Date: 2018-05-29
From: Tent Site - Thompson Wildlife Management Area

To: Bears Den Hostel 
Miles today: 17.1

Today was packed with milestones, surprises and some down right tough hiking. We pulled out of our overly damp campsite a little after 7:00. For the first several miles the elevation and terrain were reasonable. However, the trail was overgrown in places with vegetation that was still wet from the heavy mist/dew from the night before. We reached Sky Meadow State Park pretty early in the morning. This was one of the first places that we had hiked when we moved to DC several years ago. From the trail, you could catch glimpses of fog clinging to the Virginia Piedmont.From Sky Meadows we hiked downhill to Ashby Gap, where we crossed a busy US 50/17. Right before we crossed we came to a big plastic tub labeled ¢ Trail Magic Thru Hikers Only¢. We eagerly opened the tub only to find that it was filled with empty bottles and other garbage. ¢Oh well, at least I can get rid of my hiker trash,¢ Which Way remarked. Not a total Trail Magic Fail. About seven miles into our hike we entered into the part of the trail known as the Virginia Roller Coaster, the first part of which we had never hiked. We had kind of envisioned an easy path just going up and down moderate size hills. Unfortunately, it was nothing like that! It ended up being 10 climbs and descents over 10 miles averaging about 400 feet each. However, the path was either filled with rocks or mud. Throw in a stream crossing at every gap with 80 degree temperatures and it made for a grueling hike. Up, rocks, down, rocks, mud, stream crossing, mud, up, rocks, down, rocks...you get the picture.At the top of the second climb (Piney Ridge) we stopped for some pb&j¢s to fuel us up for the remaining climbs. We also sat up our wet tent so it could dry while we ate. We were out of water now and planned to filter at the bottom of the hill after lunch. As we were hiking down, we could hear construction equipment in the background. I was hoping they were operating downstream. However, when we reached the creek, it was extremely muddy so we decided to hike on to the next stream. A southbound hiker passed by and said that there was some good trail magic up ahead. We had heard that before so we tried not to get our hopes up only to find that it was already gone. Today was our lucky day! We got to the top of the hill and there were Count and Lavender cooking up hot dogs! They also had chips, soda, watermelon and brownies. Now that¢s what I call Trail Magic! It didn¢t even matter that we had just eaten our lunch. Two hot dogs, please! The trail angels had thru hiked back in 2015 and were now very passionate about giving back to the trail. We had such a great time chatting with them we didn¢t realize how much time had gotten away from us. We still had 5 more climbs to get to our stop for the night and the temps were only getting hotter. We exchanged phone numbers, said our good byes and got back to it.More of the same rocks, mud, and stream crossings. Just after we had crested the next peak, Buzzard Hill, we hit another major milestone, the 1,000 mile point on the trail! What, no band or welcome committee! Just the numbers 1-0-0-0 next to the trail that another hiker had formed with sticks, rocks and leaves. Already wiped out from some tough hiking, it definitely felt like we had hiked a 1,000 miles to get to that point. No rest for the weary or time to celebrate for that matter. Instead, we snapped our traditional 1000 mile pic and moved on to the next round of hills. Around 6:45 we saw the sign pointing up to Bear¢s Den Hostel. It is one of the more well-known establishments along the trail and for good reason. It looks like a mini castle on the outside and is a hiker¢s dream on the inside. A nice living area when you walk in with a game table and even an old upright piano. It also had a large dining area and kitchen. And most importantly, it was super clean! We got checked in and hit the shower. That always works wonders on a day like today. We got the laundry started before we went up and put in some frozen pizzas for supper. There was fresh cut watermelon on the table. But even better than that, just as we opened up our Ben & Jerry¢s pint of ice cream for dessert, the care taker, Glen, brought out piping hot cookies from the oven. We stayed up and chatted with Plod Along and Grandma Shorty well past hiker midnight. We are all headed to Harper¢s Ferry tomorrow which will be a big day -the Psychological Halfway Point on the AT! Plot twist. Which Way is getting a ride into Charlestown to the Urgent Care from our trail Angels, Count and Lavender. She re-aggravated an old back injury a couple of weeks ago and it¢s just keeps getting worse. We're hoping she can get some pain relief, but more importantly, some advice on fixing the problem. I suffered through a couple of years of back pain, so I know it¢s no fun, especially carrying a backpack up and down mountains! Praying for good results today! Peace & Blessings!- Next StepElevation Data: n/aAscent - 4,020Descent - 4,585Grade - 9.1Weather:Day - 80 / Mostly CloudyNight - 67 / CloudyOver the Horizon: Harper's Ferry, WV