Date: 2014-06-18
To: Taking the Roller Coaster to Bears Den
Miles today: 0.0

Rod Hollow Shelter to Bears Den HostelWe wake early, eager to get started as soon as possible on what promises to be some of the toughest terrain of our section hike. The Roller Coaster, a 13.5-mile stretch of steep climbs and descents, starts within the first half mile north of Rods Hollow. X does not have fond memories of this part of the Troverts¢ 2012 hike. They started the Roller Coaster near the end of a blistering hot 19-mile day almost exactly two years ago. Today¢s weather may be equally brutal. The predicted 96-degree high, not to mention stifling humidity, will make it the hottest day of our hike.We will be going straight up and down mountain peaks with no switchbacks to ease the way and no scenic views to reward us. We are on the trail by 5:55, our earliest start so far. Beginning in the coolest part of the day works to our advantage. Midway through the morning, after a couple of steep climbs and equally steep downhill treks, Suuz thinks we might survive. A group of young men breeze by so quickly that X doesn¢t notice that one of them is hiking in his skivvies and a T-shirt. When Suuz mentions this a bit later, X wonders if the fellow could be her friends' son who is currently hiking the AT with the trail name ¢No Pants.¢Halfway up the third ascent, we¢re rewarded with trail magic at VA 605, Morgan Mill Road. There¢s already a crowd of hikers waiting as the grill is fired up and fruit, chips, candy bars and more are set out under two tents. As we approach, one of the men from the trail magic crew, comes out to meet us. When X tells him her trail name, he replies, ¢You¢re X Trovert? I have a picture of you on my phone!¢ He is SOS, a 2012 through hiker who summited Katahdin on the same day as the Troverts. He shows X his group picture from the summit with the Troverts and their friend Kleenex at the front of the pack.We learn that SOS and his wife Trail Mama are here from Indiana with friends to pay it forward with several days' trail magic. We choose snacks, starting with watermelon slices and fresh fruit, and visit with other hikers and the trail magic providers. The fellow who was pantless earlier has donned shorts and apologizes for not having them on when he passed us. We are about to hike on when SOS offers us a slack packing opportunity. If we unload any gear we won¢t need until tonight, one of the crew will drive it to Bears Den Hostel, and we can hike the rest of the day with only our emptied packs, rain gear, snacks and water. Our loads thus lightened, we head northward, treading with a new liveliness to our step.During a break later, we are passed by some of the young hikers we¢ve seen earlier. We call out to one of them, ¢Are you No Pants?¢ to which he replies, ¢No, I¢m The Pope.¢ The group includes Potato and Cactus plus two hikers from New Zealand, Trip and Balou. Suuz enjoys slack packing, a new experience in her relatively short hiking career. We make good time and arrive at Bears Den Rocks early in the afternoon, having hiked almost ten miles today. We take off our packs, and sit on the rocks to enjoy the view. Hiking along the path to the hostel later, we meet the fellow who had given us pause last night at Rod Hollow Shelter. During a pleasant conversation we learn he is Storm Crow, hiking north from Springer as far as he can by early September when he will leave the trail to escort his third daughter down the aisle.Bears Den Hostel is bustling with hikers we¢ve met today and earlier in the week as well as some new faces. Many are gathered around the lounge TV watching World Cup Soccer when we enter the classic stone lodge. Though the lodge is cool and extremely clean, we decide to pitch our tent on the lawn so we won¢t disturb others if we get in late tonight and up at dawn for an early start on the trail. Suuz is pleased to find her car undisturbed after more than two weeks in the hostel parking lot.We¢ve been invited to dinner at the Berryville, VA, home of Rebecca Harriet and Rob Lamar, who gave the Troverts the VIP treatment when they hiked through this area in 2012. After we set up our tent, shower in the hostel and gather our clothes to launder during dinner, we drive the ten miles or so to Berryville. Our hosts treat us to a relaxing evening with warm hospitality, congenial conversation and Rob¢s delicious meal complete with homemade strawberry ice cream. We hate to say goodbye, but we have an early morning and long day ahead of us. We hope to see Rebecca, Superintendent at Harper¢s Ferry National Park and Thursday evening volunteer at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, when we reach the ATC tomorrow.Back at Bear¢s Den, our first task is to find Big Hammer and make plans for handing off the car keys in the morning once we¢ve loaded the tent and other gear we won¢t need for the day hike into Harper¢s Ferry. This is easier said than done as the hostel is a rambling building with bunk rooms on multiple levels. He finds us eventually, and we arrange the key exchange for tomorrow. Once he gets to Harper¢s Ferry, he can park in a lot recommended by Rebecca and leave the keys at the ATC.Heading out to our tent, we notice a commotion in the parking lot. Miss Janet, of trail angel fame, is dropping off a group of hikers she transported to Tennessee for the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. They unload their gear and pose for a group picture in front of the Bounce Box (Miss Janet¢s van).Despite having a lot on our minds regarding tomorrow¢s hike and loud snoring from a tent near ours, we manage to get a few hours sleep. We both agree this has been our favorite day of the hike so far. The Roller Coaster we dreaded was a pleasant surprise today, the stuff of sweet dreams rather than nightmares.Dr. Suuz and X