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~Thorn Run Inn~ Published Articles and Reviews ~~~ "Nestled at the foot of Knobley Mountain is a place for people who hunger for country quiet." The Charleston Gazette ~~~  Eco-tourism: At Grant County's peaceful Thorn Run Inn, even the soap is more environmentally friendly by Rick Steelhammer of The Charleston Gazette A Primer on Ecotourism by Peter and Robin Maille (us!)  in The Appalachian Journal B&B offers breath of fresh air  West Virginia: Organic food, recycling and even Sweetpea the grass-eating sheep make Thorn Run Inn a great getaway for the ecotourist by Mike Strzelecki special to The Baltimore Sun The Thorn Run Inn  Eco-friendly lodgings in New Creek, West Virginia by Mike Strzelecki in Blue Ridge Country Home

Eco-tourism

At Grant County's peaceful Thorn Run
Inn, even the soap is more environmentally friendly

Feb. 19, 1999

 

Gazette photos by F. BRIAN FERGUSON Nestled at the base of a Grant County hillside, the Thorn Run Inn caters to guests who hunger for country quiet.

By Rick Steelhammer
STAFF WRITER

MAYSVILLE - After working as forestry consultants at locations as far apart as Alaska and Madagascar, then toiling six years together in the federal bureaucracy in Washington, Peter and Robin Maille, along with 2-year-old son Nathan, were ready for a change.

That change came 18 months ago, in the form of an 1871-vintage Grant County farmhouse perched on the foot of Knobley Mountain, overlooking a vast expanse of rolling pastures and hazy ridgeline.

Their Thorn Run Inn, billed as an eco-friendly bed and breakfast, is a haven for those interested in back road biking, exploring nearby natural treasures such as Greenland Gap and Dolly Sods, or looking for antiques in nearby Moorefield, Petersburg or Keyser.

"Mostly, people come for country quiet," said Peter Maille.

Country quiet, if you don't count the occasional bellow from a neighbor's cow, is available in abundance at Thorn Run.

Innkeeper Peter Maille traveled the world as a forester before taking roots in West Virginia.

"People are amazed by things like how many stars they can see in the night sky, since there's not a single light visible from here," Maille said. A telescope is available to give guests a closer look at the unobstructed heavens.

"It's a three-hour drive from Washington, but we tell people it's worth every minute."

The Mailles became acquainted with the eco-tourism concept while working overseas. He is a former Peace Corps forestry official, while she worked for the U.S. Forest Service's international forestry program. Between them, they served at postings in more than 20 countries, many of them in Africa.

While many development officials spoke of tourism only in terms of giant hotels, charter boats and golf courses, "we began to explore the idea of small-scale inns that could both promote the local economy and save the environment," he said.

Showing that money can be made by bringing in visitors to view wildlife and unique natural areas and sample local culture provides an alternative to logging, mining and other consumptive activities, according to the Mailles.

"We want to make a statement with what we're trying to do here," said Maille. "We want to show that there are alternative uses to forest land, and that money can be made - not a lot of money, maybe - by doing what we're doing. If I can do it, anyone can."

Views of farm and forest are available from every window at the inn and its outbuildings.

Eco-friendly practices in effect at Thorn Run Inn include providing guests with pump soap, rather than wasteful individual bars, line-drying laundry, mowing lawns with a reel mower, composting lawn and garden materials, recycling, and using low-impact detergents and cleansers.

An extensive, fireplace-equipped library in one of the farmhouse's 14 rooms includes books to identify local plants, trees, wildflowers and animal tracks. Another room houses a display of green household items that are on the market. An outbuilding has been converted to use as a nature center, where guests display fossils, dislodged bird nests, animal bones, minerals, and other items of interest they discover on walks on the 20-acre farm.

But the inn also offers such luxuries as an outdoor, suitable-for-star-gazing, hot tub and swimming pool.

During the 1960’s and early 1970s, the farm was operated as a dude ranch, called the Bald Knob Ranch. A sign from the farm’s former incarnation adorns a hallway, letting visitors know that the site once put "the West Virginia."

A common room contains blankets from Guinea, Nigeria, and Mali, photos of African scenes, a 13th century hand-dipped candle from Albania, and other items from the couple’s travels– plus a baby grand piano.

In addition to the farm food and comfort entrees like lasagna, dinnertime at Thorn Run Inn could include one of several African dishes perfected during the couple’s time on that continent.

The inn is located only 4 miles from Greenland Gap, a narrow canyon carved through 800-foot sandstone cliffs. Hiking trails to the top of the gap are available at the unique natural area, which is owned by the Nature conservancy.

A fork of Patterson Creek, which flows through the gap, offers great fishing opportunities as well as one of the region’s most picturesque swimming holes, located below a waterfall.

Activities available within a half-hour's drive of the inn include canoe trips through the Trough section of the South Branch of the Potomac, rock climber-watching at Seneca Rocks, and berry picking atop Dolly Sods.

Add a few more minutes driving time and you can be at Canaan Valley or Blackwater Falls state park or atop Spruce Knob, the state’s highest summit.

Daily rates at Thorn Run Inn are $65 to $75 for two.

For information or reservations, call 749-7733 or visit the inn’s Web site at http://members.aol.com/narope/ThornRun.htm

To contact staff writer Rick Steelhammer call 348-5169.

A Primer on Ecotourism

Natural beauty and interesting cultures make West Virginia a wonderful
spot for tourists. Unfortunately, tourism can easily degrade these very
same riches. With this in mind at Thorn Run Inn we are testing the idea
of "ecotourism."

The Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism as " responsible travel to
natural areas which conserves the environment and sustains the
well-being of local people." However, the concept is still new and there
are as many definitions as there are tourists. The theme underlying
ecotourism regardless of its definition is environmental and cultural sensitivity.
How long can rafting trips down a picturesque river valley be attractive when
ill-mannered visitors clutter the river banks with trash? How many mountain
bikers can pass over a trail before wildlife vacates the area? How many
enriching cultural exchanges have been soured by tourists unaware of local
sensibilities?

Ecotourism can not eliminate these kinds of impacts. What it can do is
help us to minimize and manage negative impacts. Ecotourism
businesses look at the environmental and social impacts of their
activities and decide how much change is acceptable. Then they work
to stay within these limits using tools like codes of conduct for patrons,
limits on the number of users, and environmentally friendly
technologies. At Thorn Run Inn, through composting and recycling, we
get by with a standard two can trash pick up. We avoid the use of
chemical fertilizers and pesticides on our lawn and garden. We ask our
guests to be judicious with their use of soap and linens. The list goes
on but this all contributes to a property that is aesthetically pleasing and
more environmentally friendly.

Enhancing the role of education is also a part of ecotourism. The
Audubon Society has a set of guidelines that include, " the experience a
tourist gains in traveling with Audubon must enrich his or her
appreciation of nature, conservation, and the environment." This takes
many forms depending on the type of tourism. Examples include
interpretive displays, "hands-on" learning activities, and meaningful
cross-cultural exchanges. At Thorn Run Inn we have converted a pre-
1960s chicken coop into a nature center. Activities at the nature center
help children and their parents enjoy and better understand the natural
surroundings of the Inn. We also collect newspaper clippings on local
environmental issues. The thoughts of community members as they
speak through these clippings are great awareness building tools.
Education is nothing new to tourism, however, ecotourism emphasizes
its role, the idea being that understanding fosters respect.

Then there is economics. In many cases the livelihood of local people is
threatened as conservation measures restrict traditional uses like logging
or hunting. Also, outside corporations linked to tourism can
overwhelm the ability of local businesses to compete. As a result, local
people may withhold their support of conservation measures.
Recognizing this The Ecotourism Society asks that tourists look for
travel options that maximize the amount of money going directly to
local communities. We think that a locally-owned B&B like Thorn Run
Inn presents tourists with an opportunity to do just that. We point our
guests towards other local businesses and we rely on local suppliers for
our consumables—the large hamburger chains would have a hard time
claiming that their maple syrup is produced 14 miles away.

Ecotourism may seem to ask a lot of its providers and patrons. But
then, in both work and play, you get out of it what you put into it--
ecotourism experiences are richer, more rewarding and more
sustainable. What’s more, we think that it can help West Virginia and
its tourism industry prosper while maintaining the natural beauty and
culture that we all love.

For more information you can write to the Ecotourism Society, PO Box
755, North Bennington, VT 05257, USA. There are good web sites
at www.ecotourism.org and www2.planeta.com/mader/. For a look at
the web site of a West Virginia business that is trying to toe the
ecotourism line you can visit http://members.aol.com/narope/ThornRun.htm [now located at www.thornruninn.com]

Peter and Robin Maille
Thorn Run Inn
Grant County, West Virginia

B&B offers breath of fresh air

West Virginia: Organic food, recycling and even Sweetpea the grass-eating sheep make Thorn Run Inn a great getaway for the ecotourist.

By Mike Strzelecki
SPECIAL TO THE SUN

 Our first clue that Thorn Run Inn is not your typical bed and breakfast was the menagerie of animals milling about the front yard.  A goat nuzzled the ground for edibles, a sheep slumped languorously beneath a shade tree, a chicken fled in fear, and a hyperkinetic puppy bounced at the end of a taut chain.  From across the street, a cow tossed us a deep bellow.

 "This must be the place!" my wife announced.

 We pulled into the driveway with anticipation, about to embark on a stay at a bed and breakfast that is setting the course for tourism in the next millennium.  Thorn Run Inn is the first in the region to prominently tout itself as "eco-friendly," and use the phrase "ecotourism" in its marketing literature.  It lies in the Potomac Highlands section of northern West Virginia, among waves of steel-blue mountains.  Hosts Peter and Robin Maille provide to each guest a bed and a meal -- and a new way of thinking.

 The Ecotourism Society defines the concept as "responsible travel to natural areas which conserves the environment and sustains the well-being of local people."  Economic development and environmental conservation are generally regarded as opposing principles that often polarize regions and their people.  But the Mailles have successfully managed to dovetail the two with the finesse of a tightrope walker.

 Thorn Run’s innkeepers take great measures to minimize their imprints on the environment. Each item used at the inn is scrutinized as to its origin, its material composition and its possible impact on the environment. The Mailles prepare meals with organic foods, many grown on the premises. They line-dry the linens, and use biodegradable detergents.  They perform extensive composting and recycling programs and drive a gas-stingy car.  They avoid the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, and go as far as to use pump soap instead of bar soap.

 And Sweetpea the sheep serves as groundskeeper, nibbling the grass to a manageable height.  What she can't get, a reel mower finishes.

 The Mailles  also promote, in a conscientious manner, economic development of a region that has become downtrodden with time.  Logging opportunities have waned and viable coal deposits have diminished, and many West Virginians have turned to agriculture or other means such as carpentry or plumbing to get by.  Thorn Run Inn considers itself a small but vital cornerstone to reinvigorate the region.  Guests tend to come from Eastern Seaboard metropolitan areas, and many bring with them deep pockets and a willingness to spend; and when they do, the Mailles point guests toward local businesses.  The inn also employs local labor and relies on local suppliers and small businesses for its consumables.

"You need three things to successfully develop ecotourism:  an interesting lodging, a beautiful landscape that's worth visiting, and hospitality. And if you're located near interesting natural areas, that's all the better. We have all three.  And so do lots of other folks who live around here."

Madagascar to Thorn Run

 Thorn Run Inn opened for business in 1997, but was conceived of many years before and longitude lines away.  Peter and Robin Maille served as Peace Corps volunteers in Africa in the early 1980s, teaching Senegalese villagers how to use their precious forest resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner.  Later, while in Madagascar, they stumbled upon the concept of ecotourism.  It was there that they began exploring how tourism through small-scale inns could promote local economic development and environmental conservation -- their two priorities.

And it was there that the idea of running an inn like Thorn Run was conceived.

 The inn is a vintage Georgian-style brick farmhouse with a modest front portico and spacious windows.  It's enveloped by strategically-placed gardens filled with colorful -- and often purposeful -- flowers and vegetables. The inn rests neatly in a furrow of Knobley Mountain, where the trickle of water known as Thorn Run emerges and begins its search for the Potomac River.  The back of the inn is shadowed by mountains, but the front opens up to miles of rambling, pastoral hills laid out in mosaics of gold and brown.  No other house is visible across the expanse.

 The inn shares its 20 acres of rolling woodland and pasture with several outbuildings.  Two barns flank the gravel driveway. A former chicken coop has been converted to a nature learning center, and another is being converted to a two-room cabin.  An in-ground swimming pool and hot tub are available for guest use.  Groomed trails snake about the property and lead guests to interesting niches of woodland, a brook, and a puddle of a pond crammed full of bluegill and largemouth bass.

 The alternating mix of woodland and pasture creates many edge rows, which provide excellent bird habitat.  A pair of experienced birders recently cataloged 43 species on or around the premises during one weekend.  I was able to add the 209th bird to my life list --a scarlet and black orchard oriole nesting in a sugar maple by the front porch.

 The inn has five guest rooms, three with private baths. It's decor is simple and tasteful.  Guest rooms are decorated with many antiques purchased locally.  A large common room has walls slung with African blankets and paintings, and shelves lined with sculptures and other artifacts from the innkeepers' extensive travels.  A baby grand piano stands ready to entertain.

 My attention was too often drawn to a well-stocked library with floor-to-ceiling shelves, several reading chairs, and a fireplace. Edward Abbey books perched next to Danielle Steele novels, which perched next to philosophical tomes by the likes of Nietzsche and Aristotle. I lingered at length in the "we read and recommend" section, and found the shelf devoted to West Virginia natural and cultural history instructive.

Food for relaxed thought

 Dinners at Thorn Inn are available at a reasonable extra charge. Robin prepared for us a masterful bowl of "mafe," a Senegalese concoction of fresh vegetable chunks in a smooth peanut sauce served over fluffy couscous. All dinners include homemade bread, salad, local wine, and dessert. Following one dinner, we retreated to the common room where Robin ceremoniously brewed and served a powerful Senegalese tea called ataya, which packed a caffeinated punch.

 As for the meals' formality, Robin says, "come in slippers or hiking boots or dress shoes.  We don't care."

 Breakfasts typically consist of baked goods and coffee on the side porch, and a bit later a heartier entree in the dining room. We had blueberry flax flapjacks the one morning, and Mediterranean frittatas (a tasty commingling of eggs, potatoes, feta cheese, and roasted peppers) the next.

 Guests at Thorn Run, possibly bound by common ideology, tend to gravitate to one another.  One night our group sat in the orchard, beneath the apple and cherry trees, and watched swallows pluck bugs from the sky while deer paced the distant property line.  An owl swung from one barn to the next.  We talked about ecotourism and local environmental concerns and African culture and how tasty the cherries were.  And when darkness set, we marveled at how complex and hypnotic the starry West Virginia sky is.

Finding other pastures

 The inn certainly offers sweet tonic to the rigors of life back home, and I could have easily exercised my right to indolence there for days.  But at my wife's behest, we ventured out to nearby parks and attractions.

 Greenland Gap Nature Preserve is just a few cow pastures down the road, and offers rugged hiking trails and a cool and inviting swimming hole.  There, we waded the stream with our two-year-old daughter looking for crayfish and anything slimy and amphibious.  About 30 minutes to the south is Dolly Sods Wilderness Area, a more rough-and-tumble wilderness that caters to hikers and mountain bikers and other lycra-bound troubadours of sweat.  Seneca Rocks Natural Recreation Area, another remote playground, lies just beyond Dolly Sods.

To the northeast is the more-developed Blackwater Falls State Park, which was congested with sightseers traveling the boardwalk to an overlook vantage.  The resorty Canaan Valley lies just past the state park.

 Canoeing and fishing are also available in abundance, thanks to the inn's proximity to the North Branch of the Potomac River.  Numerous caverns -- many commercial -- are strewn about the area.

 Guests more enthralled by local culture -- or less enthused with mud and mountains -- can ramble the countryside and small towns, and experience a region that has done little to impede its character and charm.  Some towns have regular antique auctions and most have diners that serve comfort food.

 With its pro-environment tendencies, it's no surprise that Birkenstocks were the footwear of choice at Thorn Run Inn.  The guests did seem to tread a bit softer on the earth.  But the eco-friendly theme of the inn was in no way pontificated.   It didn't tug at you like a riptide, but rather nudged you like a gentle undertow.  Supporting the mission of Thorn Run Inn is not necessarily the reason to visit; it's just another great reason.