Date: 2005-05-20
From: Dick's Dome Shelter

To: Bears Den Hostel
Miles today: 19.2
Weather: moderate rain

Miles hiked today : 19.218.9 AT miles + 0.3 miles of side trailI woke up this morning at 6:25 a.m. and though it had rained during the night, the rain continued to fall with a vengeance. I packed up, ate breakfast, donned my rain gear, and headed out at 7:15 a.m. I wasn't particularly pleased to be hiking in the rain, especially when my socks were soaked after only hiking a mile or so.Despite the fact that I was hiking the Appalachian River in certain sections (i.e. flooded trail and muddy bogs), I was making good time and arrived at Ashby Gap at 9:10 a.m., having covered 5.6 miles. I darted across the 4 lane highway and continued on to Rod Hollow Shelter, arriving at 10:30 a.m. All morning, the trail had been up and down, up and down, with relatively few flat sections and the rain continued to fall. I opted not to walk down the 0.2 mile side trail to the shelter and kept moving.After 10 minutes, I came across a sign that said something to the effect of "You are now entering the Rollercoaster maintained by Trailboss and his merry crew. Have fun and we'll see you at the Blackburn ATC, if you survive." Hmm, I hadn't heard of the "Rollercoaster," though I figured it would be nothing more than continued ups and downs. For the most part, I was correct, though I failed to predict the rocks that were frequent.The rain continued to pour, though it finally let up at 11:30 a.m. and I reached the footbridge at Morgan Mill Stream at 12:00 p.m., having hiked 12.4 miles. After aother 3.7 miles, I reached the side trail for the Sam Moore Shelter at 1:45 p.m. I had wanted to sign the register at the shelter to let those behind me know where I was headed, though I didn't want to walk down the 0.1 mile side trail. What can I say? Sometimes I'm lazy.I'd already hiked 16.1 miles and my feet were wet, cold, and sore, so I dropped my pack and took a 5 minute snack break, my first break of the day. I pushed on for a final 3.0 miles to Bears Den Hostel and arrived at 3:25 p.m. The last 3.0 miles seemed very long and took me 1 hour, 35 minutes, which is a tiny bit less than my desired minimum speed of 2 m.p.h. I suppose that it was because I was tired and had to continue the ups and downs over wet rocks.The Bears Den Hostel is owned by the ATC and is maintained and run as a hiker hostel. It was built in 1933 in 3 stages by local stonemasons and from the outside, it looks like a stone castle, complete with 2 turrets and a tower. Upon arriving, I was greeted by Queen Diva and after receiving a quick rundown of how things worked, I took a long, hot shower. I hadn't showered since Waynesboro, over 140 miles ago, and was quite happy to be clean again. Out on the trail, I carry baby wipes to maintain a minor semblance of personal hygiene, though it doesn't compare to a lathery bar of soap and the blasting spray of hot water.There were sets of clothing available to change into while doing laundry, so I spent the afternoon lounging around in a yellow t-shirt that has a picture of a garden spade and the caption "Weed 'em and Reap." Classy!Before doing laundry, I updated my trailjournal and checked e-mail. Shortly after putting my laundry in to wash, dinner was ready. There was so much food: spaghetti, veggie lasagna, potato salad, green salad, sauteed squash, and miscelaneous cookies for dessert. All of the fore mentioned services and a bunk to sleep in cost me only $15 plus tax.As I write this, it's shortly after dinner and I'm sitting by the fireplace journaling while listening to Goldilocks and Handlebars playing accoustic guitars. I'm very relaxed right now, though it's late, so I'm off to bed. Harpers Ferry tomorrow!Bedtime at 11:15 p.m.