Woods Hole Hostel. Worth the visit.

Day 37 - 5/21/10
Got up bright and early with the sounds of Trashman and Laid Back moving around. In case you're wondering why Trashman is called that, it's not because he's vulgar or gross or anything like that. It's because he packs out garbage that other hikers leave behind at campsites and shelters. He doesn't have to do it, and he shouldn't because you're supposed to pack out your own stuff. So he's a real standout guy, which I admire.

Anyway they both left at 6:30, so I was left by myself at the murder shelter. I hurried up and got moving at 7, trying to get as far away from there as quickly as possible. Leaving so early gave me the reward of seeing a beautiful sunrise over the crest of a mountain as I hiked due North. Then a little later I'm walking that mountain's ridge line and I come to this spectacular viewing spot down into a valley. I tried to take pictures, but they didn't come out great. It's hard to replicate these views in a picture.

I kept moving and soon came to a road that I thought might be the one Woods Hole Hostel is down, but I wasn't 100% sure. I didn't want to risk walking an extra mile for nothing, so I kept going, and within 5 minutes convinced myself that I had passed it, so now I was set on doing the 16+ to Pearisburg. An hour later I come to a different road, and this time I know it's the right one because there's actually a sign. So after telling myself I'd be going to Pearisburg, I switch my thinking back to this hostel.

I'm walking down the road, and I start to see a house or something through the woods, then a dog barks. I walk down to the driveway, then up it to find about 8 people laying on this porch, almost as if they're dead. Turns out they're doing yoga, so I walk to the bunkhouse and let them finish. I waited a 1/2 hour, but was totally cool with it. I actually enjoyed just watching, and when they all did an Ohm chant together it felt really awesome hearing that blend with the sounds of nature that were all around me. For some reason it got me thinking about Jack Kerouac and other beatniks, not exactly sure why.

After they finished I introduced myself to Neville (the operator - her deceased grandmother ran it for 22 years before her) and asked about shuttles. She was dropping some hikers in town who had stayed the night previous so she said I could ride in with them and she'd bring me to the grocery store. In 15 minutes we left, and it was about a 20 minute drive down. I stocked up on stuff, way too much in fact, then her and I drove back.

We arrived back around lunchtime, so she invited me to join, which they actually don't do too often. They have breakfasts and dinners you can partake in (costs money though), but this lunch was on the house. And it was good too, some leftovers from the dinner last night. There was salad, dressings, 2 kinds of pasta, alfredo sauce, French fries, chips, and it was all homemade. Soooo good. Makes me miss home cooked Mom meals.

After that I did my laundry, the old fashioned way with washboard (Standing Bear hostel all over again!) and clothesline. They're actually still drying on the line out there. I kind of enjoy using the washboard, but I think after a few more times I would grow tired of it. I'm realizing how tough Pioneers were. Everything is so easy and convenient in today's world. When I was dumping out the nasty water, I'm talking black (all from my socks I imagine) I see Red Stick walk in. It's good to see him again, I always enjoy that feeling of seeing a friend after a few days apart. I spoke with him for a bit, I guess he had some confusion too about where this place was, but he ended up going down that first road whereas I didn't.

He started to get situated, so I took some time to go through my resupply and organize it. Should be very good for at least 5-6 days. Now it's almost 5pm, and I'm just waiting around until dinner at 7ish. It's gonna be a Mexican fiesta! Even though it costs $ I've heard it's very worth it. I'll be doing the breakfast too. Tomorrow I should be past Pearisburg, but since the trail almost passes through town I will try to see if I can make a few quick phone calls. This hostel has been amazing. Definitely worth the stop in.

UPDATE: It's about quarter past nine now, and I'm so full I can barely move. The dinner was unbelievable, and I helped prep a lot of it, along with several other hikers. It started with an amazing salad, full of fresh vegetables picked from Neville and her husband Michael's own garden. We also had several loaves of this fantastic homemade bread, I want to say it was wheat. I had two heaping helpings of salad, and maybe 5 pieces of bread. Then we had our main course of DIY burritos. You could put on chicken, rice, black beans, cheese, salsa, cilantro, sour cream, lettuce, and so on. Phenomenal. I had 2 of those with all the fixings. And then came the homemade ice cream for dessert, made by Amish folks who live nearby.

My god. I didn't expect that much, even for $12. The best part came after, when many of us were hanging out in the living room, full beyond belief. Red Stick was laying on the couch playing guitar, Bob Dylan stuff, bluesy songs, just a great mix of songs. I'm sitting there, listening to the music, reading an AT magazine, and it hits me. These people have completely opened up their home to us in every way. As if we were family. This realization was almost too much. It made me so happy, and it was such a real moment. You could never artificially manufacture something like that. I will cherish the feeling forever, of being totally carefree and comfortable surrounded by good friends.

Total miles: 616