Date: 2015-08-01
From: Bears Den

To: David Lesser Memorial Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Bear's Den had been a great respite! I arrived a little early the day before at 4:00 pm. That's an hour before the Bear's Den Hostel opens for hikers. Sign said hikers entered thru rear of the building. I chanced going to the door and hoped I might get in early. It had been an exhausting hike through the Roller Coaster. Fortunately a workman was out back splitting logs with a log splitter. Boom! It sounded just like a gun going off. I'd heard it some miles away while still hiking and thought it was just that - someone taking shooting practice with a rifle. I made that comment to the workman, a very friendly fellow. He told me I could go into the hostel early and gave me the combination to the door lock.Wow, I was in! And the first to arrive. That meant I had the choice of bunk beds (10 altogether) and I could be the first one in the bathroom shower. My clothes had sweat through (again) during the hot, humid day's hike. I peeled them off. My hat was pretty wet, too. Believe me, that hot shower felt awesome! I lingered, hoping no other hiker would arrive and want a shower right away, too. There weren't any. In fact, there weren't any other hikers in the hostel that whole night. I had it to myself - at least in the bunk area.I stepped on the scale after my shower. Yep, I had lost 10lbs in just under two weeks. Confirmed what I already knew. I needed lots more calories for fuel during the day while hiking. If I didn't pick up some more trail food and snacks I would start to loose muscle mass as my body started to scavenge protein for calories. Bear's Den sold that type of light re-supply.After my shower, the door between the hostel bunk area and the main building was unlocked just about 5:00 pm as advertised. I could go upstairs and formally check in. The manager lived on-site. He was a great guy and introduced me to the particulars. I was shown the freezer where stacks of huge Tombstone pizzas were located. All the different varieties of toppings made my mouth water. Below the pizzas were pints of Ben & Jerry's ice cream in different flavors. I got both for the price of admission to the hostel. Tonight would be a feast. And after having stepped on that scale, it would be guiltless!Cooking at Bear's Den is do-it-yourself. The large kitchen allowed more than a few people to be in it at the same time. Both the workman (who also lived on site) and the manager were starting to prepare their evening meal. The manager was a self-taught chef who loved to prepare foods. He was in the middle of preparing a huge fresh salad with many items from the garden out back - including fresh picked tomatoes. He generously asked if I wanted some of his salad. I said something like, "does a bear sh.. in the woods?"I slipped my pizza into the stove, then went downstairs to put my clothes in the laundry. I'd lugged breathable rain pants along in my pack without using them the whole trip. Now I knew why. That and my fleece vest were the two items I wore along with sandals while laundering every other stinking clothing item I had, including my hat.After my feast, I sat in the comfortable living room pictured to read a bit. Both of staff later came in to join me for conversation. I found out that Bear's Den was built by a physician and his wife in the 1930s. They modeled it after villas in Europe. It served as their summer home. After both original owners passed, it sat empty for 20 years. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy ultimately bought it after the AT was re-routed near it. Great resource for backpackers!As I talked to the two staff, my eyelids became heavy. I told them it was time for me to turn in. They laughed. It was just before 9:00 pm. They both chimed in to say, "Hiker Midnight!"The next morning I prepared my own pancakes, then packed my gear and started northbound up the AT. I was headed for the David Lesser Memorial Shelter some 12 miles away. Between Bear's Den and that shelter lie 3 more miles of the Roller Coaster. That did limit my speed on the trail. Was I glad to reach the end of the Roller Coaster to see the sign for southbounders announcing its start. The trail did improve some after that landmark. I recalled log entries of other hikers at Bear's Den. Through hikers labeled the Roller Coaster "horrible," "tougher than I thought," and so on. Agreed.I was passed on the trail by two hearty looking fellows carrying light packs and ropes. Climbers, I thought. Must have come in from a side trail. Another few miles up the trail confirmed that thought. I came upon a rock outcropping and cliffs. There were the two guys roped up, with one ready to rappel down the cliff. I took a couple of photos at a distance and waited. Nothing happened after many minutes. I walked up to them and asked if I could take their pictures and they cheerfully said yes. Nothing happened. Finally the one hanging over the cliff looked at me and said that they were both pretty new to rock climbing, so they were taking their time to make sure everything was done just right. I decided to move on. Didn't want to hang around and hear the thud.Along the way to the shelter was the Blackburn Trail Center. I decided to take the side trail to see it, even though I was not going to stay there. It consisted of a stately old summer home that had been built by someone very well-to-do in years past. It had a full, wrap-around and screened in veranda. Unlike Bear's Den, hikers could not stay inside the nicely appointed Blackburn Center building. There was a small cabin with 4 bunk beds some yards from the main building for hikers. No food was available at the Blackburn Center either. I couldn't understand the concept. A caretaker got to live in this posh building and the hikers were restricted to the veranda and the small cabin or campsites. The caretaker ate steak at night inside that mansion, while the hikers dined on freeze-dried mush prepared outside on a camp stove. They won't get a donation from me for that Trail Center.Along the way to the Lesser shelter, I happened upon a hiker traveling south. He announced he'd traveled the Lake Superior Trail and was now headed south on the AT from Harper's Ferry. He intended to make it all the way through to Springer Mtn in Georgia (a little over 1,000 miles), then go on and complete the 1,400 mile Florida Trail. Heavy-set guy with a beard. I figured he'd lighten up considerably in this heat with all those miles ahead of him. Before we parted, he made comment about the humidity in this section of the country (remember, we were in northern Virginia). I said nothing - just smiled and thought of all those miles he planned to hike further south, including those in Florida.The rest of the hike to the shelter was pleasant and uneventful. When I reached the Lesser Shelter, I found myself alone. Very nice shelter. Relatively new with a broad deck and railing in front of it, plus an Adirondack bench to sit in. There was a nice canopy covered picnic table 100 ft away from the shelter, too. And, oh yes, a snake in the rafters of the shelter. Looked like a rat snake. The rafters were 15 ft above the sleeping deck of the shelter, so I was not deterred. I set up my bivy and sleeping bag in the shelter. I figured I wouldn't be bothered by many mice with that rat snake hanging around. I was correct.Small world. Later that day a couple of hikers came in to camp. Was a Dad and his adult daughter. He lived in Indianapolis, while she lived in Washington, D.C. Daughter worked as a legislative aide for Sen. Donnelly from Indiana. I had just visited D.C. a month or two earlier to do some lobbying and had met with one on Sen. Donnelly's aides. We shared stories. Nice father/daughter combo. I knew I was getting close to real civilization when that happened. Other than environmental issues, politics is not discussed much on the trail. Usually invites too many conflicts. Not this time.Tomorrow - on to Harper's Ferry, West Virginia......