Date: 2007-11-07
From: Rusty's

To: Rusty's
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

mi. 0sleep hosteldest. Rusty's Hard Time Hollow day 118 Ahhhhh, a well deserved rest day. This has been my most restful day sonce the rainy day zero. A little background on Rusty's for those who do not know about the place or haven't been here. This is a great place to stop. Sure it is a 2.8 mile walk off the trail, but it is worth every bit of it. The best way to describe the place is it feels like my grandparnets house (on my mom's side for family members reading this). It has the old farm feel to it. It is on 20 acres surronded by national park. Rusty told me that he has the only privite drive on a national park road in the country. His driveway is right off of the Blue Ridge Parkway. He takes in hikers or bikers (cyclests). It is a very back to basics place. He only within the last few years got electricity and a phone. He told me he was snowed in 34 days last year. His water comes from a spring. Which unfortunatly is almost dry this year. The place is filled with old pics. He takes one of each person that stays with him. He also has tons of pics on the walls of hikers having fun. I have heard this can be a lively place during prime season. I can see why. He also has a sweat lodge. I would partake, but yet again I am the only person staying here. That is another one of those group activities. He invited me into his living room last night. He says he only does that in cold weather. I can see why. With tons of people here I would want to keep my personal area to myself. He had a woodburning stove going, adding to the grandparents house feel. We started talking and he took the phone off the hook. He said he didn't want to be bothered. I feel the same way back home with my cell phone. We got to talking and he said he is leaving this whole place to hikers. He doesn't have any family to speak of. He wants to see it keep going after he is gone. I also asked him about the early days. He has been doing this for 26 years. He was telling me it is very different now. Everyone has gotten into a hurry and won't stop and enjoy things. Looking at the pics I can see a lot of fun has come through. I think I would have enjoyed hiking back then. More towns to go through, instead of hitching, more places to visit, and more of a laid back feeling. I can't say I did that much today. Which was my goal all along. I slept in to the late hour of 8:30. Ate a great breakfest of blueberry pancakes. Ok I also drank a lot of coffee today. I pretty much just lounged around and read. I also finished my 6th book of the trail. I couldn't tell you 6 books I read before these. I would have to go back to early school days, precollege. I just finished "Life, the Universe, and Everything". The 3rd in the 5 part hitchhikers trilogy. Now onto "Moondreams". I strange book I picked up in town. In case I forget to say it, which I probibly won't. I will have to tell anyone reading this to plan on stopping at Rusty's. Don't just stop. Plan at least 1 zero. I can honesty say that if anyone comes in tonight and is zeroing tomorrow, I will take another one. Don't waste your time asking about slackpacking or anything like that. It isn't that kind of hostel. Speaking of that kind. I have heard more bad and great things about this place than any other place on the trail. That alone told me I needed to stop. That and I have wanted to ever since I heard about the place over a year ago. I think the bad comes from people who do not stop. Or the ones that want lots of slackpacking options, beds, internet, tv, basically all the comforts of a hotel. Don't get me wrong, I like all of those things. I also just enjopy places that don't have those things. I guess all I am saying is stop by and check it out for yourself. I spent most of the day just reading and relaxing. He has a great back porch with a great view of the mountain. Twice when I was sitting there I saw a herd of 7 does walk down behind his place and eat. They would look up and me, then go back to what they were doing. Hardly any hunting goes on here, so they are not afriad to come out in the open. I was sitting inside talking with Rusty when he asked me if I wanted to go to church with him tonight. I said sure. I had been meaning to go for awhile and it gave me something different to do for the evening. It was dark when we left. Did I mention his place is up in the mountains. He drives a great of van, 24 years old with a 4 on the floor. His church is also a little ways away. Now I have not driven in forever or rode in a car for very long. This is my longest since I rode around in Unionville, NY. Lets just say I was a little on edge. He was flying down this very curvey, 1 lane, gravel mountain road at night. We were bouncing all around. Hairpin turns and all. Now we probibly were not going to fast, but man it felt like it to me. We got to church just in time. It was a nice little service, short and too the point. On the way back I offered and bought dinner at Subway. That really filled the void in my stomach. On the way back more of the same. We were flying up the road this time. It's probibly a good thing it was dark. Rusty told me how the edge dropped off fast after the road. He was also telling me how every time he drives this road at night he sees a bear. I wasn't disappointed. We were driving along chatting when all of the sudden a decent sized black bear runs out in front of us. He slowed down a little. But it kept up in front of us. It looked to be running all out. It had to be running over 20 mph. It was moving. It was only infront of us for 10 seconds of less, then it ran off the road. It didn't look just went over the edge. Crazy to think I was all of 20 feet from a bear running all out. I'm glad I was in the van. Lets also just say my respect for them went up a few notches, it was already pretty high. After we got back we sat around and talked for awhile longer. In case I didn't say it before, I have been journaling at different times on different days again, but I'm glad I am the only other one here. If I was with a group I wouldn't have gotten the chance to relax as much. More impotantly I wouldn't had the chance to sit and talk with Rusty. That has probibly been my favorite part of my stay here. Tonight I am glad I am staying in the bunk house. It doesn't have any heat to speak of. But tonight it is supposed to get into the 20's in the valley, which means low teen's here. I am been lower than that in my hammock, it is just nice not to have to do it tonight.