I did the Carvers Gap to 19E stretch this weekend as I have 5-6 times before. Trip went great. As I came up to 19E there was a laminated sheet of paper with a rock on top about 50 yards from the road, printed out to advertise Doe River Hiker Hostel. Same kind of info you see at many road interchanges. As I came up to the road, there was a dually backed up so close to the dirt path that it was a burden to get around it. The gentleman manning the truck started in on if we needed a ride and sporting that he was the owner of Doe River Hiker Hostel. I explained "No thanks we are headed to Mountain Harbor B&B". He started in bad mouthing the crap out their establishment, saying that they were closing down and to not bother with them. Well....I didn't say nothing just started walking down the road, not wanting to start any conversations with him.
As always, MH B&B was first class and went above and beyond to be a great hiker establishment. On the way back up to Carvers Gap, I mentioned these happenings at the trailhead to the owner of MH B&B, and they informed me that this is the same guy that has harassed hikers, and CC's Hostel for so many years. That he has now moved shop, and opened this place up down 19E from the trailhead. The owner informed me that he blocks the entrance to MH with his truck, has literally run their shuttle vehicles off the road, and will park at the trailhead as I saw him doing, telling people that MH was closed for good! I don't know what can be done about this situation, other then getting the word out there to direct as much business back to MH B&B, and I don't know what has possessed this man to be such a sore thumb in this area of the trail. I was also informed that he is intimidating hikers, some times from other countries, to use his service and when they don't he gets aggressive - One instance I was told about was a British gentleman in Bobs Dairyland who wanted to eat there, and this guy got in his face and told him to get in the damn truck they were cooking dinner when they got to the hostel. MH B&B went and picked that guy up who seemed to be quite shaken up once they got him out of there.
Just wanting to inform the hiking community of this situation