Day 71: Trout Creek to Four Pines Hostel (VA 624)

8 miles

Took our time getting ready today. We have decided to go to a hostel tonight since it is supposed to storm this afternoon & tonight. 

Saw a bunch of pink ladyslipper orchards, which are pretty rare. 

We went over Dragon's Tooth today! This is a really neat stone monolith that is 0.1 miles off the AT. There were lots of dayhikers out today. This area is really close to Virginia Tech, so lots of students are out and about since their finals are over. One girl was out with her boyfriend and noticed our packs - she asked me if we were going camping. I said we were staying at a hostel tonight, but we had been camping last night. She asked where we started hiking, and when I said "Georgia" she looked at me as if I were an ALIEN. I couldn't resist - said "yeah, we've hiked almost 700 miles so far" - and then she REALLY looked at me like I had tentacles growing out of my face. It was really funny.

Saw our first rhododendron bloom today!

We stayed at the Four Pines Hostel which is really a 3 bay garage with cots & lawn chairs & couches for sleeping. Pretty chill place, Joe is a really cool guy, he runs the place with his two sons. It is "donation only" - has a shower, fridge, electricity, a radio. The best part (besides the shower/fridge/electricity/radio/being indoors/cell service) is that he shuttles to the grocery store and the HomePlace Restaurant - a ridiculous family style all you can eat place.

There was an hour long wait, and we hung out on the grass like the hiker trash we are. Once our table was ready, we went back and rolled up our sleeves. The waitress brought out fried chicken, pulled pork, mashed potatoes, green beans, pinto beans, biscuits, baked apples...it was amazing. The food kept coming until we were stuffed...and then we had peach cobbler with ice cream! The *only* bad thing was we had in our group one of the most obnoxious people I have ever met. He talked a lot but made very little sense, and whistled at the waitress to get her attention. The second time he did this I said something to him about it. The third time he whistled at her the whole table started griping at him about being rude. He said - "dude that's what we do in Costa Rica, it's not degrading it's just a habit"...then "i fought for this country"...then "i hate this f***ing country". But he stopped whistling at the waitress.

Greyhound is here tonight (super nice guy), so are Magnolio (SOBO), Derelict, DayPack (from AL!), Samba and his buddy (forgot his name), along with a couple other people whose names I unfortunately don't remember.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 62: ZERO day at Woods Hole Hostel

Woke up at 5:30am (to get an early start on our 20 mile slackpack) and it was pouring down rain. OWL snuck downstairs to look at the weather radar and it looked awful. So we decided to stay an extra day in lieu of being cold and miserable today. Spent the day drinking tea and reading and laying in bed. It was glorious.

Shutterbug is here, and M80/Trooper/Willow showed up today, too!

Day 63: Woods Hole Hostel to Trent's Grocery (VA 606)

14.9 miles (+0.5 from hostel to trail, +0.5 from trail to Trent's).

The original plan was to leave early & have Michael drop us off at VA608 so we could hike the 20 miles back to the hostel, but the plan didn't exactly work out (even though we were up at 5:30). So we left the hostel about 7, headed southbound on the AT, and were instructed to call when we got to the road we wanted to be picked up at. Okay....

I thought it was raining (damp and foggy and the sounds of the roaring creek nearby), so I put on my full rain gear. Discovered as soon as we started walking that it was NOT raining, so I had a wardrobe change before we even got back on the AT!

We started hiking through an area where there was a controlled burn just a few weeks ago. The forest floor was charred but there were little ferns popping up everywhere. It reminded me of when we went to hike the approach trail last December and the area had burned just days before.

The rest of the walk was pretty boring. Rocky terrain with lots of slick roots. No worries about water, however! The creeks were all swollen with water, and some stream crossings were a little precarious. I know there have been some very dry years for thru hiking the AT - I'm glad this is not one of those years.

Knee started acting up a bit. I know I'm whining about it a little bit, but it is something I'm worried about. It doesn't hurt straight away, and it doesn't hurt when I'm walking without a pack. It doesn't feel unstable. It just "catches" sometimes without warning (can't put weight on it, bringing on a serious case of Hiker Tourette's until it pops) - and after about 6-9 miles of walking it hurts with every step, on the outside of the knee and also in the back, and my hip hurts too. I'm thinking maybe IT band? Or some other sort of tendonitis. How much ibuprofen can I take without causing permanent damage??

Got to VA 606 - it was raining, of course - and saw OWL crouched by her pack. We decided to stop here (5 miles short of where we were originally picked up), and we'll come back this weekend (when our partners are visiting) and do the 5 mile hike with them.

Walked down the road to Trent's Grocery - a cool country store with everything from tackle to hardware to camping gear to convenience store to local tomatoes. Had a snack (saltine crackers w/ pimento cheese, salt & vinegar pork rinds, & V8). Pretty delicious. Then Neville picked us up & we went to the Amish grocery store so she could pick up some supplies. Went back to the hostel, had a shower & dinner, read some more...then bedtime. I will see AWE tomorrow!! So exciting!!

Day 61: Helvey Mill Shelter to Lickskillet Hollow (VA 608)

11 miles (600.2 overall!)

The plan was to get to a campsite 7 miles further up the trail, but a storm was moving in and things looked to be wet and miserable for the next few days, so we decided to get a ride into Woods Hole Hostel (a day earlier than planned), then slackpack 20 miles tomorrow in the rain.

Woods Hole is awesome - so cozy and comfortable. Neville's grandfather discovered the cabin the hostel is in while he was studying the elk populations of southwest Virginia. Cool story. It is a working farm, so there are chickens and pigs and guinea hens and cows and goats outside, and baby ducks in a bathtub on the ground floor. The storm hit about 5pm and I was very glad to be inside. We split a loaf of amazing homemade bread, a hunk of mozzerella cheese, and a raspberry/blueberry/banana smoothie for dinner.

I saw pictures of this place in Ben Benvie's AT Photo Book, and was really excited to get here. Once I got here (and saw the spice rack in the kitchen), I realized that I thought the place in Ben's book was Standing Bear Hostel - that's one more reason I was so disappointed by Standing Bear (which I will never visit again, if I have anything to say about it). Woods Hole is even better than conveyed in Ben's pictures. I am so thankful to be here!

Day 54; Old Orchard Shelter to Troutdale Baptist Church Hostel

10.2 miles

Rain, rain, rain. And wind. Woke up at 4am to pee - had to put on my rain jacket and pants. Woke up at 6 - OWL & I just looked at each other and went back to sleep. Kept that up until 7:30 or so. We were still the first thru hikers up. It is hard to get motivated on such a miserable day.

No trail magic left at the road - others were expecting it would still be there but I have learned not to count on it. (That's what makes it magical). Hiking the AT has been a meditation in keeping expectations low, and then being pleasantly surprised when things work out better than expected.

When it rains you can see fifty shades of green.

By the time I got to the shelter, OWL was already there, huddled in the corner with her socks off. She was freezing and miserable - said it was the most miserable she had been on the entire trip so far. Lucky for her I am familiar with miserable, so I got her warm jacket out, gave her some dry socks, put on some water for tea. She warmed up pretty quickly, we ate lunch, and decided to go to the hostel in Troutdale.

We got to Dickey's Gap and tried to hitch a ride but no one stopped. (It didn't help that there was another couple of hikers there, trying to hitch the other way). No cell service so we started walking up the road. Got to the county line and had cell service, so we called the hostel. The pastor's wife said the pastor would be there in 5 minutes, and not to move! So we waited :)

The hostel was nice - two rooms with two bunk beds apiece, hot showers, a portalet, basically everything we needed...except cell service. Still, Mary (the pastors wife) had sent lunch leftovers for us - spaghetti with broiled chicken, cheese biscuits, green beans, and no bake cookies! An amazing homecooked meal - I was so thankful to have it.

Titan and "Don's Brother" are here, too. Titan moved his stuff over to the other room so we could have a "girls room" - so nice. A few hours later a bicyclist, Sungduk, showed up. He is on day 5 of a TransAmerican bike ride; he just finished his masters degree and starts a PhD program this summer.

Day 45: Vango hostel -> Kincora hostel

Woke up throughout the night - no rain but LOTS of strong wind. Went outside about 7 (down to the house to connect to wifi) and checked the weather. Storms start at 11. So it was a race to the first shelter - 6 miles uphill - we left about 8.

There was a cold drizzle of rain, and plenty of wind, but no lightning or thunder. Still, I practically ran up the trail and got there just before 11. 3mph uphill! I couldn't believe it, and neither could OWL. She said "I'm not your mom, but I'm proud of you!".

There was a burst of heavy rain at 11, but the real downpour didn't start until 1:30. It lasted until about 3. Steps, ET, Spider, and Dutch all showed up at the shelter during the downpour. Some decided to stay at the shelter for the day, but we started walking after the storm passed. It was still cold rain, but I stayed pretty dry.

Got to Kincora about 5:45pm. This is a great place with a great vibe - basically everything I expected from a hostel on the AT. Good kitchen, a place to hang out, three flushing toilets, a shower room, free laundry, free shuttles to town.

I am officially a creature of the trail. Yesterday I did not take a shower at the Vango hostel, even though there was one available. And today, I went outside and fired up my stove to cook dinner...was talking with this dude named Hammer when someone came outside and looked at me real strange. "Zag, you know there is an electric stove inside, right? Save your fuel and heat up water on the stove!"

There are a bunch of people here. Clevergirl & crew are here. Rusty & Toast, too (it's Toast's birthday and Rusty baked her a cake!). Shutterbug is here, along with Starman (from Hawaii; has hiked the PCT) and lots of others. We are one big weird family.

Day 43: OverMountain Shelter to Mountain Harbour Hostel

8.7 miles (+.3 from shelter, +.2 to hostel)

Woke up to rain, so we decided to take it slow since we only had 9 miles to hike. Got ready to leave about 10am - left the barn and went about 100 feet before a downpour with thunder and lightning started. We turned right back around and went back tot he barn. Found some cards and played hearts with Rusty and Toast until noon. (UV & Whole Bean & Mazey were there, too). It was really neat to watch the fog roll across the valley.

Left - once more - and got hot almost immediately going up the first hill. Took off the rain jacket and ate some Reeses Pieces and pretended to look at the views (visibility was terrible).

Started up Hump Mountain - a big steep bald - and the wind and rain really picked up. No lightning, though, so I put the rain jacket back on and kept going. Stopped for lunch on the other side of the mountain once the weather started to clear. There are lots of rocks on this section of the trail - hard on the feet but kinda fun to figure out the best path along the way - like a jigsaw puzzle.

Had enough service to call the hostel - they still had our "semi private" room reserved! So nice to know we had a place to stay since the weather was pretty crappy.

Saw some bright orange salamanders - really pretty little things that were right in the middle of the trail. Lots of creepy red and black centipedes. Fields of wildflowers - really amazing. Heard an owl when we crossed Doll Flats (at the NC/TN border). Now we are in TN headed for Virginia.

Got to the hostel in time for the "town shuttle" - fairly terrifying experience as the driver was either intoxicated or otherwise shouldn't have been driving. He let us out at a BBQ joint - pretty good BBQ sandwich for dinner. Ate with Dragonfly and Onyx - they are avoiding shelters altogether (Onyx got sick before Erwin).

We should get to Damascus on OWL's birthday!

Day 30: Cosby Knob Shelter to Standing Bear Hostel

10.7 miles

Rained hard all day, except for when it hailed. The hike was mostly downhill, so it was reasonably easy except for the rain. I thought Fresh Grounds might be at Davenport Gap (just out of the Smokies) but he wasn't. Still, it felt AWESOME to be finished with the Smokies. I was very apprehensive about going into the Smokies with snow on the ground, but I survived and even had a day or two that I enjoyed!

A guy in a truck stopped at the gap and offered me a ride to the hostel. I said no & he looked at me like I was crazy (it was still raining pretty hard). He said, "it's no trouble, I live just up the road from the hostel" and I said "if I get a ride I'll just have to come back and make up the miles tomorrow". He looked extremely disappointed in me, and said "You're one of those....purists....aren't you?" Yes, I guess I am.

Bunch of crazy stream crossings. I didn't exactly fall in, but I didn't stay dry either. I heard the interstate before I saw it. So loud and weird. Walked on the road underpass under I40, which felt really weird.

The hostel is full. OWL & I talked about sharing a bunk. 21 people in 14 bunks (2 doubles, and 5 on the floor).

Dinner was a cheeseburger, bbq rib sandwich, and a rice/chicken/cream of mushroom soup/mixed veggie casserole. Pretty delicious.

I was really disappointed because I thought I would have cell service (or internet) to be able to talk with AWE. I was *really* looking forward to talking with her. But there was no cell service, and the computer for internet service was in pieces. No phone either, without a phone card. So I was really bummed.

Best hot shower ever. I was so cold when I got here...the shower helped immensely.

It got really really warm in the bunkhouse, and I was pretty uncomfortable, so I ended up taking my sleeping pad and bag and sleeping on the porch. Pretty nice- had a creek running nearby and I fell asleep to the sound of the water instead of sounds of snoring.