Date: 2017-06-04
From: Chatfield shelter

To: Quarter Way Inn
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: overcast clouds

From Fatboy:We were on our way by 0820.  The call of a lunch buffet at the Barn was a powerful incentive.  The trail leaving the shelter was dramatically different.  There were almost no rocks and the hiking started out quite level and easy.  We arrived at the restaurant at 1055 and settled in for a real food lunch.  The menu wasn't fancy but the salad bar was filled with fresh ingredients and there was hot peach cobbler for dessert and all the sweet tea I wanted.  We finished lunch at about noon and sat on the grass near a fence line in the sun behind the restaurant to relax for a while while our meal settled.  It was glorious to take my shoes and socks off and feel the grass on the soles of my bruised feet.  We were on our way again at 1400 but didn't have a definite destination.  I always vote for places with privies but this section of trail had a longer than usual gap between shelters so I knew we would likely be camping at a place without a privy.  The trail crossed a railroad track and several pastures as well as some interesting marshy places with elevated boardwalks.  Some of the trail had actually been maintained with a mower of some type.  The smell was like freshly cut hay and reminded me of my days living on a farm.  We paused at a camp site where a shelter used to be and a privy remained.  We'd passed a couple of trail signs marking 25% and Quarter Way and recorded the appropriate photos.  I was fooling with my phone when I noted a hostel called the Quarter Way and decided this was an omen so we had to try it.  We were able to phone for reservations so our destination was set.  We had about 8 miles to go at 1500 but we also had the lure of showers and a breakfast tomorrow with cheese grits.  I was stoked and we hiked on.  If someone had told me six months ago that starting an 8 mile hike with a full pack at 1500 was reasonable I would have questioned their sanity.  We're not insane but our perspective has definitely changed!  The last few miles were a real challenge because both of us were very tired and our feet were getting really sore.  The trail included some pretty significant climbs and the required significant descents.  Thankfully there weren't very many tough rock patches.  We tend to hike in silence when we're hurting.  Each of us dealing with the challenge in our own way.  Sometimes it isn't fun but it's always rewarding to feel the sense of accomplishment at the end of the day.  The last 0.8 miles was on a newly paved road.  It was smooth but walking on black top after 15 miles on the trail is pretty hard on the legs too.  We finally arrived at Quarter Way Hostel and we're greeted by Chunky and got settled in. The hostel is a renovated farm house and Chunky knows exactly how to make you feel at home.  Showers and then food were appreciated as well as meeting old and new friends.  Cash Back and Tunnel Rat were already here and our reunion was fun.  We relaxed for a while and then retired to our private room when the sun went down.  We'd walked 15.5 miles and enjoyed one of our most beautiful days on the trail yet.From Ginger:We had wonderfully soft terrain this morning. No rocks before our stop at The Barn!En route, we stopped at Lindamood School, a single-room historic schoolhouse. I'll have to examine photos we took with Nathan's phone for the details, but I believe it was built in 1894 and used until the 1930s. I'm in awe that people trust us with using this building. We got to learn about education in that era, from the posted history and rules. A Methodist church in the area supplies the site with special trail magic inside. We almost skipped the school because it was Sunday. Since the adjacent Settlers Museum was closed, we assumed the schoolhouse would be, too. Another hiker shouted to us to go in. So glad we did. These are the special things we're out here to see and experience.Also of note today: waist-high orchard grass, wild daisies