Date: 2019-09-02
From: Woods Hole Hostel

To: Angel Rest Hostel
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Monday, Sept 2: Woods Hole Hostel (625.3 AT mile marker) to Angels Rest Hostel, Pearisburg VA (635.9 mm) for 10.6 milesI slept great last night. I had a bed in the main cabin. It was 3 beds in a room but it was only me last night. Plus I could use the bathroom and shower in the main cabin. The cost was $33 (hiker rate). I had a great view of the sunrise from my room. I got up at 6:15 AM and packed my back pack. At 7:00 AM I went down to sit on the porch until Neville, the owner needed help with breakfast. I had to break 20 eggs and slice watermelon for breakfast. After, I sat and drank coffee on the porch watching the sun coming up over the mountain range. We had breakfast at 7:40. French toast casserole, scrambled eggs, watermelon, orange juice and coffee.At breakfast this morning were Achilles (he just earned a PhD in Anthropology from Yale), Low Key (who as a baby was left at a bus station and recently worked with a carnival that traveled city to city), Ed (in his mid 50s, hiked from Florida), Golden (a male in his 30¢s was thru hiking and got tired and stopped), John (in his late 20¢s and needed a break from life). All of this group have been working at the hostel for the last 1-4 weeks. Visiting were Morning Star (not a trail name) and Luke, a married couple who met on the AT during their 2014 thru hike. They now live in Ashville NC and were visiting for the weekend. Plus Coach (a section hiker from Cincinnati OH who is doing a 220 mile section hike) and me. Plus Neville, the owner. What a group! They were interesting and of course they all had a story. I left the hostel at 9:00 AM. I walked about .2 miles and realized I forgot my poles. It is a .6 mile walk to the AT from the hostel on a road. Golden was going to check the spring water source and saw me walking back. Since he had the 4 wheeler, he picked me up. I got my poles and he took me to the trail. I started hiking at 9:15 AM.I only had a hike of 10.6 miles to Pearisburg. I did say ¢only¢. After I climbed out of the valley this morning, the afternoon walk was downhill. Again, a lot of rocks and boulders plus tall weeds (taller than me) for about 3 miles (see the picture in the gallery). I stopped at Angel Rest to have lunch and enjoy the view. I met a couple of VA Tech coeds from Blacksburg, and Jamie and David (father and son) from Richmond. They all had hiked up to Angel Rest to see the view. From Angel Rest I only had 2.5 miles to Pearisburg. I forgot to mention I did meet Dog Bowl from Richmond VA. He was about 50 and was doing a hike from Harper¢s Ferry to Virginia/ NC state line (about 600 miles). At 2:15 (5 hours on the trail) I arrived at the parking lot/ road that crosses the AT close to Pearisburg. David and Jamie from Richmond finished about the same time I did and offered me a ride (the walk would have been .8 miles) to the Angel Rest Hostel, the place I¢m staying tonight. At Angel Rest I got a room in a 3 bedroom house trailer. I got the master bedroom with my own shower for $50 (hiker¢s rate). There are 2 other hikers in the trailer but they use a different bath. The other hikers are Twinkle Toes (a 20 something male doing a flip flop to Springer Mtn) and Right Foot (a 60 year old male who started in Daleville VA ¢ about 100 miles from Pearisburg and plans to hike to Springer Mtn ¢ a 750 mile hike). Right Foot twisted his knee and has been Angel Rest for 4 days waiting to see if he can continue.After I checked in at 3:00, I showered, washed my clothes, and started my journal. It is now 5:00 PM. More to come.At 5:30 I walked over to the Lion King to resupply groceries since it will be 5 days before the next resupply. Plus I am concerned about availability of water since I am told there is no water on the trail until the place I meet Mike Pearce on Wednesday. I will need to load up on water, maybe 3 liters (that¢s 6 lbs!)After shopping at Lion King the plan was to go to the best restaurant in Pearisburg, the Mexican restaurant but it was closed because it was Labor Day. I settled on Dairy Queen. I texted Coach (the section hiker I met today) and told him the plan. He came to DQ (about .4 miles from the hostel). After dinner we came back to the house trailer since it had air conditioning and talked with Twinkle Toes. They left at 8:30. I called Marilee and now I am getting ready for bed at 10:15.Thanks for following.