Have a phone?Originally Posted by Miss Janet
woah, a fiesty Miss J-I like it!
Anything's within walking distance if you've got the time.
GA-ME 03, LT 04/06, PCT 07'
[QUOTE=Miss Janet;792620]I can't really imagine that you won't get a donation of a TV, VCR and DVD player from someone sooner, but if you don't, and I come down in April, I'll bring you one of each. I know that's a lot of 'ifs' but the best I can do from here right now.
I love the smell of esbit in the morning!
i like my tent, quit making it out to be a bad thing.
You betcha Janet, and one of those pillows is mine, I left it at your house that time you shuttled me around during spring break with my plantar fascitis. LOLOL I hope it gave a lot of hikers a soft spot to lay their head on.
Heading out in April to visit Barb. She really enjoyed having you and said you're welcome anytime.
Last edited by Lilred; 03-02-2009 at 23:59.
"It was on the first of May, in the year 1769, that I resigned my domestic happiness for a time, and left my family and peaceable habitation on the Yadkin River, in North Carolina, to wander through the wilderness of America." - Daniel Boone
In Mar & Apr I run up to Winding Stair Rock and Wallace Gap on schedule daily.Just because hiker season for north bounders is over I will still come pick you up and take you back.Are you sure you didn't call a motel that I don't own.
Weasel,I pick up hikers year around.I took many south bounders in this year and back to the trail.I don't run a scheduled run back and forth like I do in the spring but when they call I go for them.Hikers needing a ride don't have a season with me.
I like my tent too. It's easier to stay in it then listening to a self appointed shelter cop.i like my tent, quit making it out to be a bad thing.
that's it right there... stay in a shelter and you can't escape the shelter cop/bozo/non-snorerI like my tent too. It's easier to stay in it then listening to a self appointed shelter cop.
yes,we are seeing many hikers having fun and enjoying the hostel.
The best Hostels have a large common area(s), and many clean shower and toilet facilities. Hot water and strong pressure is always good.
Also food services nearby is crucial.
internet access
Do we really need internet access along the AT. If i had to have that I would stay home or stay in fancy hotel.
1. Showers
2. Washer and Dryers
3. Outside Clotheslines
4. Bunks (wooden or something we can use our air matts, etc.)
5. Outside covered cooking area with picnic tables
6. Electric outlets
7. Pay phone available
8. Near a store for resupply (or in same town, or in vicinity)
9. Optional camping area available
10. Common sense rules (No booze, lights out at reasonable time, etc.)
"Something hidden. Go and find it. Go, and look behind the Ranges. Something lost behind the Ranges. Lost and waiting for you . . . Go!" (Rudyard Kipling)
From SunnyWalker, SOBO CDT hiker starting June 2014.
Please visit: SunnyWalker.Net
You know, if you want to avoid these things properly, you have to become them yourselves, so you have to be the cop, bozo, AND the snorer!
I have no objection to alcohol on the premises. . . so long as the drinkers respect the rights of others to a quiet night's rest.
Main thing I look for is a friendly hostel owner, clean facilities - bed, shower, laundry, kitchen. Also need access to re-supply (food, gas, etc.) and shuttle. Willing to pay for the good hostel facility.
Wisdom, wisdom, wisdom . . . . So help me, Kirby, you are going to be ready for to begin work on your first advanced degree by this time next year. And I don't doubt for a moment that college is going to be fun for you as well. Good luck there in DC. --Best, Kinnickinic
You never know just what you can do until you realize you absolutely have to do it.
--Salaun
heard your interview while back on that podcast on I Tunes - very nice. Just general cleaniness and good cooking is fine with my son and I. Internet acsess is a plus as well. Smiling faces always welcome as well - but that works both ways for owner and hiker as well.
Since this thread has been revived, I have a few comments.
I don't run a hostel (in fact I won't even have an apartment for a few more weeks!) but we did take in a bunch of hikers the past few weeks. I've also been visiting and helping out at a friend's hostel the past couple of days and have had a chance to observe a few things.
There are ways to be a great hotel or house guest, and there are ways to make a real pain in the ass out of yourself.
*If you see your host doing something ( like unloading lumber from a truck or filling up a trailer for a dump run), feel free to ask if he needs any help. I had some people who were staying at the place who saw me and a friend spend about twenty minutes getting firewood off a truck; they sat there drinking beer and it didn't occur to them to offer to lend a hand til we were 90% done. And THEN they asked us about getting a ride into town!! Which wasn't forthcoming, believe me.
*Make it easy on your host so he doesn't have to do the same task unnecessarily. Case in point......there are five hikers who want to go on a "store run" for food or whatever. There's a big van, so there's room for anyone who wants to go. Two other guys are asked if they wanna go, they say no, cuz they wanna finish the movie they're watching. The store run gets back 45 minutes later and these guys IMMEDIATELY ask when the next store run is gonna be and they get all pissy when they're informed that it won't be for awhile. If it were up to me I'd have told them that the store run they declined was the last one for the day.
*Pay attention to your dog, always. If the indoor common areas are small or limited, keep the dog outside, especially if we're talking about places where folks eat or prepare food.
*Remember, at a hostel, your mom doesn't live there! Clean up after yourself, i.e. do your own dishes, leave the bathroom as nice or nicer than you found it, if you make a mess or see one, clean it up.
*Unless something is clearly "public", like a hiker box, don't assume that everything you see in a house or hostel is for your personal use. And this applies to food, too.
*If you borrow anything, I don't care if it's a box of tin foil, a screwdriver,
whatever.....make sure you return it to the person who gave it to you. And if you need something like this, it's always nice to ask first, i.e. just cuz you see the right tool sitting on the shelf or in the garage, this doesn't necessarily mean your host wants to see you using a one hundred dollar Italian wood chisel to fix your backpack. This sort of thing makes one want to take in fewer hikers.
*Respect areas or rooms that are marked "Private" or "Off limits." If you see a sign with rules, regulations, or requests for guests, then read the sign and respect it.
*If you see friends or other folks behaving poorly, then talk to them. Hikers
need to correct each other a lot more often than they do.
*Get cleaned up FIRST thing. Whether it's a private home or a hostel, nobody wants your funked out self on their sofa or their bed, and this is even more important if you leave to go shopping, to a restaurant, etc. Try
and give the folks you encounter a positive feeling about hikers and not a bad
one.
*Pay for the services and things you use. And if you're not willing to do this,
then go without those things.
*Be aware that there are other folks sharing the space with you and their needs and wants are as important as yours. So respect quiet time, don't tie up the shower for an hour, don't hog the phone, etc. Oh, and the fact that you're keeping a Trail journal doesn't entitle you to unlimited computer time.
All for now, I'm sure I'll think of plenty more right after I post this.
Jack's Rules should be posted in all hostels as "Jack's Rules".
I might add,
"Say 'please' and 'thank you' to the hosts. A lot."
TW
"Thank God! there is always a Land of Beyond, For us who are true to the trail..." --- Robert Service
Jack is pretty darn accurate with what he recommends.
We need to remember that 99% of all hostel guests are great. Too bad we have to spend time talking about the other 1%.
Couple of other suggestions:
- Arrive at a decent hour (like before 9PM). Late arriving hikers make lots of noise doing laundry, cooking, socializing and most hikers are ready to turn in around 9.
- Offer suggestions to the hostel owner if you see something that could make everyones day just a little easier. I had someone suggest night lights in the hallway. If that could avoid a fall down the stairs, it could be worth a million dollars.
- Let hostel owners know if there is a hiker who is coming through who may be a problem. Just knowing and being on guard can save a situation from turning ugly. (It may be best to do this privately with the owner.)
It is a real pleasure geting to know so many hikers even if it's just for a day or two. We hikers are a friendly bunch!!!!
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