Re: [at-l] Rainbow Springs Campground

[Phillips <gammara1@mediaone.net>]

i have stayed at rsc 3 times. yes the cabins are a bit pricey, yes they charge a
wee bit too much for shuttles, yes she smokes too much, yes she can be ascerbic,
yes i didnt appreciate having to sign a realease when i got into his van, yes i
didnt enjoy my dog being put in  the back of the van, but then the shower was hot,
the cabin cozy, and the people i met there very nice.plus the vegie pizza was
good- pj


NightShine@aol.com wrote:

> I had responded privately as to why i did not care for Rainbow Springs and
> decided to post it to the list.
>
> First off, there are signs all over the place regarding usage of everything.
> An overabundance of signs.
>
> They will not shuttle you into town to a bigger supermarket or the post
> office. They will not act as a mail drop for thru-hikers. When asked if they
> could help arrange a shuttle, a hiker was told that everything they needed
> could be bought at their store.
>
> The hiker bunkhouse is filthy. Ok, i know, we're staying in shelters, under
> the stars or in tents so why should we be picky? Well, with the wind whipping
> through the chinks in the walls and staying on really filthy uncovered
> mattresses, it wasn't pleasant.
>
> A hiker's fiance visited her and they stayed in a cabin. She used a dishcloth
> to clean Rainbow Springs' pots that were there before she could use them.
> After she had checked out, the people told all the hikers came after about
> this filthy hiker, by name, who had cleaned her gear with their washcloth. If
> you were a "good" hiker, you got to hear about the bad habits of the other
> hikers.
>
> There is a men's bathroom and a woman's bathroom. They are cleaned between 9
> p.m. and 10 p.m. When the man had finished one bathroom and was beginning to
> do the other one, a hiker asked if she could use the woman's (clean) bathroom.
> He said ok. The next morning while this hiker was shopping in the campground
> store he commented to someone else in the store that "Some hikers evidently
> don't read the posted notices we go to all the trouble of putting up." She
> reminded him that she had asked him politely if she could use the facilities
> since he was already done with them.
>
> Those are just a few of the personal experiences that I have had or others
> that i walked with had. I was happy to reach there. It was my first greater
> than 12 mile day. It was VERY cold and had snowed that day going over Albert
> Mt. Would i have stayed there knowing they were that nasty with those
> conditions? Yes. If the weather had been nice i would not have stayed there
> but at the shelter before and waited to go into Franklin the following day.
>
> I'd recommend them for emergency use only.
>
> However, i do agree with Gypsy that some folks will love some hostels and
> others deplore them. Early on in your trip, you may be unsure what to expect
> from each hostel. And, each one is different from the last with different
> personalities and various different rates for staying there.
>
> I heard folks complain about Uncle Johnny's Nolichucky Hostel in Erwin because
> of all he charged for things per item. For me, he charged less by adding up
> the bits and pieces than what i paid in one lump sum at the Blueberry Patch.
> One hiker told me, however, that he had different rates for different people
> for the shuttling he did into town. Perhaps not a good sign.
>
> People provide their hostels as a measure of goodwill and/or as a business.
> Just wanted to post my reasons for not caring for Rainbow Springs.  I enjoyed
> all the rest of the hostels/motels i stayed in from Springer to Damascus.
>
> They included the Helendorf Inn, the Blueberry Patch, Fontana Village Inn (the
> one at the resort), the Rainbow Motel in Gatlinburg,  Mt. Moma's,  the Alpine
> Motel (pricey--only stayed one night), Elmer's in Hot Springs, Uncle Johnny's
> in Erwin, Kincorra in Dennis Cove and of course, The Place in Damascus. Each
> one was VERY different from any of the others. LOL....guess i had more than my
> share of town stops.
>
> Second Chance
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