[pct-l] VVR or not to VVR?

[metam01 at earthlink.net (Monty Tam)]

Howdy
Me?
VVR visit but no resupply
Red's Meadow visit and camp with free natural hot springs showers. Buy only
what's needed to Tulomne.

VVR  Very, Very friendly and interesting people.  Free bed in a tent cabin.
Showers and laundry. Store and restaurant.  Real good food, but they have
to haul it up miles on rough roads.  They charge for that.  Most things in
the store, but not all things,  cost a little more, but again they haul it
and get it there. Old wrinkled packages of  food for sale on the store's
shelves came from the hiker box (or at least a very honest and reliable
source said he heard that directly from the owner).  There was another
hiker box in a tent cabin ("The secret hiker box").  Shower $5, laundry $5,
GREAT burger and fries $9, dinner $15,  round-trip boat ride from the trail
to the resort $16, handling a package $15, Ramen 50 cents, Deet $6.
Two days, free bed, $120.00.  I did not resupply here. Saved $15
I'll do it again this year from the north.

I hiked into Red's Meadow without food.  I bought just enough to hike to
Tuolumne.  Saved $25.

Tulomne.. Cheap, cheap camping in the hiker section.  Showers included. 
Bear boxes.  Rangers saidif you can hike 7 miles north and don't camp
before, go ahead and send your bear canister home.  Great personal service
post office.  Lots of hikers in front of the store opening their boxes. 
Burgers, fries, all that stuff, pretty good resupply store.

I resupplied Independence and Tulomne, buying just a couple of things at
Red's Meadow.
I'll do the same this year.

Warner Springs Monty


> [Original Message]
> From: The Mountain Goat <themtgoat@yahoo.com>
> To: pct mailing list <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
> Date: 4/4/2005 11:25:18 PM
> Subject: [pct-l] VVR or not to VVR?
>
> I find these reports of VVR being less than desirable, disturbing. When
Snickers and I went there in 2003, things seem to go fairly well, and
enjoyable. You do spend some doe $$$ there, but no out of line at the time.
To see these ongoing reports that things aren't right, is of concern. 
> So, since I was there in July 4th, 2003, would hikers who passed through
VVR in 2004 chime in an comment on there experience of VVR? (Good, bad, OK,
etc).
>
> If the consensus is to avoid the place, I guess reds meadow is only
another 30 miles, and can't you send packages there for something like
$25.00. Ya, I know re-read the section on Reds Meadow in Yogi's book,
Mountain Goat...
>
> -Mountain Goat-
> Class of 2005 1/3[pct-l] skip VVR unless...David Tibor david_tibor at
yahoo.com 
> Mon Apr 4 22:59:28 CDT 2005 
> ---------------------------------
>
> ... they have sorted out problems since last year.i think everyone that i
ran into last year that wentto VVR in 2004 had a marginal to bad
experience. theSHORT list of what i thought were problems in 2004:1. a
general rudeness - i expect casual and mellow,but not unprofessionality and
sort of a vague level ofrudeness 2. junior staff being dressed down in
front of guestsby other staff. sitting a foot away from the frazzledyoung
waitress in the breakfast room while she getsrailed on by her boss isn't
cool.3. poor value (i know stuff's expensive, but c'mon...)and a general
feeling that the staff just wanted toget cash out of you4. at least one
woman feeling uncomfortable aboutunwelcome advances of male staffperson5.
and the ultimate insult to a thru-hiker - the storeRESELLING food from the
hiker BOX! you HAVE to bekidding me...everyone i ran into had a bad story
about VVR in 2004.people who had been there in previous years (e.g.
whenhiking the JMT) seemed quite disappointed at t
>  he
>  vibeof the place in 2004.so unless things are different, i'd say AVOID
theplace, and instead carry a bit more food to get toReds Meadow. there you
can get some reasonably-pricedfood at the restaurant, buy some snacks, i
assume geta box mailed (though i forget the details on this),and BEST OF
ALL take a free (donations please!) hotspring shower whilst drinking a cold
Fosters. heaven.that's how i'd do it in 2005.
>
>
>
>
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