Date: 2013-04-08
From: Jenny Knob Shelter

To: Woods Hole Hostel
Miles today: 21.4

Woke up early to the sounds of birds singing and good weather. It's a Monday morning, and Trent Grocery is at the next road crossing just a few miles down the road. I've been using Leukotape on my feet to help protect from blisters. Mainly because on this trip I've begun doing long miles immediately without the recommended slow buildup phase. So my feet are already showing some signs of hot spots and a couple small toe blisters. Not a big deal though.   But in the process of changing the Leukotape on one foot last nite, I've noticed the tape adhesive has pulled away some skin on the ball of the foot, in other words, a small cut. I immediately clean it with alchohol pads, apply some bandaids with neosporin, and put new Leukotape over it. But I'm almost out of bandaids. Good news is no signs of infection, no pain. I call a local shuttle guy, Don Raines, to ask him about local pharmacies, he says Pearisburg is my best bet, but it will be 2 days before I get there. He recommends asking the folks at Woods Hole hostel if they have a first aid kit. Don is a super nice guy, he offers to pick me up and drive me to his personal physician if I need help. I'll just see how it goes today and how it looks tonite at the hostel.The trail descends a couple miles to the highway crossing, and I meet a local day hiker near the road. He has a gun in a waist holster, ballcap, weather radio, camera, looks like maybe some kind of Forest Ranger or local Sherriff's Dept auxillary help. But he says he's a "concerned citizen". We chat a bit, he tells me to definitely see Dismal Falls across the highway, tells me about some girls murdered at a nearby AT shelter many years ago, tells me the shelter I stayed at last night is "haunted". Anyways, I think he could have talked for hours, and I have to keep moving, so I thank him for the advice and move on.   At the highway crossing, I go down the highway about 0.3 miles to Trent's Grocery. It's a small mom 'n pop gas station, convenience store, that looks like it caters to local hunters.  Nice group of folks running the place.  They have a hot sandwich grill, so I get some pizza and a cheeseburger, a gatorade and diet pepsi for an early lunch, it was about 10:30 am when I got there. They tell me I'm one of the first hikers of the season they've seen this year.   I call Don Raines, thank him again and tell him my feet are doing fine and I'm hiking on.After the return to the trail around 12 noon, the AT remains somewhat flat for several miles along some beautiful creeks, that are all running high from snow melt. Several trail bridge crossings over creeks too. Very little snow in spots left along the trail in shaded spots only. I stop again at a stream for water, and unfortunately I manage to poke my left eye pretty good with a branch from a bush or tree. It hurts pretty bad and clouds my vision. My left eye is my good eye too.   Mid afternoon, the trail begins a long, steep climb up a rocky trail. In late afternoon, the trail reaches the top of the mountain where there are several communications towers... the trail then goes along a ridgeline and begins a descent to a dirt road crossing. This is the road where Woods Hole Hostel is located about 0.5 miles downhill from the AT crossing. I arrive at Woods Hole around 7:30 pm. They have group dinner around 7 pm, so I'm a little late, but Neville is very nice and they put out food for me. There are only 2 other hikers here tonite. Scott is an old-school thru hiker backpacker from Daytona Beach, FL.   Chris is a VA native, taking some time off his job, going back to grad school in the fall up in New England for his MBA.   We all enjoy dinner of black bean and meat burritos and homemade Amish ice cream.   Steve is a young guy who is working at the hostel for the season. Neville and her husband Mike run the hostel.   It is an awesome place, like a small farm, with an old log house and barn style bunkhouse for hikers. Only costs $10/nite for the bunkhouse, plus meals. Mike is leaving for Dahlonega, GA this evening to work on their rental house they own there, so I don't get a chance to really meet him. Neville does all the cooking using locally grown organic foods, it's an awesome place to stay for hikers, I've read about it, but it is even better.   It is just the refresher I need at this stage of the hike.   After dinner, I take a shower in the outdoor shower, and turn in up in the bunkhouse. There is a roaring creek just next to the houses, so the sound of water rushing down the creek is perfect for sleeping. They tell me they got over 7 inches of snow here last Thursday nite. Middle of the night, my left eye is hurting pretty good, so I climb down the ladder in the bunkhouse, and rinse out my eye at the sink, and it helps a little bit. I've got to get something done about this eye tomorrow.