Date: 2016-06-27
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

To: Bear's Den Hostel
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: light rain

What a great night's sleep. This was the first time since March 22 that I did not wear earplugs to sleep. I guess the gentle breeze rustling the trees made me feel so much at home I just zonked out. I woke to the sound of a wood thrush again, and got right up. It was 6 am and I wanted to get an early start to beat the heat. I packed up quickly and walked to the cooking pavilion to make my breakfast. I saw that Deny was already gone. He really believes in an early start!! Other hikers were just waking up and stumbling to the table to make coffee. I didn't chat much, instead I focused on eating, getting more water and hitting the trail. I was out of camp at a record time: 7:15 am.The trail started off with .4 mi of downhill, then I came upon the infamous sign (see above photo). Time to begin the roller coaster. I counted 7 bumps I had to tackle before getting to Bear's Den, so I set to work, climbing and descending. Oh boy, was it rocky footing. This kind of hiking takes a lot of focus so as to not twist an ankle. But the woods were quiet, it was still cool and I moved along pretty well. Soon the humidity began to take its toll and I had to slow down and start taking frequent rests to snack and drink. There were plenty of streams and creeks along the way, so at least I didn't have to carry much water, and stopping to gather and filter was a nice excuse to rest some more. There is not much to see here, except rocks and trees, when up high, and boggy areas and creeks when down low. Most hikers just focus on "gettin' it done", and so did I.I arrived at the Sam Moore shelter about 11 am, and Deny was here napping. He told me he left about 6 this morning and arrived here at 10 am. Time to eat and rest.Even though it was early, I was made lunch anyway, then joined Deny in the shelter to rest a bit. My mind kept drifting to the thought of a hot shower and some real food, and I decided that while lingering here, it was not going to get any cooler. With a sigh, I loaded up, told Deny I would see him later when he went flying by me (he was headed to the hostel as well) and headed out.The ¢ups¢ were getting tougher, but now there is only one big one and one small one between me and Bear¢s Den. I moved along slowly, resting often. This humidity just saps my strength and I am drenched in sweat. Pretty soon I heard a little pitter patter of rain, and thought this is going to be great, a nice little shower to cool me down, rinse me off and maybe lower the temperature! I stopped to put on my pack cover. Ok, I¢m ready, let it pour! Immediately the rain stopped and the cloud moved away. Arrgh. I lower my head and just hike, mumbling ¢pizza and ice cream, pizza and ice cream¢ over and over again, until I notice that I am at a trail junction. I look up, and hooray! Here is the turnoff for the trail to Bear¢s Den Hostel. Only 0.2 miles to go and and the trail turns into an old gravel road leading up to the driveway of the hostel.Bear¢s Den is very impressive looking, made of stone. There are massive stone pillars at the foot of the driveway and welcoming signs. I walk up to the front door, and rats! It doesn¢t open until 5 pm. I have a half hour to wait, so I make myself comfortable in an Adirondack chair, happy to be sitting down and off my feet. Other hikers have gathered as well and we chat and swat bugs. Soon the door opens, and in we go to check in. The hiker special includes a bunk, laundry, and pizza and a pint of ice cream. Sign me up! I joined another woman, and her dog, in the female bunk room. Lynn is a hiker from Manhattan,NY, who is section hiking the AT with her guide dog, Ronda. Yep, I said ¢guide dog¢. She is legally blind. Lynn started in the Shenandoah¢s and is heading north. Truly courageous. The kitchen is chaotic as hikers move pizzas in and out of ovens at a rapid rate. I am sharing an oven with another hiker, so our pizzas are taking a bit longer. I am so hungry I am eyeballing my pint of ice cream. Now, I really am not a huge fan of ice cream. I do admit to liking a hot fudge sundae twice a year, and yes, I will eat a Dove ice cream bar if you twist my arm, but I happier without it. But in consideration of my new eating habits (ie. Eat everything in sight in order to keep weight on), I decide to take a bite or two to see how it tastes. Hazelnut chocolate chip, hmm, not bad. After a few more bites I am thinking, ok, I can probably eat about half of it and save the other half for tomorrow. Apparently my brain did not register the part about 'saving for tomorrow' and before I knew what happened, my spoon was clinking against the bottom. I just ate a whole pint of ice cream!! Without batting an eye! Then my pizza came out of the oven and I demolished that too! Life is good!