Date: 2016-05-28
From: Woods Hole Hostel

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 11.1

What a morning! Got up, took the linens off my bed, made the bed as we were requested to do, packed up my backpack and my bounce box, and took everything downstairs in the hostel. I had taken everything out of my backpack since I was going to slackpack today to Pearisburg. All of my equipment was thrown into a giant garbage bag to go into the back of the owner's car to be transported to the hotel in Pearisburg. Then all I needed to carry was my backpack, my lunch and some water. I was looking forward to a big breakfast this morning to start me off on my journey when Neville, the owner, came out and announced the stove is broken, and there will be no breakfast. Apparently they had no back-up plan either. I had to untie my bounce box and fish through it for some packets of oatmeal and tea, so I had something to eat before hiking. This was one of the inconsistencies in the service at the hostel. There was one other morning where breakfast suddenly wasn't available. I'm not sure how a business can operate like this and still be successful.I finally finished my breakfast and left about 8:15. This was to be my first day hiking after 3 days of rest, and I was a little anxious about how my body would handle it. It turned out the hardest part was walking up the hill from the hostel to the beginning of the trail. After that the trail was relatively even with a few moderate climbs up to a spot called Angel Rock. I had lunch at a beautiful rocky overlook. I'm not sure the picture above does it justice. It was all downhill into Pearisburg. At first the downhill part was climbing through rock mazes, but then it moved out to a nice trail for the most part. Down near the bottom it became very muddy and slick, and the day hikers coming up were fun to watch as they slid in the mud trying to ascend. They all looked very hot as well and out of breath. I, on the other hand, was using my poles to break my downward momentum, and trying not to go too fast, while saving the stress on my knees.At the first road crossing Kid caught up with me. He is a young man with whom we had shared the room the previous night. His grandfather is here in the area visiting and met him at various locations to give him a night off the trail in a motel. We happened to meet Grandfather at our last motel in Bland, where he was asking us questions about how to find the trail, and talking to us about his grandson. It was fun to finally make the connection and meet the grandson. Bingo! I asked if I could possibly get a ride in with him, and he said of course. Kindness pays off, you see, as the previous night I had sewn a button on this young man shorts. I think he understood without my saying that if I didn't get a ride, the button would magically pop off his shorts and disappear into the grass! We got to the point where we were supposed to meet Grandpa at 2 p.m., and I was in the hotel room by 2:30. It was a huge relief to get here as I found I was very tired, probably still recovering from being sick. I relaxed the rest of the afternoon, and then I walked across the street to the Mexican restaurant to get my dinner. I continued to try and calorie load, and ordered an extra serving of guacamole, yum! Also while we were here, we met an interesting woman,69, by the name of Soul Flower. She is from out west, and she has been hiking the trail to the tune of 18 to 20 miles a day. I find this just amazing as I can barely manage 12 to 14. We had a nice time learning about her, and then who should come walking across the street but Pops! He had just returned from a family reunion in Manassas and was spending the night as well. We all made arrangements to meet on the trail tomorrow and stay at the same stealth camp tomorrow night. It is now hiker midnight, 8 p.m., and I am going to bed.