HOSTEL CLOSING - Appalachian Trail

imported
#1

We are closing the hostel that was made available to thruhikers on Mt.Greylock. Lodging will be available for 26$ a night in the bunkroom located in the lodge.

HEMPTRESS71

#2

Until folks start paying their fair share, following the rules, and respecting the people who own/run the hostels, these places will continue to close.

Anyway, IMO a hostel was not needed atop Greylock. The Bascom Lodge was already there. $26 is a bargain.

Jeffrey Hunter

#3

Jeffrey hunter. that is excatly why we are closing our 10$ a night hostel. Which by the way included a HOT SHOWER with a clean towel, soap and shampoo. YOur right. 26$ is a steal.

hemptress71

#4

Thanks Hemptress. It’s nice that you would want to help hikers.

IMO, if you’re going to attempt a thru-hike, you should prepare financially, and have enough money to be self sufficient from Georgia to Maine. That’ll make the trip for you and everyone you encounter much nicer.

Jeffrey Hunter

#5

There seems to be a crazy amount of folks “thruhiking” for like 3 days this year. Who tell you that they are THRUHIKERS. crazy. YOu can tell who is and who isnt ya know??? There are clues. Funk, filth and attitude I think… and with “thruhikers” none of that is there. so. If you book a hostel and then come and complain about the accomadations, you usually just f@#$ it up for the true ones on the trail. I disagree with my boss about the closing of the hostel, to be honest with you. I say just refuse “thruhikers”. Make them move on to the next shelter (3 miles down the hill). Or make them pay the 26$ bunk rate. Most of the THRUHIKERS are grateful for the bed and pillow in the garage, and of course the hot shower. More or less I guess HE feels that “thruhikers” are taking advantage of it. It was created out of respect for your journey and the fact that while most of you can afford 26$ it would be nice just to have a place for you to chill, dry yourselfs out and relax, for 10$. NOt really meant for someone who hiked up greylock with a pack and some mountain house. see?:slight_smile:

hemptress71

#6

IMO, you either have a $10 option open to everyone - or no one at all. Thruhikers ain’t special. Never were. Never will be.

Just my two cents. Plan A is Bascom Lodge. Plan B is the shelter 3 miles north. I took Plan B and was more than happy. It’s the only place I heard a Great Horned Owl on the entire hike.

Jeffrey Hunter

#7

Plan Q would be to stay in the Shelter on Greylock, maybe .1 miles north on the AT and off the trail a few feet. There is an “emergency” shelter that myself and about 6 other thru-hikers stayed in, and rode out a horrific storm. We got permission of course first. A cool place wih windows all around.

A-Train

#8

I finished my 'thru hike" in stages in 2001 and stayed at the Lodge. It was a welcome place with great food and I payed the going rate and was happy to do so. I never felt that we “Thru Hikers” were special. I have seen a lot of them that do tho. They don’t carry tents and then want everyone to move out of the shelters for them. Nuts.
I payed my way and was happy to. In the Whites I went from hut to hut and had a great time. It was worth the money for once in a lifetime adventure.
Thanks again folks
I am the Bull

Paul A Foguth

#9

When I was thru hiking just having a hot shower was a blessing. Going to a hostel was a chance to get a hot shower possibly a hot meal and a chance to chill out w/ my fellow hikers.

If I was hiking for three days I wouldn’t see the point of staying at a hosetl unless the weather was absolutely miserable.

I don’t think Thru hikers are particularly special but I think the experience of Thru hiking is. It does change you
and for whatever reason you can oftern tell the difference between a thru hiker a section hiker and a weekend warrior. I’m sure smell has something to do with it but thats not all of it.

If people want to cater exclusively to thru hikers thats their business. It probably has more to do with wanting to help out and be a part of the trail community more then any idea of profiting from them.

:cheers

striker

#10

I’m confused. We hiked in '01. There is/was a hostel and the lodge? In the same area or building? I knew they had the bunk room. What did I miss besides the burger since the ridge runner, the night before at the shelter down below, said the lodge was closed-no.

Bushwhack

#11

that “hostel” was a very small storage bay,it was the worst place to stay on the trail. it had filthy moldy old prison mattresses,no air circulation,and is and was unfit for human habitation. the word “hostel” is a bit over the top as a description for that dive and a true slap in the face to real hostels and the people who run them.

GA -> ME “05”

#12

Knew we’d get some a$shole posting sooner or later. I’ll give somebody 2 to 1 odds that the guy never even stayed there, he’s just being the type of person we all know and love- a contrarian a$shole.

And if perchance he actually did stay at a $10 a night, with meal and shower place while on his hike, then I’d say he completely missed the boat when it comes to the spirit, generosity, community-role that “hostels” play in ones hike. Thats sort of sad really…walk 2100 miles and never really grasp one of the neatest quirks about the trail.

Novakaine

#13

Has anybody in this thread actually been to this place and/or stayed there? Beyond GA>ME 05? If so, I’d like to hear what the actual observers have to say about it–and the alleged problem.

Jabber

Jabber

#14

I stayed there on my thru-hike to Maine back in 2004 which i completed Oct 2nd.I gladly paid my $10.00.They were very professional and friendly.While having dinner the manager asked me if i wanted to stay in the lodge that night.I offered to pay the extra money but they declined the offer.There were alot of hikers there that day,but i had the whole upstairs lodge to myself.I don’t remember the manager name.It only takes one bad apple to spoil it for the whole barrel

southernman

#15

$26 for a bunkroom, too pricey for me.

OneTreeMore

#16

Not all bunkrooms are equal. The one on Greylock offers a pretty nice view. At least from downstairs. If it was pissing down rain, I’d stay there in a heartbeat. Batman & Robin ('00) stayed there that night. I was pleased with the shelter 3 miles north though. I still remember the yucks I had that nite with my buddy Funk & Wagnalls - and some lovely young lady whose name is long forgotten. Good times. The Friendlys Ice Cream shope in North Adams was awesome the next day! Don’t miss it! Great milkshakes!

Little Bear GA-ME 2000

Jeffrey Hunter

#17

no meal came with the storage bay facility. the place is exactly the way i described it. hey novakaine, guess you lost your bet jerk. what’s the problem with the truth?
i don’t understand the train of thought that thinks well your on the trail and having a great time,if someone offers you stitty accomadations you should be happy with it!! for-q novakaine

GA -> ME “05”

#18
  1. Some folks are correct----ten bucks on a rainy night is a steal, and nobody was forced to stay there. There were always other options.
  2. On the other hand, calling this place a “hostel” is a long stretch. It was a tiny bunkroom in a former “staff” quarters, which formerly had been a garage bay. It was indeed cramped, smelly, and airless. One got a bunk and a shower, period. Oh, and when I lived in that space years agoas a lodge staffer, it wasn’t much better…it stank, was always mildewy, and the roof leaked. Evidently, years later, nothing much changed. But seriously, calling this a “hostel” is kind of a joke.
  3. $26.00 for a spot in a lodge bunkroom is rather high, at least for thru-hikers, and is hardly a steal. Most AT trail hostels charge significantly less but provide far more amenities (Such things is internet access, cooking areas, a phone, common areas, etc). It is a shame that the management at Bascom couldn’t come up with an easy compromise: Most folks passing thru would have happily paid more than ten dollars for a more attractive space, while most are reluctant to pay twenty-six for a bunkroom and not much else.
  4. Am I the only one who thinks Hemptress sounds needlessly angry and bitter? She obviously has a problem with thru-hikers. While I understand they are a small ammount of the folks who cross over Greylock each year, their numbers are not insignificant. Seems to me, the hospitality profession isn’t her cup of tea.

And Jeff Hunter is remarkably ill-informed about Bascom Lodge…the place happily took in thru-hikers for little or nothing for many, many years. To say they don’t need a hostel there is silly. There WAS essentially a hostel there for a very long time. Most folks did a work-for-stay which worked out great for thru-hikers and staffers alike. It was only in recent years when the lodge weas taken over by a private group that rates were jacked sky-high (I notice Hemptress didn’t mention their present rates for a tiny private room, which are RIDICULOUS.) that their policies, and evidently their employess, became so unfriendly to long-distance hikers.

Oh, in case anyone’s wondering, I’ve experienced Bascom as a section hiker, a thru-hiker, AND as an employee. The place is much different now, and it didn’t have to be that way. Thru-hikers would have happily paid more than ten dollars for an improved facility. It’s a pity that present Bascom staff and management failed to see this.

2005 Hiker

#19

'05 Hiker. The “need” for hostels is a very subjective topic. Dalton is not all that far from Greylock, and there are folks here that pamper hikers. Upper Goose Pond is not all that far away either. Bennington is a just a couple of days to the north - if that. There is a shelter 3 miles north of Greylock. There is absolutely no “Need” for a hostel atop Greylock. What there is is a DESIRE. That is a huge distinction.

I guess we look at things differently. I don’t think thru-hikers are owed anything by anyone. Certainly not a free nights stay at Bascom Lodge. IMO, much of the behavior that is causing hostels to be shut down would be eliminated if service providers didn’t enable ill prepared (financially) hikers to skate their way up the trail.

Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against trail angels. They are wonderful! But this culture of entitlement comes from somewhere. Doesn’t it? Tell me, why should the fact that you’re walking from Georgia to Maine entitle you to a bunk at Bascom for less than $26?

Jeffrey Hunter

#20

Isn’t it great that we have such an awesome trail and that so many people are so passionate about it! I love the AT!!!

:cheers

Pertymouth