Date: 2017-06-12
From: Woods Hole Hostel

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

From Fatboy:Our night at Woods Hole Hostel was luxurious.  We had a private room that had a ceiling fan and a comfortable queen bed.  I was dehydrated from the hike yesterday and had the worst leg cramps I've ever experienced.  The only way I could get relief was to stand and try to push my hips forward.  I didn't sleep much because of cramping and drinking electrolyte fluids all night but I still enjoyed being here.  Ginger slept as usual although her legs and feet are starting to suffer, too.  We need some recovery time.  When we woke it was almost time for breakfast.  This was part of the real treat of this hostel.  Neville led us into the yard and we joined hands in a circle and she started by instructing us to state our trail names and what we were grateful for today.  She was tearful and apologized for that but it was a moving experience for me.  I've been unable to keep from crying whenever I feel strong emotions ever since I returned from overseas in 1991.  It's sometimes embarrassing but it's part of me and I don't generally dwell on it.  I was tearful too and could only point at Ginger and state that she was my source of gratitude.  Everyone participated and some were sincere while others were funny.  It was all good.  We went to the back of the main house and were served a delicious breakfast alfresco.  It was a morning I will recall very fondly for a long time.  After breakfast I used Neville's sewing machine to make some repairs on our toiletries storage bag and Tunnel Rat's shorts and then it was time to pack and leave.  I noticed a couple packing their car and, after discussing it with Ginger, asked them if they could give us a ride to Pearisburg.  We were planning to go there anyway and we were both still hurting a lot from our hike yesterday.  They graciously agreed to shuttle us and actually delivered us right to the door of the hotel where we planned to stay.  I need a couple of days off my feet or I'm not going to be able to walk without a pack, let alone hike.  We checked in, got a really cheap rate for a basic, clean, room and the lady at the desk offered to do our laundry without us even asking.  The Plaza Hotel is near multiple eating establishment, the post office, a grocery store, and within reasonable walking distance of Wal-Mart and the library.  We had everything we were looking for easily at hand and the weather report for the next 2 days indicated an 80% chance of rain.  I'm not going back in the woods in the rain with cramped legs.  I'm resting and eating while I stay dry and clean.  We spent the afternoon napping, reading, and playing games on our Kindles.  Ginger discovered a Scrabble game that she's playing a lot on her Kindle.  It's fun to see her beat a computer consistently at Scrabble instead of me being her usual victim.  I do win once in a while but she really enjoys this game a lot and it's more like too much thinking for me.  Not really relaxing.  We had dinner at a Mexican restaurant recommended by other hikers and it was really good.  I'm stuffed with fajitas and sweet tea and ready for a really good night's sleep.An aside from the day:  We were around a married couple who were in the final stages of deciding to divorce.  They weren't really very subtle about their unhappiness and it tended to make the atmosphere tense and uncomfortable for everyone near them.  It made Ginger and I both sad and thoughtful about the choices we all make every day.  I know I wake up every day with the conscious choice to be happy in my marriage and to love and cherish my wife.  I'm not perfect and neither is she but we are as close to perfect together as I could possibly imagine.  I'm blessed.