When Ken Beaulieu asked his wife, Jill, about opening a hike hostel at Camp 43, she didn’t hesitate to give an answer.

“Sure,” she told Ken.

The living space on the second floor of the hostel was originally meant to serve as Ken’s office and a space for family and friends to stay when visiting the area. The space wasn’t used nearly as much as the couple thought it would be. Then Ken lost his job and the office wasn’t needed.

It didn’t take him long to realize he didn’t want to work for anyone else; he wanted to do something for himself. The unused space sparked an idea.

They were no strangers to hosting AT hikers. Friends and friends of friends have always been welcome to stay.

In 2023, they hosted a friend for five days. Her stay was the final push needed to open the hostel.

Camp 43 was born.

Last summer Ken listed the space on FarOut, an app for long distance hikers. It didn’t take long for the space to consistently sell out.

The hostel is a garage, but it is far from your run-of-the-mill garage. The hostel is a handcrafted timber frame two story building. Ken’s craftsmanship shows in the details of the building and the decision to use locally sourced materials. Maine Timber Frames for the shell, white pine flooring from Mercer and plenty of live edge details throughout.

The lower level has a bathroom and shower, storage space, a refrigerator and more. It serves as a welcome area, a place to decompress and clean up before heading upstairs.

Camp 43 offers hikers a shuttle service from the trailhead and into town. Jill said they have developed a routine. After pickup, hikers come back to the hostel for a shower. Then it is a trip to the laundromat, grocery stores, and maybe a restaurant.

Camp 43 can sleep a total of 7 guests between the upper level of the garage building and the Beaulieu’s home.

They have no reservations about inviting strangers into their home.

“We find they are respectful and kind,” Ken said. “They police each other, not only for themselves, but for who is coming behind them.”

Ken said the majority of guests are over 50, although they see a fair share of high school and college graduates, veterans and teachers. Every hiker has a story, Ken said. And he loves listening to every one of them.

Before returning guests to the trail, he records their Tailgate Talk, a rapid-fire question and answer session. The talks are uploaded on the Camp43Maine YouTube channel and shared on the Camp 43 social media sites.

“It is a chance to meet people I probably would have never had a chance to meet otherwise,” Ken said.

For more information, visit Camp43maine.com.