OUR STORY
With the purchase of the Mt. Liberty in May 2018, Mike and Susan both entered a third career. Susan taught elementary education prior to a 14 year Director position with a national education testing company located in Dover, NH. Mike worked as food service manager in schools and colleges prior to working 17 years for a regional planning commission in Meredith, NH.
We enjoyed our first season in our new jobs. "It was like being on a cruise ship, we seldom left Lincoln and dedicated all our energies towards our guests and maintaining the property." In the off-time after closing down and recuperating, we enjoy traveling, motorcycling, hiking, fishing, scuba diving and skiing.
We are both project oriented and have renovated several homes in our spare time during our 30 years in NH. In 2018, we focused on energy savings for the motel. Improvements made include an electrical service upgrade, underground power to the motel, installation of heat pumps (individual heat and air conditioning units) for each motel room, and application to the USDA for a grant to install a 16 kilowatt solar array on the motel roof.
We've enjoyed hiking all our lives, and this interest was a factor in our decision to locate to Lincoln, NH. While we don't consider ourselves to be backpackers, we did hike the Appalachian Trail (AT) in 1995/96. Mike (aka Without One) spent 4 1/2 months hiking from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Old Blue Mountain, Maine. Susan (aka Better Half) joined the trek in Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania. We returned to the AT the following summer to finish the journey to Mt. Katahdin, Maine. The once in a lifetime trip confirmed our interest is more about hiking than backpacking! Today we enjoy catering to the AT backpackers and sharing with all guests the incredible hikes available in the White Mountains.
the view South From Harvard Falls
Less than a mile from the Mt. Liberty is the Georgiana/Harvard Falls Trail. It's an easy hike up to Georgian Falls, it's a bit steeper the last 400' rise to Harvard Falls, but well worth the effort.
TRAIL Names
In Gatlinburg, TN at the former Happy Hiker outfitter, the walls were adorned with AT Hiker photos arranged by year.
The 1995 section had a picture of a hiker with an eye patch. When the photo was taken, I was asked my trail name to which I responded, "I made it this far without one." In response the owner marked the Polaroid photo with a sharpie. And so it came to be, the duality of my trail name - one eyed, no name.
- Without One
PS - The eye patch is another story...
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THRU Hikers Class of 2021
A Few of the 100+ Appalachian Trail hikers that Stayed at THe Mt. Liberty
WHAT OUR THRU-HIKER GUESTS SAID
We do our best to meet our hiker's needs. Whether it's items from the hiker box, a loaner bike, laundry delivered to your room, an ice cold Coke, or a shuttle to town - it's our goal to make your stay a great one. Your comments and suggestions are highly valuable to us. Here are few comments that made us especially proud as owners of the Mt. Liberty...
“THIS is the place to go if you are looking for a clean, friendly, helpful, comfortable and convenient break from the trail. Laundry, resupply and town shuttle, and amazing room; all for an incredible hiker-friendly rate.”
- Maddog 8/13/21
“This is the tuffest place to leave on the AT."
- Mango 08/22
"Best night yet out of 104 of them. Mike and Susan were super low key, very helpful, provided excellent service and the room was sweet as can be... Trail angles who are also innkeepers "
- Dianimal 7/15/21