Monday, April 18th

Rod Hollow Shelter (995.7 mi). to Bear’s Den Hostel (1005.5 mi)

Hiking Miles: 9.8

Total Ascent: 3,247 ft

Total Descent: 2,793.3 ft

Total Grade: 600.8 ft/mi

Steps: 27,078

This morning I woke up at 5 am and packed up my stuff with my headlamp on. We headed out a 6 am to get a jump on the rain that was expected. Little did we know that we would hike right into a snowstorm that eventually dumped 5 inches of snow (the kind that was great for snowballs).

We entered the Virginia Roller Coaster (continuous ups and downs – 600 ft/mile grade says it all) about two miles into our hike which was even more challenging with the slippery rocks due to the snow. It took us 6 hours to hike only 10 miles, but we were welcomed by one of our favorite hostels on trail – The Bear’s Den. We got the last two top bunks available on the first floor. When more hikers arrived (two of them were Lifeguard and Spoon who we met at Rod Hollow), the owners opened the second floor for them to stay.

The Bear’s Den was awesome – space heaters and comfy bunks to nap (we both took a 2-hour nap!) made for a warm and cozy stay during the storm. The upstairs hiker’s lounge opened up at 5 pm that included a living room with a roaring fire in the fireplace, a dining room, a kitchen, concession area, and a bathroom. I talked with a SOBO section hiker named “A Horse With No Name” who lived in Maine and who had gone to UMaine Orono for Forestry & Civil Engineering. He knew someone who majored in Forestry whom I met on my dorm floor when I attended the university back in 1979.

We also met a family who visited the Bear’s Den a few times per week to talk with hikers. Their names were “Hopeful” (the mom) and “Redwing” (Detroit hockey fan), and they had four kids (G-B-B-G), the youngest named “Petuti”. Redwing hiked the AT in 1999 and again with his wife “Hopeful” in 2005. Glenn, the owner, lived in the attached tower with his dog “Chiang Chiang” (I think it was short for Chiang Kai-Shek). The dog had a torn ACL and limped on that back leg at times. He loved hiker food!!

A hiker named “Jedi” bunked below me. He had sold his Star Wars figurine collectibles that he kept as a kid for $10K so he could fund his 2022 thru-hike. Pretty impressive. I hope he makes it!

The only annoying aspect throughout the day was a hiker who played an accordion for hours. He took up two seats on the couch and played non-stop without expression. It wasn’t that he played badly, it was more so that he only knew one song! We wanted to know how he carried the accordion around in his pack. It’s not uncommon for some hikers to take along their musical instruments for entertainment, but this one was puzzling.

Other hikers we met included a gentleman named “Keystone” who had fallen and had an open wound on his forehead, and “Woodstock” who we met a few days earlier at Pass Mountain Hut. Stevie and I split 2 pizzas, drank cokes, and had a pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream each. Overall, it was a great day, especially being sheltered from the storm. Tomorrow, we head for Harpers Ferry. Stevie and I did laundry and called it a night by 9 pm when the upstairs area was closed off.