The rain ended over night and it cooled off. I had a window right by my bunk so I had control. I kept it open all night long to hear the rain and after to let in the cool air. It was the first 50 degree night we have had in quite a while and I loved it. We still woke up around 7 to have pancakes and coffee before leaving. We had to be out by 9.
We had two options today: 1) hike 20 miles to Harpers Ferry to get to the “spiritual” half way point of the AT, or 2) hike less and stay at a religious cult that is on the FBI’s watch list. Of course, we chose option 2. I’ve been to a time share presentation—I have a strong ability to say no.
It was beautiful weather. Finally we have spring weather that we’ve been hoping for ever since the last blizzard we hiked through. We had low humidity, clear skies, and drying trails. We still had about 8 miles of roller coaster left to navigate, but the biggest climb was only about 500 feet. Since the sun was shining, Bunny was in a much more optimistic mood about the hills.
All last night, we had tried to talk other people into staying at the Twelve Tribes with us but couldn’t find any takers. All kinds of rumors were floating around—they force children to work, they beat the women and children, they willingly break up marriages to get members to join, you have to give them all your money to join, someone knew someone who knew someone who did a work for stay and they couldn’t sleep for all the screaming, they pick you up and take you to the farm but are never available to take you back, etc.
We got to the highway ad gave them a call to come to pick us up. It was 5:30 and they said they’d have someone there within the hour. There was a gas station/convenience store less than 1/2 mile from the gap—we told them to pick them up there so we could have some snacks while waiting.
A pickup truck driven by a man showed up in exactly an hour to get us. He had his daughter with him in the backseat. He didn’t seem like a monster at all, just a really nice, hard working guy. He was very open about the community and proud of what they were doing. He explained that there were less than 30 people in their commune here. There are six families and a few single men. They home school the children and everyone has chores to do. They meet as a group twice a day at 6a and 6p. They eat meals as a group and grow most of their own food.
He drove us around the farm and showed us the buildings and told us how they make money. They have a tree trimming and removal business. When they cut down trees, they bring everything back to the farm. There is a mill on site and they will mill what they can and use the rest for firewood or compost. They also have a country store/restaurant on site. This is open to the public. Everything is organic in the store. They grow their own chickens, turkeys, goats, and cows, but no pigs.
He dropped us off at a cabin after we visited the store. He then told us they don’t charge us anything to stay and they will feed us supper and breakfast. They also had a building dedicated to hiker use which had showers, toilets, a kitchenette, and a sitting area. He said we could head up to the main house in about an hour for some supper. We just lay down and relaxed until supper.
No one came to get us, so we just wandered up to the house. Everyone was friendly and welcoming. A woman told us to head into the kitchen and help ourselves. They had a fresh salad and vegetable curry. All the food had been grown on the farm or in the greenhouses. We talked with a few of the guys and they were very open about life in the commune and some of the problems they are having. One of the guys was just coming and going. He’d stay for a few weeks or months then leave for a few months. They always welcomed him back and didn’t stop him from leaving.
I found one of their newsletters and read a bit more about them. Why do they welcome hikers so freely? They believe a lot of hikers are in transition in their lives and looking for answers. They think they can help by offering an alternative to normal society. Plus, they need labor. They are very open they don’t have enough manpower to do all the projects on the farm that they want to do. They are like first century Christians with a big Hebrew influence.
After supper, we thanked them and went to get ready for bed. I took a shower and got ready for bed. This was one of the best night’s sleep I have had on this trip. The cabin had a box fan in it. I prefer the white noise from a fan even more than a mountain stream.
All in all, I liked the communal living aspect that I witnessed. Their farm was what I had tried to accomplish on my own (minus the store). The religious aspect didn’t hold any appeal to me. Big surprise to anyone who knows me well. I’ve often thought a small commune is the way to go, but I lean more toward an extended family group. I just can’t get my nieces to commit to caring for me in my old age.
EFG