Date: 2008-07-11
From: Beaver Brooke

To: Hikers Welcome Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Beaver Brooke Lean-to to the town of Glencliff NH, about 9 miles. Our crew has never hiked so fast! We got in to town early. 0.5 miles down the main road was the highly recommended hostel, Hikers Welcome. An ordinary house from the front with a psychedelic wooden sign by the mail box that said... "Hikers Welcome". Upon entering the sliding doors next to an addition to the house, I found myself walking in to a true hikers paradise... unlike the crappy hostel in Gorham. The sliding doors continue in to a common area full of chairs, tables a TV/VCR/DVD player, hundreds of movies, and books, a computer with the Internet and all of the hiking resources you could imagine. The common area basically continues out in to the back yard. There are large tarps and tents set up all over in order to extend the houses shelter in to the yard. There are 3 hammocks set up between trees amongst flowers and a short cut lawn. There is also a large fire pit with stone work benches constructed in awide circle around the pit. After a strip of 4 picnic tables all in a row is a large grill. This place is set up to accommodate many. Everything that they provide is for the hikers.Some other interesting aspects of Hikers Welcome is the outdoor bathroom/shower/laundry facility. There is a large gazebo dressed in different color tarps (walls for privacy). On the left is an outdoor shower with hot water. In the center is a large, old porcelain sink for water and dishes and to the right is a toilet with a shower curtain for a door. Sounds crazy to most... but running, hot water and a white porcelain throne to sit on is big luxury to a hiker.The three of us rode in to town on bikes provided by the hostel. The five mile ride was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. None of us have ridden a bike in a long time. It was a long and awkward process.We had been warned that Glencliff was very small. They did not offer a store for resupply nor an outfitter for gear. The places to eat were limited to... one, Calamity Jane's. I ordered real turkey on rye with onion rings. Mango, Grettle and I also split a chicken dinner platter. Then we went around back and ordered ice creams. I got one scoop of Mississippi Mud and one of Moose tracks, topped with crushed Resses cups, hot fudge, whip cream and a cherry. I ate every bite and then also ate 1/2 of Mango's strawberry cheesecake chunk Sunday.The bike ride home was torture. All of that food in our stomachs and the return to the hostel was all uphill. It took about 40 minutes to go 5 miles. Once back to the hostel I updated what I could on my trail journal (while other hikers watched Team America in the background), made some phone calls and organized my food for the next few days.My friend Bill whom I used to work with might come out to join me for a day hike. I kept Bill updated every other day at my job over the past 6 months with new AT research or gear updates. He was one of few that I could share my excitement with long before actually giving my notice.   Upon entering downtown Warren (where we rode the bikes to and ate lunch) is the town church on the right. The church is fairly old looking, maybe 100+ year, white and wooden with a tall steeple... and a 100 ft. nuclear missile on the front lawn! Honest to God there is a United States 100 ft. tall nuclear missile pointed straight up on the front lawn of the church... very strange.~Santana~ "by myself but not alone"