I don’t know what the other 2 frats are planning to do; in all likelihood, they haven’t decided either, but at the very least, it’s going to be tough to get a spot there in any case, as Tabard used to take at least 50% of the hikers passing thru, meaning there’ll be great pressure on the other houses; at the very least, I expect them to get VERY strict in re. to house rules, number of guests, length of stay, etc. And at worst, they may realize that with Tabard gone, then they’re going to be overwhelmed by thru-hikers; they may decide to follow suit. In any case, this is all speculative, as the students in the other houses have yet to make up their minds on summer policies. As I said, if and when I hear more about this from friends on campus, I’ll pass the news along.
As to other accomodation possibilities, I’ve never stayed in White River; I know nothing about the hostel, but there are several reasonably priced motels. West Lebanon has a few moderately priced motels and is also aaccessible by shuttle bus. (Incidentally the bus service connecting the local towns is now FREE thanx to a grant from the College). There’s NO cheap lodging in Norwich, and nothing directly in Hanover either, other than the pricey Hanover Inn. Two other motels, the Chieftain and the Autumn Inn are both about a mile walk from downtown, with rooms probably in the 75-100 dollar a night range, tho it may be cheaper in the summer when the town is pretty quiet and college is in limited session. Information on all local lodging is available in the Yellow Pages which are available anywhere.
As far as tenting, one has several possibilities—if you follow the Trail North, thru town, you cut left after the Food Co-op and go along the edge of an athletic field. In the woods at the end of the field are several campsites, and there are many more as you proceed North towards Velvet Rocks shelter. One could very easily tent for the night,and then backtrack a few tenths in the morning to do your town stuff.
If you do decide to tent, a few words of advice:
*Stay in the woods at the edge of the field, and not in the athletic field itself, unless you want a visit from the Police
*Don’t leave your tent pitched and your gear untended there while you do your town stuff; this area gets a lot of foot traffic
*If you’re planning to stay near or at Velvet Rocks, bring water from town as it’s almost always dry there by mid-summer, when most folks are passing thru.
Baltimore Jack
