Date: 2021-06-06
From: Mountain Garden Hostel in BurkeÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Garden 

To: Helveys Mill Shelter 
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: overcast clouds

June 6 - Mountain Garden Hostel to Helveys Mill Shelter - 18.0 miles (485.9 trip miles) - 42478 steps Some thru hikers will tell you VA is flat. Definitely not flat, but it is a more gradual grade and today was one of those days. Most people staying at the hostel liked it. Overall, I didn¢t care for it. The people running things were nice and went out of their way to do things for guests, but they were very disorganized. The house is in a great scenic location but needs a lot of work. The bunk was ok but not the most comfortable. What got me was how dirty everything was. From the kitchen, the floors, the porch, etc. I know it¢s a communal kitchen but someone needs to make folks clean up after themselves. And, the doors are left open during the day and the house is loaded with flies. Compared to some of the other places we¢ve stayed, I would pass on this in the future. I would, though, find a way to get to Mattie¢s place, the Amish restaurant. As I said, today¢s hike was easier than most days. I hiked with Boston Bill for the first few miles but then pulled way ahead. There were climbs but also some very flat or near flat areas. I was in the woods most of the day with nothing to see. After about 15 miles I popped out onto a gravel road that then became paved and then went under I-77. It then curved down further before finally going back into the woods. The road walk, longest so far, was about 1.5 miles but at least it was downhill. And, as usual, the AT likes to end on a high note. The toughest climb of the day was at the end to get to the shelter. I rolled in at about 345 and thought I would get water, eat and move on to find a tent site. I decided to get water first. It is a long .3 miles downhill to the water over many switchbacks. At the end of a long day this is walking you don¢t want to do. This is on top of the .25 miles the shelter is off trail. I got my 2 liters and filtered it. I ate a Mountain House chicken fried rice dinner and a few scoops of peanut butter. I couldn¢t decide to move on or not as the distances to things are not made easier by a few more miles tonight. I finally decided to set up my tent behind the shelter. There are about 10 hikers here. I am dreading getting more water in the morning but there is none for the next 10 miles so I need to be topped off when I leave.If you¢ve been following along and reading each day, you¢ll remember I made the statement ¢The trail provides.¢ It did once again this evening. I was in my tent typing this entry when I hear a vehicle coming very close. Everyone was wondering what or who could get a four wheeler up here. I climb out of the tent to check it out. A local guy whose property borders the National Forest land the trail is on comes up here with a 5 gallon jug of water for the hikers. He also brought snacks and a bag to get rid of our trash. This is great unexpected trail magic that saves us all from going back down to the water source. Everyone was thrilled. He gets here on a trail on his property that gets close. The trail is also used to maintain the shelter and privy here so the people doing the work don¢t have to climb that big hill with their tools, supplies and lumber. A good end to a great day. Tomorrow BB and I will go about 20 miles to set us up to go to Woods Hole Hostel the following day. My back is still hurting and they may offer massages. Nothing else has worked so it may be worth a try. Goob is just a few miles back so we may see him in Pearisburg. Until tomorrow.