Date: 2013-06-23
From: Dennis Cove

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0

I woke up this morning in my bed at Black Bear Resort, cracked one eye open and saw out the window and on the porch....Lola, Jane's dog! And there was Jane, sitting in a chair talking to Lynn! So I got out of bed and joined them on the porch. Jane had walked the 0.7 miles down Dennis Cove Road from Kincora hostel to Black Bear to see us. She was feeling very bummed that the three of us (Deb, Lynn, and myself) were all getting off the trail, and that Kiwi Don was so far ahead. She was feeling sad and alone, and was even considering getting off the trail herself. We had a nice conversation, Deb joined us, and we all encouraged her to stay on. She is such a nice, friendly, likeable person, and I know that she will soon meet other hikers and have a whole new circle of friends. I do understand how she feels though, having been there myself. It is harder as a section hiker, I think, because there are just fewer people out there, and they are staying on the trail for varying lengths of time--some just a weekend, others longer. So your "bubble" or peer group doesn't stay as stable. I felt very bad for Jane, but I knew it would be a bad decision for her to stop her hike now. So she walked off down the road with Lola, and I hope it all worked out for her and that she went on to have a wonderful hike! Jane, if you read this, please leave a comment for me in the guest book, I would love to hear from you!Deb and Lynn and I hung out at Black Bear all morning, waiting for our husbands to arrive and take us home. It was a great place to be able to wait for them. I've got to put in a plug for Black Bear here--it's a new hostel, only in its second year, and it is really great. There is a bunkroom for hikers which is very clean and light and nice, for only $15 a night. It is connected to the camp store, which has all the cold drinks, ice cream, snacks, hiker foods, and even frozen pizza and sandwiches, and the owner will run a tab for you, and you can pay for everything at once, when you leave. There are laundry facilities and a small common room with a computer, tv, and couch. There's a long front porch for lounging, and a deck over the creek. So it's so comfortable for hikers, but there are also small cabins for rent, so it really is a resort AND hostel. I loved my stay there.While I'm on the subject of hostels....I just have a little rant here. I have stayed in very many hostels, in fact I don't think I missed too many of them! They are a real blessing to hikers. But, hostel owners, and I don't know if any of them will read this, come on. Why do you let your hostels be so dirty? Just because hikers are dirty doesn't mean that we don't care, or that your place should be. Hikers don't necessarily like being dirty, it's just a by-product of living in the woods for days at a time. Usually when we get to a hostel, the first thing we want to do is shower, and the next thing is wash our clothes, even before we eat. But some hostels are filthy. There was one that I walked into and turned around and walked out of, wouldn't even consider staying, and that is saying a lot, as I am always so happy to finally get to a hostel. There was one that I did stay at, that had mouse droppings on the table we were supposed to eat at. No wonder there is a bad virus making the rounds! The cleanest hostels I saw were: Hiker Hostel in Dahlonega, Aquone, Greasy Creek, and Black Bear. Elmer's wasn't dirty. We don't complain when we get to a dirty hostel because we are so grateful for the services offered at such fair prices. I think some hostel owners mistakenly feel like somehow it adds to the whole ambiance of the place if it's a little...gritty. But I just feel like it shows a lack of respect for themselves and their clients. Come on hostel owners, slap a clean coat of light colored paint on those filthy walls, replace the ratty sofa with no legs and springs sticking out, and get a bucket of hot soapy water and go to work! The hikers will help you clean up, if you just ask.Ahem. Ok. Back to the subject at hand. Black Bear was clean, and I appreciated it. The three of us sat and talked on the porch, cold drinks in hand, and I laughed and said something like, it's a hard life, isn't it?, when one of us went into the store for a bag of chips. Deb said, yeah, it's going to be hard to convince our husbands we have been roughing it when they see our current accommodations!   But eventually the husbands did come, and we packed up and headed home. I am back home now, and it's nice. My toe is better, sore and swollen and red, but better. I already miss the trail, and I know that if it hadn't been for the heat and humidity, I would still be out there. But I have no regrets, I just can't hike in this weather. I wish I could, but I can't. I want to finish the trail, so maybe I can do sections for the next few years until I get to Katahdin. I feel good about having hiked 416 miles. What is the best part about hiking the AT? Is it the scenery, the wildlife, the history, the exercise, the feeling of freedom, the peace and quiet, the absence of the distractions of modern life? All these things are absolutely fantastic, but the best part of all was the people. I met so many wonderful people, so many smart, funny, interesting, kind, generous, loving people, that I can't believe it. It will restore your faith in humanity to walk the trail, and it will make you wonder why you ever lost it. I've said several times that I'm not a people-person, and I'm not, and I never expected to connect with so many people. It caught me by surprise, to find this love and appreciation for the other hikers, when I really kind of thought I was going out there for solitude. My eyes have been opened by my hike, and I never want to close them again. I am happy, I am content, I am at peace, with my hike and my life. I appreciate my family so much. I will pray for all the hikers still out there doing it, and for the opportunity to get back out there myself soon, and continue my hike. Peace, y'all!