Date: 2013-05-18
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: Sugar Run Gap, Wood's Hole Hostel
Miles today: 7.2

I slept good, and I slept late. It rained as soon as I climbed in my tent it started raining and continued until 5-ish. There were leaves and needles and several snails on my tent when I woke up. I packed up and headed towards the shelter to make breakfast. The section hikers were already up and mostly packed up. I really enjoyed their company. They are a funny group of old friends who have been section hiking the AT for the last several years. Lovely company indeed!We set off under a cloudy, but warm-ish skies. There was a long climb out of Wapiti shelter. I hung back and chatted with Dreamer, and we chatted as we made our way up. It took a long time to make it up the hill. We stopped and took a break sitting on a large flat rock beside the trail. It was already 11:30, and we'd barely covered 3 miles. After the break, I stepped it out. I felt that I really needed to stretch out my legs, so I set off at my normal pace. The fog moved in and out. It drizzled a bit it never in such quantities to merit a rain jacket.The terrain leveled out, and I passed over a few forest roads. There were some rocks, but I felt focused (I've found a trick; chewing gum. Not sure why it works, but so far so good). The last few miles passed through a forest that had been control burned. The air smelled like wet ashes. Green ferns flourished. From above they looked like green starfish against a black canvas. You could easily see all the chipmunk holes. No doubt their underground is elaborate. I got to Sugar Run Gap road and turned right towards Wood's Hole Hostel. I followed the dirt road down through the woods. It was hard to imagine anything was down there, but signs assured otherwise. Sure enough, I started hearing the screeches of guinea hens. Then I smelled pigs. Log cabins came into view through the hardwoods. Hiker clothes were hanging on a clothes line. I knew I was in the right place. What I really found was heaven. Hens roaming freely in the grass, packing the ground for bugs. A dog jumped into a small waterhole after a stick. A hiker waved from a swaying hammock. A few others sat under the cover of a porch of an ancient dog-run log cabin. A sow grunted softly as a liter of baby pigs trailed behind her. Two baby goats stood bleating on the hillside. An enclosure with half a dozen raised bed overflowed with fresh greens. A larger 2 story log cabin with huge old chestnut beams stood proudly to the side of it all. It's porch was covered with rocking chairs and porch swings that just begged to be sat in. How was I so lucky?Stand up led me upstairs and showed me the private room Dreamer and I would be sharing. I set my bags down and looked around the room. Natural light coming in at all angles, exposed beams, a vaulted ceiling, hardwood floors, Neville's (the owner) artwork displayed around the room, soft bathrobes hanging in the closet, and all of it for $25 a person. That was just a taste of what the rest of the house had to offer- artwork collected no-doubt from the owners' travels, sculptures, woven wall-hangings, cool drums, stained glass, shelves loaded with books, prayer flags, hand built furniture, pottery, old doors from other houses, etc. I can't wait to bring Tom here. He's going to love it!I showered, visited, and spent several hours up dating trail journals. We heard that a driver had run through the thru-hiker parade in Damascus, and the mood grew somber. There was little to no cellphone reception, so all we could do was think about all our friends that were there and hope for the best for them. I wandered up and looked at the animals. I laid in the hammock. I looked through some of the books. Finally, I retreated upstairs to our lovely room, into my soft bed and read. Wood's Hole could not be a more lovely, inviting and slight full surprise. We're zeroing here again tomorrow. I'm not sure I'll ever want to leave.