Une Vie en 40 litres

« Tourne et tourne le monde. Tourne et tourne le temps. Le temps d’endosser son sac à dos. Une journée à remplir 40 litres. Une/deux/bientôt trois décennies remplissant ces 40 litres. Une vie, un encrage, des repères, des rêves, des désirs, un passé, tout ça dans ce baluchon. « Une vie en 40 litres » ça ferait un beau titre. Faire son sac à dos en pensant que tout est possible, optimisant le moindre espace d’air. « Ai je besoin de tant de tel ? Vais je me servir de tel si je vais là ? En ce moment je m’en sers mais me sera t-il utile demain ? » Faire son sac à dos quand on a aucunes idées de ce qui nous attend demain. Quel matoss pour ça ? Quoi embarquer avec ces infinis de possibilités qu’on va rencontrer ? Prévoyant, simpliste, aventurier, pantouflard, intrépide, modeste, freestyler, le 40L d’un ne comporte pas la même chose du 40L d’un autre. Nous faisons tous notre sac d’une manière, d’un temps en avance ou à la dernière minute, et avec ces outils qu’on y trouvera en temps voulu ou…

C’est l’heure ! Une bonne pression à la main, l’autre maintenant le tout, tirage de ficelle, ashh ça dépasse, deuxième pression plus costaude, ça passe !! Finger in the noze ! Sac bouclé ! Droit devant, ce contenant immobile qui bientôt sera sur le dos, ces 1/2/bientôt 3 décennies, tout tient dedans. Cette coquille où se trouve l’odeur des repères et la soif d’aventures. Tout tient dans ce sac. L’élan qu’on y met dans la première levée l’envoyant se cramponner et épouser le dos marque l’entrain et engage le rythme pour cette nouvelle aventure. Première marche, avec ce nouveau poids, ce poids qui pousse à aller de l’avant au risque de basculer sur les arrières ou cramper à droit. Ce poids bientôt passera inaperçu, servira de motivation en cas où le moteur et carrosserie auraient un coup de mou. Droit devant, le corps va ou le regard porte, petit tips quand on marche sur un fil, cœur battant, du mouvement ! Un pas après l’autre, le rythme se trouve. Cadence dans les jambes roulant la terre. Roule et roule le monde. »

Pauline Charvat

Dyno Comp 2023

Every year at Barn Door Hostel we put on a Dyno Competition. People from all over come to compete and join together to celebrate their love for climbing. As an outdoor adventure hostel, we get outside every day, rain or shine. Last year’s dyno comp proved this, as we put on the competition on a day that was so rainy, we thought our climbing wall was going to float away down the brook.

There was no chance of us canceling the comp, so we put our Barn Door brains and skills together and started building a tent of tarps to cover our climbing wall. For hours we were out in the rain creating a space for the event. We worried that no one was coming, that so much time had been wasted by prepping for a rained-out competition. However, we didn’t let the worry kill our anticipation, as we decided that even if no one showed up because of the terrible weather, our staff would have a fun evening climbing and competing against each other.

Finally, after a long day of work, it was time for the event. We were thrilled to see that despite the awful weather we drew in a crowd under our giant blue “tent”. The prizes were laid out for the contestants to ogle at, MC Liam warmed up his vocals, and the bouldering pads were all laid out. Spotters ready, the crowd got hyped up as Liam called out climbers to get up on the wall. People fell, flew, and dynoed all over the place. All skill levels were welcomed and equally cheered for. Laughter and cheers filled the space as everyone enjoyed the competition. As points were tallied up by the judge, winners got their prizes and all of the day’s hard work had been worth it.

If you can expect one thing from Barn Door Hostel it's that no matter the conditions, we will have a great time. Because of the energy of our staff and the amazing guests that the place attracts, there is never a dull moment here. This October 11-14 we will be having Rocktober, which will include another dyno competition with amazing prizes from Asana, Black Diamond, and many more incredible brands. We hope the weather won’t be the same as last year’s, but we know that no matter what we will have an amazing time.

Maddie Miller

An ice cold morning dip

Most people don't have the opportunity to wake up and take a refreshing dunk as the first thing in the morning. But that is one of the things I have come to love at the Barn Door Hostel. At BDH we have a lovely brook running through the property, making it incredibly accessible to take a morning dunk. As the seasons change, and the weather (and water) starts to get cold, it is tempting to skip the cold morning shiver and stay inside the cozy hostel indsted (and a lot of people do). Maybe it's because I'm Danish and it makes me feel like a viking, but I'm steeled on taking a morning dunk everyday while I am here. The morning dunk wakes me up a hundred times better than a cup of coffee, however I normally also follow up the dunk with a freshly made cup of hot coffee. Since my coworkers are starting to  bail on me most mornings, I love it when guests dare to join me in the 54 degrees “hot” water. Being able to share the experience makes it a lot more fun. One of my wise coworkers once told me that staying in cold water 11 min a week improves your immune system. I haven't checked if it is true, but I choose to believe it, as it gives this madness even more sense.

When I go back to Denmark this will be one of the things I'm going to miss, because sadly enough I don't live right across from a brook, so my morning dunks will probably not be quite as frequent as they are here. 

I hope you will one day join me or someone else in this fun and giving activity.

Kind regards,

Ea from Denmark

A farewell to some!

A few staff are bidding goodbye now that the summer is ending, and we can't help but look back on a few of the good memories that BDH has left us with. The air quality in Rumney might be foggy, but our memories are not. Despite the rocky weather, Barn Door Hostels' foundation remains rock solid enough to continue to dispense dreams Daily. While there are many things that BDH has taught the folks that walk through its doors, living life slowly and deliberately is the most important takeaway. The rain has allowed all staff members to realize that traditions as ritualistic as waking up to do the 8 am dip in our beloved brook to as random as attending every Thursday night Karaoke are memories we cannot take for granted. Days might feel long, but the weeks are very short, and you must enjoy every moment this magical place offers. As much as we have hated the frequent rain storms, it has made us love the sunny moments all the more. 

One favorite sunny memory is the staff rafting from Livermore Falls to downtown Plymouth. What should have been a slow/deliberate trip downstream quickly turned into a speedy 45-minute sail. The wild and rambunctious current was so high from all the rain that our tubes and blow-up mattress whizzed down without snag. With snacks in hand and drinks in our cooler, our staff had every reason to want to go down the river just one more time (that quickly turned into three more times).

Our staff can flip a bed like a beast, but we also have the voices of angels. A local pizza restaurant in downtown Plymouth, The Grotto, has the best Karaoke in New Hampshire. From singing It's Tricky by Run DMC to Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zero's hit Home, our staff covered every genre you could think of and blessed all of Rumney with our lovely voices. If you're looking for a good slice of pizza and some entertainment, the Grotto is the place you need to be.

On a sincere note, we (Izzy and Gwen) have enjoyed every morning waking up here at the hostel, and care dearly for all the people we've formed this makeshift family with. Thanks BDH and Dave for an amazing summer. Live free or die. 

—Gwen and Izzy

Fun Spot

On June 22nd, the Barn Door Hostel (BDH) team set out on the most epic staff bonding adventure, bringing only our matching tie-dye T-shirts and positive energy. The BDH crew packed into three cars and set off to the Funspot arcade, located in Laconia, New Hampshire, a quick 40 minutes away from Barn Door. After our team exited our cars, we quickly hopped into fresh new wheels to battle it out on the go-karting track. Though there was no vehicular bumping allowed, the bumping vibes were all we needed. After a harrowing race, our squad crossed the road and headed to the bowling alley with plenty of time to SPARE. 

After the chicken strips, pizza, and french fries, we were ready to try our luck in the world's largest arcade. Our staff discovered that the Funspot slogan, "We have the games people want to play" is SPOT on, as the BDH gang attempted to play every game in sight. 

After an hour and a half of intense gaming, we acquired 5,700 tickets collectively. Pooling our winnings together we were able to afford the strategic and iconic game, Battleship. Feeling like champions we celebrated with ice cream before returning to the hostel. Our common area is now home to our prized Battleship game. So if you were ever debating making a reservation to Barn Door, just remember that the staff put blood, sweat, and tears into getting BDH the legendary board game.