Date: 2019-06-21
From: Elkwallow Gap Wayside

To: Mile 966.7-Terrapin Station Hostel 
Miles today: 15.3

I slept great again last night. I was packed and organized. We woke up at the normal time between 530 & 600. Rick wanted to be on the road by 700. I got up and made coffee and packed. Rick reorganized the truck and I ate some breakfast. We made it to the trailhead and said our goodbyes. I was hiking by 650. It was very windy today and much cooler. When it¢s not windy you can hear more in the woods as the leaves aren¢t so loud. The leaves were very loud today. Also, the more windy it is the more squeaky the trees are. When a tree falls on another tree and gets stuck every time the trees blow in the wind they squeak. Today the trees were talking and screaming. I was plugging along and I heard a noise to my left. About 20 feet out from me there was a bear sliding down a tree like a fireman down a pole. I made an audible AAAHHH UUUHHHGGG! The bear landed and gave me a look!! I slowly backed away and kept eye contact. I bent down to pick up a couple of rocks to bang together. As I straightened up I yelled, Hay Bear and he started moving away into the woods. Just then about 25 feet away another bear came sliding down a different tree. They both took off into the woods. I thought about getting my phone out but decided not to this time. I¢ve seen alot of bears! About an hour later I saw a guy walking toward me. He was tall and skinny with shaggy hair and a shaggy beard. As he got closer I noticed he wasn¢t wearing a hat or shirt. You see guys walking without shirts but not often, and it was cool today. When he got close enough I realized it was a hiker I knew. Aside from his pack and hiking shoes & socks he was only wearing a loin cloth in front. I remembered, It¢s June 21-National hike naked day. I asked him where he was headed as I know he¢s a NOBO hiker like me. He said, Front Royal. I said You might be going the wrong way, or I am. Luckily I was going the right way and he¢d only been going the wrong way for .4 miles. He offered to let me walk ahead but I let him as he walks much faster. He hurried away and I got to see his nakedness as he did. I did not see any other naked hikers. I heard everyone in his group was doing it. I continued on and ran into a hiker I haven¢t seen since Mother¢s Day, John-Ace. He was looking for somewhere to stay. I suggested the Front Royal Terrapin Station Hostel. He ended up hiking on. I got to the hostel and entered through the back gate, as instructed. There was a sign on the door that said come in and make yourself comfortable. I did and grabbed a soda from the fridge and put my pack on a bunk. I was checking out the lay of the land when a door creaked open and it was the owner Mike, a former through hiker. There are many Grateful Dead items in the hostel. I googled Terrapin Station and learned it¢s the name of the Dead¢s 9th album. I showered, shaved/trimmed the beard, ate frozen pizza, and did laundry. Mike took me into town to get cash and offered to take me for fast food. I declined but later decided on KFC. I had the hostel to myself. I got caught up on my journal, talked to my mom, and reactivated my FB account. I also wrote some post cards. Wildlife update: Bears-two of them!