Jeff, thanks for the phone number -- I'll give a call. Its alright if they are closed. We're looking at Blackburn for water, and can happily camp anywhere along that area.
I think that my experience with Blackburn was not typical, at least I like to think that it was, and judging by what I read hear and have read elsewhere, I believe it to be true.
Blackburn was my ending point on my most recent section hike. I found that it was a very sharp contrast to my stop earlier in the day at Bears Den. At Bears Den, I found it very welcoming and cheery. At Blackburn, I rendezvoused with the folks that had come with me and were picking me up, all of us felt rather un-welcome and out of place -- more so than at any trail "place" before. I can't exactly put a finger on it, but it was a feeling that we all shared and discussed after we left.
Soon after I arrived on the porch, I thought I'd take a look around. The door was open, so I walked inside. The caretaker(?) quickly came up and said I had to leave that it was a private residence (understandable, but not so marked, and his approach was sort of brash). When we asked about camping there overnight before my next section hike (it is a 10+ hour drive, so I'll probably arrive at or after dark), we were told that was not allowed. After more explanation, he reluctantly said that it would be okay.
It was raining hard, and getting dark (just after sunset), so perhaps it was a "timing" thing, I am not sure, but it was enough to make me plan that next trip I am probably going to drive up and stay at Bears Den then get up the next day and drive to Blackburn to start my trip rather than staying at Blackburn, which was my original intent.
It was sort of disappointing, because I had really looked forward to Blackburn. Like I said, I think and hope that my experience was atypical. Had I arrived earlier in the day, maybe in better weather, perhaps my experience would have been much more positive.
Was there last week
And the quiet of the place was almost spooky. Still, that was EXACTLY what I like in a place to stay.
The place is down from the ridge line, so (surprise!) the well-maintained, blue-blazed trail can seem a bit steep after the flatness you've been hiking on. Since it's just north of the end of the Roller Coaster, I got the sense of "Oh no, not AGAIN!" as I walked down during my NOBO (VERY short) section hike.
As I approached I saw a large building that, to a hiker, would look like a Hilton as a place to stay. The porch on this large building was open, so I just walked around for a few minutes, trying to figure out what was expected of me. All doors into the building were locked, with signs stating it was a private residence and that visitors should knock. I did, but it was clear nobody was inside. I noted the log book, reading material, chairs, pay phone, and the donation box next to it. I was beginning to wonder if I was going to just spread out and spend the night on the porch, without ever having human contact.
A hiker who was ending his walk here -- the only person I had seen in several hours -- came by and pointed out the residence on top of the garage, which had its lights on. I knocked on THAT door, and the caretaker told me that the small cabin behind the main one is the hikers' shelter. He also noted where the water spigot is, outside the porch area in front of the driveway.
The cabin is little more than an enclosed shelter -- two inside bunks, with a covered porch and a cast iron, wood burning stove. The place has a privy behind this building, several picnic table (some covered), "solar" showers below the main building, and a tenting area behind the garage residence. The showers and stove would (I am sure) be a godsend for many hikers, but I did not test out either.
The place is hardly a hostel, in the sense that I had to search for human contact at the place. Still, I got a VERY quiet, clean, bug-proof, and dry place to spend the night; and got to fill by water sack as well. As the hiking season wears on, I'm sure the social scale of this place will increase.
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