Tuesday, June 16 9:05 pm 9.4 mi Angel’s Rest Hostel
AT 627.7 Doc’s Knob Shelter → AT 637.1 Pearisburg, VA
Weather: Rain all day, but less wading than yesterday
Hikers Met: Section hiker Dave/LOBO, thru hiker Running Bear, hostel employee/thru hiker Pan
Trail Conditions: Muddy, some slippy spots, less running water on the actual trail
My Condition: Happy, better smelling, and drier than I was this morning!
Great resupply at Food Lion, followed by a great takeout burrito and enchilada from La Barranca Mexican Grill. The employee there could tell I was a hiker (I wonder how!) and excitedly took out his phone to show off pictures from his latest hike. He was beaming with pride and I told him how envious I was of having a back yard like this! Iced my ankle, which feels great but was showing slight signs of swelling today, while I ate Mexican, drank a tall Dogfishhead SeaQuench ale, gobbled up a bag of Funyuns, 2 slices of key lime pie, 5 pieces of cheese, and 3 chocolate milks. This hostel is top notch, with a replica Katahdin sign gracing the wall next to my bed, a beautiful bathhouse with incredible showers, some of the nicest washer/dryers I’ve EVER seen (not just in terms of hostels!), friendly staff. She’s The One (with the Pink NASA hat) is slackpacking from here – I keep seeing her going Southbound. Also met a section hiker (Dave) – a biology teacher with an appreciation for environmental education, who is shooting for the same shelter tomorrow. A thru hiker (Running Bear) blew in late, having done about 24 miles to get here out of the rain. She is taking a zero tomorrow, but I may see her and her buddy later on. Looks like rain all day tomorrow, but on the bright side, I won’t have to put on wet clothes tomorrow morning! No rain, no pain, no Maine!
Post Trail Analysis
My last line, though incredibly cliché, is more incredible foreshadowing than you can possibly know. Back to this particular day, though, this remains one of my top hostel visits of the whole trail. Immaculate, private bathroom facilities, out of this world laundry facilities, a kitchenette, a nice tented-over back patio with picnic tables perfect for kicking my bum ankle up for icing, close, easy access (and a well-marked trail to boot!) to the grocery store and a multitude of restaurants. Apparently the Chinese buffet in this town is incredible, but unfortunately I did not get to experience that with the world in the state it was in. Instead, I got some delicious takeout from the Mexican restaurant, which I was craving. I did walk across town to try to visit the outfitters, which unfortunately was closed long-term due to the COVID situation. I could see some of the very items I needed through the windows! Sad that I had just walked clear across town on an errand that didn’t pan out, I crossed the street to the Walgreens and picked up some Nesquick chocolate milk, some more vitamins and glucosamine, and some other various items. I saw She’s The One multiple times, crossing paths with her shortly after I met the mama bear and two cubs hiking out from Knot Maul shelter, seeing her on my way back to my pack from a poop break shortly after departing from the Partnership shelter, and would continue to see her until Daleville, always heading southbound in the opposite direction from me. I was confused by this, until I found out she was slackpacking her way from hostel to hostel. She was back on trail this year as well. Dave is what some hikers consider a LASHer – a section hike spread out over a long number of years. Each year, he says goodbye to his wife and kids and knocks out a significant section of the trail. The kids come and join him on occasion, which is such a cool family tradition. I really enjoyed my time hiking with him, which although brief in the grand scheme of things, ended up being some of the more difficult days on the trail. We powered through together! Running Bear and I would also cross paths multiple times during this next stretch through Pine Grove Furnace State Park in Pennsylvania, and she would summit Katahdin the day before I did. Completely coincidentally, we would bump into her at a Walmart in Portland, Maine on our road trip back home! I would cross paths again with Pan in the Whites, doing a double take as I saw a familiar face from this hostel so far from it.
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