then report it to the atc they can deal with itOriginally Posted by Goldielocs
Good info. I was torn on which hostel I would utilize on my section through there in May. I now have my answer.
I have been to neither of the hostels at Roan Mountain but do recall a thread from a few months ago started by the Station 19e owner/marketing person.
That particular thread was about buying a beer for a hiker. They had started several threads recently promoting their business and I called them out (jokingly) for spamming. I realize they were just making a solid effort at promoting their new business across various outlets online. They sent me a pm with a little more detail about what they were trying to bring to the trail community.
I am nosy so I looked up their website and social media presence and they had a small but growing reputation that seemed to be very positive.
I can't give any first hand experience with their services on the trail, but calling them a scammer may be a little harsh. It also sounds like something a competing business might do in this day and age where attacking competitors online is a standard business practice. (I am not saying that is what the OP is doing, but it sounds similar to the fake reviews you see online claiming a hotel has bedbugs or a restaurant serves on dirty dishes, this hostel owner is a used car salesman from New Mexico who moved here to scam hikers, lol)
Perhaps the shuttle driver miscommunicated or perhaps they were shadily trying to poach business. If it is in fact a shuttle driver lying to hikers to steal business hopefully the owner is made aware of it and addresses it. That is not cool for any business, much less a hostel in a close knit community like the AT.
Here is a link to all of the posts from the Station 19e here at White Blaze: https://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/sea...rchid=14082891
And here is a link to their website and Facebook:
https://thestationat19e.com
https://m.facebook.com/thestationat1...9e.com%2F&_rdr
And here is an article from a local paper linked on White Blaze by our very own scraper bot:
https://www.averyjournal.com/avery/t...593c1ede2.html
As I said, I haven't been to Station 19e so I can't personally vouch for them, but they do appear to have a growing positive reputation among those have.
Hopefully both businesses can be successful and a positive experience for the trail community.
Until the competition, hikers were an afterthought at mountain harbor, sleeping above horses in a barn, now they are pursued/ treated like customers - competition has been good for the hikers - the OP is definitely a schill for mountain harbor
Do you have any evidence she is in some way connected with Mountain Harbor? Maybe she is just another hiker expressing an opinion.
Only definitions of "schill" I could find were from Urban Dictionary.
That is the first thing I thought when I saw that. I walked it both ways and .2 miles might be more accurate.
The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
Richard Ewell, CSA General
Odd because after reading your post, my first thought is you are definitely a shill for the other hostel. Probably in league with the dude in the truck. Getting kickbacks or reduced rates or maybe even some free ramen.
I feel like I've read this kind of dueling hostel drama at 19E before. When I was hiking through, I stayed at a traditional Bed and Breakfast for two nights, because I needed a break from hostels, hikers, snoring and drama. What I learned about the town from the hostess/owner is that the town had gone through tough economic times and has only in recent years started having their own businesses, and local services, and that was a great thing.
Multiple businesses competing actually helps everyone. A rising tide lifting all boats and all that. People are more likely to stop off the trail when they know there are options. A quiet place, a drunky place, a choice of restaurants, a barber shop (the local barber guy is super friendly by the way.) Competition keeps prices reasonable.
Dueling squabbling hostel owners make me want to stay at neither. A single bad review, like the OPs doesn't very much convince me one way or another. All I got was that a single customer was cranky because they didn't get the breakfast they wanted. The rest ranges into the realm of personal attacks. A car dealer? Why is that pertinent? They wrote on a blue blaze? Are we sure it was the owner and not a fan? Some hikers tag anything. From Arizona? Fetch me my fainting couch! The use of the term poaching and the emotional appeal to a long time local family business being harmed. These things make me wonder how the "hiker" knows so very much about the owners of each hostel and yet, was so easily duped, by a driver when the hostel was yards away.
All my opinion, based on what I read into it. Stay where you want.
I would have a problem with someone telling me they are the place I’m looking for if they aren’t...the “famous $12 breakfast”?...knowing that Mountain Harbour is known for breakfast? That smacks of outright lying.
yet, my experience at MH wasn’t very positive. I arranged and planned on a shuttle at a particular time yet was rushed through the famous breakfast (barely had time to eat) and told to hitch a ride with a group in their private vehicle. The group was unaware of this, didn’t hear the hostess telling me to get down to the parking lot before they left, and was surprised when I climbed in their vehicle. It was extremely awkward and stressful as I’d left my pack in the hiker lodge and was running around like a chicken with their head cut off. Didn’t get to enjoy the famous breakfast and won’t likely stay there again.
So, I’ll judge places based on my own experiences but if you lie to me, you’re automatically on the shyte list.
I don't have a dog in this fight as I haven't stayed at either place and only used Mountain Harbour for a shuttle years ago. So all I'll say is I agree with what Puddlefish said above in that when I first read the original post and some of the responses, I found the OP to be a bit odd. Especially the title of the post. If somebody wanted to run a scam, it seems as though there are numerous ways to scam people that would be more of a money making venture than trying to "scam" a bunch of frugal thru hikers.
AT: 2007-2019 (45 sections)
JMT: 2013
Recent thru hikers may not be aware of the history of this area. ATC used to specifically warn hikers about parking at US 19E. They would post photos of multiple vandalized cars and on occasion burned ones going back several years. Long ago a very bad incident occurred north of the crossing near Bitter End and hikers were warned to avoid any interactions with locals and the trail was not blazed at road crossings. Bob Peoples had a long term project of working with the locals in the area to heal some of the bad blood and he was involved with major relocation to move the trail away from the locals.
Care to elaborate?
back in the 80s the govt. took land to reroute the trail off roads in that area. locals got pissed and hung fish hooks at eye level, burned down a shelter and pulled guns on forest service folks
Doesn't sound like a place I would go to, but it doesn't sound like scamming. Competition is a good thing.
In 2014 in the Hampton area I came across signs posted by local landowners complaining about their land being stolen by the government for the AT. The negative sentiment is still there.
This guy has been here for 3 years now and has caused a major disruption for one of the best hostels on the trail. he does indeed sit at 19E and try and rake business his way. People HAVE shown up at Mountain Harbour late in the evening shook up from their experience at his place and he has been reported to the ATC in 2017 which it is apparent nothing was ever done about it. Not sure they really can do anything about a "dicks last resort" AT addition.
**Possibly a rumor that I heard is that this guy is actually the crazy guy that lived next to greasy creek hostel for years** I haven't heard mention of him in a long time.
The ATC says the following about the blue blaze trail:
"...In the case of the blue blaze trail, once we heard about it we immediately notified the US Forest Service. The US Forest Service required the hostel owner to obliterate the blue blaze trail. Also, it’s representation was removed from Guthook’s app. Paper publications will need to wait until later this year."
Last edited by Gambit McCrae; 04-22-2019 at 14:44.
Trail Miles: 4,980.5
AT Map 1: Complete 2013-2021
Sheltowee Trace: Complete 2020-2023
Pinhoti Trail: Complete 2023-2024
Foothills Trail: 47.9
AT Map 2: 279.4
BMT: 52.7
CDT: 85.4
Aint no law against drumming up business at a trailhead.
Nor is there one about giving hikers rides to town with regular shuttles, free for lodging guests, and charging unsuspecting non-guests. Where unsuspecting hikers just piling in a van with others either end up paying, or being coerced into a stay .
Nobody twists anyones arm. Only stupid people have problems. Dont be stupid . Know where you want to go. Zero excuse for not having guide and using it. And for petes sake, the trailhead tactic alone should raise suspicions.
Never seen the "other" place. But given that a major selling point is proximity to a bar, im guessing it appeals to a certain type. And probably those prefer it there. Thats their perogative.
Last edited by MuddyWaters; 04-22-2019 at 20:23.
I agree. If you're walking down the street in town and a random stranger offers you a ride, would you take it? Assuming the answer is no, why would you behave any differently on the trail?
It's all good in the woods.
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