Date: 2018-03-09
From: US 19E, Mountain Harbor Hostel

To: Mountaineer Shelter
Miles today: 8.8

First off let me say that Mountain Harbor Hostel is absolutely great. Clean, well appointed, plenty of heat in the cold weather (there¢s a nice wood burning stove in the bunkhouse), and the Hills are very friendly and accommodating. Regarding their reputation as offering the best breakfast on the AT, it is no joke. The food was absolutely delicious, a nice variety, and even included several different homemade baked goods. We all ate to our hearts content, then packed up and headed out on the trail at about 10:15. No need for an early start, as we had a relatively modest 8 mile day ahead of us. Long range we are planning on being in Damascas in 5 days and will be taking a Nero there. As far as the weather is concerned it was a beautiful day. Comfortably cool (30s), not much wind and lots of sunshine. What a difference a day makes. The hike itself was through some very pleasant terrain with beautiful scenery. We hiked through a hilltop meadow where we enjoyed views of the surrounding mountains. Shortly thereafter we walked past a nicely maintained hillside cemetery, followed by a walk past a cascading waterfalls (Jones Falls). Next up was a walk along a meandering river (Elk River).  Also seeing how we had a short mileage day we (Night Train, Capt. Blackbeard and I) took time out to sit down along the trail and enjoy a leisurely lunch - which is not normal routine for me, usually it¢s ¢snack ¢n go¢. I told myself that I¢ve got to force myself to eat more while on the trail,I can¢t afford to be losing another 22 lbs. in the next four weeks like I did in the first four weeks. Joining the 3 of us at the shelter tonite is No Shoes, a young gal that worked most recently as a cook in NYC (Manhattan).  She is a strong hiker, and is hoping to complete her AT thru hike bu August. I am taking advantage of the dry weather and have decided to stay in my tent tonite. After dinner we were all sitting around a nice campfire just enjoying the fire and engaging in conversation. All around it has been a good day. Capt. Blackbeard is our campfire man, that is usually the first thing he does when he rolls into camp. Thank you Captain!!!!!I also encountered today several slackpackers. Slackpacking is when you have a shuttle drive you ahead (or back) to a trail/road crossing, and then hike back to your original starting point - most often a hostel that is near the trail. The advantage of course is that you only need to carry a lightweight daypack (usually just food and water for the day, plus a minimal amount of gear/clothing), enabling you to cover more miles than you would if carrying a full pack. So far I have not done any slackpacking, nor do I intend to at this time.  My intention is to carry my full pack for the entire thru hike, we¢ll see how it goes. However I will tell you that if it comes down to slackpacking vs. not completing my AT thru hike, I will bite the bullet and slackpack if necessary. Leaving the hostel this AM my pack was the heaviest it has been yet, primarily because of all the food I¢m carrying. I am safe, warm and dry in my tent tonite, looking forward to another day on the trail tomorrow.