Money spent in trail towns

[Roll Tide]

I have an idea to show the different Trail Towns how much money is spent by hikers. Just write "AT HIKER" on the money you spend in town, that way the store owners will see how much of an impact the hiking community has on his community. So, maybe the store owners who could care less for the hikers will change their minds and start carrying things we want and crave. I know this will only work when you spend cash and not credit or debits cards, so, maybe get money from an ATM or bank before buying in town.

[Jeff]

Interesting idea.

Hikers can make a bigger impression by being courteous in town and tipping servers a fair amount.

[Lone Wolf]

this is a joke, right?

[RED-DOG]

Interesting idea.

Hikers can make a bigger impression by being courteous in town and tipping servers a fair amount.

Yes i agree, this is the best way a hiker can leave a good impression about the rest of the hiking community, and maybe just maybe if the rest of the hiking community follows suit we can change the way towns and Establishment owners view hikers, We NEED to change the Hiker TRASH mentality cause that's the way most folks view us has just HIKER TRASH.

[JustaTouron]

Another way YOU can be treated better is not to be so readily identified as a hiker.

Back before the UL craze, gear list from the 80s included town clothes (a set of nicer clothing, not worn on the trail or in camp, with no stains, rips, or smell, etc. that was to be worn only in town) deodorant (to be worn in town), razor (for the men to either be clean shave on trim the beard to look neat, and for women who wore shorts in town). Some folks carried the items others bounce boxed and some didn't bother with town clothes. For a pound or two you will be treated differently.

I doubt many shop owners dislikes hikers just cause they dislike the idea of walking. No, they don't want their establishment overrun by people that look and smell like bums because it drives away the other customers.

I haven't thru hiked. But at one time I use to come off the trail after week long or weekend trips and stop at restaurants on the way home and sometimes the reception was less than welcoming. Now I always keep a change of clothes in the trunk, rechargeable razor and deodorant. I don't always get to shower (but if I get a chance I do), but the change of clothing and deodorant do make a difference in my smell and appearance AND the reception I get.

[sliderule]

Hikers can make a bigger impression by being courteous in town and tipping servers a fair amount.

I could not agree more. Trash with cash is still trash.

[Jack Tarlin]

Touron's post (#5, above) is right on the mark. I suspect that an awful lot of the posts and complaints we see about hikers not being treated "properly" or being "dis-respected" have a great deal to do with how they present themselves to business owners, shop clerks, waitresses, cashiers, you name it. One generally commands and receives the respect one is deserved.

[Teacher & Snacktime]

this is a joke, right?

Certainly impractical as no one is going to "count" the money.

But what might be a nice gesture is something along the lines of what Army Ant is doing for those from whom he receives trail magic. He has had a series of printed "thank you" wooden nickels made (Snacktime loves his) to show his appreciation. Since printing up business cards is cheap and easy, perhaps hikers might invest in a few of these "thank you's....say a hundred...and distribute them to servers, business owners, ie anyone who extends courtesy. etc. People like to know their service is appreciated, and/or something like this can even change the attitude of a grump when they are thanked anyway.

It's really all about going out of your way to treat others well, regardless of their treatment of you.

[10-K]

I don't think you have to do anything special. Just be a decent person/customer.

[Ktaadn]

Isn't writing on currency a federal offense?

[Symba]

In general, there is a lack of respect. I have been observing this over the past eight years. It seems people have become so unattached to society and seemingly don't care about the result of their actions (self centered) that being classy is no longer the way to be. When I hit a trail town I go straight to the motel, get my key, take a shower, wash my cloths in the shower, hang dry them while I'm out getting food while wearing my 'town cloths.' Maybe ultralighters don't like this idea of 'town cloths.' I'm not sure not being one; I'm middle of the road. In general, in all society, people truly need to start respecting themselves and respecting others. My ex's kids told me only once before I tried to change their thoughts, they said "people have to earn their respect." I told them, "I give everyone respect until they project actions that prove me wrong, trust is different, a person has to gain my trust." I personally try to trust people until they do something to me to mistrust them. I am easy going, and I need to learn not to trust so much, nice guy finishing last kind of thing here. SO, how about we spread to the younger crowd that you should respect others and think about how your actions effect others, think butterfly effect here. my two cents.

[illabelle]

The OP has a point, you know. What difference will it make how courteous we are, how clean we are, how generous we are, how respectful and smart and well-mannered we are in the restaurant - if we're so clean that they don't know we're hikers? They have to know we're hikers in order for their attitudes towards hikers to be affected by our good behavior. So if we don't want to mark our money (not practical, I agree) maybe we should wear an "AT Hiker" hat, or just tell everybody we meet, or ...

[Different Socks]

Another way YOU can be treated better is not to be so readily identified as a hiker.

Back before the UL craze, gear list from the 80s included town clothes (a set of nicer clothing, not worn on the trail or in camp, with no stains, rips, or smell, etc. that was to be worn only in town) deodorant (to be worn in town), razor (for the men to either be clean shave on trim the beard to look neat, and for women who wore shorts in town). Some folks carried the items others bounce boxed and some didn't bother with town clothes. For a pound or two you will be treated differently.

I doubt many shop owners dislikes hikers just cause they dislike the idea of walking. No, they don't want their establishment overrun by people that look and smell like bums because it drives away the other customers.

I haven't thru hiked. But at one time I use to come off the trail after week long or weekend trips and stop at restaurants on the way home and sometimes the reception was less than welcoming. Now I always keep a change of clothes in the trunk, rechargeable razor and deodorant. I don't always get to shower (but if I get a chance I do), but the change of clothing and deodorant do make a difference in my smell and appearance AND the reception I get.

I still use a bonce box on all of my long hikes that has clean clothes, razor and deodorant in it among other things. I get a room and shower/change no matter how hungry I am. Only place I will smell bad is at the PO picking up the box and possibly during the ride into town. But knowing if I will need a ride or hitch I get myself cleaned up as best as possible. I've known some hikers that smell so bad they leave the odor behind in a persons car--YUCK!!
I even carry a water bag with shower head to get washed up at the end of each hiking day. First several days I am razzed about it, then then suddenly, one by one, hikers begin asking me if they can take a shower too.

[Different Socks]

The OP has a point, you know. What difference will it make how courteous we are, how clean we are, how generous we are, how respectful and smart and well-mannered we are in the restaurant - if we're so clean that they don't know we're hikers? They have to know we're hikers in order for their attitudes towards hikers to be affected by our good behavior. So if we don't want to mark our money (not practical, I agree) maybe we should wear an "AT Hiker" hat, or just tell everybody we meet, or ...

Seems the pack would be the other identifiable feature.

[JustaTouron]

I still use a bonce box on all of my long hikes that has clean clothes, razor and deodorant in it among other things. I get a room and shower/change no matter how hungry I am. Only place I will smell bad is at the PO picking up the box and possibly during the ride into town. But knowing if I will need a ride or hitch I get myself cleaned up as best as possible. I've known some hikers that smell so bad they leave the odor behind in a persons car--YUCK!!
I even carry a water bag with shower head to get washed up at the end of each hiking day. First several days I am razzed about it, then then suddenly, one by one, hikers begin asking me if they can take a shower too.

Does it work?

By that I mean: other than at the PO and initial check in at motel before you shower, how are you treated? Do you still experience the hatred and mistreatment that the other hikers have complained about or have you managed to avoid that?

[danil411]

Does it work?

By that I mean: other than at the PO and initial check in at motel before you shower, how are you treated? Do you still experience the hatred and mistreatment that the other hikers have complained about or have you managed to avoid that?

Bounce box has been working for me. I usually have snacks in it so I can take the edge off my hunger while I shower. Also I generally have an unused shirt so I am less smelly in towns in between bounce box stops. Therefore I am no ultra lighter nor am I doing the trail on a tight budget. If I were I would carry the extra shirt and take a bird bath at the streams that frequently flow near roads into town.
Dimples

[Astro]

I could not agree more. Trash with cash is still trash.

Or is it Trash with Cash, is still Ca$h? :-?

[Astro]

I don't think you have to do anything special. Just be a decent person/customer.

Seriously, I agree with 10-K, just practice the Golden Rule and treat everyone the way you want to be treated. :)

[Different Socks]

Does it work?

By that I mean: other than at the PO and initial check in at motel before you shower, how are you treated? Do you still experience the hatred and mistreatment that the other hikers have complained about or have you managed to avoid that?

In most cases that I can recall, as long as I looked/smelled good I was treated better. Another reason I believe this is so is b/c I've seen the initial reaction of the restaurant worker, driver of the ride, customers of the other businesses. If I have offended them or their customers, I go out of my way to not subject them to what I smell like. They greatly apprecuiate it more warmly than if I was a hiker that just didn't give a ****** about what I looked like or smelled like.
Too many times on all the long trails I have done, I have seen groups of bad odor hikers drop their packs outside the front door and go into a restaurant to eat before they even make any attempt to clean themselves up. I don't care how many days you've been out there, I don't care how accommodating the business is--CLEAN YOURSELF UP FIRST!!!!

[Jack Tarlin]

Different Socks' post (#19) is absolutely on the mark. Most hikers, and I've certainly been guilty of this, forget to realize how they appear to town people, and worse, they forget to realize, or they minimize or laugh off how filthy they are right off the Trail. This absolutely affects how people will treat you, and fairly or not, it affects how these folks will come to view ALL hikers they encounter. A very good friend, for many years, ran the best bar in Hanover NH. It was legendary for how it treated hikers. Yet the staff, virtually without exception, weren't exactly thrilled when hikers came in. Why? Cuz they stank. Cuz they made an unpleasant dining experience for anyone within 20 feet. Cuz people would move out of the waitress' section and literally re-locate to another room, which cost the servers money. Cuz people sitting next to hikers at the bar would leave after one drink whereas they might have stayed and spent more time and money in the joint if they weren't sitting next to a walking turd. In short, this sort of thing is indeed noted by businesses, their owners, their employees, and all too often, the end result is that a place and its workers eventually become indifferent, if not hostile to hikers, precisely because hikers are bad for business. Most hikers are oblivious to this, or worse, even if they acknowledge the truth of it, they don't care. But this is selfish. We all have friends who will be hiking next year. In fact, WE may be hiking next year. (Or in my case, next week). If you go into a business and are treated with less than friendliness and respect, think on this----the problem isn't necessarily you. Tho it may well be. The problem is the 200 people that season that came in this season looking and smelling like you. Sooner or later, there's a tipping point. Hiker season is short, and most of the hikers that visit trailside or trail-town businesses will never be there again. The people that own these businesses and the people who work there.....well this is their livelihood, and will continue to be, long after you've walked out of town. People get the respect and courtesy they deserve. Virtually anytime I hear or read about a place that is "unfriendly" to hikers or treats hikers "disrespectfully"------almost without exception, there's a good reason why and how this attitude has come about, and sorry, anyone who disputes this hasn't spent much real time on the Trail. Different Socks nailed it: You don't wanna go somewhere and end up feeling like you've just been treated like a piece of s***? Cool. I don't blame you. Simple remedy is to make sure you never enter a place looking, acting, and smelling like one. (Oh, by the way, the other reason a lot of bar/restaurant people don't like hikers is cuz they're notorious for not tipping worth a damn, but that's for another thread).

[Different Socks]

Different Socks' post (#19) is absolutely on the mark. Most hikers, and I've certainly been guilty of this, forget to realize how they appear to town people, and worse, they forget to realize, or they minimize or laugh off how filthy they are right off the Trail. This absolutely affects how people will treat you, and fairly or not, it affects how these folks will come to view ALL hikers they encounter. A very good friend, for many years, ran the best bar in Hanover NH. It was legendary for how it treated hikers. Yet the staff, virtually without exception, weren't exactly thrilled when hikers came in. Why? Cuz they stank. Cuz they made an unpleasant dining experience for anyone within 20 feet. Cuz people would move out of the waitress' section and literally re-locate to another room, which cost the servers money. Cuz people sitting next to hikers at the bar would leave after one drink whereas they might have stayed and spent more time and money in the joint if they weren't sitting next to a walking turd. In short, this sort of thing is indeed noted by businesses, their owners, their employees, and all too often, the end result is that a place and its workers eventually become indifferent, if not hostile to hikers, precisely because hikers are bad for business. Most hikers are oblivious to this, or worse, even if they acknowledge the truth of it, they don't care. But this is selfish. We all have friends who will be hiking next year. In fact, WE may be hiking next year. (Or in my case, next week). If you go into a business and are treated with less than friendliness and respect, think on this----the problem isn't necessarily you. Tho it may well be. The problem is the 200 people that season that came in this season looking and smelling like you. Sooner or later, there's a tipping point. Hiker season is short, and most of the hikers that visit trailside or trail-town businesses will never be there again. The people that own these businesses and the people who work there.....well this is their livelihood, and will continue to be, long after you've walked out of town. People get the respect and courtesy they deserve. Virtually anytime I hear or read about a place that is "unfriendly" to hikers or treats hikers "disrespectfully"------almost without exception, there's a good reason why and how this attitude has come about, and sorry, anyone who disputes this hasn't spent much real time on the Trail. Different Socks nailed it: You don't wanna go somewhere and end up feeling like you've just been treated like a piece of s***? Cool. I don't blame you. Simple remedy is to make sure you never enter a place looking, acting, and smelling like one. (Oh, by the way, the other reason a lot of bar/restaurant people don't like hikers is cuz they're notorious for not tipping worth a damn, but that's for another thread).

Well said!

[HikerMom58]

Certainly impractical as no one is going to "count" the money.

But what might be a nice gesture is something along the lines of what Army Ant is doing for those from whom he receives trail magic. He has had a series of printed "thank you" wooden nickels made (Snacktime loves his) to show his appreciation. Since printing up business cards is cheap and easy, perhaps hikers might invest in a few of these "thank you's....say a hundred...and distribute them to servers, business owners, ie anyone who extends courtesy. etc. People like to know their service is appreciated, and/or something like this can even change the attitude of a grump when they are thanked anyway.

It's really all about going out of your way to treat others well, regardless of their treatment of you.

AA gave me a wooden nickel as well.. I thought that was such a great idea!! :) It's very thoughtful.

[BigEnso]

I still use a bonce box on all of my long hikes that has clean clothes, razor and deodorant in it among other things. I get a room and shower/change no matter how hungry I am. Only place I will smell bad is at the PO picking up the box and possibly during the ride into town. But knowing if I will need a ride or hitch I get myself cleaned up as best as possible. I've known some hikers that smell so bad they leave the odor behind in a persons car--YUCK!!
I even carry a water bag with shower head to get washed up at the end of each hiking day. First several days I am razzed about it, then then suddenly, one by one, hikers begin asking me if they can take a shower too.
Different Socks,

I'm with you one this one. Not only does it clean the outside but, at least for me, cleaning the outside helps rejuvenate the inside some as well. When I am relatively "clean" and have some hot food in me, I sleep better and the walking the next day seems a bit easier. Maybe it is all in my mind but it works for me. YMMV of course.

David

[RED-DOG]

Does it work?

By that I mean: other than at the PO and initial check in at motel before you shower, how are you treated? Do you still experience the hatred and mistreatment that the other hikers have complained about or have you managed to avoid that?

The only time i have heard of hikers being mistreated or any kind of hatred is here on WB i have never been mistreated or experienced any kind of hatred, and nobody i hiked with or meet on the trail has complained about mistreatment in towns, It has to do with a little thing called RESPECT others will treat you the same way you treat them.

[HikerMom58]

Different Socks' post (#19) is absolutely on the mark. Most hikers, and I've certainly been guilty of this, forget to realize how they appear to town people, and worse, they forget to realize, or they minimize or laugh off how filthy they are right off the Trail. This absolutely affects how people will treat you, and fairly or not, it affects how these folks will come to view ALL hikers they encounter. A very good friend, for many years, ran the best bar in Hanover NH. It was legendary for how it treated hikers. Yet the staff, virtually without exception, weren't exactly thrilled when hikers came in. Why? Cuz they stank. Cuz they made an unpleasant dining experience for anyone within 20 feet. Cuz people would move out of the waitress' section and literally re-locate to another room, which cost the servers money. Cuz people sitting next to hikers at the bar would leave after one drink whereas they might have stayed and spent more time and money in the joint if they weren't sitting next to a walking turd. In short, this sort of thing is indeed noted by businesses, their owners, their employees, and all too often, the end result is that a place and its workers eventually become indifferent, if not hostile to hikers, precisely because hikers are bad for business. Most hikers are oblivious to this, or worse, even if they acknowledge the truth of it, they don't care. But this is selfish. We all have friends who will be hiking next year. In fact, WE may be hiking next year. (Or in my case, next week). If you go into a business and are treated with less than friendliness and respect, think on this----the problem isn't necessarily you. Tho it may well be. The problem is the 200 people that season that came in this season looking and smelling like you. Sooner or later, there's a tipping point. Hiker season is short, and most of the hikers that visit trailside or trail-town businesses will never be there again. The people that own these businesses and the people who work there.....well this is their livelihood, and will continue to be, long after you've walked out of town. People get the respect and courtesy they deserve. Virtually anytime I hear or read about a place that is "unfriendly" to hikers or treats hikers "disrespectfully"------almost without exception, there's a good reason why and how this attitude has come about, and sorry, anyone who disputes this hasn't spent much real time on the Trail. Different Socks nailed it: You don't wanna go somewhere and end up feeling like you've just been treated like a piece of s***? Cool. I don't blame you. Simple remedy is to make sure you never enter a place looking, acting, and smelling like one. (Oh, by the way, the other reason a lot of bar/restaurant people don't like hikers is cuz they're notorious for not tipping worth a damn, but that's for another thread).

I agree with this too and as always, with Jack, it is very well stated. :) Especially what is in bold- that is truth, IMHO. The only thing I question is the "Most"... Is it really "most" hikers are like that or are there a few "bad ones"?? I'm thinking a handful of "bad apples" is the case. But, I honestly don't know. I believe like everything else the "cyber hikers" magnify what is reality on the trail. It could be reality in this case tho....

I will just add- I get upset when hikers have to "pay for the sins" of other hikers. It reminds me of being in elementary school, again, when the whole class gets punished for a couple of kids that "acted up".

I sure hope that there are enough thru hiker and sections hikers hiking out there with "good behavior", that it stands out in trail towns, to where they get that- not all hikers are created equal, in that sense.

"We" may have to go above and beyond until "they", "get it".

I would ask that we have compassion & understanding, in the hiking community when, clearly, a fellow backpacker is "paying the price".

I realize that we all have to "pay" while hiking. Other examples would be ... problem bears, norovirus etc...

I like this...

Be a reflection of
what you'd like to see in
others! If you want love,
give love, if you want
honesty, give honesty, if
you want respect, give
respect. You get in
return, what you give.

It's the ole- reap what you sow. Sometimes we have to reap what others sow, that's tough!!

[Sly]

I will just add- I get upset when hikers have to "pay for the sins" of other hikers. It reminds me of being in elementary school, again, when the whole class gets punished for a couple of kids that "acted up".



True enough. When a motel customer trashes a room that arrived in a car, the owner doesn't hang a sign, no more motorist. Or a local acts up in a bar, they don't ban all locals. It shouldn't happen with hikers either.

[JustaTouron]

The only thing I question is the "Most"... Is it really "most" hikers are like that or are there a few "bad ones"?? I'm thinking a handful of "bad apples" is the case.

In my experience you are right, it is not most, but a few bad apples. It was few bad apples, not *most* that ended the trail magic at our picnic.

However, if you follow the advice I give #5, it doesn't really matter in many cases what other hikers before you did. If *YOU* show up at a restaurant wearing the same smelly shirt you have worn everyday since Springer, then you are one of the bad apples. If you show up at restaurant wearing a clean, non-stained, order-free shirt nobody is going to even know you are a hiker. So you aren't going to be treated base on what another hiker did. And I doubt simply telling that waitress you are a hiker is going to change her treatment of you either. She might say something like "I would never have guessed, you don't look or smell like one, it is nice to meet one that has the decency to shower first." And she may have waited on hundreds of good hikers and not even known about it. Because in her world, it isn't hikers and non-hikers. It smelly people and non-smelly people.

Now, there maybe a few people who are too jaded and simply mentioning your are a hiker, is enough. The Kent laundromat might be such a place.

But my guess is that most of the people who have the complaints are also the bad apples. And they weren't treated bad because they hike, but because they smell.

[JustaTouron]

True enough. When a motel customer trashes a room that arrived in a car, the owner doesn't hang a sign, no more motorist. Or a local acts up in a bar, they don't ban all locals. It shouldn't happen with hikers either.

Then maybe the percentages are different. If 5% of car arrives trash the motel room and 1% of the hikers the motel might close the parking lot and only allow walk-ins. However, if 1% of car customers trash the room and 5% of the hikers, then they might not allow hikers.

I seriously doubt there is any place that doesn't welcome hikers because of just one hiker.

[Del Q]

I like spending time in trail towns. This is some of the most special time I spend in my life. I bring enough money to enjoy what I like, this is my time off

Want a pizza? Definitely
Huge breakfast? Absolutely
Two lunches? Always nice, leave at least an hour or two in between, can eat more that way
Beer? Sure, why not
Local bar / restaurant..............clean up the best that I can, eat and drink heartily, tip graciously.

Almost every trail town has been special to me............many more to come. 1475 miles completed.

[Different Socks]

I like spending time in trail towns. This is some of the most special time I spend in my life. I bring enough money to enjoy what I like, this is my time off

Want a pizza? Definitely
Huge breakfast? Absolutely
Two lunches? Always nice, leave at least an hour or two in between, can eat more that way
Beer? Sure, why not
Local bar / restaurant..............clean up the best that I can, eat and drink heartily, tip graciously.

Almost every trail town has been special to me............many more to come. 1475 miles completed.

Yeah but Del Q did you clean up b4 the first meal or waited until you went to the bar?

[Different Socks]

I can always recall the looks on people's faces when they enter the lobby of a PO and there is one bad smelling hiker opening his box right there, or even worse several bad smelling hikers.
Wrinkled noses, turning away so quickly they run into people, even some that looked like they would run for the door and the fresh air on the other side, and the looks back thru the lobby windows from them.
What am I getting at? After I get my box, no matter how much I want something in it, I step outside first so others entering don't have to suffer. I can recall one guy on the AT that hadn't cleaned up or bathed in over 7 or 8 days. He slept next me in a shelter and when he rolled over the fumes that emanated from his bag were so bad I thought I'd heave. Imagine that same person that doesn't care how they smell or look walking into a bar or restaurant or simply an enclosed area and staying there to eat, complete their business or talk.
Would you want them there if it was your business or you were an employee serving them?

[HikerMom58]

True enough. When a motel customer trashes a room that arrived in a car, the owner doesn't hang a sign, no more motorist. Or a local acts up in a bar, they don't ban all locals. It shouldn't happen with hikers either.

That's what I was thinking too. :)

[HikerMom58]

I like spending time in trail towns. This is some of the most special time I spend in my life. I bring enough money to enjoy what I like, this is my time off

Want a pizza? Definitely
Huge breakfast? Absolutely
Two lunches? Always nice, leave at least an hour or two in between, can eat more that way
Beer? Sure, why not
Local bar / restaurant..............clean up the best that I can, eat and drink heartily, tip graciously.

Almost every trail town has been special to me............many more to come. 1475 miles completed.

And this is what I believe most of the hikers are like... right here!! I've been interacting with hikers since 2008 and most all of the ones I have met have been like Del Q describes..seriously.

Within the last year, I've been interacting with more section hikers than thru-hikers.

Have most of them smelled like hiker funk?? Sure, but not to the degree that would make anyone puke. The hikers I've meet can't wait to shower and apologize profusely until they do.

So here's the million dollar question... what's the percentage of hikers that don't care how they look, smell,don't tip and feel entitled etc...????

I would hate to think that an entire website was built around "low-life" that don't care about anyone else but themselves, while following the "white blaze".

[Another Kevin]

+1 on not stinking.

I don't go to the extent of having a waterbag with a shower head. But if I'm doing more than an overnighter, I carry a Sea to Summit bucket and an extra bandana, for all of about 4 ounces and they're all multi-use items. Oh, yes, and a piece of sham-wow from the dollar store.

Hot soapy water goes in my cookpot, rinse water in the bucket. I sit or stand on my tent footprint so that I'm not on mud. If there's weather or lack of privacy, I pitch the rainfly over the footprint, leaving the tent packed so I don't get the inside wet. I don't care so much about the footprint, it's always wet anyway.

When I'm done bathing, the dirty water either goes in a cathole or gets widely spread across the terrain, according to the preferences of the land manager. A quick swish of "clean" water through the cookpot gets rid of the soap. (It can be untreated water, because the pot gets sterilized every time it boils.)

Oh yeah, the socks that I'm not wearing get washed at the same time. Once they've dried out again, they smell a lot better too. A bit of bungee cord on my pack makes a clothesline for the bandana/washrag, socks and towel.

The only thing that really makes a problem for this system is unrelenting wet weather. I'm not about to try to dry the laundry over a campfire - that'll make me stink even worse. I've dried boot liners before with heated rocks in a pinch. (Stand well upwind!) Maybe I should try that trick with socks.

[Hill Ape]

If you stamp a 20 and get 18 in change, how much of a margin for error could that add up to?

[shakey_snake]

I always just tell them my name is [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJU3lsezXjc]Joseph Deer-tay[/quote]. It's working out pretty well so far.

[shakey_snake]

Sorry, Link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJU3lsezXjc)

[Del Q]

Good question, I ALWAYS clean up best that I can, if I smelled so bad that I could not stomach my own self I would not disrespect the business or the customers by hanging around them. I get enough funny looks wearing a kilt!

It is not that tough to strip down, wash up and be as presentable as possible before walking into town, a hotel, B & B, restaurant, bar, etc.

I recall walking into Dalton Mass, bar/restaurant on the right after coming across the train tracks.......was NOBO, 1st customer in the monring. Was speaking with them about hikers and their stink, they said that sometimes it is so bad they have to put them in a corner table by the door.....I would have asked them to go clean the heck up a bit or leave..........there is a certain level that is just unacceptable.

I have never experienced it yet, but have spoken with some thru hikers that speak of certain hikers that smell so bad they can't even stay in the same shelter with them. Really? There are plenty of creeks and places to wash up to some degree of human decency.

Last comment, we all represent each other, I know that the way I smell, act, spend, tip, etc impacts every hiker that comes in after me, it is also my respect for the AT and hiking community overall.

[Bronk]

Certainly impractical as no one is going to "count" the money.



www.wheresgeorge.com tracks currency...would be interesting to have hikers post their serial numbers and track where hiker money ends up.

[Meg Wilson Author]

We have a camp in a trail town in Maine and spend a lot of time there year-round. I spread magic during hiking season, usually at a favorite remote crossing 6 miles to/from town. I also offer rides no matter how stinky hitchhikers are, but I don't have to depend on them for my livelihood. With virtually no exception, I find hikers to be gracious and appreciative of my generosity. I love chatting with them, learning about their hikes....but I don't need anything in return.

My friends who own a restaurant in town rely on hikers, but they also rely on locals and tourists all summer/autumn long. Their establishment is small and stinks up in a hurry. When I was at Trail Days in Damascus this year, I gave away business cards to this particular joint in Maine. On the reverse side, unbeknownst to my proprietor-friends, I wrote "shower first for a free drink" and signed my name. I gave away ten or so. It'll be fun to see if any "coupons" get redeemed, and I will gladly pay for hikers' drinks in hopes of keeping our favorite local joint in the black.

Please help my biz owner friends appreciate your long slog into town as much as I do. Give them a reason to smile when they see you coming. Show them the courtesy of good hygiene (translation: you respect them and their business) and they will treat you respectfully in return. Promise. The major grievance re: hikers is that little spaces get stinky fast! An eatery might serve up the best meal in town, but it won't taste as good when the heat rising from the platter appears to smell like crap. In their defense, hikers usually don't know how badly they stink. Perhaps erring on the side of caution would help customer relations.

For take-out joints, you might consider doing this: If you have one meticulous hiker among your group, let Mr/Ms Clean go inside and grab some menus, then collect the money and place the orders. That would go a loooong way in good customer relations.

Trust me. Just sayin'.
Meg Wilson
www.megwilsonauthor.com/blog

[Drybones]

You could probably have this discussion about any segment of society....there seems to always be a few in every goup.