Backpacking the AT - Day Nine

 Day 9: Lost Spectacles Gap mile 703.3 to VA Route 624 and Four Pines Hostel mile 704.8

If there ever was a night of zero sleep, this one was the winner.  The winds overnight were relentless.  I honestly have no idea how my tent stakes stayed in the ground.  50 MPH winds on the side of a mountain in a tent at night is not my kind of fun.  By morning, the wind had died down considerably, and we packed up camp in peace.

Today would be our lightest day of the trip.  We had just 1.5 miles of hiking-all downhill-and then we were heading to a hostel for a little refresher, as well as a little shelter from a severe storm that was on its way.  My feet were so full of blisters and in pain and I could not wait to give them a break.

I guess I should've known better than to assume the hike down would be easy.  On the contrary, the trail proved to be challenging once again, filled with large rocks we had to climb down and over.  

The views on the descent were pretty spectacular, though, and the thought of hot showers and warm beds spurred us on.

And then, there ahead of us, was a road!  And a sign!  Four Pines Hostel! We followed cute, painted, green trees down the road for a half mile.

Finally, we had come to our destination!  We were so happy for this little oasis!  Four Pines Hostel is held within a four car garage on this great farm.  We walked through chickens and ducks and a met a very large dog before coming to the hostel building. 

Upon arrival, we met the caretaker, Twisted.  In short, Twisted was a character.  Possibly the most unique person I have ever met, Twisted literally talked to us nonstop from when we arrived around 10:30am, until we went to sleep at 8:30pm.  I could write a small book on all of the things we spoke about, from the military to backpacking to marriage and divorce, Twisted had done it all.  And while he was speaking to all of us, somehow it seemed like he had chosen to stare directly into my soul.

But really, Twisted was a great guy, a seasoned thru-hiker, and he was an outstanding caretaker.  After hot showers, he took our clothes and washed and dried them for us, and then took us to the only gas station around, where we each ordered our own large pizza, and also chose a variety of snacks to get us through the next couple of days.

Back at the hostel, I admired the artwork made by other hikers, and we even talked Twisted into making us an awesome fire in the stove.  I had heard there were great couches here, but I didn't know what that meant until I saw that there were so many couches!  Take your pick!

As we ate our pizzas, the storm arrived.  I mean, you almost couldn't hear it over Twisted's storytelling, but still, it was out there, and we were so thankful we were not.

We had been unprepared to be engaged in conversation for ten hours straight, and when Twisted announced that he was heading up to the main house for the night, we all decided we were ready for bed.  There were several bunks to choose from, and we were the only patrons for the night, so we spread out!  Somehow I earned the first go 'round with the resident cat!

Twisted had stoked the fire for us before he left for the night, and our little hostel was so cozy.  I did not have any trouble falling asleep, safe and sheltered from the storm.