Date: 2022-05-06
From: Woods Hole Hostel

To: Weary Feet Hostel
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Our goal for today is Weary Feet hostel, new to me this trip. But first, another great Woods Hole breakfast. I decided that I was carrying too much weight; so I left 6-8 pounds of food & other stuff, to be picked up after Susan arrived in a few days.  Another nice day on the Trail, as we walked back up the Mtn, then over for several miles till we went down into the Dismal Creek valley, walking sometimes together, but mostly separately. Several hikers were going the other way, even early in the morning.  We passed Wapiti shelter, where hikers had been murdered years ago, & I stopped at the first crossing of Dismal Creek to fix some lunch & talk to Susan on the phone, while Honey-Toe went on ahead.  Shortly after this came one of the most confusing points on the Trail, at least for SOBO hikers. I tried not to be confused this time, & I still messed up. I came to a trail crossing just before a pond, where it looks like the the Trail continues on across a dam, with a pond to the right. At that point, there are white-blazed trails in three directions & no obvious blazes ahead. I took one of the side trails last time. Not wanting to make the same mistake, I went straight ahead, following a path around the pond & then off into the woods, toward the West, the direction I was expecting to go. It soon became obvious that this wasn¢t the AT, so I returned thru a few mucky areas to the intersection. Now, looking across the dam, I spotted a faint white blaze down to the left below the dam. Sure enough, the Trail slanted off there, almost out of sight. This really needs better marking!Continuing on a few miles, I passed the trail to Dismal Falls, a pretty place, but not in my schedule today. Almost immediately, heavy rain hit, making the last 2 miles quite wet. I had told Honey-Toe I¢d be to the hostel about 7:30, & that¢s about when I arrived at Hwy 606. I didn¢t have any idea which way to turn & was getting ready to call the hostel when a vehicle stopped & said they were out looking for me. I didn¢t think I was that late, tho it was getting pretty dark. No choice but to accept the ride [in the opposite direction than I was thinking of going].Well, I was plenty cold & wet. Weary Feet Hostel is a big old house with a big front porch, where I could get out of my wet stuff, but that just made me colder till I got inside. There was still some supper left, & I was able to settle in to the warm living room to eat it. Very slow eating, even by my standards: rather dry turkey & stiff vegetables. The group in that room was watching hockey games, which didn¢t interest me much but was just the thing for Honey-Toe, who had organized the first women¢s hockey program at her university. Eventually, she left for the bunkhouse. I expected to go there later, but wanted a shower first. Also, someone was talking abut the possibility of sleeping on the couch. Eventually, they left, & I began thinking, ¢Why not me?¢ So eventually I asked the person who appeared to be in charge, who had to clear it with someone else, & got permission to do so [after everyone else went to bed].The nicest part of it was: it¢s right next to the bathroom!