Kevin's AT Thru Hike

Day 53, Sunday, 5/8 – Weary Feet hostel prepared a pancake breakfast with eggs and sausage for the hikers. It was a great way to start the day. I hiked out with Jeff and Bubbles. We quickly came across Dismal Falls. You wouldn’t know it from the name, but it was actually beautiful. It also looked like a great swimming hole. Unfortunately, it’s still too cold for swimming.

Right around Dismal Falls, there was great camping. I suppose I could have ended up at Dismal Falls if I hadn’t stopped off at Weary Feet Hostel. No regrets about the hostel stay.

I heard Woods Hole Hostel had yoga every day at 4pm, I hiked quickly to get to get there in time (15 miles total to mile 625). Except for one 1,500ft climb, the trail was very cruisy today.

When I got to Woods Hole, I ran into Genie, Splitzy, Birthday Sandwich, and Sprite. I didn’t expect to see them all today; they had all already been there for a night or two.

Cat from the hostel asked if I wanted bread and cheese. Naturally, I said yes. I wasn’t prepared for the portion size. I was handed a small loaf of homemade bread and a block of homemade Muenster cheese. I could have eaten it all, but I didn’t want to ruin my appetite. I’ve heard great things about their dinner. Jeff and Bubbles showed up after cheese and bread was offered, so I shared the rest with them.

I am camping at the hostel, so I set up my hammock and hung up my wet clothes to dry. Shortly after setting up camp, the hostel made an announcement. They no longer had water. The hostel gets their water from a spring, which must have somehow run dry. This meant no dinner, no breakfast, no laundry, no hot shower, etc.

Since the hostel wasn’t able to provide dinner, a lot of hikers went into Pearisburg for Mexican food. It was a 30 minute drive each way into town, so I didn’t go. I was worried I would get car sick, so I stuck around the hostel with Dharma, Acres, and Bubbles.

The hostel made salad for the hikers who didn’t end up going into town for food. Before eating, we introduced ourselves and said what we were thankful for. When I said my name was Double Check, Nick correctly assumed I was a chess player. After dinner we played a handful of games. I really enjoyed playing, even though he was far better than me. I think I was good enough to give him some good games though.

I was still playing chess when the rest of the hikers came back. Besides the salad, I really hadn’t eaten breakfast. I got caught up playing chess. Bounce gave me a bean and cheese chalupa that she didn’t finish. I was happy to have it, the alternative would have been a snack dinner.