Date: 2009-06-17
From: Skyland

To: Bears Den
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: moderate rain

The Magic of Trail MagicIt was raining again when we woke up and was also quite cold, so we stayed in the tent until 10:30 or 11 in the morning waiting for it to stoop. It didn¢t. But it subsided enough that we were able to take down the tent and make our way up to the Skyland Lodge. I had accidentally left my cell phone plugged in at the taproom, so I was happy to find it there all charged up and ready to go when I arrived.We had lunch and lounged around hoping it would stop raining. We met a section hiker named Bryan trying to hitch up to Front Royal. He had given up and was back to call a shuttle service. It finally let up early afternoon so we got back on the trail, but the rain started again and turned into a downpour. The trail was washed out by the water and hard to follow, so we got out onto Skyline Drive and decided to hitch if we could. We were supposed to be meeting the parents of a Springfield friend, Wes, who wanted to take us out to dinner later that evening. Looking at the map Front Royal, at the north end of the park, was the most convenient place to meet, so we were hoping to hitch the whole way up there.We were picked up fairly quickly by Joy, an employee of Skyland Lodge, who offered to take us as far as Thornton Gap, and entry point into the park that led to Luray, VA on U.S. 211. We figured if we couldn¢t get a hitch to Front Royal we¢d call Wes¢ parents and have them pick us up there just outside of the entry station. Joy had been employee of the lodge for over 25 years and made the daily commute from Luray. She is also a photographer and enjoyed taking pictures in the park on her way to and from work. This was not a good day for pictures.We stood by the road just past the onramp from the entry station for close to an hour when a car pulled over, appearing to pick us up. But when the door opened a hike jumped out and said ¢sorry guys, I¢m doing the same thing you are.¢ It was a thru-hiker named Honeydew, who was also h itching to Front Royal so he could catch a bus to a wedding in Philadelphia. He had also managed to hitch a ride only to Thornton Gap.Honey dew offered to go off into the woods and wait until after we had hitched a ride, but we figured 3 people with a dog would be just as easy, or hard, as 2 people with a dog. So we all stood there together. We were a bit worried because most of the traffic was headed south and all of the northbound traffic so far was taking the off ramp to exit the park. We chuckled as we saw a white compact head up the onramp and jokingly said it was worth a try. We stuck out our thumbs and the compact car pulled over. A British woman in her 70¢s rolled down the window and said she didn¢t have much room but was willing to give it a try if we were. Of course, we were.She got out and moved several boxes and pieces of luggage into the trunk, and we all piled in ¢ packs on our legs and Einstein between us in the back seat. The drivers name was Leticia, who had moved to the D.C. area from London in 1957. She had been visiting a retirement home in North Carolina and decided to take Skyline Drive on her way back to Maryland. She was hoping to get a quick hike in and asked if we minded hanging out and waiting somewhere up ahead while she walked. We didn¢t mind, but she discovered it wasn¢t much of a day for hiking. Or driving, for that matter. The fog was thick and there wasn¢t much to see in the woods or on Skyline Drive. So, she said she was happy to take us all the way to Front Royal without the hike.The drive out of the park was a bit scary because it was so foggy and deer were constantly bounding out of the mist and across the road. We stopped a few miles before the end of the park to let HoneyDew out, who was hiking 2 miles out to the hostel at Chester Gap. Shortly thereafter, we saw a bear cub on the side of the road. Keeping a good eye out for the mother, who have a tendency to appear right behind you when admiring a cub, we tried to get some pictures. But the cub ran off into the woods before I could get my camera out. Leticia ten took us on into town, insisting on driving us around Front Royal until she found the Post Office for us, even making a U-Turn right in front of a Police Officer. Dizzy Bat and I were sure he would pull us over. He didn¢t.After Liz picked up her mail at the Post Office, we stood out front looking at the map trying to find the nearest grocery store. As a woman exited the post office she asked ¢where you headed?¢ We told her we were looking for a grocery and she told us to hop in and she¢d take us there. Her name was Barb, and she didn¢t mind Einstein in her car because eh has 3 ¢ladies¢ of her own at home. She also said she has a daughter in Colorado that hikes a lot, and she hoped someone would give her a ride if she needed one. She said she¢d take us to the store with the best selection and that would be easiest for Wes¢ parents to meet us. So we ended up at a place called Martin¢s.In front of Martin¢s we met Mike the Grateful Greenpeace Guy, who ran the local hostel and had run some hikers in for a resupply. As he rattled off their names we heard the name ¢Tapeworm¢, the trail name of our friend Ezra. We ran inside to find him. We found him in the checkout lane, exchanged hugs and quickly caught up on events as his groceries got bagged. He said he was trying to get to Harpers Ferry without hiking, but didn¢t want to pay the $75 the hostel was going to charge him. We told him we might end up[ there after dinner and would chip in on the shuttle the next day.After resupplying ourselves, we headed outside just as Wes¢ parents were arriving. The gave us a small package they brought for us, including some treats for Einstein, a box of Cliff Bars, and a book Mr. King though 3we would like: ¢The Lost City of Z,¢ about an exploration of the Amazon. It was a hardcover, but I was going to be waylaid in Harpers Ferry for a week and thought it worth carrying. At dinner they had many questions about the trail, and especially about trail life. Mr. King had long considered hiking the AT.They took us out to a Mexican restaurant then offered to drive us anywhere we needed to go.   We said we were hoping to get to the Bears Den Hostel, about 30 minutes away and said no problem. We told them about our friend Ezra and they offered to drive out to the Front Royal Hostel and pick him up as well. They were very generous and accommodating, as this meant they would be going at least an hour out of their 3way.The ride up the mountain to Chester Gap, where the Front Royal hostel is located, was a steep and twisting drive, made worse by the fog which severely limited visibility. The hostel was in a typical suburban house, with the basement and garage converted into a bunkroom and social area. I stopped to talk a bit with Mike the Grateful Greenpeace Guy, who owns the hostel and gave us directions to Bears Den. Then we loaded up Ezra and his pack, a tight squeeze, and headed up to Bluemont, VA where Bear¢s Den Hostel is located.Along the way we shared all the updates we each had on all the hikers we knew and the shockingly large number who had left the trail. Ezra shared his feelings and thoughts about leaving the trail in Harpers Ferry. We told him to hike with au a few days out of Bears Den and think about it.By the time we got to the turn off for Bears Den, the fog had rolled back in and made it hard to see. We found the bears Den driveway and drove up the steep winding drive in the fog. Suddenly huge stone walls rose out of the mist and a castle appeared before us. With the fog, it felt like a scene from a Sherlock Holmes novel like the ¢Hound of the Baskervilles.¢ Bears Den was an estate built in the 1920s that was bought by the ATC in the 1980s and turned into a hostel. It had 18¢ thick stone walls and hardwood floors and trims throughout. Red Foot and Hopeful, the hostel care takers, gave us a tour and got us settled in.After the tour, we said goodbye and thank you to the Kings. We relaxed a while with Ezra in the common room upstairs. Flex was also there, encouraging us all to go on to Maine by any means necessary. I got Einstein settled in the dog house in back, which he wasn¢t happy about. We chose our bunks and went to bed. Between all the fog and the castle, it was quite a magical ending to a day filled with trail magic.