Mountain Momma's

“Mountain Momma's in Waterville, TN near Davenport Gap on the AT...

I drove by the place last Saturday...

Craphole or hiker hostel?

Comments?

Say what you want...I'd spend another night in the woods before staying anywhere near that place.”

“I hear ya...some places jsut arnt better then the woods. Stop in for a shower and laundry then get back to them woods!”

“GREAT GREAT hamburgers and fries.”

“I agree with SS...yikes great hamburgers and fries. Can't comment on staying there”

“http://community.webshots.com/album/77256297ywoYxn/2

What's not to like?? ;-)”

“good food, but not hospitable. on my thru-hike earlier this year, i came down out of the smokies soaked to the bone, and every article of clothing i had soaked, and she almost didnt let me use her washer and dryer without a stay. she finally relented, but not without alot of begging and haranguing (sp?) but the food does kick ass.

a much better hostel just two miles up the trail is standing bear farm. i didnt go, but i heard rave reviews about it. great example of southern hospitality”

“a great hostel at the end of shenandoah is terrapin station ran by former thru "the grateful greenpeace guy". i zeroed there and had a great time”

“just now wanted to find a picture...but then I saw that stovestomper already had one up. it was a good place for nice and fatty hamburgers after a hike.



I saw much worse then that”

“"good place for nice and fatty "

oops. i originally read that as "a good place for a nice fatty"”

“Looks like they gots banjo playing retards out back.”

“Yea Limpy, they do.
Best if you never visit.
They might think you have a purty mouth.
LOL”

“LOL StoveStomper. did you just say "PURTY mouth"??? LMAO”

“Yep!”

“Ha Ha!! Yeah, I know the burgers are good but I haven't been by there in a while and the place is lookin' REALLY REALLY rough. Almost anything with walls can look good to a tired and wet hiker. Still, I think I'll pass.”

“MDSHiker -[b] I'll give you more information after I'm home and have time, probably tomorrow. My coffee is free there!

Happy New Year.”

“im telling ya, standing bear is the place to go. i think the owners name is curtis, and everyone that stayed there talked about what a great guy he was!”

“http://standingbearfarm.tripod.com/

I haven't been to STB but I have showered and had a burger and fries at MM's a couple of times. You have to remember not to cuss because it comes with a quick threat to kick you out.”

“oh yea, i forgot about that. that #&%!$ing #&%!$!”

“Is it as bad as the mouse ridden shelters?????....and the out houses???....when in VA on the AT my hiking partner refused to use the outhouse cause of mice and spiders......I on the other hand was pleased to actually sit down .....sitting there, I looked to my left and at eye level was a mouse sitting on her nest of torn toilet paper......I didn't mind.....and she sat there and just looked back at me......I wasn't crazy about the spiders though...some pretty big ones....but the shelters....mice having mouse olympics all night long.......one ran across my hair in the middle of the night.......everyone in the area was awaken by screaming.....I slept in my tent the rest of the trip......”

“i never saw or heard a single mouse in the shelters, but i tented more than i sheltered”

“Miss Janet is good friends with the owners of Standing Bear and she says the place is outstanding!

Crash Bang...you never saw a mouse in a shelter in the Smokies? LOL I thought a gang of them was going to carry me away at Russel Field !”

“i never saw a mouse the whole 2174 miles!”

“maybe the lack of bathing????






J/K!!!!”

“i dont know about driving away the mice, but not bathing sure brought on alot of nice fun itchy rashes”

“A few folks have already beaten me to it....Standing Bear Farm is one of the more outstanding hiker hostels/facilities that has opened in recent years, and anyone hiking in the area would be crazy to miss it.

Anyone planning to do this section of the A.T. would be well-advised to skip Mountain Mommas and stay on the trail North for an easy 2.6 miles and go instead to SBF. It is one of the nicest, and most unique hiker hostels on the entire Trail.”

“we stopped in after a hike in the area after nowslimmers recommendation. The ladies working there were unfriendly, the store was nothing more than a cigarette warehouse, and the food wasn't good, not even the cheeseburgers. Next time, i'll fight my way into gatlinburg for McD's, that should say it all”

“I'vce eaten there a few times. The cheeseburger's were great, the fries average. The owners name is Jean, if I remember right. I've always found her pleasant. Mountain folks can be a little standoffish at first look but most don't say much but they tend to be very observant. (They have you figured out before a word exits your mouth.) I'm not sure Jean qualifies as mountain as she moved from Florida (though I think her mother is from Waterville).”

“(They have you figured out before a word exits your mouth.) I'm not sure Jean qualifies as mountain as she moved from Florida (though I think her mother is from Waterville).”
ppcraft
8:49:26 AM
1/04/05


LOL!!!!
C!B! & OPIE were 'figured out'!.”

“thats why she ultimately relented ; )”

“Well now if yall are in the neck of the woods where we will be I will come and get yall and fix you something good to eat! How bout that for Southern mountain folks!”

“Thanks, cottonsocks, but no Hog Jowls please.”

“

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“Mountain Momma's in Waterville, TN near Davenport Gap on the AT...

I drove by the place last Saturday...

Craphole or hiker hostel?

Comments?

Say what you want...I'd spend another night in the woods before staying anywhere near that place.”
MDSHiker

“Ha Ha!! Yeah, I know the burgers are good but I haven't been by there in a while and the place is lookin' REALLY REALLY rough. Almost anything with walls can look good to a tired and wet hiker. Still, I think I'll pass.”
MDSHiker

I do not consider Mountain Mama's to be either a Craphole or hiker hostel.

That "the place is lookin' REALLY REALLY rough" is the only clue I have as to your feelings. And I don't understand that without further explanation.

I have never stayed overnight at Mountain Mama's. But I would try to stay there if I arrived in a rainstorm after the 10½+ hours trip from Melbourne, FL. Unfortunately, I usually arrive too late at night. I prefer to sleep in my tent or under a tarp in the woods, even if it is in a campground. I suspect that you are inferring the same preference.

All my experiences at Mountain Mama's have been enjoyable. I met John and Caroline Thigpen years ago when they were first opening the place. It had been a two-room schoolhouse and at that time it still had a dividing wall inside. During the years we have become such good friends that years ago she decided that my coffee would be free henceforth. Numerous times they have helped me and I have helped them. I have enjoyed hamburgers a couple of times there. But since I am always on a diet, she usually fixes a a special salad for me.

She has always been real nice to me. He has, too, but he is harded to get to know. He means well, but is a little gruff. He reminds me of the type of person who might say, "My father did it this way, my grandfather did it this way and I'm going to do it this way." He does mean well. They have both worked hard. She once got lead poisoning from paint fumes when they were painting inside. He has added living quarters on the back of the building, has done some farming(I helped until 2 AM once to help get a tractor out of the mud.), hauls watermellons and other things from Florida and sells them in Waynesville or in Newport. They attend church regularly.

The business requires one or two employees for help with sales and food preparation. Bunk houses were added because of demand. Yes, their main business is cigarettes and tobacco. They are actually in North Carolina, even thought their mail is delivered from Newport, TN. A tax advantage allows them to sell lots of tobacco products. A few years ago they had competition, but it only lasted 2-3 years. Hikers supply only a small part of their business. They get much more business from horsemen, who ride 12 months of the year. And get this: In general, the horsemen are much better behaved than the hikers! They have had numerous bad experiences with hikers. They have had numerous wonderful experiences with hikers. I have seen both types of experiences there. They have been there too long and are worn-out. I'm sure that if they received a decent offer for the place, they would sell.

It is difficult to reply to some of the comments that have been posted. I suspect that the laundry restriction, at least during the seasonal influx of through-hikers, is designed to make the machines more readily available for the hikers that stay overnight. They sometimes overflow with through-hikers. With regard to food they have a good reputation for their hamburgers and cheeseburgers. I have no way of knowing what happened or who provided unsatisfactory service, but from my business experiences there are usually two sides to these situations.

If I recommended the place, it was not my intention. My requests have been for people to say hello for me, so that they know that I am thinking of them. They have told me that some of you did say hello for me, so thank you very much. I do recommend the place for whatever your needs are that they can supply.

BTW, if you are really curious about the place, I suggest that you take a few minutes to investigate it personally. And, if you do, please say hello to them from your friend, Paul in Florida. Thanks.

Not everyone appreciates cussing and vulgar language. I don't! I have not noticed their sign, but from a sign in a YMCA in Chicago almost 60 years ago, "Having nothing to say, he swore."”

“Thanks Paul.
I enjoyed my visit there.
Really enjoyed the hamburger & fries!
All the cigs were offputting at first but I soon realized that part of the biz was keeping the place open.”

“"the laundry restriction, at least during the seasonal influx of through-hikers, is designed to make the machines more readily available for the hikers that stay overnight."

no, that wasnt it. she said she didnt want to do it because they were no longer pay machines. i arrived at the start of the day, having just spent the night at davenport gap shelter, so the machines were not in demand. i even offered to pay full price of the stay, and then just go on. but she wasnt having it.”

“Paul, you are always good for a laugh!

There is trash, broken down cars/trucks, and junk everywhere outside the building. It looks like a junk yard or a place to dump garbage. It definitely doesn't look like an inviting place to rest. Compare Mountain Momma's to other places along the AT and you'll see that those folks have REALLY let the place go.

Free coffee... WooHoo!”

“Who was the "she?" If it was an employee, she was likely just following orders. Otherwise, ??? I was only guessing at a possible reason.

It's regretable that you did not have a more pleasant experience there.

MDSHiker - I'll check it out next time I'm in the area. "Free coffee" tastes better.
last edited: 1/05/05 12:39:37 PM”

“Who was the "she"

the owner. i didnt have all that bad of an experience overall, but i think the fact that i had to beg and plead when i was obviously standing there soaked did not make a good first impression, especially when i offered to pay full price”

“I stopped there for lunch once, it was raining cats & Dogs, my buddy and I were not sad we hiked that road to find the place. The owner was so friendly and giving I always assumed she was mountain folk like us.
If you think every place in the mountains should be like the Hilton you will miss meeting some of the best people.”

“I had an enjoyable experience. The ladies have usually kept to themselves, but were nice all the same. Cheeseburgers rock! I haven't stayed there, but I took a shower there, and was given towels and everything was quite clean.

I even have a t-shirt from there that I wear from time to time.

I have been wanting to check out Standing Bear Farm though!

Happy Friday!”

“Isn't it spelled Moma's?”

“

---

"The difference between an amateur and a professional is that the professional looks it up!"

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last edited: 1/07/05 6:16:37 PM”

“and "moma" didnt bother to look up the spelling of "momma"

just call her "mountain momo"”

“http://community.webshots.com/photo/77256297/77264292VENNeY

'Mountain Moma's' is painted on the building. They can spell anyway they like.

That's Gemini's head in the lower left and Rox standing in front of Gem's car at Mountain Moma's.”

“You dopes are looking at the wrong word. I'm still trying to figure out if "Mountain" is a noun or a verb.”

“"mountin' momma, take me home, country roads"”

“newgirl would probably have a problem with this word too. ;-)

I think all the mispelling is intentional. The full name is Mountain Moma's Kuntry Store.”

“i have my doubts about it being intentional but ill give the benefit of the doubt

standing bear is still better”

“Hey, I made google:

"thebackpacker.com - trail talk - mountain momma's
... I do not consider Mountain Mama's to be either a Craphole or hiker hostel.
That ... I have never stayed overnight at Mountain Mama's. But ...
www.thebackpacker.com/trailtalk/thread/35594,3.php - 49k - Cached - Similar pages"

Little known fact: Although Mountain Mama's mailing address is Newport, TN, and most people associate it with Waterville, NC, it is actually located in Mount Sterling, NC.
last edited: 1/08/05 12:13:35 PM”

“actually, its located in BFE!

not that theres anything wrong with that!

: D”

“I don't think I want to ask!

BFE = ?”