Not a good resting "Place"

[Rockhound]

Bouncing around the woods for the past week. Saw the ponies, Laurel falls....having a great time with one exception. Staying at the place. I did not mind that there is no stove, no fridge, no towels, no mattresses, no soap, no shampoo, etc.... but perhaps there should be a caretaker. Night 1 while trying to go to sleep the Soccer mom generation was still up making lots of noise without any consideration for those trying to sleep. It did not help that the wooden floors and openness of the building just amplifies the noise.at 11:45 someone came downstairs and politely asked them to keep it down as others were trying to sleep. Of course this did not work. At about 12:30 I spoke up and said, "Don't take this the wrong way but it's tomorrow. Shut the @#%$ up. This seemed to work. Night 2 it started all over again I wound up taking my sleeping bag on the porch. Still too noisy I wound up pitching my tent. The noise finally died down around 1:30 or 1:45. Just a complete lack of respect for anyone else. Of those making the noise, a few had been there well past the 2 day max and some even joked about their friends getting kicked out a few nights prior for drinking on the property. I'd also be very surprised if even 1/2 of them made the suggested $4 donation per night. I surley appreciate the Place being there but after this experience I feel they should either shut it down or get an on property caretaker. Am I just getting old or am i justified in how I feel?

[kanga]

you're getting old. but you're still justified. it's amazing to me how many completely disrepectful people are out there.

[jersey joe]

Probably a combination of both...people certainly should be more polite but if you really value a good nights sleep, there is nothing stopping you from paying for a night in a hotel. Try earplugs next time?!?

[Tin Man]

you're getting old. but you're still justified. it's amazing to me how many completely disrepectful people are out there.

different habbits breed different perpectives on respect. what can you expect when whiners whine about others whining about their late night partying or earlying morning cooking/packing?

simple solution... tent away from others... always

[kanga]

different habbits breed different perpectives on respect. what can you expect when whiners whine about others whining about their late night partying or earlying morning cooking/packing?

simple solution... tent away from others... always

i would say that lack of discipline breeds lack of respect.

[mudhead]

I wish I had been there for you. 3AM is a good rollout. Not that I would startle them for you.

I avoid people, as they don't care for the crack of dawn gene.

[emerald]

I'm seeing quite a few replies I can't agree with here. I don't know whether or not quiet hours are posted, but they should be and they ought to be respected. It shouldn't require a caretaker to remind guests of what ought to be common sense.

If I'm not mistaken, The Place is provided for hikers and bikers to rest and get a good night's sleep before continuing with their journeys. A substantial proportion if not a majority of such people are early to bed and early to rise types.

This notion that such people should be expected to accommodate those who want to stay up all night by wearing earplugs, tenting or renting a room is nonsense and if y'all don't realize it, I'm posting to call it to your attention.

[mikec]

That's the one complaint that I have about hostels. They are loud at night. I had this problem at Kincora as well as The Place. One solution is ear plugs. I don't hit the trail without them.

[beakerman]

I have a foot in both camps on this one. Being a night owl myself I find it difficult to settle in when others are already down for the night. however i am very quiet. Most of the time i'm just sitting and reading or if there's a fire I'm just zoning out. Sure I get up to take care of business but only as much as needed.

So yeah I agree you should not be expected to accomodate folks like me too much--I'm the outsider--I'm the one staying up late you are trying to sleep. So I should tone it down but that does not mean call it a night--I am an adult and should not have my bedtime dictated to me by others.

You on the other hand are an adult also and have been out inthe world. You should know how people generally behave. You can have folks like me that are very respectful and you won't even know we are there or folks like the group you encountered that have no respect for anyone or anything. You should expect it. That does not mean you should avoid hostels or shelters but should be prepared to deal with others. Ear plugs only weigh a few grams and you know you will need them if you are staying in a group environment.

Oh and yes ther should be a proper caretaker and if rules are posted they should be enforced. If I don't like the rules then I should move on...you too...no quiet time posted then you're likely to have folks up all night like you just described and you should consider moving on...

[Jeff]

Rockhound,

How do you and Curtis handle these issues at Standing Bear?

[Blissful]

That's the problem with hostels. Part of the territory.

[emerald]

So I should tone it down

Correct. I wasn't aware there are two camps. This thread is about respect. People who want to talk all night should take it elsewhere, not the people who are trying to get some sleep.

Anyone who has hiked from Springer Mountain to Damascus should know what's considered to be acceptable behavior among hikers. Why do some act as though the standards of behavior no longer apply once they reach town?

Quiet hours shouldn't need to be posted, but posting hours eliminates disagreement as to what they ought to be. Once posted, quiet hours are a matter of fact and volume.

[beakerman]

Emerald

Let me make that 100% clear...there are two camps: early to bed early to rise/quiet lovers and those late night people. I like quiet and late night so I have a foot in both camps.

Same goes for the reactions to the situation you found yourself in: they should have been quiet, within reason, especially after being told. However you should have expected it because from what you wrote you were complaining about floors creaking and such. So you should probably carry some ear plugs just so folks can go to the head without waking you.

Why should my buddies and I be deprived the right to talk quietly amongst ourselves just because you are a light sleeper? You should out of respect for others take some precautions for your particular situation--that's all I'm trying to say.

And in the situation you described I might have done the same thing as you if they were talking loudly--especially after someone said something already.

As you said it's about respect and unfortunately most folks don't know it is a two way street.

[Tin Man]

i would say that lack of discipline breeds lack of respect.

more like... prevalent permissive peckerhead parenting breeds bumsuck bastids with big boneheads

[Tin Man]

This notion that such people should be expected to accommodate those who want to stay up all night by wearing earplugs, tenting or renting a room is BS and if y'all don't realize it, I'm posting to call it to your attention.

I call BS to thinking you can control other people at hostels, shelters, etc. I sleep in my tent because I like my privacy. Sleep in the hostels and shelters if you like, but don't whine when people don't behave the way you expect or think they should.

[emerald]

Why should my buddies and I be deprived the right to talk quietly amongst ourselves just because you are a light sleeper? You said it's about respect and unfortunately most folks don't know it is a two way street.

You seem to assume I was at The Place on the night or nights the thread starter mentioned. I wasn't and haven't stayed there in many years. You might address your comments to rockhound.

I made some general comments about such situations and this notion of tolerance some here have. One cannot have it both ways. It doesn't work at a hostel any more than a shelter. I wonder whether you think it's acceptable to talk within earshot of others at shelters at the same hour people were talking audibly at The Place. There need to be rules which are agreed upon whether posted or not when people share such close quarters.

Never did I indicate what your bedtime ought to be or whether or not you ought to be able to talk. When I was a boy and camped, we learned this concept. I don't understand why people seem to have such a hard time with it today.

[Tin Man]

When I was a boy and camped, we learned this concept. I don't understand why people seem to have such a hard time with it today.

simple... permissive parenting

[emerald]

I call BS to thinking you can control other people at hostels, shelters, etc. I sleep in my tent because I like my privacy. Sleep in the hostels and shelters if you like, but don't whine when people don't behave the way you expect or think they should.

If rules are posted and guests don't comply with them, the owners of the facility have a right to ask those guests to leave.

If the only recourse guests who are deprived of sleep have is to start threads about water under the bridge, then I don't call it whining even if it can't reverse the effects of permissive parenting. Instead, these threads might be viewed as an effort to change the way people think about parenting and thus avoid additional sleepless nights.

[Tin Man]

If rules are posted and guests don't comply with them, the owners of the facility have a right to ask those guests to leave.

Agreed.

If the only recourse guests who are respecting rules have is to start threads about water under the bridge, then I don't call it whining even if it can't change what happened.

post facto whining is still whining. and rockhound is a friend who actually knows that people are going to be disrepectful. i suspect he was testing the waters at the place to see what all the whining was about.

i ain't fighting you, i'm just saying if you tent alone you have a much better shot of having things the way you like them rather than if you stay in a shared facility with people who come from many different backgrounds and ways of thinking and doing. simple.

[emerald]

I'm going back to work so y'all can get to the bottom of this issue.