AT Day 33

Miles: 18.97

Total Miles: 652.48

(Doc’s Knob Shelter)

Today feels very different, but maybe it’s because I’m not writing this in my tent, and I didn’t wake up in my tent.

I’ve become so used to being in my tent every night over this last month that anything different has become foreign and strange.

But it rained heavily yesterday and through the rest of the night from what I could tell from inside the warmth and security of Weary Feet Hostel. Side note–I heard about someone who got bit by a bear at one of the shelters along the AT a couple hundred miles back. Anyways, that person is now the owner of this hostel. Weird, right?

Woke up with sunrise, and I was pleased to find that I’d slept really well last night. I almost never sleep well in shared spaces and hostels, but for some reason last night I crashed out well. Maybe the earplugs were helpful.

Woke well rested and had a breakfast of eggs, sasauge, and pancakes. Also had coffee, although I try to stay away from it on trail. But I still enjoy it when it’s offered from time to time. Just trying to not over rely on it.

My plan was to just hike the 18 miles to Woods Hole Hostel today.

It was raining when it started and it was raining when I arrived at Woods Hole. And it rained 90% of the time in between. During a couple of stretches it absolutely dumped. So it was good to know that I only had the 18 miles to go today. And again, like I said yesterday, I’m incentivized to slow down, because I need to not get to Pearisburg any earlier than tomorrow; otherwise I have to just wait there for my shuttle to Trail days. So I’ve got a reason to slow down and chill at these hostels this week.

The reviews for Woods Hole were raving and amazing, but I didn’t really see much in the place. It was nice for what it was, but it was very minimal. And all the bunks were already rented for the night, so I was going to have to camp on their lawn anyways. So I had a cheese and bread board, got a shower, ate some over-priced jerky (need to get what protein I can when it’s available), and then decided to get back to trail. The storm had broken a bit and the sun was coming out. I wanted to get more miles.

It was almost three miles up trail when I got to this shelter that I’m at now. There were two dudes and their dog here before me. I’d met them earlier. They have a good vibe.

It was funny–we were all at one of the shelters earlier today, trying to get out of the rain for a bit. And I took out my bubbles and started blowing bubbles. This one guy with a Grateful Dead tattoo on his ankle starts to laugh and asks, “Hey, do you have any mushrooms to go along with those?” To which I happily told him that I was actively on mushrooms at the moment. Nothing extravigent, but riding the wave of a gram and a half from earlier.

Anyways, that’s one of the dudes at the shelter with me tonight.

Up until now I have not stayed at a single shelter on the AT.

But since I was here getting water, it started to rain again, and then it started to pour. It’s now been a couple of hours unabated, and I think that I’m coming to terms with the fact that I’m going to be sleeping in my first shelter tonight.

The guy I’m here with seems cool though. He rolled me an absolute monster joint that looks more like a cigar, and his dog is mostly cool, except that she shook muddy dog water all over me when we were at the shelter together earlier.

From here it’s around 8 miles to Pearisburg tomorrow. The comments I’ve read about the hostel I’m staying at are good. And to boot, there’s a food store right there too, so I can get some fresh produce and protein, which was MIA from Woods Hole.

I’ll get a shuttle down to Damascus on Thrusaday mornign and it’ll be about 4 days off the trail from there.

I see myself slowing down a bit from here.

I feel this slowing my momentum.

I feel comfortable in this.

Wormwood.

Out.

AT Day 33

Miles: 18.97

Total Miles: 652.48

(Doc’s Knob Shelter)

Today feels very different, but maybe it’s because I’m not writing this in my tent, and I didn’t wake up in my tent.

I’ve become so used to being in my tent every night over this last month that anything different has become foreign and strange.

But it rained heavily yesterday and through the rest of the night from what I could tell from inside the warmth and security of Weary Feet Hostel. Side note–I heard about someone who got bit by a bear at one of the shelters along the AT a couple hundred miles back. Anyways, that person is now the owner of this hostel. Weird, right?

Woke up with sunrise, and I was pleased to find that I’d slept really well last night. I almost never sleep well in shared spaces and hostels, but for some reason last night I crashed out well. Maybe the earplugs were helpful.

Woke well rested and had a breakfast of eggs, sasauge, and pancakes. Also had coffee, although I try to stay away from it on trail. But I still enjoy it when it’s offered from time to time. Just trying to not over rely on it.

My plan was to just hike the 18 miles to Woods Hole Hostel today.

It was raining when it started and it was raining when I arrived at Woods Hole. And it rained 90% of the time in between. During a couple of stretches it absolutely dumped. So it was good to know that I only had the 18 miles to go today. And again, like I said yesterday, I’m incentivized to slow down, because I need to not get to Pearisburg any earlier than tomorrow; otherwise I have to just wait there for my shuttle to Trail days. So I’ve got a reason to slow down and chill at these hostels this week.

The reviews for Woods Hole were raving and amazing, but I didn’t really see much in the place. It was nice for what it was, but it was very minimal. And all the bunks were already rented for the night, so I was going to have to camp on their lawn anyways. So I had a cheese and bread board, got a shower, ate some over-priced jerky (need to get what protein I can when it’s available), and then decided to get back to trail. The storm had broken a bit and the sun was coming out. I wanted to get more miles.

It was almost three miles up trail when I got to this shelter that I’m at now. There were two dudes and their dog here before me. I’d met them earlier. They have a good vibe.

It was funny–we were all at one of the shelters earlier today, trying to get out of the rain for a bit. And I took out my bubbles and started blowing bubbles. This one guy with a Grateful Dead tattoo on his ankle starts to laugh and asks, “Hey, do you have any mushrooms to go along with those?” To which I happily told him that I was actively on mushrooms at the moment. Nothing extravigent, but riding the wave of a gram and a half from earlier.

Anyways, that’s one of the dudes at the shelter with me tonight.

Up until now I have not stayed at a single shelter on the AT.

But since I was here getting water, it started to rain again, and then it started to pour. It’s now been a couple of hours unabated, and I think that I’m coming to terms with the fact that I’m going to be sleeping in my first shelter tonight.

The guy I’m here with seems cool though. He rolled me an absolute monster joint that looks more like a cigar, and his dog is mostly cool, except that she shook muddy dog water all over me when we were at the shelter together earlier.

From here it’s around 8 miles to Pearisburg tomorrow. The comments I’ve read about the hostel I’m staying at are good. And to boot, there’s a food store right there too, so I can get some fresh produce and protein, which was MIA from Woods Hole.

I’ll get a shuttle down to Damascus on Thrusaday mornign and it’ll be about 4 days off the trail from there.

I see myself slowing down a bit from here.

I feel this slowing my momentum.

I feel comfortable in this.

Wormwood.

Out.

AT Day 32

Miles: 18.89

Total Miles: 633.51

(Weary Feet Hostel, VA)

Often times the forest is so dense out here that it’s impossible to even see enough of the sky to be able to make a good guess as to whether or not it’s going to rain. Yesterday was one of those days, but fortunately it was a (L)ovely day and never rained a drop. The sky was hostile, as if it could rain, but I was fortunate.

It held off for today.

Or, to be more specific, I can say that it held off until literally the moment that I was pulling my earplug out and reaching for my tent zipper to start my stove and boil water for tea. I wasn’t even sure at first that it was rain or just the shuffling of leaves and the sound of the river that I was camped beside. But it wasn’t either of those. It was rain.

Breaking camp and setting camp in the rain are the two worst parts of the trail… if we can create such a hierarchy of terrible. I have the gear to stay relitively dry in it during the day while I hike, but setting and breaking camp are hard in the rain.

It was good that the rain was only a light sprinkle while I broke camp this morning, but soon after I started hiking it began to truly rain and it has continued to do so unabated since then.

There was a part of me that wanted to push a 32 mile day today to get to the next hostel up trail, but with the rain it just wasn’t going to happen. Instead, I opted for a hostel that was 18 miles into my day, and tomorrow I’ll hit that next one that I had considered for today. I think it’s called “Wood’s Hollow Hostel” or something like that. I’ve read online that it’s rated as one of the best hostels of all the AT.

It’s not been my pace up to now to do low miles like I did today and will for the next 2 days, but I need to slow in order to be in Pearisburg on Thursday morning. If I go any faster, I’ll be farther northern, and I won’t be able to get a ride down to Trail Days if I’m any farther north; I’ll be in the middle of the forest from there and won’t be able to get a ride. So I’m intentionally slowing my miles and staying at hostels these next three nights. Then I’ll ride back down to Damascus for the three days of Trail Days. I’ve been told that Trail Days will be a good chance to see the other hikers that I’ve met up to this point on trail, and also to see new gear from ultra lite gear companies. I’ve also been told that it’s a 24-7 party at parts of the event. I would like to take part in all three components.

The rain today was draining. The trail was mostly lonely except for a couple of miserable dudes that I passed at around the half way point to Weary Feet Hostel, where I’m staying tonight.

When I got here I connected with some other hikers for a bit, but ultimately I still feel tremendously disconnected from the other hikers I’ve met on trail. By slowing my miles these next three days it’s likely that I’ll see the people at this hostel some more over the week, but otherwise, I’m not finding anyone who’s even remotely interested in doing milage that approaches 30. I don’t need to be doing those kinds of miles either, but until I find some people who give me a reason to slow down I don’t have much else to do with my day other than walk and listen to the mushrooms sing.

The heart and soul are heavy in the rain, but I’m also detached from it. It’s been a lot of deep soul searching… whatever that means. But the sun will come out again.

Tomorrow I’ve got around 12 or 14 miles. The following day I have around the same. Then it’s off to Trail Days. Not sure what to expect from that, but trying to be optimistic.

Wormwood.