Several local establishments offer reduced rate and special services to Appalachian Trail hikers, which are organized by the Hanover Area Chamber of Commerce, according to its website. The perks range from free day-old sandwiches at Dan and Whit's to complimentary admission at several shows at the Upper Valley Events Center.
The Appalachian Trail extends 431 miles north of Hanover to Mt. Katahdin, Maine and 1,713 miles south of Hanover to Springer Mountain, Ga. Dartmouth cabins, which existed prior to the creation of the Appalachian Trail in 1923, have been part of the Appalachian Trail since its birth and are still maintained by student members of the DOC, according to the DOC website.
The College maintains a total of 70 miles of the trail, extending from Route 12 in Woodstock, Vt. to Route 112 in Woodstock, N.H. The DOC assigns a trail crew each summer to cover the "DOC specific sites" such as cabins and side trails, according to Chris Randall '12, summer DOC president.
Appalachian Trail hikers frequently use Robinson Hall as a place to store their packs during the day when they arrive in Hanover, according to several hikers interviewed by The Dartmouth.
Steven Martinez who goes by the trail name "Groom" and has been hiking the trail since March left his pack inside of Robinson Hall while spending the day in Hanover.
Troy Berry who goes by the trail name "Sweet Talk" and usually works as a commercial fisherman said that he decided not to leave his pack at Robinson Hall because of fear of having it stolen, but that he would be willing to pay for locker storage.
Berry decided to hike the trail after spending four and a half years in the Caribbean and returning to the United States to realize "how beautiful [the United States] was," he said.
"I just wanted to hike it because it's always been a dream," Berry said. "I don't think I'd have another chance if I didn't do it now."
Berry is hiking the trail north to south and has already summitted Mount Mousilauke, he said.
"The only thing I can really say about the DOC is that the trail isn't marked well for south bounders and a lot of the mileage is wrong," he said.
John Nicolodo, a 19 year-old student at Northeastern University, chose to hike the trail this year since he will have to spend future summers working at internships, he said.
Another hiker, who goes by the trail name "Honeycomb," said she was inspired by her sister who attempted a full hike in 1998 and only finished half.
"I've wanted to do it since," Honeycomb said. "We've been hiking since Georgia, so this is already kind of an accomplishment."
The DOC provides informational brochures about services available in Hanover for hikers stopping by Robinson Hall, according to Randall.
"The main thing that we do for through hikers in addition to trail maintenance is a board set up in [Robinson Hall] with information about services places in town to shower, places to do laundry and places to stay.
Several hikers, however, said they wished they had known about the available services earlier. "Honeycomb" heard about opportunities for laundry and shower facilities only after business hours were over, she said.
Several hikers also said it would be "nice" if there was a place in town for hikers to stay overnight as an alternative to Velvet Rocks shelter.
Nicolodo and Honeycomb said they planned to stay at the shelter, but would have preferred a hostel in town.
Randall explained that the DOC used to offer hikers a house to stay in several summers ago until a group "came through and trashed it."
"That's why we don't offer [the house] anymore," he said.
Despite this incident, the DOC looks forward to welcoming hikers to Hanover each summer, according to Randall.
"We're always looking to improve our relationship with hikers," he said, adding that the DOC tries to do as much as possible to "help them on their way" and make their experience as enjoyable as possible.
Ledyard Canoe Club president Brynne Weeks '12 has invited several groups of through-hikers to sleep on the porch of her off-campus house, she said.
With four hammocks, a couch and a picnic table, the porch is "perfect" place for the hikers to get some rest, she said.
"The only hostels that are around here are 15 minutes away so [hikers] are always looking for housing," Weeks said.
