section hiked from UJ in 2012 and the shuttle picked me up returning me to my car all was well and all was great.
The guy is still in business...that must tell you something right there. And you trip over the place coming off the trail...you can't hardly miss it. He charged me $6 to set up a tent in his yard and take a shower in 2002. I thought it was well worth it. And he loaned me a bicycle to ride into town.
location and lack of competition has been the key - I have a long memory and have intentionally done minimal business with UJ - that being said, I would certainly have no problem with identical set ups (price, service, facilities, convenience etc) under different ownership on any trail
Uncle Johnny's (where I have stayed several times...2009, 2010, 2013) is not a hotel. It's a hostel. Way nicer than a shelter. Inside toilet. .
I stayed there this year and had no major complaints, tented for $10 and got dinner and breakfast shuttles into Erwin. The shower houses were clean and when I looked in the bunkroom it seemed well kept and reeked of heavy duty cleaning products. I heard there was a rash of noro that seemed to originate there in '14 so maybe they stepped up the hygiene. It is convenient for the shuttles, Erwin seemed tougher than the average town to hitch through since most services are down the interstate.
Your experience there could really vary by the night though. A few nights prior to my stay there was a big drunken brawl there and I don't think the staff had a clue about it happening because the instigator was still staying there a few nights later. There was another situation this season where Sarge got in a fight with some people over a late fee for returning a raft and pulled a knife on them leading to the police being called. They are also in some kind of feud with Ms. Janet that I won't pretend to understand but Sarge makes it his business to trash talk her and it seems like she encourages other hikers to do the same towards UJ's, just kind of ugly to be caught in the middle of. I've had this at a few other spots on the trail and it is always a drag when hostel owners want to give you an earful about how horrible the competition is. I would probably stay there again on a long hike because it is so convenient but sure wouldn't go out of my way for it.
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I stayed at Uncle Jonny's for a couple nights in 06. I thought it was great. inexpesive, and they provide free shuttles in to town 3 times a day to get to the restaurants at no extra charge.
And where else can you buy a snickers bar for 40 cents?
Last edited by Deacon; 09-24-2015 at 11:56.
When I was there in 2002 Johnny got pissed off because somebody used the pay phone on his porch to call Miss Janet for a shuttle into town. I guess I can understand a guy being pissed when somebody uses his facilities to call in the competition but if you've got a public phone people are going to use it...especially when you tell them they'll have to wait a couple of hours for a ride. Direct quote: "If you get in that b----'s car all of your s--- will be in the river by the time you get back."
johnny is still in business. janet ain't
I stayed a night in May of 2013. It's right on the trail. I paid $10 to tent there and paid something extra ($4?) to do a load of laundry. I bought a Gatorade and the camp store looked fairly well stocked. The dial on the washer was wonky and an employee had to show me the trick to using it (but washers and driers are often old and idiosyncratic at hostels up and down the AT). The shower was clean. They had an organized system for dealing with packages that get sent to them -- getting my package was employee mediated and that's the way I prefer it (as opposed to packages just left in a pile for anyone to sort through). The night I was there things were quiet and I got a good night's sleep in my tent. I never met Uncle Johnny himself while I was there.
I've stayed at about a half dozen trail-oriented establishments in the southern Appalachians and Uncle Johnny's is about in the middle -- I've stayed in better and I've stayed in worse.
Life Member: ATC, ALDHA, Superior Hiking Trail Association
The next gap towards Erwin, Iron Mountain Gap, cost only $10 on UJ's special AM run, which allows you to slackpack the 20 miles back to the hostel. $50 seems like a excellent rate to Carver's Gap (38 miles), Cantarroso is $25 x minimum of 2 people (or $50 for one). Last time I was at UJ's, 10-K provided most of the long haul shuttles for UJ--I don't think he would charge $90.
AT 2000 miler: 2011-2014 (via section hikes)
Camino de Santiago -- April/May 2016 (Camino Frances from Saint Jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostela)
CDT New Mexico sections next???
When I stayed at UJ's, I left my i.d, money, and debit card in the bathroom. Sarge found it and returned it. I was really grateful for his honesty.
I stayed there after getting a good report from a southbounder who just came from there. He said Johnny was sick and a young hiker was running the place and had done a lot of work on it. I'd stay again. Pluses: three free town shuttles daily, pleasant deck and outdoor seating, camp store, bicycles, hammock, books, decent shower room, laundry available. Minuses: no sheets for vinyl mattresses, bunkroom could be cleaner, someone with logorrhea loudly proclaiming out on the deck way past hiker midnight how Chicken George Bush Jr wasn't such a disaster after all - ugh, earplugs are a must! Also there's a large friendly but smelly dog that has taken over the only couch in the bunkroom.
Johnny, get well soon.
Trail Miles: 4,992.0
AT Map 1: Completed 13-21'
Sheltowee Trace: Completed 20-23'
Pinhoti Trail: Completed 23-24'
Foothills Trail: 47.9
GSMNP900: 134.7(16.8%)
AT Map 2: 279.4
BMT: 52.7
CDT: 85.4
Pros:
Next to trail head
Warm welcome
Good briefing
Great outdoor shop
Free shuttle to fast food/resup in town
New hot showers/ clean toilets
Free wifi
Good laundry facilities
Power supply for charging phones
Cons:
Bunk room was filthy.
Bins not emptied
Neutral:
Mattresses only, no sheets or pillows
UJ is extremely laid back - horizontal
Opinion:
Compared to all the other hostels on the AT, UJs would be in the bottom few. Compared with the Hiker Inn at Dalonega which costs about the same - there is no comparison.
It would cost very little and not take much time to keep the bunk room clean. There is no will and that is the problem. If you are going to run a business, run it properly.
I believe that there should be a web facility to comment on AT accom like Trip Advisor and in the guide books as Yogi has done. This would allow hikers to firm a more accurate opinion when planning accommodation options.
This thread is why I suggested a feedback type setup for hostels and shuttle drivers the would operate like online product ratings. No one was interested yet here we are
Trail Miles: 4,992.0
AT Map 1: Completed 13-21'
Sheltowee Trace: Completed 20-23'
Pinhoti Trail: Completed 23-24'
Foothills Trail: 47.9
GSMNP900: 134.7(16.8%)
AT Map 2: 279.4
BMT: 52.7
CDT: 85.4
I see it as a typical hostel, not five star but all a hiker needs, I pitched my tent in the back yard so I don't know about the rooms.
Grapevine is he said she said blah blah blah. Word of mouth is good for here and now on the trail but I have learned to ignore most grapevine talk as it usually turns up to be inaccurate. A documented per experience rating system the same as if you look up the hojo inn down the street.
In todays time you can lookup any business as I just did on Google using UJ as the example,
He is on rated on:
Google review
3.9/5 stars w/ 10 reviews
Tripadvisor
4/5 stars w/ 16 reviews
yelp
3 starts w/ 7 reviews
Hostelz.com
4.4/5 stars with 8 reviews
Whiteblaze report from times past
positive experience
But when we look at it, we are talking about 43 people total, not a large number for a survey but an overall positive number, better then I would rate it.
When I speak of "rating" the place what goes thru my mind is: How does this place compare, for the price, to , IMO, one of my best hostel experiences...
I can use Laughing heart as an example of a "great experience" from a facility standpoint.
Laughing heart: CLEAN, private rooms for $25 a night w/ AC/ heat. donation coffee, nice bathroom facilities and Chuck is forever kind. Chuck even gave me a free nights stay because I had used him all month on the weekends to section hike the AT all around him.
UJ's: Dirty AF, $40 a night for a worn out bed no AC/, and to deal with grouchy ass Sarge for overpriced shuttles. No thanks.
This is my opinion and facts found online both, they don't seem to add up but my experience is that of 3 occasions, and a high expectation due to extremely positive experiences elsewhere. I encourage everyone to get a personal opinion by trying them out. Personal experience is always better then that grapevine thing.
Last edited by Gambit McCrae; 09-22-2015 at 08:33. Reason: add links
Trail Miles: 4,992.0
AT Map 1: Completed 13-21'
Sheltowee Trace: Completed 20-23'
Pinhoti Trail: Completed 23-24'
Foothills Trail: 47.9
GSMNP900: 134.7(16.8%)
AT Map 2: 279.4
BMT: 52.7
CDT: 85.4