The Place, Car Camping Rule

[Cookerhiker]

Why is it so hard for some people to follow the rules? It is usually the few who ruin things for the many by not following them.

How about this Rule: If you don't like the rules where your staying then stay somewhere else.

You hear about the entitlement mentality "I'm a thruhiker and deserve special treatment." I guess they think rules don't apply to them.

It's not new although some veterans of trail towns and the current AT hiking scene will say it's gotten worse in the last few years. Robert Rubin's On the Beaten Path - An Appalachian Pilgrimage narrating his 1997 thruhike related how a thruhiker brought his dog inside a church hostel in VT in clear violation of the rules and then lied about it when caught. Rules didn't apply to him either.

[Trailbender]

churches and their entities are exempt from ADA laws. study up before you post

That's odd, every time I see a church around where I live, they have parking spots and wheelchair ramps. I don't think they should be exempt, honestly.

Why is it so hard for some people to follow the rules? It is usually the few who ruin things for the many by not following them.

How about this Rule: If you don't like the rules where your staying then stay somewhere else.

I met people in the Army that couldn't even follow rules. I told them that what they were ordered to do was not a suggestion. I only drank a couple of times at a hostel, it was one or two beers, and I always asked first. If they said no, it was not a problem to not drink. I drink more at home than I did on my thru, everything has been boring and washed out since I got back, nothing really seems enjoyable anymore. I do dayhikes, and I do like them, but it isn't the same. If I didn't have 30K in student loans, I'd be out there right now(maybe not, since winter is coming on). Once I get the loans paid off, probably going to just hike all the trails for the rest of my life. I have never been interested in a "square", boring normal existence, wife, kids, a house, a long term career, none of that has ever appealed much to me.

[Lone Wolf]

That's odd, every time I see a church around where I live, they have parking spots and wheelchair ramps. I don't think they should be exempt, honestly.

churches are tax exempt too. just the way it is. all the churches here in town do have ramps and parking spots and i'm sure they'd let a trained, licensed service dog in the church with it's owner but hikers abuse the goodness of churches by sneaking dogs in the hostel and claiming they're service dogs when caught. so thanks to them legitimate ones suffer

[LDog]

That's odd, every time I see a church around where I live, they have parking spots and wheelchair ramps. I don't think they should be exempt, honestly.

Not everyone needs a mandate to do the right thing.

[wornoutboots]

I was stunned by how many sobo's didn't even know about The Place"? Last week another hostel in town had plenty of hikers for $21/ night & when I met hikers on the trail & asked them where they stayed in Damascus, they said they never heard of the The Place, one even said he got a hotel room in Abington. Everyone I told were kicking themselves for not staying at the Place ofr $5. maybe it's not in every guide book or advertised well? Great Place!

[Lone Wolf]

I was stunned by how many sobo's didn't even know about The Place"? Last week another hostel in town had plenty of hikers for $21/ night & when I met hikers on the trail & asked them where they stayed in Damascus, they said they never heard of the The Place, one even said he got a hotel room in Abington. Everyone I told were kicking themselves for not staying at the Place ofr $5. maybe it's not in every guide book or advertised well? Great Place!

the majority of the SOBOs that did stay donated no money to help keep it going.

[TOW]

There is only one dog allowed at The Place and even in some of the churches here in Damascus and that would be my Sally!

[TOW]

the majority of the SOBOs that did stay donated no money to help keep it going.

and that is no lie, not only are they entitled to drink but they do not have to pay as well since they are hiking the great appalachian trail.......my observation is that there are more trouble makers and users on the trail each passing year just like there are trouble makers at the occupy wall street and oakland..the majority are good folk but then there a small bunch that comes along and breaks the rules on purpose.....

[Trailbender]

and that is no lie, not only are they entitled to drink but they do not have to pay as well since they are hiking the great appalachian trail.......my observation is that there are more trouble makers and users on the trail each passing year just like there are trouble makers at the occupy wall street and oakland..the majority are good folk but then there a small bunch that comes along and breaks the rules on purpose.....

I went through Damascus at 10:30 at night, so I missed the Place, not even sure where it was. My headlamp batteries were severely low, so I could barely see. Got water at that spigot in town and went back up the trail, and crashed at the first flat spot I could find. Went to the subway the next day, and resupplied at that dollar general. I didn't feel entitled to anything on the AT, I felt very privileged to just be out there.

[restless]

There is only one dog allowed at The Place and even in some of the churches here in Damascus and that would be my Sally!

Why the exception? According to this thread, no dogs mean no dogs. The only exception I might see would be if you are a police officer and Sally is a working dog.

[LDog]

Heh, apparently Sally is entitled.

[Lone Wolf]

Why the exception? According to this thread, no dogs mean no dogs. The only exception I might see would be if you are a police officer and Sally is a working dog.

Heh, apparently Sally is entitled.

TOW is kidding of course. would be great if the the local LEOs ran drug dogs thru there more often

[restless]

TOW is kidding of course. would be great if the the local LEOs ran drug dogs thru there more often

Think of all the additional revenue Damascus could generate!

[Lone Wolf]

Think of all the additional revenue Damascus could generate!

they generate nothing off hikers as it is. it's all about the creeper trail bikers

[TOW]

Why the exception? According to this thread, no dogs mean no dogs. The only exception I might see would be if you are a police officer and Sally is a working dog.

Because Sally is a Trail Legend, she has hiked the entire width of the trail several hundred times. Sally even goes to The Place sometimes by herself just to check on things when Lone Wolf and I do not feel like it. I put one them radio collars on her so I can communicate with her as well. When she gets there she'll bark once to let me know everything is okay, but if she barks twice then that means trouble and I usually give her the command to tear up some hiker butt!

Now that's why. Anymore questions?

[TOW]

they generate nothing off hikers as it is. it's all about the creeper trail bikers

Yep and the section hikers who come thru here as well as fishermen and hunters and motorcyclists.....

[Hikerhead]

they generate nothing off hikers as it is. it's all about the creeper trail bikers

I can't imagine any hiker coming into Damascus and not eating at one or your eateries at least once, probably 3 or 4 times before leaving town. And also buying supplies. And section hikers paying for shuttles, buying gas and also eating in town. I would think that hikers add a lot to that towns economy during the hiking season.

[Gray Blazer]

Dot's at least. I can't count the # of times hikers said here they're gonna treat Damascus' #1 son to a beer right there on the AT.

[Hoofit]

Why do the residents of Damascus stay if it's so bad?
They can move on just like anyone else
I guess they're just set in their ways.....
There's plenty of places in Damascus making good money out of the hikers or else they would just close up for a couple of weeks over 'Traildays'
Seems to me they get off on complaining a little too much
Most hikers are good folk and that's a fact
Take a vacation during Traildays if it's that bad

[Captain Blue]

The 2011 Thru Hikers Companion still calls Damascus "the friendliest town on the Trail”. I remember in 1996 during my first section hike through town it really was a friendly town. Today that claim is debatable.