Pearisburg Hostel

[Different Socks]

I am going thru alot of my old mags and newsletters. One of my ALDHA newsletters had a blurb about this hostel closing b/c the donation box was robbed several times, as well as bad behavior caused by hikers
Is this still the case? Meaning , is the hostel still closed? If so, is there an alternative?

[Heald]

My personal experience was not that the "donation box" was robbed". per say, but that the donation box was cheated. Ages ago in the late spring of 2004, I was among the last of 3 hikers to be shuttled out of the hostel that morning. Many, many thru hikers had already departed, nearly a full house. When "Bill" the caretaker came in ready to take us back to the trail he decided to unlock, and empty the "Donation Box". When he did he discovered that there were only 9 dollars in it. He looked at it, and abruptly said, "you hikers have to start putting 3 dollars into this box for your stay".

So there you have it. Filthy cheating thru hikers exposed. And BTW all the thru hikers I talked to that were there that particular night, (later on down the trail) said that they left 3$ in the donation box. Bunch of filthy liars. It's sad, but if the hostel closes, then the hostile closes, it will probably be the best thing that has happened to that Church in a long time.

[Different Socks]

Well, the blurb I read came from the Fall 2010 newsletter. So this possible closing happened not too long ago.

[Jeff]

The hostel is still in operation from May till October. The Companion states they request a $10 donation. My guess is they still struggle to cover expenses.

[Lone Wolf]

not putting money in donation boxes has become the rule not the exception with thru-hikers.

[Cookerhiker]

Suggest the mods move this out of "Shelters - Pennsylvania" to this forum: http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?74-Virginia-amp-West-Virginia

We are talking about the Holy Family Church Hostel in Pearisburg, right?

[Sly]

Well, the blurb I read came from the Fall 2010 newsletter. So this possible closing happened not too long ago.

The hostel only closed at the end of the season, basically on schedule and was re-opened the following spring. A fence was also erected to give it privacy from a new neighboring establishment.

Here's the updated info:

Holy Family Church Hostel, (540) 921-
3547, located in a peaceful setting on a hill, is hidden by trees beyond the church parking
lot. Refrigerator, microwave, and loft with sleeping pads, $10 suggested donation
per night; additional donations and cleaning appreciated. Stays are limited to two
nights. Alcoholic beverages, drugs, and pets prohibited. Open May 1–Oct 1.

[Slo-go'en]

Glad to hear it's still open. The only problem with this hostel is it's a long way off the trail. But it is close to Wal-Mart, so that's plus, and it's a nice place to stay.

I spent nearly two weeks there back in 1988. Myself and two other hikers, one a professional Arburist, spent that time trimming and removing trees on the property. At the end of the job, we had a couple of truely impressive bonfires. At one point when the wind picked up, I though we might set fire to the whole hill top and the valley below, but thankfully, that did not happen.