What is the "least" friendly trail town?

[stranger]

One of the best experiences I ever had was at Boiling Springs in 2001, I saddled up to the bar and drank about 15 glasses of beer watching the Stanley Cup Finals, the bartender kept filling up my glass, filling up the pretzels, etc...he stayed open late to let the game finish, then charged me about $18 haha, I threw $40 down on the bar and still made out like a bandit. Then crashed on the lawn of the B&B for $1...resupplied the next day and headed out. Great time.

CT is a pretentious state, no question, full of money and people who have money - which can SOMETIMES mean arrogant or unfriendly people, especially towards hikers. I have only hiked CT once and had no issues myself.

As for the best town...Hot Springs all the way. Damasus is nice, but Hot Springs wins any day for me! The only thing Damascus has over Hot Springs is the supermarket.

[rocketsocks]

I stayed at the Allenbury Inn in Boiling Springs back in 86'to fish the famed yellow britches creek.They use to run a fly fishing school there,the fellows that ran the classes were Joe Humphreys & Ed Shenk.I crashed a cast party after a play,and met some really cool people.Next morning I come strolling in all late and wrong,and ordering bloody Mary's for breakfast,Later Joe had signed a book for me that is inscribed "John don't let the snake bite you"and then drew a little trout,he told me I could come back anytime and just come on back down here by the creek.The owners of the Inn cut me a brake on my bill as well,on account of spending so much time at the bar.fond memories there.the rest I'll keep to myself.Honest to god,it took me 15 years to figure he wasn't talking about some snake in a creek.Joes fishing mentor and friend was George Harvey a renouned PA fly fisher man.

[ki0eh]

I used to live in B.S. and it is indeed a bedroom community for a larger metro with folks commuting to Harrisburg and Carlisle. People I remember on my street worked as concrete drillers, an environmental geologist, a GS-12 at the Army War College, violin-maker's apprentice, a probation officer, truck driver - not as hardscrabble as Duncannon but not great wealth either. On the Foundry Day craft festival (always coincides with National Trails Day, 1st Sat in June) the crowds are for the food stands not the juried crafts. The least friendly places are the tavern and the fly fishing outfitter which are unfortunately the closest to the Trail.

Story I heard was that the "midnight train" campsite was set there by students in a college exercise, when I attended CVATMA (now CVATC) meetings they mostly talked about who they could call next for the porta-pot since they had run through all the local suppliers who wouldn't come back due to vandalism. Any campsite is inherently too close to the road given the realities of the Cumberland Valley. I don't know if the campsite will be relocated south in the recently purchased property which would make it quieter, shadier, and a little further from the road-based vandals.

[Stink Bug]

My vote would go to Boiling Springs Pa. Did some hiker do something bad there in the past? I had trouble even talking to people. Even eye contact was being avoided. My guess is that the town itself is a bedroom community for a nearby city and is full of richer people. Perhaps as I move further North I will see more of this. I suppose I was spoiled by the towns further South. I could tell that the few retailers just wanted me to buy something then keep moving. The little hiker campground next to the tracks has that "keep moving" feel about it. Why else would they not even supply a picnic table for the camping spot? Next time I will stealth camp out in the valley and spend my money someplace else. Are there other places this un-friendly?

I passed through Boiling Springs last summer and had exactly the opposite experience, I thought it was a wonderful place. The pizza place was especially generous and, even though they were pretty busy, they offered to let my girlfriend and I sit in the AC after we'd had our - really excellent - meal.

[Cookerhiker]

.... most hikers are arrogant jerks

Now, now Wolf - didn't you mean to say "...most thru-hikers are arrogant jerks"?

[Del Q]

Kent, definitely ........... but for me, so far Port Clinton is up there................have hiked from Damascus to Franconia Notch. Not a friendly stop at all. Unless you like candy nothing there worth stopping for

[coach lou]

the entire state of Connecticut

Lots of Connecticut bashing here, but what you don't realize is both Kent & Salisbury are ritzy antique selling towns habitated by folks from out of state that had all sorts of money. I can't live up there, I work for a living. Someone said something about getting some movie stars autograph, no movie stars in my town. Even when I go up there to ref the Prep school games, some folks look down there nose at me! WOO & The Wolf are talkin' truth, when we Nutmeggers come thru trail towns, you would'nt know unless we told you. I remember back in '81', I came out of the blue blaze at Sages ravine, yellow blazing back to my car at Salisbury. On Rt.41 was The Under Mountain Inn, we stopped and had beers and apple pie. The proprietor was all for us , "... come on in boys, put your packs here, have something to eat", 2 years later the same guy was totally different! "... no room for you hikers... move it on, no room for you!" Why? He didn't know I was a Connecticut boy, I was a hiker...................how's the treatment we get from those folks who run the AMC huts up in New Hampshire, if you don't have a reservation? Totally different down in SNP. Can't wait to see when the folks down south hear my Connecticut accent, Ha!!!!!!!!

[Cookerhiker]

........... but for me, so far Port Clinton is up there................have hiked from Damascus to Franconia Notch. Not a friendly stop at all. Unless you like candy nothing there worth stopping for

Oh but what about the huge portion of fries - even for the "small" order - at the Port Clinton Hotel.

[Sarcasm the elf]

Lots of Connecticut bashing here, but what you don't realize is both Kent & Salisbury are ritzy antique selling towns habitated by folks from out of state that had all sorts of money. I can't live up there, I work for a living. Someone said something about getting some movie stars autograph, no movie stars in my town. Even when I go up there to ref the Prep school games, some folks look down there nose at me! WOO & The Wolf are talkin' truth, when we Nutmeggers come thru trail towns, you would'nt know unless we told you. I remember back in '81', I came out of the blue blaze at Sages ravine, yellow blazing back to my car at Salisbury. On Rt.41 was The Under Mountain Inn, we stopped and had beers and apple pie. The proprietor was all for us , "... come on in boys, put your packs here, have something to eat", 2 years later the same guy was totally different! "... no room for you hikers... move it on, no room for you!" Why? He didn't know I was a Connecticut boy, I was a hiker...................how's the treatment we get from those folks who run the AMC huts up in New Hampshire, if you don't have a reservation? Totally different down in SNP. Can't wait to see when the folks down south hear my Connecticut accent, Ha!!!!!!!!

Large parts of Litchfield county (where Kent, CT is located) are populated by rich New Yorkers that moved out of the city and think they are living in the "country." Like Coach Lou said, many of us nutmeggers haven't had the best experiences there either. Plenty of nice folks up there too, it just depends who you happen to run into when your in town.


Lou - I'm staying with friends in rural Georgia right now, my Yankee accent is throwing them all for a loop. ;-)

[coach lou]

Large parts of Litchfield county (where Kent, CT is located) are populated by rich New Yorkers that moved out of the city and think they are living in the "country." Like Coach Lou said, many of us nutmegers haven't had the best experiences there either. Plenty of nice folks up there too, it just depends who you happen to run into when your in town.Lou - I'm staying with friends in rural Georgia right now, my Yankee accent is throwing them all for a loop. ;-)

Elf, that's pretty funny. I'm on St. John right now, and had this conversation about accents with a women from Georgia, we both had a good laugh. Some day at some shelter, I'll tell you some tails about my fishin' trips to Montana.......folks look at me like I'm back in Japan!

[JJJ]

.....
As for the best town...Hot Springs all the way. Damasus is nice, but Hot Springs wins any day for me! The only thing Damascus has over Hot Springs is the supermarket.

+1........

[Montana Mac]

Elf, that's pretty funny. I'm on St. John right now, and had this conversation about accents with a women from Georgia, we both had a good laugh. Some day at some shelter, I'll tell you some tails about my fishin' trips to Montana.......folks look at me like I'm back in Japan!

Coach

I moved from northwestern Conn to Montana and I'm a fishing guide. Hell we get people from all over the world.

Northwestern Conn is full of the rich and important, at least in their own mind. At one time Kissinger, Michael J Fox, Sam Waterston, Merylle Streep, Rodney Dangerfield, Whoopi Goldberg and on and on lived in the northwest corner.

[Tinker]

I went to the restaurant there in Boiling Springs just last year on my SOBO and they were fantastic. They let me park my smelly backpack in the foyer and everything. I had no issues and had great food.

Salisbury, CT is not sure what to do about hikers I could tell, but the PO there was great. Now the PO guy in Kent was NOT nice at all. People were staring at us with how rude he was to me. I just figured maybe he got burnt toast for breakfast. Yet I had a guy there in Kent offer his office computer to me to use (I politely declined) and the Chinese restaurant loved me (I was the only customer then). Sometimes one sour apple can make it tempting to ruin the batch (or the town).

I had a similar experience in Boiling Springs. I must have been hypoglycemic because I was somewhat confused and got lost looking for the washroom in the restaurant. The folks were very nice and helped me out without a snicker. I ate outside because I was pretty rank, and a man "God Bless You"d me as I was leaving. I was happy to return the phrase .

Connecticut was pretty much a blur to me as I did it in two sections and didn't have to resupply, though I did have a beer and snack in Kent. The waitstaff were professionally polite, but I could tell that they really didn't appreciate my hiker funk.

[Tinker]

My friend, Chatter, refers to Connecticut as Freneticut due to their driving habits.

[Montana AT05]

Coach

I moved from northwestern Conn to Montana and I'm a fishing guide. Hell we get people from all over the world.

Northwestern Conn is full of the rich and important, at least in their own mind. At one time Kissinger, Michael J Fox, Sam Waterston, Merylle Streep, Rodney Dangerfield, Whoopi Goldberg and on and on lived in the northwest corner.

Good move. I live in Bozeman, you? Can't wait for the trails to clear...still pretty snowy and muddy up in the mountains. We just got a day of snow here in Bozeman, more up higher. This will be the first summer I've stayed in town for years--was usually out hiking or working elsewhere. Looking forward to a full season here. A lot of folks from around the AT come out here in May or June, assuming temps will be similar...and are always shocked to trudge thru snow. Early CDT hikers especially. I really like the month of the May along the AT...especially Virginia. It brings out the boutique beards.

[coach lou]

Coach

I moved from northwestern Conn to Montana and I'm a fishing guide. Hell we get people from all over the world.

Northwestern Conn is full of the rich and important, at least in their own mind. At one time Kissinger, Michael J Fox, Sam Waterston, Merylle Streep, Rodney Dangerfield, Whoopi Goldberg and on and on lived in the northwest corner.

Your a lucky person[?], I've wanted to do that since my first trip out. X left me in '06', after her first trip!....." Louis, I'm not your wilderness woman!!!!!" I had my stuff packed, waiting for spring, to fish my way across the US. In that fall I hooked up with a former love, we married. She showed up with 2 bicycles, 3 backpacks, and 2 young children! I went out and got them sleeping bags, bigger tent, fly rods... the whole-9....my new wilderness family!!!! So now I'll just keep flying out until they are grown. In the mean time the Mrs. and I are back on the AT, I just watch my speech when I hike below the Mason-Dixon line.
Tinker....I'm sorry, that green blur on I-95 was my fish-car!

[fins1838]

New Jersey. Those damn Sopranos! Always bustin balls.

[stumpknocker]

I have to say I felt welcomed to all the towns I went to along the AT....and any town on any other Trail I've walked.

Very rarely there might be a person in a town that's not very friendly....but I can also say the same thing about hikers I meet on the trail.

[Kerosene]

Salisbury, CT was very hospitable to me and my two hiking partners when we hiked through in early April 1975. The Episcopal church let us sleep on the floor of their Sunday school building. Kent, on the other hand, was uninviting even back then, and still was when I visited about 10 years ago.

[Velvet Gooch]

The town in which you act most like a jackass. It's true