Wednesday, June 22nd

Weary Feet Hostel (609.9 mi) to Woods Hole Hostel (625.5 mi)

Hiking Miles: 15.6

Total Ascent: 3,008.5 ft

Total Descent: 1,731.0 ft

Total Grade: 303.1 ft/mi

Steps: 38,315

The outside of my left knee was stiff (tight), and I experienced throbbing pain throughout the night. It was likely caused by overrunning yesterday so I thought about easing up today. I actually had nightmares of hiking the 25 miles we had planned. While in bed, I read through parts of a book titled “Platinum-Blazing the Appalachian Trail” written by someone who had hiked the AT. Platinum Blazing is a term that meant staying at hotels and hostels every opportunity possible while on trail. 

The book had been resting on the bureau next to me. I read one section about the oldest hostel on trail called “Woods Hole” which was only about 15 miles away from where we were, and thought that would be a fine destination for the day. The shorter mileage would certainly afford me the opportunity to ease up on my knee, and also allow me to rest it more at another hostel.

Everyone agreed that we would adjust our hiking plan while still aiming to reach McAfee Knob within 4 or 5 days. We ate a hearty breakfast (eggs, hamburger, coffee, Gatorade, and six pancakes) in the dining room as well as the front porch. We subsequently settled our bill with Julie, then Stevie and I headed back on trail around 9 am. Double Trouble planned to head out by 11 am since we only had a 15-mile hike, so he would use the time to call his folks and catch up on blogging.

Today we reached 1194.3 miles which started our 1000 mile countdown to Katahdin. We stopped at a mountain top to video record our achievement, then both took a giant step into 3-digit territory (999.9 miles to go).

At 3 pm, we had a peaceful walk down a dirt road (Sugar Run Road) before arriving at the Woods Hole Hostel, a very rustic homestead nestled cozily in the woods. Along our walk up the stone driveway, we saw various wildlife and animals that also lived on the grounds.   

It felt very welcoming and I was so looking forward to having a smoothie (one of their specialties) and resting my knee which continued to have a dull pain. 

As we approached the main home which housed the office, we saw Mighty Mouse who we first met at the Bear Garden hostel. She was talking with another woman hiker named “Scully” (named after the X-Files) on the front porch.

We checked in with the young woman on duty and we inquired about the smoothies. The thought of downing one sounded so good right about then. She unfortunately informed us that they were not serving smoothies anymore. That was odd whereas Mighty Mouse said she got one earlier, however truth be told – they had a 3:00 PM deadline for ordering. It was only a few minutes past 3:00 pm, however the owners were not there, and perhaps that was the young lady’s way of communicating that she wan’t serving anymore today. 

After reserving two bunks, we showered, did a small self-resupply that they had for sale in a shed, and rested my leg. Stevie took advantage of a hammock set up on the porch of our bunk house to relax.

At 5:00 pm, we ate dinner outside on their back patio with the other hiker guests. All of the food served was homemade meals including salad from their garden. The patio had a cool bee-hive oven that looked like it could be utilized.

After dinner, Double Trouble showed up and unfortunately missed the meal. He did find enough food in the hiker food storage area for sale. He bunked with us in a small room off the lounge area, however Smiles overshot the hostel by 1 mile so he ended up at a stealth camp spot for the night. Meanwhile, the three of us browsed around the grounds and saw some cool animals (goats, pigs, etc.) that were residents there. 

DT also checked out the loaner clothes bin and found an orange genie skirt that suited him nicely, including the clogs. The ladies staying at the hostel liked his choice of clothing! Not sure what the animals thought.

Lastly, we organized our packs with our resupply goods, and figured out our plans for the upcoming days ahead to catch up on miles. The 15 mile hike today helped my knee significantly, especially since I rested it when I got to the hostel while applying some stretches to ease the pressure. However, that would make the next four days (particularly the last three of that stretch) daunting in order to reach Daleville, VA in time to meet up with Smiles’ family (102 miles in 4 days).