Date: 2016-06-28
From: Bear's Den Hostel

To: Bear's Den Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Bears Den Hostel is a very interesting place. The following is a copy of their description:1933 - Bears Den was built by Dr. Huron Lawson, a professor emeritus in obstetrics and gynecology at The George Washington University, and his wife, Francesca Kaspari, a soprano singer, as their summer home. The couple traveled to Europe and designed the home to replicate a faux Medieval castle. Dr. Lawson used the local stonemasons and built the home in three stages, with the last to be the turret in the back. The curved living room was designed for its acoustical properties and for Francesca's recital room. There are also two small stone structures near the day-use parking lot. One was used as a ticket booth because Dr. Lawson created a petting zoo and charged five cents as admission and for visitors to picnic and access the overlook. The other stone structure was, and still is, the well house.1960s - The Lawsons enjoyed their summer home until the late 1960s when they died. The Assateague Island Realty Corporation, owned by the Rodenbergs, purchased 620 acres of land from Route 601 down to the west side of the ridge almost to the Shenandoah River and planned to develop it for a country club-like community. They built one home and the foundation for others, as well as a swimming pool, but they didn't get much further than that. Clarke County turned them down for their proposal because of septic issues and disapproved of the swimming pool. Without the permits, they knew the venture would not be profitable, so they put the entire track of land on the market for $1 million.1984 - Bears Den sat empty for 20 years, although there was a caretaker living in it on and off and the overlook continued to be popular with visitors. At the same time that the Lawsons died and the Rodenbergs failed at their development attempts, much of the Appalachian Trail (AT) was still situated on private lands, especially in northern Virigina. The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC), the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) and the National Park Service were working together to move the trail off roads and private lands and into the forest. Part of the Rodenberg land was perfect for achieving that goal. Ultimately, after a lot of back and forth, the AT was rerouted into the forest and became known as the infamous "Roller Coaster" and the PATC bought 66 acres that included the lodge and cottage on April 3, 1984. Then, on June 12, 1984, the ATC purchased the property from the PATC at cost.Today - The ATC is still the owner, but has had different entities manage the property over the years. In 2007, the PATC took over management and works cooperatively with the ATC to operate Bears Den Trail Center as a nonprofit organization. Bears Den offers an array of services, including a hostel with full services, accommodations for group or private party rentals/retreats, a primitive campground and a rustic cottage for rent. The 2,184.2-mile AT is just 150 yards from the lodge.Who wouldn¢t want to take a zero day here! There is a free pancake breakfast (make your own) and the host provided fresh blueberries to add to the batter. Delicious! I finished eating and was working on my cup of tea, sitting in the living room, when who should come walking in, but Kangapard! I was wondering if I might see her as I knew she was a day behind me since I jumped back on the trail in Front Royal, Va. Cranberry (a woman from Switzerland), and Beef Jerky (not sure where he is from) came in with her. Kangapard sat down and blasted through a pint of ice cream while we caught up. Ice cream does not appeal to me at 8 in the morning, but I have learned that she never lets the clock stand between her and ice cream! It is a good lesson! They were headed to the David Lesser shelter today which would put them in a good position to arrive at Harper¢s Ferry the next morning. Kangapard¢s sister was going to pick them up and drive Kanga and Beef Jerky to Maine to do a flip-flop (summiting Katahdin and then hike southbound back to Harper¢s Ferry). Cranberry was continuing northbound. I have no doubt Kangapard will be successful in her thru hike as she has become a very strong hiker.The remainder of the day was restful. I spent most of my time reading, relaxing and then working of food prep for the next two days. Bear¢s Den does slackpacking, so I separated out what I would need to day hike to my next stop, the Blackburn Center. I also made a major decision regarding my hike. While I am feeling better after gaining some of my weight back, I am still not 100%, so I need to go home and take the time to pack on some more pounds. I am very disappointed that I don¢t have the endurance to see me through this thru hike. I guess my body is better suited for ¢middle distance¢ rather than a marathon! So I am not going to fight it any longer. I have made flight reservations to return home to Florida for a few weeks. I am not giving up totally, I just need to redesign my hike to suit my physicality. I spent the rest of the evening getting to know Hazel, who is from Nova Scotia. I have always wanted to visit that area and now I have a reason! Hazel and I discussed the merits of slackpacking. Given that her sister has just sent her a 2 pound resupply of beef jerky, and she had added other food to her pack, she saw the wisdom in slacking to the Blackburn Center and picking her pack up there. We decided to hike together tomorrow through the remainder of the roller coaster. It will be nice to have some company!