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Harper's Ferry Hostel and rules
When I was on a section hike in '94 I was greeted at the hostel by Jean
with "You're not a thru-hiker are you?". Seems she had had a confrontation
with some thru-hikers that a.m.. I'm still puzzled about what happened,
because I had hiked with the people in question for a few days and found
them to be very nice. But, after the rough start I found Jean and Harry to
be nice, too. The hikers ran afoul of the rule about leaving in the
morning. They were sorting gear on the lawn when Jean tried to get them to
leave. There was an argument which resulted in Jean threatening to call the
cops. Jean was also upset that they had been making fun of the way Harry
talked, which really surprised me. So, I only have one side of it and don't
know what to think. After dinner I had a good talk with Jean and Harry
about the trail.
Which brings me to rules. I know the last thing people want during the
freedom of the trail is to be hit with alot of rules. But, when we hit a
town we need to be aware of how our actions will affect the locals and the
hikers that follow. If a church is kind enough to provide a shelter, we
should pay attention to their rules. If they do not want alcohol on the
premises show some respect. If you can't do without that beer at least
don't flaunt it. This situation has occured and has caused problems for the
hikers that followed. The Harper's Ferry Hostel has alot more rules than
most places where thru-hikers stay. However, the majority of the guests are
not thru-hikers. Not all places that hikers use are there strictly for
hikers. We just need to be sensitive to the way the locals react to us.
With the detour in Harper's Ferry this year there might not be as many
people using the hostel. Actually, are Harry and Jean still there? They
didn't seem that happy running the place.
Steve