Date: 2012-05-10
From: Mountaineer Falls Shelter

To: Dennis Cove Rd. - Black Bear Resort Hostel
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: broken clouds

The plan was to get up sort of early today to make it to a hostel up the road.  A few folks needed a resupply and the rest of us wanted to bask in the comforts of civilization.  Plus, the hostel run by Bob Peoples is a place of historic hiker significance.  I got up early and it was chilly.  There was definitely a cold front moving in.  I had some difficulty getting my food bag unhooked from the mouse hangers, accidentally woke up PaPa Bear in the process, and hopped back into my sleeping bag as quickly as I could to hide from the approaching dawn.  I proceeded to lay there warming back up while a little shelter conversation started up around me.  Josh got up, got ready, harassed us for still being in our sleeping bags, and took off with one of the other guys in the shelter while Tail Dragger went down to the falls to get water.  The rest of us remained in our bags as long as possible.  I munched on some Golden Grahams (I had been craving these for a few weeks) while checking out the mileage and elevation profiles for the day.  PaPa Bear finally started to get moving as did Gummy Bear but I stayed put for a few more blissful minutes.  They didn't want to get out of their sleeping bags either so they deflated and rolled up their sleeping pads while still inside their warm cocoons.  Now was the time.  I turned the valve on my sleeping pad and rode it all the way to the wooden shelter floor.  No turning back now.  I got finished packing up, filtered a little of Tail Dragger's water and followed the group up the trail.  It was nice of them to wait for me.  I walked with Tail Dragger for most of the morning and he shared some of his favorite places with me and told me some great stories from his past.  It was really nice to connect with him like that.  We were booking it too: 2.8mph for a good chunk of the uphill.  We went our separate ways after a few hours and I crossed a gravel road where someone had rearranged the small grey rocks to say '400' since we had just crossed the 400-mile mark.  I somehow missed this though and PaPa Bear told me about it later.  The trail was pretty good today and had dried out a lot overnight.  I took out my uke and played while I walked.  I eventually stumbled across PaPa Bear and Gummy sitting on a couple of logs taking a snack break.  I joined them and made a few sandwiches.  I am making a major dent in my bread supply.  Tail Dragger cruised up but didn't stop for long.  He was feeling good.  The rest of us got packed up and gave chase.  At some point we must have passed him again because he did this same thing to us at Moreland Gap shelter.  While finishing up eating, I made a comment about how long they had all been hiking together and another comment was made about how, over time, the order of arrival had always been the same: PaPa Bear, then Gummy Bear, then Tail Dragger.  Gummy, PaPa, and I shared stories and laughter as we headed down to the road.  We had about six more miles to do and they flew by as we descended the big hills.  I learned how to identify Sassafras, and Gummy pointed out a lone Pink Lady Slipper  You can learn so much by walking with people who are conscious and knowledgeable about their environment.  All you have to do is listen.  Tail Dragger left us big smiley and sad faces drawn in the dirt with his trekking poles depending on whether the terrain was going down or up.  Despite our quick pace, we never saw Tail Dragger again until we got to the road where he sat smugly under a Silver Maple waiting for us.  He had finally changed the order!  Josh was nowhere to be found and the four of us hitched into town with Funny Bone in the back of an older red Toyota pickup.  Five adult hikers with packs and poles take up the entire bed.  The cab had three adults shoulder-to-shoulder as well and you know that the late-80's V6 was giving its all.  Gummy and I were sitting facing the cab with our backs against the tailgate when she turns to me and says, "I hope this tailgate holds."  I have never had such a horrible visual.  I may never forget it.  We safely arrived at a gas station with an attached McDonald's and thanked the man for the ride.  It was easily five miles and really twisty and hilly without a walkable shoulder.  We lined up inside the restaurant side, decided that this would probably be dinner and ordered to eat there.  I haven't eaten McDonald's in a long time but it may have been the best meal I have ever eaten there.  Tail Dragger picked up a round of hot fudge sundaes and we decided to get Josh some Oreos and orange juice.  We also picked up some beer for the hostel later.  As we walked back to the main road to try and hitch back to the trail, a red Dodge pickup slows down and asks us where we were headed.  There were two hikers already in the truck, Eveready and Greenhorn, and they must have vouched for us.  They went to McDonald's and picked us up on the way back.  It turns out that the driver, Bob #2, owned the other hostel (The Black Bear Resort) in town.  We weren't about to ditch Josh and so we planned to pick him up on the way.  After that, we saw Poco walking and picked her up too.  That truck was full!  The hostel was very nice and we grabbed a private cabin overlooking the river.  We tossed our things on the porch under the guise of hiker trust, got showers, and drank a few beers before trying to make a fire.  The wood was impossible after the rain and the challenge and maintenence may have been more satisfying than simply paying$5 for a dry bundle and having a reliable fire.  We stayed up late and it sounded like it was raining off and on throughout the night.  Lots of silly giggling and goofy remarks brought us all even closer together.  I realized that I felt like I was on a family vacation from the AT even though I was still hiking the AT.  Such great people out here.