This morning I am up early, and I sit in an Adirondack chair in front of the camping area to catch a beautiful sunrise over the valley below. I wait for the hostel to set out the morning coffee service on the front porch before I start packing.
The hostel serves a full breakfast for a reasonable $12, which I am sure is incredible, but I don't have hiker hunger and the thought of climbing with a full stomach doesn't appeal to me, so I pass and decide to head up the road after settling my bill. I round up to contribute to a hiker fund which helps pay for the stay of hikers who otherwise don't have the funds to stop at the hostel.
I am not even 5 minutes walking up the forest road back to the trail when a gentleman pulls up in an old pick-up truck. He is decked out in full camouflage.
"You want a ride to the top?" he asks gruffly. I jump at the chance and throw my pack into the bed of the truck and hoist myself in as well. I ask if he is going hunting or if this is his everyday attire. He is going turkey hunting but slept in late, which is lucky for me!
Within minutes I am continuing where I left off yesterday, following the white blazes up the hill and into the woods.
I only hike 1.5 miles and a 500 foot elevation gain when a short side trail takes me to a rewarding view of Wilburn Valley and Sugar Run Mountain. Some thick clouds are moving in, and while rain isn't in the forecast, it's always a possibility in the mountains! The wind is blowing stiffly. I stay for a few minutes and head downhill for a mile to Doc's Knob Shelter, where I enjoy my breakfast and filter water on the substantial deck.
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Wilburn Valley and Sugar Run Mountain
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| Doc's Knob Shelter |
The hike the remaining of the day is just lovely. We remain on the ridge the remainder of the hike to Pearisburg. The woods are tall overhead, unlike the twisted and stunted trees so common on the ridges. The underbrush is a little bothersome, as the grasses, briars, and nettle are thick on the sides of the trail and constantly rubbing against my shins. I don my ultralight gaiters, which protect my skin and keep the ticks off.
We stop at Pearis Rocks for a quick lunch and chat with a couple women who were at Woods Hole last night. They are from New Hampshire and section hiking from the north. We walk with them to Angel's Rest, which is another outcropping slightly to the south of Pearis Rocks. We then start the descent into Pearisburg.
As we descend at a steep pitch on switchbacks, I am looking downhill at the most beautiful reishi mushroom growing on the side of a downed tree and I fall forward as my toe catches a root. I divert disaster by falling to the mountain side of the trail, hitting my knee on the rocky ground and almost doing the splits. I think I pulled a muscle in my groin and shake it out, reminding myself to keep my eyes on the trail instead of the flora.
Three thru hikers are almost running down the mountain and easily pass us down the hill. They mention they called the hostel for a shuttle, and it should be arriving in an hour. By the time we reach the trailhead parking, an old SUV pulls up and we are on our way to town.
We check into Angel's Rest hostel, where I reserved a queen shed for the night. Umm, okay. I guess we are sleeping in a shed, then. We are pointed to a shed on cinderblocks between the bunkhouse and a camper van. I open the door with bated breath, not certain of what I will find. I turn on the lights and cry out with delight because we have the most adorable sleeping quarters on the trail! The shed has a bunk bed on one side with a queen on the other, a small table and chairs between the two. A window air conditioner is thrumming and pumping out cold air over a small refrigerator in the corner at the foot of the queen bed. The plywood floor is covered with a layer of soft foam.
We explode our packs so that every square inch of bed space is covered, allowing our damp gear to dry out while we do laundry and shower in the separate bathhouse.
Around dinner time, we follow the herd of hikers to the Mexican restaurant a short walk from the hostel where we have an amazing dinner and I stuff myself with nachos and a chile relleno.
After dinner a huge group of hikers congregate under a huge old oak tree with three swinging chairs and lots of chairs underneath, where we chat until bedtime. I hope we will get to see some of these folks in the coming weeks, but connections are fleeting.
Today's Stats: 12 miles, 1600 feet elevation gain
Trail Stats: 637 miles, 151K elevation gain
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