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.
Appalachian Trail Day 61 - Wapiti Shelter to Woods Hole Hostel (Mile 618 to Mile 625)
I tossed and turned throughout the night, not because I was cold, but because I was too hot! I am using my heavy under quilt, prepared for cool shoulder-season temperatures, the cold of our last section here one month ago still fresh in my mind. I brought a small min/max thermometer out of curiosity (I know: totally unnecessary but I just want to know!) and this morning it's reading 56F degrees. The under quilt is definitely overkill!
Thankfully the rain has stopped and there is no wind. GG and I pack up languidly, because we are staying at Woods Hole Hostel tonight and the hike there is only 8 miles up the trail. Woods Hole is considered one of the nicest hostels on the trail, known for being more of a retreat than a hostel, with fresh farm-to-table meals, daily yoga sessions, and chickens and goats running about.
Woods Hole is so popular that reservations book quickly during hiker season. I called yesterday and was able to reserve a campsite; the hostel and platform tents are already full.
Even though we take our time packing, it is only 7:20 am when we hit the trail. Out of the gate we have a one thousand foot climb, which is a great way to get the blood pumping in the morning. I meet up with a thru hiker who camped near the shelter. He found GG yesterday on the side of the trail when she was lost, and pointed her in the right direction. His name is Patsy, and he retired last year before starting the trail in February. We chat up the hill for a little while until he stops for a snack.
GG catches me up and we stop at the top of the ridge, where we have a nice view of the Wilburn Valley, with Pearisburg just visible to the north, 17 miles away. This is where we will be hiking tomorrow.
Appalachian Trail Day 60 - Weary Feet to Wapiti Shelter - I lost GG again! (Mile 610 to Mile 618)
We head back down for another long section of three weeks. The truck is parked at Angel's Rest in Pearisburg. HB Shuttles picked us up and 30 minutes later we are at the trailhead. Before we get on the trail proper, I twist my ankle on a loose rock covered in some deep leaves. I am shaking it off and slowly rolling it in a circle to make sure I will be able to hike, when GG starts south across the bridge.
"Hey! You are going the wrong way!" I call out. She stops and disagrees with me, but I just stand there looking at her while she gets out her navigation. She realizes her error and comes back towards me, and we head north.
There is a threat of heavy rain this afternoon, but right now the weather is lovely. 75F degrees and overcast, so no sunscreen required in the big green tunnel!
Appalachian Trail Day 59 - Campsite to Weary Feet (Mile 605 to Mile 610)
Today is very short; we are only hiking five miles pretty much downhill to Weary Feet B&B, where the truck is parked. We are heading home for a short respite (about 6 hours driving), to take care of some business.
This morning is quite chilly, not surprising considering how cold it was yesterday! At least it doesn't snow. The proximity to the creek makes everything damp feeling from the humidity. We pack up dawn, eager to get going as early as possible.
I can't see the sun because we are in the small, narrow valley formed by the sluice of water down the mountain, but the sky looks clear. We pack up and head downhill parallel to the creek, but the walk is short until we cross a narrow, paved country road, devoid of any vehicles at this time of day.
The trail starts up, which is nice and warming and feels really good in this crisp air. The hike up to the ridge is short; maybe 500 feet. Once on the ridge, the sun is rising over the ridge to the right, illuminating the narrow strip of trees on either side of the trail.
A short time later we emerge from the woods, and the trail parallels a pasture. The app shows the hostel is literally dead ahead, but we can't see how to get down there. A narrow trail cuts through some brush, so we take take it, only to find out it's a game trail and the brush is gorse; the crazy thorns grab at our clothes as we try to walk through. A clamor under and over a barbed wire fence finishes the adventure, and we emerge onto the road in front of Weary Feet.
We grab some fresh clothes from the truck and go in to change. Julie from Burke's Garden is here. She is taking her time thru-hiking, so she constantly meets new people and rarely sees the same people more than a few days. We say goodbye to the trail for a little while, then we will be back!
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Appalachian Trail Day 58 - Brushy Mountain Outpost to campsite past Jenny Knob Shelter (Mile 592 to Mile 605)
This morning we took full advantage of the hostel breakfast, which is cooked to order by Miss Julie herself. I had a heaping plate of cheesy eggs and potatoes and two cups of coffee before saying goodbye to Timex and getting shuttled back to the trail.
I am not on the trail for five minutes before I must stop and take off my pack to pull on an extra layer. I also get out my heavy mitts and pull my buff on over my face. The temps are that cold: the wind is at least 30 mph, and we are following the road, which offers zero protection from the gale. At least the pitch is easy, but I'm looking forward to reentering the woods to have protection from the wind. We cross over I-77 as snow starts to fall! Thankfully the precipitation is short-lived, and stops a few minutes later.
Appalachian Trail Day 57 - VA Route 623 to Brushy Mountain Outpost (Mile 576 to Mile 592)
I am up at 5 am, thinking I am up too early and don't want to wake anyone, but to my surprise I am one of the last ones up! This is quite the industrious group of hikers. The gentlemen are up and packed, and two are out the door by 6 am with the other two following at 7.
GG and I suddenly have the hostel to ourselves! We make fresh hot waffles and coffee, included with our stay. I spy a jar of peanut butter in the cabinet. House rules say anything in this cupboard is up for grabs, so I slather it on my hot waffles for the best breakfast so far on this section.
Cantaloupe pulls up and we are back on the trail by 8 am. The thermometer display in truck reads 35F when we get out and we are on top of the ridge with a stiff wind blowing, the wind chill in the upper 20's.
Appalachian Trail Day 56 - Chestnut Knob Shelter to Burke's Garden Hostel ( Mile 570 to 576)
I can't believe I slept until 6 am! I know the weather beat me up yesterday, and I feel well rested. I don't have anything to eat, but I do have a couple inches of water in my cookpot under the eave! I toss a packet of instant coffee in and call it breakfast. We are only a one-hour hike to Burke's Garden and a resupply!
The storm finished in the middle of the night, and I burst outside just before sunrise to take advantage of the gorgeous views that I've read about. Chestnut Knob is 4400 feet elevation, which is about two thousand feet higher than the surrounding countryside. I walk behind the shelter, where I can look down into the valley to the north and west called Burke's Garden, which is a massive 8-mile by 4-mile limestone sink hole.
32 square miles of beauty lay before me beneath the ridge. This makes yesterday's suffer fest completely worth the suck. I breathe in the moist air that has the fresh tang of ozone. The birds are just starting to wake, chirping timidly to their friends that they survived the crazy storm. The rain drops make everything sparkle in the waxing daylight.
The clouds are fat and puffy, and low enough to be level with the ridge, yet the views are magnificent. The sun is rising from the opposite side of the ridge, over my right shoulder, and it illuminates the clouds; the reflection of the sun outlines the bottom of the clouds with slivers of silver and dark blue a stark contrast to the thin layer of dull blue-gray fog down in the valley.
A doorless privy stands behind the shelter and just somehow adds to the scene. A moldering privy in the middle of thorny briars and stinging nettle juxtaposed with the expansive beauty of the valley below. Anyone who sits on that throne has quite the view.
We are almost packed when I receive a message from Cantaloupe, the owner of Burke's Garden. She said if we let her know our ETA, she will pick us up at the trail junction! We take off slightly behind schedule, but the walk is very easy. We mind our steps, since the trail is very slick in parts and we are headed straight down the ridge.
45 minutes later, we arrive at the turn off to the hostel and Cantaloupe pulls up in a big truck. She is all smiles and a beacon of light this morning. Timex decided to skip the hostel and is hiking 15 miles to a waterfall, so we say farewell and happy hiking.
A few minutes later we pull into the hostel. It is adorable! A newly built barndominium with a broad porch and a fabulous view of the ridge we just descended from. Coffee is brewing, waffles are cooking in a waffle iron, and a couple of hikers are scurrying around trying to get packed so Cantaloupe can take them back to Walker's Gap before she makes a run to town. One of them is Leo, who we met briefly at Bear Garden two nights ago. Another is Julie, who is taking her time enjoying the trail and stopping whenever the mood strikes.
Cantaloupe offers to take us to the trail six miles north so we can hike back and get some extra miles today. We love the idea; neither of us wants to only log 2 miles today. She can either take us now, or she can do it after she runs to town, which will be in about 3 hours. I want to go now, but GG wants to wait. I defer to GG, so Cantaloupe takes off and we have time to start our laundry and spread our damp quilts out to dry.
Cantaloupe returns about 2:30 pm, and at 3 we are on Rte. 632 and walking south back to the hostel. It's the shortest slackpack ever, but it's perfect because we are both so worn out from yesterday; that weather really sucked the life out of us both. As a matter of fact, I am so plumb whooped, I am trudging like a turtle. And I'm sweating like crazy. I stop to take off my base layers and GG passes me. She is eager to get back to take a shower!
We have only 600 feet of elevation gain today, which is a walk in the park. The wind is strong at times, and it hurts my face, which is chapped from yesterday's stinging rain.
We reach Walker's Gap for the second time today and see three men with heavily laden packs in front of us heading in the direction of the hostel. We arrive at 5:30 and the gentlemen are sitting on the porch waiting to check in. They are section hiking and also left from Partnership Shelter.
Cantaloupe opens the store so we can reprovision. She apologizes for the limited selection because it's early in the season, but her stock of supplies is impressive, nonetheless. The backpacking meals are cottage industry made instead of the standard Mountain House fare, and I select a couple new flavors to try.
Cantaloupe also carries a great selection of backpacker approved snacks in addition to a freezer full of ice cream and microwave meals. I have quite the selection of treats for the next section and pick something from the frozen section for dinner. We eat dinner and walk outside to catch the most amazing red sunset. My picture is terribly fuzzy, but you get the idea.
I'm close to going to bed when one of the section hikers is going through his food bag, the contents of which are spread on the table in front of him. "Hey, would you like some of my snacks? I packed too much and I have to leave some behind," he asks.
I look at the mound of Quest chocolate peanut butter cups and protein cookies. I try not to look too eager when I reply in the affirmative. My food bag just got a whole lot heavier!
I head up to bed in the dormitory of 10 twin xl beds laid out in the spacious room. Each bed has its own electrical outlet. This is so much nicer than bunks! The beds are memory foam and so comfortable!
Good night!
Today's Stats: 6 miles, 1168 feet gain
Trail Stats: 576 miles, 142K feet gain
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