[pct-l] Drakesbad.................Chester

[Randy Forsland]

I guess every situation is a little different. I stayed at the Timber Lodge 
Inn in 2003 and had a great time. The folks at the Timber Lodge restaurant 
were very nice and came by after my meal to chat about the trail. I was 
invited back that night for a private going away party for one of their 
employees and had a wonderful  time. I was hitching out the next day with 
Yucca and French Fry and one of the locals went above and beyond for us. 
here is an excerpt from their jounal:

"We slept in late. Redwood, another thru-hiker, was trying to hitchhike out 
of town at the same time as us. He got a ride from a woman and her daughter 
in a jeep. They didn't have room for us, but they drove the eight miles and 
then came back to pick us up and take us to the trail, too. That was really 
nice for them to go so far out of their way."

I'm sure every town has its characters and grumps, but I wouldn't let that 
affect my opinion about a whole town...it was a very nice place...

Redwood
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "yogi" <yogihikes at sbcglobal.net>
To: <enyapjr at comcast.net>; <pct-l at mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2006 12:48 PM
Subject: [pct-l] Drakesbad.................Chester


>I heard a few negative comments about Chester from
> some of the 2006 thru's, but I really like Chester.
> It's got a terrific supermarket, great places to eat,
> laundry, shower, motels, all in a compact town which
> is only 8 miles from the trail.
>
> You make a good point that Chester is a touristy town.
> In fact, the person who gave me a ride into Chester
> in 2002 drove me out to the lake to show me around
> before going into town.  He wanted to show off what
> his town had to offer!!
>
> And, yes, there is a scene in Squatch's most excellent
> 2003 PCT Documentary "Walk" (www.walkpct.com), where
> Potato Picker recounts our experience when a Chester
> motel owner slammed the door in our
> face...............but anti-hiker attitudes happen
> other places, too.  Chester is certainly not alone in
> that boat.  (BTW, the next motel welcomed us with open
> arms.)
>
> These instances happen because town people aren't
> aware of who/what we are.  I think it's important for
> hikers to be good trail ambassadors, be polite, say
> please and thank you, and tip well in restaurants.
> One good experience can change a town around --- the
> motel owner tells the restaurant owner, who tells the
> grocery store clerk, etc.
>
> yogi
> www.pcthandbook.com
>
>
>
>
> --- enyapjr at comcast.net wrote:
>
>> That sounds very 'positive'...  Glad the 2006
>> misunderstanding has been put to rest!
>>
>> 2007 thrus - please make sure there is no repeat
>> occurence at Drakesbad (or ANY other 'stop' along
>> the trail)!  Future thrus (me included!) will thank
>> you!...
>>
>> Yogi - what's the latest 'feel' for Chester?  Is it
>> still a little 'anti' thru-hiker type of attitude?
>> If it is, I'm
>> sorry to hear that as I was raised in far northern
>> CA...  If anyone does go to Chester, try to remember
>> that it is a lumber and tourist town ('city'
>> tourists coming up into the 'woods' and Lassen Park)
>> - and
>> thrus are NOT 'tourists' and also may automatically
>> be put into the 'tree people that destroyed the our
>> timber industry' category (i.e., not to be
>> 'trusted')...  plus, of course, thrus 'smell' when
>> they arrive!   ;-)
>> If Chester is still 'cold' - it makes Drakesbad look
>> superb for a drop/stop/zero...  I look forward to
>> it.
>>
>> Thanks for the updates.  Happy trails!!!
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> pct-l mailing list
>> pct-l at backcountry.net
>> unsubscribe or change options:
>> http://mailman.hack.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> pct-l mailing list
> pct-l at backcountry.net
> unsubscribe or change options:
> http://mailman.hack.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>