Workin' for Stay
Sometimes during a hike, there is a need to stay somewhere where there is a fee charged. For whatever reason, you may not be able to pay, but arrangements may be made to work off your stay and meals. Some of these stories are worth hearing about for either future reference, or for pure entertainment. If you have had an experience that was unusual, and that had a lasting impression on you that is worth telling, this is the the place. Send us an email relaying the story with all the great details to: [email protected]
The following three Excerpts are from the book "Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike" by John Gignilliat
AMC WHITE MOUNTAIN HUTS
The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) operates the huts and maintains miles of trail in the Whites. They use the income from the huts and campsites to help subsidize this maintenance. They also help subsidize thru-hikers by allowing them to work for room and board. They usually have work for only a limited number of hikers, and often one hut will radio ahead to the next hut and secure a spot for hikers if a good job was done. We were glad we were not hiking in a big knot of hikers, making work hard to get.
We reached the Zealand Falls Hut with time to spare. Walking Stick and Laughing Bird arrived shortly after us, and the croo accepted the offer of all four of us to work. This was our first time working at a hut, and we were not quite sure what our status was. There were about twenty paying guests, and we did not know if we could mingle or should stay out of sight. We took the expedient route and stayed out of sight, while the paying guests sat down for dinner. There was a short talk after dinner by a naturalist, and we thought we would faint from hunger before it was our turn to eat. Finally, the talk was over and the croo chief came out and announced, “Food's on!”
We devoured the leftover chicken, soup, salad, vegetables, fresh-baked bread, and chocolate chip cake. The hut boys and girls pack in all the food for both themselves and the guests. Plus, they do all the cooking and cleaning. Near the end of the season, the steady procession of thru-hikers was an anticipated event for the hut croos, as it gave them a welcome break from the drudgery of their chores. It worked well for the hikers too, as there were few hiker budgets that could handle the seventy-dollar fee at the huts. Also, being able to get a meal freed the hiker from carrying as much food in this difficult section. Another advantage was that it allowed the thru-hiker to avoid camping in the designated sites (which was required). Sometimes the sites were one or two miles down the mountain and away from the trail. We finished dinner and asked what we were to do, but the croo had already cleaned up. Our turn would come in the morning after breakfast, they explained. They were only half full with guests, so they gave us bunks to sleep in. The propane lights were turned off at nine-thirty, and we were soon fast asleep.
HUT RAID
It was a cool, clear morning and we were thrilled to see the sun come out. We left camp and began our climb to the top of South Twin Mountain. We stopped at Galehead Hut and talked to the folks employed there. The young college students who worked in these huts were known as “hut boys” and “hut girls” and collectively at each hut as the “croo.” It was a highly sought-after summer job, and they all seemed to enjoy their work. This particular croo was still buzzing about the attempted raid the previous night. The croo from Lake of the Clouds Hut had tried a nighttime sneak attack in an attempt to steal their radio, their pictures on the wall, their signs, and other such valuable items. They were proud of the fact that they had foiled the attempted raid. They told us they could have put us to work the previous evening, but we might have been awakened by the invasion.
MOUNT MADISON HUT
WHITE MOUNTAINS
As we marched past two more Presidentials, Clay and Adams, the views were absolutely breathtaking. This was a White Mountain High! By late afternoon, Walking Stick and Laughing Bird caught up with us. Together we hiked the last half mile down to the Madison Hut, nestled at the base of Mount Madison. We reached the door to the hut and were greeted by a large sign stating, “WE ARE REALLY CLOSED! DO NOT ENTER!!” We ignored the sign and burst right in.
The croo at Lake of the Clouds had called ahead for us. The hut was officially closed, but they were still cleaning up and closing down. They were excited to see us, as they had worked all day and were starting to run out of steam. Our excitement and enthusiasm seemed to rub off, and they got a second wind. I knew this would not be a simple sweeping of the floors and setting the table, as they were cleaning and closing down for the season. With our help, it looked like they would get out in the morning instead of having to spend an extra day. It was chilly and there was no heat in the hut. I washed dishes, pots and pans, stove burners, and anything else they brought me that needed cleaning before being put away. I had the luxury of keeping my hands warm while in the hot water As an added pleasure, I had a beautiful window view to the west where we had just hiked from. While doing my work, I was treated to a glorious mountain sunset.
After three hours of hard work, we finally knocked off for dinner at seven o'clock. Our hard work had earned the respect of this crew and we were included in the fun. The rest of the evening was spent laughing and joking. Finally, one of the croo asked if we had heard any of the hut ghost stories. We shook our heads in the negative. When one of the female croo heard this, she ran out of the room with her hands over her ears.
“She's heard them before,” someone explained, “she couldn't get to sleep that night.”
“It was about ten years ago,” our narrator began, “before the season had started. One of the new crew members was sent up to Lake of the Clouds Hut to open things up. He was told the others would be up in three days. All the huts were equipped with single sideband radios, so they told him to call in when he arrived and got settled in. After the second day without a call, the others began to worry. Two of them climbed up to the Lake of the Clouds Hut to see what was the matter. When they arrived, they found the poor fellow huddled underneath one of the dining room tables. When they finally got him out and calmed him down, he told them what had happened. He had been sitting at one of the tables eating his dinner when he saw someone looking in through the window. He jumped up in fright and then became aware that there were ghastly and contorted faces looking in every window. The whole dining area was surrounded with windows and he claimed there were over forty faces staring at him. He dove under the table and had not come out for the last two days. They led him off the mountain, a shaken and unnerved man.”
After hearing about the “drowned girl who came back to find her parents” and several other stories, we finally headed for our sleeping bags spread out on the floor. I think this was one of the coldest nights of our entire hike, but soon Nature's miracle of goose down had us warmed up like bugs in a rug. Ghost stories notwithstanding, we all fell asleep in short order.
The following three Excerpts are from the book "Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike" by John Gignilliat
AMC WHITE MOUNTAIN HUTS
The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) operates the huts and maintains miles of trail in the Whites. They use the income from the huts and campsites to help subsidize this maintenance. They also help subsidize thru-hikers by allowing them to work for room and board. They usually have work for only a limited number of hikers, and often one hut will radio ahead to the next hut and secure a spot for hikers if a good job was done. We were glad we were not hiking in a big knot of hikers, making work hard to get.
We reached the Zealand Falls Hut with time to spare. Walking Stick and Laughing Bird arrived shortly after us, and the croo accepted the offer of all four of us to work. This was our first time working at a hut, and we were not quite sure what our status was. There were about twenty paying guests, and we did not know if we could mingle or should stay out of sight. We took the expedient route and stayed out of sight, while the paying guests sat down for dinner. There was a short talk after dinner by a naturalist, and we thought we would faint from hunger before it was our turn to eat. Finally, the talk was over and the croo chief came out and announced, “Food's on!”
We devoured the leftover chicken, soup, salad, vegetables, fresh-baked bread, and chocolate chip cake. The hut boys and girls pack in all the food for both themselves and the guests. Plus, they do all the cooking and cleaning. Near the end of the season, the steady procession of thru-hikers was an anticipated event for the hut croos, as it gave them a welcome break from the drudgery of their chores. It worked well for the hikers too, as there were few hiker budgets that could handle the seventy-dollar fee at the huts. Also, being able to get a meal freed the hiker from carrying as much food in this difficult section. Another advantage was that it allowed the thru-hiker to avoid camping in the designated sites (which was required). Sometimes the sites were one or two miles down the mountain and away from the trail. We finished dinner and asked what we were to do, but the croo had already cleaned up. Our turn would come in the morning after breakfast, they explained. They were only half full with guests, so they gave us bunks to sleep in. The propane lights were turned off at nine-thirty, and we were soon fast asleep.
HUT RAID
It was a cool, clear morning and we were thrilled to see the sun come out. We left camp and began our climb to the top of South Twin Mountain. We stopped at Galehead Hut and talked to the folks employed there. The young college students who worked in these huts were known as “hut boys” and “hut girls” and collectively at each hut as the “croo.” It was a highly sought-after summer job, and they all seemed to enjoy their work. This particular croo was still buzzing about the attempted raid the previous night. The croo from Lake of the Clouds Hut had tried a nighttime sneak attack in an attempt to steal their radio, their pictures on the wall, their signs, and other such valuable items. They were proud of the fact that they had foiled the attempted raid. They told us they could have put us to work the previous evening, but we might have been awakened by the invasion.
MOUNT MADISON HUT
WHITE MOUNTAINS
As we marched past two more Presidentials, Clay and Adams, the views were absolutely breathtaking. This was a White Mountain High! By late afternoon, Walking Stick and Laughing Bird caught up with us. Together we hiked the last half mile down to the Madison Hut, nestled at the base of Mount Madison. We reached the door to the hut and were greeted by a large sign stating, “WE ARE REALLY CLOSED! DO NOT ENTER!!” We ignored the sign and burst right in.
The croo at Lake of the Clouds had called ahead for us. The hut was officially closed, but they were still cleaning up and closing down. They were excited to see us, as they had worked all day and were starting to run out of steam. Our excitement and enthusiasm seemed to rub off, and they got a second wind. I knew this would not be a simple sweeping of the floors and setting the table, as they were cleaning and closing down for the season. With our help, it looked like they would get out in the morning instead of having to spend an extra day. It was chilly and there was no heat in the hut. I washed dishes, pots and pans, stove burners, and anything else they brought me that needed cleaning before being put away. I had the luxury of keeping my hands warm while in the hot water As an added pleasure, I had a beautiful window view to the west where we had just hiked from. While doing my work, I was treated to a glorious mountain sunset.
After three hours of hard work, we finally knocked off for dinner at seven o'clock. Our hard work had earned the respect of this crew and we were included in the fun. The rest of the evening was spent laughing and joking. Finally, one of the croo asked if we had heard any of the hut ghost stories. We shook our heads in the negative. When one of the female croo heard this, she ran out of the room with her hands over her ears.
“She's heard them before,” someone explained, “she couldn't get to sleep that night.”
“It was about ten years ago,” our narrator began, “before the season had started. One of the new crew members was sent up to Lake of the Clouds Hut to open things up. He was told the others would be up in three days. All the huts were equipped with single sideband radios, so they told him to call in when he arrived and got settled in. After the second day without a call, the others began to worry. Two of them climbed up to the Lake of the Clouds Hut to see what was the matter. When they arrived, they found the poor fellow huddled underneath one of the dining room tables. When they finally got him out and calmed him down, he told them what had happened. He had been sitting at one of the tables eating his dinner when he saw someone looking in through the window. He jumped up in fright and then became aware that there were ghastly and contorted faces looking in every window. The whole dining area was surrounded with windows and he claimed there were over forty faces staring at him. He dove under the table and had not come out for the last two days. They led him off the mountain, a shaken and unnerved man.”
After hearing about the “drowned girl who came back to find her parents” and several other stories, we finally headed for our sleeping bags spread out on the floor. I think this was one of the coldest nights of our entire hike, but soon Nature's miracle of goose down had us warmed up like bugs in a rug. Ghost stories notwithstanding, we all fell asleep in short order.