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View Full Version : What is the creepiest hostel/hotel/B&B/odging you have come across along the trail?



lifeisalwaysgood
02-22-2020, 13:46
Curious to know if any of you folks came across a really creepy hostel / hotel / B&B / Lodging that you were like.... hell no... I'm not staying there!

Where was it and what was it called.

Thanks

Slo-go'en
02-22-2020, 17:22
The Doyle is pretty creepy. Mostly because it's run down and a fire trap. Still, I stay there and take my chances.

jigsaw
02-22-2020, 18:05
the budget inn in hiawasee. stayed there twice but next time id spend the money on the holiday inn

Slo-go'en
02-22-2020, 18:11
The Relax Inn in Atkins, VA with the burnt out restaurant out front is a classic.

The bed spread and dresser had cigarette burn holes in them and the mirror looked like it had a bullet hole in it. But it was raining outside, the heat worked, the shower was hot and the TV worked, all for 30 bucks, so I was happy :)

RockDoc
02-22-2020, 22:28
We stayed in a dank, dirty, overstuffed cabin full of weird stuff at Uncle Johnny's near Erwin, TN, while the good ol boys sat on the porch surfing the web. They might have thought of doing some cleaning? Uncle Johnny was not around. This was about five years ago. I know Johnny has passed on...
Maybe this place was fun back in the 1980's but I thought everything about it was delapidated and dirty.
Should have stayed at the Holiday Inn express up the road! Just my opinion... since you asked.

Christoph
02-22-2020, 22:44
I'll 2nd Uncle Johnny's. Been there a few times (stayed once), passed through a few more. Seems to be going downhill and should be one the best places as the AT runs right by it (right across the street). Another was the 4 Pines (I think that's what it was called) right outside of Catawba. Had to sleep in the barn on the hill which was probably a good thing as the "bunkhouse" was way overcrowded from hikers that get caught up staying there night after night, partying. Not entirely their fault, but...

Odd Man Out
02-23-2020, 11:08
The Inn at Afton VA (South entrance to SNP) is now closed, but in its dying days generated some of the most entertainingly horrible on-line reviews.

https://sometimes-interesting.com/2016/08/10/blue-ridge-blight-on-afton-mountain/amp/

Lone Wolf
02-23-2020, 11:15
Rusty's...

Jeff
02-23-2020, 11:36
It is interesting to see most every newer hostel on the AT is going upscale...cleaner with more amenities.

Slo-go'en
02-23-2020, 12:29
It is interesting to see most every newer hostel on the AT is going upscale...cleaner with more amenities.

You started it Jeff :)

Teacher & Snacktime
02-23-2020, 16:54
Nevermind....I forgot that if I can't say something nice, stay silent, so .................................

BUT, I'm with Jeff, and I totally appreciate the "nicer" trend in hostels. I don't expect the world, but clean, friendly, and sober always work for me!

ldsailor
02-23-2020, 17:05
I've stayed at the Relax Inn in Atkins, VA (twice) and spent an afternoon at Uncle Johnny's when he was alive (and on the porch). I've talked to hikers who stayed at the Budget inn in Hiawasee and Jeff, one of the cleanest and my most favorite place is Green Mountain Hostel. There have been many more hostels and motels I have stayed in - probably too many, but none of them will match the Holiday Motor Lodge in Pearisburg, VA.

It was a cold rainy day. My hiking partner and I left Wapiti shelter early in the morning, so we were in the cold and rain for a good part of the 20 miles to Pearisburg. We both had symptoms of hypothermia when we reached the Holiday Motor Lodge. There were four rooms left and we got two of them. Big mistake! After dropping my backpack at the door, the water dripping off of it left a puddle. I wiped it up with a towel and the towel came away black. I wiped some more of the floor and it all was black with grimy dirt. The bedspread had suspicious stains on it and I swear the sheets were not clean. The outside shower at the 501 shelter was cleaner than this shower. The place was a nightmare and under different circumstances I would have fled, but there wasn't anywhere else to go.

And to make matters worse, one of the AT guides (I think Guthook) talked about the shady side of the place where drugs were commonplace, raids were frequent and ambulances for overdoses were not unheard of.

If you are looking for places to avoid, the Holiday Motor Lodge should be at the top of your list.

Puddlefish
02-23-2020, 17:25
I don't mind sharing this because the hostel is now out of business. Hiker Paradise, near Devil's Fork NC. Yes, it was just a shack, and the floor was gravel, and the hallway to the bathroom was only two feet wide, and the water trickled out of the shower and didn't drain...

The creepy part was that there was often an owner/caretaker or two hanging around standing in that two foot hallway most of the time. The owner, a buddy, his son, his mom, and a dog. Just standing up there and gazing at us, not really making any effort to join the hikers chatting at the table. I get that they may not have trusted hikers not to steal from the tiny food closet store, but every time you needed to go in the hallway it was like musical chairs.

George
02-23-2020, 21:51
anyplace I stay will automatically get the "creepy" vibe

stephanD
02-23-2020, 22:36
You have the Angel's Rest Hiker Heaven hostel Pearisburg (post # 12).

fastfoxengineering
02-24-2020, 00:19
There are a few places that have reputations for shady characters and questionable actions present.

These hostels usually allow alcohol and turn their heads to substance use.

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ldsailor
02-24-2020, 12:10
You have the Angel's Rest Hiker Heaven hostel Pearisburg (post # 12).
Yeah, I knew about it, but our plans were to spend a night in a motel. We could never have anticipated what we would encounter after paying for the room. Also, considering the situation (the last rooms sold out soon after we arrived and the motel next door was full - we stopped there first), there were no assurances we could get a spot at the hostel. It was a miserable day, and we were right in the middle of a big bubble of hikers fleeing the trail.

Lone Wolf
02-24-2020, 12:13
There are a few places that have reputations for shady characters and questionable actions present.

These hostels usually allow alcohol and turn their heads to substance use.

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couple of those here in Damascus

GoldenBear
02-24-2020, 16:07
An update for those interested in this area:
https://www.schuminweb.com/2017/08/18/the-other-shoe-finally-dropped-on-afton-mountain/

When I visited there in 2014, the former Howard Johnson's looked right out of a post-apocalyptic movie.


If you want a good laugh, check out this URL
https://www.virginia.org/listings/PlacesToStay/InnatAfton/
where this place -- for which the words "garbage dump" would have been flattering when it closed three years ago -- is listed as having "wedding facilities."

fastfoxengineering
02-24-2020, 17:23
couple of those here in DamascusFortunately, there are other great options in Damascus as well.

The farther north on the trail, the "standards" of hostels increase in my experience.

I can't really think of anything negative to say of any hostel in VT, NH, or ME along the AT.

Well.. rutland actually raises some eyebrows.

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4eyedbuzzard
02-24-2020, 20:08
Fortunately, there are other great options in Damascus as well.

The farther north on the trail, the "standards" of hostels increase in my experience.

I can't really think of anything negative to say of any hostel in VT, NH, or ME along the AT.

Well.. rutland actually raises some eyebrows.

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"Well.. rutland actually raises some eyebrows." Yeah, not all of VT is fall foliage scenic and maple syrup sweet. There are some pretty sketchy towns. Rutland and Barre immediately come to mind. High crime, poverty, drugs, etc.

Slo-go'en
02-24-2020, 20:33
"Well.. rutland actually raises some eyebrows." Yeah, not all of VT is fall foliage scenic and maple syrup sweet. There are some pretty sketchy towns. Rutland and Barre immediately come to mind. High crime, poverty, drugs, etc.

That too, but he might be referring the Yellow Deli aka religious cult.

fastfoxengineering
02-24-2020, 21:31
That too, but he might be referring the Yellow Deli aka religious cult.Someone knows the AT

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TNhiker
02-24-2020, 22:35
That too, but he might be referring the Yellow Deli aka religious cult.




that's the Twelve Tribes......

they have out posts in a few different places in the country...

they are also a very heavy presence on Grateful Dead tours and then Phish tours and whatever else off shoots from those two bands...

they tend to look for the "lost" souls who have taken too much LSD and get them onto their bus....

their bus is really nice though, but one is subjected to their ideals and what not...

i have used them about 20 or so years ago, just to get a bandaid as i needed one while i was in the parking lot of some dead show, but
i knew what they were about and once i got said bandaid---i walked away......

lots of lost souls dont end up walking away from them though......

peakbagger
02-25-2020, 09:55
I have been in a few hostels that had a great reputation but unfortunately were fire traps. Folks don't seem to care about fire safety. There are lots of rules but the pretty simple one is that there needs to be two means of escape from any sleeping area to the outdoors. If there is a sleeping area on a second floor, it needs to be separated from the adjacent floor and have two exits. Unless the exits open to the outdoors they need to be of fire-resistant construction with fire rated doors between an adjacent space. If there is a kitchen it needs to be segregated from the sleeping space. A sprinkler system can sometimes change things but I don't think I have ever seen one in hostel. There also needs to be permanently illuminated exit signs. In many cases the electrical system is a lot of extension cords in place of arc fault protected outlets and not sure it have ever seen permanent smoke alarms.

If they are "public accommodations" they need to comply with ADA. As the AMC found out one year, they had to stop the Galehead hut project and redesign it to be ADA compliant including wheelchair ramps. MATC has to install ADA compliant ramps, doors and hardware on any new backcountry outhouses.

At a minimum the hostel provider is basically asking to be sued or possibly jailed for running a hostel without proper health and safety design. Sure they can try to get away with the voluntary donation scam but they had better have a real good lawyer who works for free.

jimmyjam
02-25-2020, 13:24
Greasy Creek Hostel.

fastfoxengineering
02-25-2020, 13:32
I have been in a few hostels that had a great reputation but unfortunately were fire traps. Folks don't seem to care about fire safety. There are lots of rules but the pretty simple one is that there needs to be two means of escape from any sleeping area to the outdoors. If there is a sleeping area on a second floor, it needs to be separated from the adjacent floor and have two exits. Unless the exits open to the outdoors they need to be of fire-resistant construction with fire rated doors between an adjacent space. If there is a kitchen it needs to be segregated from the sleeping space. A sprinkler system can sometimes change things but I don't think I have ever seen one in hostel. There also needs to be permanently illuminated exit signs. In many cases the electrical system is a lot of extension cords in place of arc fault protected outlets and not sure it have ever seen permanent smoke alarms.

If they are "public accommodations" they need to comply with ADA. As the AMC found out one year, they had to stop the Galehead hut project and redesign it to be ADA compliant including wheelchair ramps. MATC has to install ADA compliant ramps, doors and hardware on any new backcountry outhouses.

At a minimum the hostel provider is basically asking to be sued or possibly jailed for running a hostel without proper health and safety design. Sure they can try to get away with the voluntary donation scam but they had better have a real good lawyer who works for free.I have been in too many hostels where this commentary has been exchanged.

There's a hostel in Gorham, NH that is one more electrical cord from burning down.

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AsoloBootsSuk
02-25-2020, 13:54
I have been in a few hostels that had a great reputation but unfortunately were fire traps. Folks don't seem to care about fire safety. There are lots of rules but the pretty simple one is that there needs to be two means of escape from any sleeping area to the outdoors. If there is a sleeping area on a second floor, it needs to be separated from the adjacent floor and have two exits. Unless the exits open to the outdoors they need to be of fire-resistant construction with fire rated doors between an adjacent space. If there is a kitchen it needs to be segregated from the sleeping space. A sprinkler system can sometimes change things but I don't think I have ever seen one in hostel. There also needs to be permanently illuminated exit signs. In many cases the electrical system is a lot of extension cords in place of arc fault protected outlets and not sure it have ever seen permanent smoke alarms.

If they are "public accommodations" they need to comply with ADA. As the AMC found out one year, they had to stop the Galehead hut project and redesign it to be ADA compliant including wheelchair ramps. MATC has to install ADA compliant ramps, doors and hardware on any new backcountry outhouses.

At a minimum the hostel provider is basically asking to be sued or possibly jailed for running a hostel without proper health and safety design. Sure they can try to get away with the voluntary donation scam but they had better have a real good lawyer who works for free.

Consider this, lol

treroach
02-25-2020, 14:08
I have been in a few hostels that had a great reputation but unfortunately were fire traps. Folks don't seem to care about fire safety. There are lots of rules but the pretty simple one is that there needs to be two means of escape from any sleeping area to the outdoors. If there is a sleeping area on a second floor, it needs to be separated from the adjacent floor and have two exits. Unless the exits open to the outdoors they need to be of fire-resistant construction with fire rated doors between an adjacent space. If there is a kitchen it needs to be segregated from the sleeping space. A sprinkler system can sometimes change things but I don't think I have ever seen one in hostel. There also needs to be permanently illuminated exit signs. In many cases the electrical system is a lot of extension cords in place of arc fault protected outlets and not sure it have ever seen permanent smoke alarms.

If they are "public accommodations" they need to comply with ADA. As the AMC found out one year, they had to stop the Galehead hut project and redesign it to be ADA compliant including wheelchair ramps. MATC has to install ADA compliant ramps, doors and hardware on any new backcountry outhouses.

At a minimum the hostel provider is basically asking to be sued or possibly jailed for running a hostel without proper health and safety design. Sure they can try to get away with the voluntary donation scam but they had better have a real good lawyer who works for free.

Thank you, peakbagger, for bringing up a topic that could save lives - including my own. No doubt many of us don't think about this important issue when we're tired, dirty, and just ready to relax and rejuvenate under a roof!

trailmercury
02-25-2020, 14:18
Fortunately, there are other great options in Damascus as well.

Ok boys, are you ballsy enough to tell us which ones you speak of, i.e. which hostels to avoid in Damascus and which one(s) you would choose if passing through in 2020?

I have never been to Damascus and I think this info would be useful.

trailmercury
02-25-2020, 14:19
Ok boys, are you ballsy enough to tell us which ones you speak of, i.e. which hostels to avoid in Damascus and which one(s) you would choose if passing through in 2020?

I have never been to Damascus and I think this info would be useful.

I meant to quote Lone Wolf too because I am also asking him since he lives right there.

fastfoxengineering
02-25-2020, 15:19
Ok boys, are you ballsy enough to tell us which ones you speak of, i.e. which hostels to avoid in Damascus and which one(s) you would choose if passing through in 2020?

I have never been to Damascus and I think this info would be useful.

I have had nothing but positive experiences at Woodchucks. In fact, I've stayed there four nights. Good times.

Teacher & Snacktime
02-25-2020, 18:27
that's the Twelve Tribes......
they have out posts in a few different places in the country...
they are also a very heavy presence on Grateful Dead tours and then Phish tours and whatever else off shoots from those two bands...
they tend to look for the "lost" souls who have taken too much LSD and get them onto their bus....
their bus is really nice though, but one is subjected to their ideals and what not...
i have used them about 20 or so years ago, just to get a bandaid as i needed one while i was in the parking lot of some dead show, but
i knew what they were about and once i got said bandaid---i walked away......
lots of lost souls dont end up walking away from them though......

Hmmm....possible misleading here. Yes, the folks at the Yellow Deli are most certainly a cult, but I'm hoping that none of the posters here are indicating they are in any way a threat to the freedom or well-being of hikers. They are sincerely generous and hospitable. The offer all who stay there the "opportunity" to spend a day at the farm to reimburse them with labor, and yes, there is a sales pitch of a sort involved, but it is all VERY low key and unpressured. Have I been myself? No, though I have been a free shuttling source based there for a couple of weeks per season for years, and have received the "low down" from quite a few hikers - and yes, some have spent the day at the farm (with no regrets btw). There is no hidden agenda here - they are very up-front about their mission and absolutely do not refrain from their full hospitality because a hiker takes a pass on their spiritual offers.

Frankly, as a New Englander myself, they seemed less strange to me than the many southern Christian mission hostels I've encountered. Here, I never felt the obligation to pray before a meal.

They are really nice people, and not to be feared, but absolutely appreciated as a hiker resource.

gpburdelljr
02-25-2020, 19:30
https://thetrek.co/twelve-tribes-yellow-deli-hiker-haven-creepy-cult/

TNhiker
02-25-2020, 20:03
They are really nice people, and not to be feared, but absolutely appreciated as a hiker resource.



Do a google search on them and you might change your view.....

Teacher & Snacktime
02-25-2020, 21:57
Do a google search on them and you might change your view.....

I stand by my opinion based on repeated personal interaction. I don't agree with their views, but I don't have to.

JC13
02-26-2020, 09:05
Ok boys, are you ballsy enough to tell us which ones you speak of, i.e. which hostels to avoid in Damascus and which one(s) you would choose if passing through in 2020?

I have never been to Damascus and I think this info would be useful.The Hike Inn is a great place to stay. We stayed in the inn portion but the bunkhouse was nice and I heard no complaints from the hikers we were with that stayed in there.

Puddlefish
02-26-2020, 09:59
I stand by my opinion based on repeated personal interaction. I don't agree with their views, but I don't have to.

Cults tend to prey on the weak, the vulnerable. You were neither of those things, and thus had little to fear.

Here's one of many stories told by survivors. https://www.thedailybeast.com/twelve-tribes-the-church-preached-child-abuse-and-slavery

It's very likely a safe place for the average hiker to stay. That said, I don't care how tired, hungry and in need of a cheap place to stay and eat, I would not do business with them.

stephanD
02-26-2020, 10:02
https://thetrek.co/twelve-tribes-yellow-deli-hiker-haven-creepy-cult/
what it is said about that group/sect/cult/religion/whatever, can be said about practically any religion. That is why I'm an unapologetic atheist.

IGY6
02-26-2020, 10:28
We second that

TNhiker
02-26-2020, 11:14
what it is said about that group/sect/cult/religion/whatever, can be said about practically any religion. That is why I'm an unapologetic atheist.



likewise i agree on both aspects...

when i first posted about doing a google search---i included that it could be compared to "let's say, the catholic church or some other religions".....

i either didnt hit "post quick reply" or it got deleted............not sure.....

RockDoc
02-26-2020, 12:04
"what it is said about that group/sect/cult/religion/whatever, can be said about practically any religion. That is why I'm an unapologetic atheist."

Sure, they're an easy target because they are just imperfect people preaching hope, love, and peace. Naturally, they are attacked by sad, hopeless, depressed people who have nothing to offer but darkness, death, and dust.

IGY6
02-26-2020, 12:29
calm down chief... keep drinking the kool aid.

Teacher & Snacktime
02-26-2020, 12:30
Might I suggest we reverse this thread drift before the moderators do? The topic was creepy hostels I believe, not religion.

Does the creep-factor only apply to hostels? How about shelters that gave you that skin-crawling feeling? A few years ago some friends and I headed out of Springer and planned our first night at a place called Hickory Flats. It sounded like somewhere a tent could be pitched. As it happened, I didn't get that far, but ran out of steam at Three Forks and we camped there. The next day, when we reached Hickory Flats, we were quite happy with our decision of the previous night. All three of us were wigged out by the possibility that we'd have been camping at a cemetery. (Fun playground though).

fastfoxengineering
02-26-2020, 12:32
The Yellow Deli has some of the best food on the entirety of the AT...

The Hostel run by the Yellow Deli is probably the nicest donation based hostel on the entirety of the trail...

The over priced, frozen pizza from Mountain Crossings is more criminal.

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Jeff
02-26-2020, 12:45
46171

Typical August day at the Yellow Deli in Rutland

AsoloBootsSuk
02-26-2020, 13:16
The over priced, frozen pizza from Mountain Crossings is more criminal.

Hand tossed Pizzaria joints need to sell 50 pies a night to break even. Making 3 frozen pies a day for grubby hikers is not profitable no matter what. Besides, there is not such thing as bad pizza, right?

Puddlefish
02-26-2020, 13:32
"what it is said about that group/sect/cult/religion/whatever, can be said about practically any religion. That is why I'm an unapologetic atheist."

Sure, they're an easy target because they are just imperfect people preaching hope, love, and peace. Naturally, they are attacked by sad, hopeless, depressed people who have nothing to offer but darkness, death, and dust.

That's an interesting spin on it, taken only from your own imagination. Strangely enough, your belief system is not the only source of love, hope and peace in this world. Failure of other people to subscribe to your newsletter, does not mean that we have nothing to offer but darkness, death and dust.

To Teacher & Snacktime,

The thread is about creepy. It's not a very specific word. We all have different things that we find creepy. You find cemeteries creepy, some people find spiders creepy. I find a cheerful business front for a group of people affiliated with a group with proven record of criminal activity and mistreatment of children and women creepy. Creepy is a pretty broad topic.

RockDoc
02-26-2020, 13:42
"...does not mean that we have nothing to offer but darkness, death and dust."

Yes, you clearly have many more bad things to offer, but that's just the beginning. Sorry to interrupt the thread, but negative people arguing against positive, hopeful people who help thousands deserve push back IMO.

TNhiker
02-26-2020, 13:47
negative people arguing against positive, hopeful people who help thousands deserve push back IMO.



i don’t find child abuse to be positive.......

stephanD
02-26-2020, 13:48
"what it is said about that group/sect/cult/religion/whatever, can be said about practically any religion. That is why I'm an unapologetic atheist."

Sure, they're an easy target because they are just imperfect people preaching hope, love, and peace. Naturally, they are attacked by sad, hopeless, depressed people who have nothing to offer but darkness, death, and dust.
They are preaching hope? They are talking about the apocalypse and Armageddon for heaven's sake :datz

RockDoc
02-26-2020, 13:52
"..your belief system is not the only source of love, hope and peace in this world. Failure of other people to subscribe to your newsletter, "

Excuse me, you don't know me or my belief system. I have no newsletter. Just more false BS from the hateful looney bin. Is that all ya got, ad hominem attacks? Well, yes, that's the playbook.

BTW I don't take part in organized religion or go to any established church besides the great outdoors. But as a scientist it's obvious that entropy does not rule the world, as it should according purely to physics. There's a huge positive energy input, or your sorry ass wouldn't be here.

Puddlefish
02-26-2020, 13:57
"..your belief system is not the only source of love, hope and peace in this world. Failure of other people to subscribe to your newsletter, "

Excuse me, you don't know me or my belief system. I have no newsletter. Just more false BS from the hateful looney bin.

BTW I don't take part in organized religion or go to any established church besides the great outdoors.


So, now I'm hateful, full of BS, and belong in a loonybin as well. I see. Yes, you clearly have no agenda other than creating narratives of what you project onto me. Yet, you complain that I don't know you. I haven't said a single word against you. I'm speaking only to the words that you put up in this forum, in this thread. Those words are your newsletter. I don't wish to subscribe to it.

LittleRock
02-26-2020, 14:07
Can't believe no one's mentioned Standing Bear Farm yet...

ldsailor
02-26-2020, 14:09
Ok boys, are you ballsy enough to tell us which ones you speak of, i.e. which hostels to avoid in Damascus and which one(s) you would choose if passing through in 2020?

I have never been to Damascus and I think this info would be useful.

I've stayed at Woodchuck Hostel twice. I thought it was clean and well run; although I agree with peakbagger on one point. If you are sleeping upstairs, you don't want a fire to hit, because you aren't getting out unless you jump from the window.

fastfoxengineering
02-26-2020, 14:12
I've stayed at Woodchuck Hostel twice. I thought it was clean and well run; although I agree with peakbagger on one point. If you are sleeping upstairs, you don't want a fire to hit, because you aren't getting out unless you jump from the window.Sleep in the Yurt

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ldsailor
02-26-2020, 14:18
Can't believe no one's mentioned Standing Bear Farm yet...

Major dump at least when i stayed there in 2016. They also had significant management issues, which I understand are still present, but I have no first hand knowledge of recent goings on there at the hostel. Want more info on Standing Bear? Go to my AT Blog and do a search on the hostel and you'll get the full rundown.

Jeff
02-26-2020, 15:29
I've stayed at Woodchuck Hostel twice. I thought it was clean and well run; although I agree with peakbagger on one point. If you are sleeping upstairs, you don't want a fire to hit, because you aren't getting out unless you jump from the window.

New owner in 2019....would love to hear a report from last season.

stephanD
02-26-2020, 15:59
New owner in 2019....would love to hear a report from last season.
Stayed there August 2019 for a few nights (end of a section hike from Pearisburg to Damascus). The yurt is gone, but they have a private cabin. Hikers sleep in the ground floor in real beds (not bunks). the up stairs, i think, is for the caretaker and/or owner. The new owner, a lady from California is extremely nice. Calm and quiet.

mmol
02-26-2020, 16:00
Mountain Garden Hostel near Bland gave me the creeps.

Teacher & Snacktime
02-26-2020, 16:23
Can't believe no one's mentioned Standing Bear Farm yet...

Remember my remark about not saying anything if you can't say something nice?

IGY6
02-26-2020, 16:33
Not a hostel but on the Tuscarora trail there is a section from shockeys knob to sleepy Creek has a real weird feel. A girl's body was discovered dumped there last year, but creepy before that for sure.

JC13
02-26-2020, 16:54
Stayed there August 2019 for a few nights (end of a section hike from Pearisburg to Damascus). The yurt is gone, but they have a private cabin. Hikers sleep in the ground floor in real beds (not bunks). the up stairs, i think, is for the caretaker and/or owner. The new owner, a lady from California is extremely nice. Calm and quiet.I'm more surprised you were able to stay at all. We went through in June and couldn't find anyone to be able to check-in. Called the number and didn't get a call back until we had already checked in elsewhere. The call came 5-6 hours after we left a message. YMMV

Puddlefish
02-26-2020, 18:00
Can't believe no one's mentioned Standing Bear Farm yet...

A love letter to SBF:

I stayed there in 2016. I loved it. I'd put in a personal best for mileage coming down out of the snow in the Smokies, I'd finally hiked myself into shape, was feeling great about my hike and myself. I was also exhausted, I didn't sleep much the night before, because my very first night in a shelter, this one guy kept everyone awake for half the night.

There was a friendly community of hikers loitering about that little outdoor kitchen/dining room. So many neat little homemade touches/craftsmanship to the place. Most functional, but with some rustic art thrown in. Someone obviously built it as a labor of love.

There was a goofy kid working the check-in process, who didn't really seem like he wanted to be there. But what teen would? I think he was a neighbor or something, who probably got pressured by his mom to work for the summer.

Turns out that the hostel was built by a husband wife team, and he'd recently died, and she was doing her best to run the place with what employees she could hire/afford. The other caretaker who dropped off cordwood and lit the woodstove in the bunkhouse was pleasant. My only interaction with the owner was when I was checking out. I appreciated that she trusted us on the honor system of resupply sales, and was very careful in keeping track of what I wrote down.

I just thought the open air kitchen, bunkhouse, bathhouse was the perfect form for a hiking hostel. I stayed a second night in the treehouse, because it turns out I wasn't it as good a shape as I'd first thought, and there was a pleasant community feel.

I've long said that my standards change when I'm coming off the trail, tired and sweaty, or if I arrive well rested and in a car. I can understand also that if you arrive on a different day the experience could change greatly depending on what hikers are there, their behavior, what staff is on duty, and all those kind of variables.

TNhiker
02-26-2020, 18:01
this one guy kept everyone awake for half the night.



snoring, farting, or talking?

Lone Wolf
02-26-2020, 18:23
The Place. Damascus

Puddlefish
02-26-2020, 18:34
snoring, farting, or talking?

Since I'm in a babbling mood... apologies to those who have heard this story before. First snowfall as I go through the Smokies, the first shelter I can tent, yay! Second shelter... there's three inches of snow forecast, I decide to stay in the shelter and not test the structural integrity of my Tarptent Notch. Arrive early enough, claim a spot, head outside to to dry gear, chat with everyone else. There are a lot of folks local traffic and through hikers. There's this one charming old guy "holding court" as TipiWalter would say. He's talking about how he's peakbagged/bushwacked every mountain on the east coast and just has all this amazing experience, more than any of us... well, maybe not sooo charming.

It gets late and people are collecting their gear, moving inside, settling in. Expert man, loudly proclaims that he has a "reservation" and he's claiming four feet of shelter space to stake out as his own. Wow... alright buddy, be that way. Everyone else will just jam in as best we can. It's dark, I'm drifting off to sleep... BEEP BEEP BEEP. Huh, someone's phone, but it stopped, alright... drifting off to ... BEEP BEEP BEEP... ugh, seriously? This happens about four or five times, before someone gets up, walks across the room and finds, a medical assist bracelet. Apparently to be worn on the wrist and it monitors some vital sign. Well, it seems kind of important to find the owner and get it to them. We're all awake now, looking at each other wondering who it belongs to... Finally. Yep, Mister Wilderness Survival expert claims it, turns out he's deaf as well, can't hear the beeping, and can't hear the guy asking who it belongs to. (Ponder why a deaf man relies on a device with an audio warning to save his life another time.) But, finally, he puts it back on his wrist, and we all get to sleep, for an hour.

There's banging and yelling below me. Mister preparedness can't find his headlight in his four foot section of organized space... No, he doesn't want to use his neighbor's light that's offered to him! Well, he has to pee, so he shuffles out bumping into things in the pitch darkness. A few minutes later THUMP, he's slammed his head into the overhead beam between upper and lower bunks, and he starts swearing and making a fuss. A whole bunch of lights turn on, he's gashed his forehead open. there's a nurse in the shelter, yay! Well, she pulls out her kit, and starts cleaning out the wound. He yells at her, "I don't want it cleaned, just put on the bandaid!" She talks him down, get's him calmed down, and bandages him up. Someone hands him his light, in case he needs to pee again later. About one AM, I settle in for a night's sleep. 5:00 AM, who should wake up and decide to have a complaining conversation about thru hikers clogging up the shelter without reservations, yes, the hero of his story. He takes an hour to clear out of the shelter.

It's six AM, I'm usually up around this time anyway... maybe I'll just go... but I fall back asleep until 7 and quietly head out to the front of the shelter and make breakfast. So, maybe five hours sleep, not the worst thing in the world to complain about.

TNhiker
02-26-2020, 18:38
(Ponder why a deaf man relies on a device with an audio warning to save his life another time.)



did it vibrate as well? i use my phone as an alarm clock but just on vibrate.......

so if feel it, i wake up (in theory)...

TNhiker
02-26-2020, 18:39
he's gashed his forehead open



shoulda just amputated.........

Puddlefish
02-26-2020, 18:42
did it vibrate as well? i use my phone as an alarm clock but just on vibrate.......

so if feel it, i wake up (in theory)...

It didn't seem to, but it was loud, and 15 feet away, so I guess it could have. Was on the floor rather than a surface where the vibration would be more obvious.


"shoulda just amputated........."

Heh, heh. In my next re-telling of the story, I'm going to sneak that in there.

TNhiker
02-26-2020, 18:52
Heh, heh. In my next re-telling of the story, I'm going to sneak that in there.



you can thank me by joining my cult........

IGY6
02-26-2020, 19:00
What does said cult entail? How much am I expected to give? Where do I sign up for the newsletter?

fiddlehead
02-26-2020, 21:42
For me? Coober Pedy, Australia.
Pretty cool but we were underground in bunks carved into the walls. (Youth hostel)
Coober Pedy is a fascinating place where they mine opal.

TNhiker
02-27-2020, 13:39
What does said cult entail? How much am I expected to give? Where do I sign up for the newsletter?




come take a tour of my vintage bus and buy something from my deli and you will find out.......