile Wilderness Adventures and Outfitters, a complex of rustic cabins tucked in the woods on Pleasant Street in Monson.
His intentions were to lodge and assist thru-hikers (those attempting to hike the entire trail without any significant breaks) and section hikers (those attempting to hike just a section of the trail). But since then, he’s had some negative experiences, including guests writing on walls, stealing money from his donation jar and trashing rooms. These problems always seem to involve thru-hikers, not section hikers. As a result, he now turns away most thru-hikers. Instead, he focuses on serving section hikers, mainly people attempting to hike through the 100-Mile Wilderness.
“This generation is going to have to change their attitude because more and more places like myself are closing their doors to thru-hikers,” Pepin said.
Pepin has thru-hiked the AT three times — in 1971, 1982 and 2010 — and has spent many years maintaining sections of the trail as a member of the Maine Appalachian Trail Club.
However, in recent years, he’s been discouraged by the changes he’s seen on the trail.
“There’s just way too many people,” Pepin said. “I hate to generalize, but it’s become a party crowd. … I hope it can change and something can be done. I’d be sorry to lose the trail I grew up with.”
However, the folks at Shaw's say only 1% of thru-hikers cause such problems and bad publicity. The whole article has more.
It's sad when a 3 time thru hiker starts a business to help thru hikers now limits his assistance to those same hikers because of bad behavior. It looks like Baxter SP is not the only one having issues with thru hikers.
I'm not a thru-hiker groupie so I can't and won't generalize about thru-hiker behavior. Ran into a number of them on the trail in southern Maine last week, and didn't notice any problems. The ones I met and spoke to and shared shelters and campsites with, seemed like good people.
At Green Mountain House we had NO problems with thruhikers or section hikers this year. We charge for services. A donation jar (even for sodas and snacks) is a risky proposition anywhere, not just with hikers.
TJ aka Teej
09-27-2015, 13:05
Usually by New England the number of trouble making hikers has been significantly reduced by attrition.
The last several years have been an exception.
WingedMonkey
09-27-2015, 13:58
Usually by New England the number of trouble making hikers has been significantly reduced by attrition.
The last several years have been an exception.
Part of that is because of all the skipping ahead to get to Maine.
Most folks that have actually walked the trail to get that far have more respect for the trail and service providers and are more appreciative.
WingedMonkey
09-27-2015, 14:08
Usually by New England the number of trouble making hikers has been significantly reduced by attrition.
The last several years have been an exception.
Part of that is because of all the skipping ahead to get to Maine.
Most folks that have actually walked the trail to get that far have more respect for the trail and service providers and are more appreciative.
Given how it's a certain Maine outfitter doing the complaining (Msg. #2) it's interesting to read a facebook post today, from a thru-hiker, referring to that same outfitter as a "horror show." So maybe two sides to every story?
Given how it's a certain Maine outfitter doing the complaining (Msg. #2) it's interesting to read a facebook post today, from a thru-hiker, referring to that same outfitter as a "horror show." So maybe two sides to every story?
Regardless of which side is true, if that facility "turns away most thru hikers" I hope the various thru hiking guides make a note of that.
Given how it's a certain Maine outfitter doing the complaining (Msg. #2) it's interesting to read a facebook post today, from a thru-hiker, referring to that same outfitter as a "horror show." So maybe two sides to every story?
Don't know the details of the "horror show", but that does not justify bad behavior.
Don't know the details of the "horror show", but that does not justify bad behavior.
i would imagine it means not catering to every need and whim of the thru hiker. places that do it well dont encounter this problem, which is good for them, but it doesnt mean that other places who have a different idea of how to operate should have to deal with the nonsense they do.
i was in boiling springs years ago and stayed at the allenberry. a night or two before a big bubble had come through and they ran out of hiker rate rooms, apparently. well, the thrus responded by filling the logbook with disparaging comments. youd think theyd been victimized in some horribly offensive way. there were several pages torn out, not sure if by thrus or if they just contained even worse comments the management decided to get rid of.
even the "good" thru hikers, ones who would never do anything actively destructive or party or cause any trouble, listen to them talk and most of them the entitlement just oozes off of them.