Date: 2007-06-28
From: Dick's Dome Shelter

To: Bear's Den Hostel
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: broken clouds

We are about a two day hike from Harpers Ferry and have a few choices regarding how far and where we will end up today. Our initial choice is to hike 26 miles to a place called the Blackburn AT Center run by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC), or 18 miles to the Bears Den Hostel run by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC). Both offer a great overnight stay for hikers, and I have heard good comments about both places. Hiking to the Blackburn Center would mean a quick 12.5 mile hike to Harpers Ferry tomorrow.I thought I'd see how I felt by the time I hike to Bears Den Hostel before I made a final decision. Today we hiked through a section of trail the local trail club (PATC - Potomac Apalachian Trail Club) calls the "Roller Coaster", a continuous series of ups and downs, with plenty of rocks, which extends the 15 miles or so before the Blackburn Center.The weather today was hot and humid again and by the time I reached the roller coaster, I was starting to feel the effects of the heat. The climbs and descents through this section were tiring but really nothing we had not already encountered in Georgia and North Carolina. So it was just a matter of putting the head down and slogging it out.By the time I reached Bears Den Hostel I was leaning towards staying there for the night. Snake was already there relaxing on the lawn, sucking down a cold soda and talking with other hikers. I grabbed a soda and relaxed on the back lawn. The hostel did not officially open until 5pm, so I weighed my decision to stay there. If I pushed on another 8 miles to Blackburn, it would be a tough hike and I would not arrive until about 8:30pm. If I stayed here it would be a long 20 mile hike to Harpers Ferry tommorow. I opted to stay put and deal with the long hike tomorrow. Snake was reluctant to stay at first, but eventually decided to stay as well.This place was bustling with activity between the hikers here and a church youth group sharing the facility. As we checked in we were offered the "Hiker Special" for 25.00, which consisted of a night's stay, shower, laundry, a large frozen pizza, pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream, and 12 oz. soda. I thought that was a fair deal. I took a shower to wash away the day's sweat, grime, and usual stink, and popped my pizza in the oven. While in the kitchen, I turned around and immediately recognized a man there, but could not place the face. Then it hit me. This was "Hopeful" who had thru hiked the AT in 2003. I had read his journal as I dreamed about my hike. I was impressed with the mental attitude he maintained on his hike and actually made a reference to his journal on the 2nd preparation entry of my journal. He was leading a youth group in a service ministry at the hostel. I introduced myself and said I'd talk again when he was less busy (he was in the middle of helping to prepare dinner for his group).I joined the other thru hikers in the dining room, as we all finished our whole pizza, pint of ice cream, and soda with no difficulty. Amazingly enough, after finishing this meal, 30 minutes later, the youth group offered us the left overs from their meal. What a feast that was! Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beens, corn bread, and plenty of sweet tea. They had so much left over, that we could not quite finish it after everyone had a healthy helping. What a generous offer that was. We thanked them for a wonderful home cooked southern meal.I later wandered outside under the protection of the covered porch and watched the rain soak the land. I was quite content to be well fed, clean, and dry for the night, with a soft bed awaiting my arrival.