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.

Backpacking the AT - Day Eight

 Day 8: Brush Mountain East Wilderness mile 692.6 to Lost Spectacles Gap mile 703.3 

As a nice change of pace, we woke to temperatures near 40°. The sunrise gave us a pinkish greeting while those mountains loomed in the distance. 

We were running extremely low on water and had 4.5 miles until the next water source, so breakfast was a quick coffee and protein bar.

 By 8:40 we were back on trail. In less than a mile we came to the Audie Murphy Memorial. Audie Murphy was one of the most decorated pilots in U.S. history. Several mementos had been left, surrounding the memorial.  It was quite moving to see what other soldiers had left, and the impact he had made on them.

 And then it was time to get down the mountain-we needed water! Misty and I were in a goofy mood and laughed and joked as we hiked along.  We had several views of the mountains, and the city below, filled with early morning fog.

The descent was quite smooth but light sprinkles had turned into a steady rain-thankfully we had started the day in our rain gear! 

The trail continued, filled with the prettiest color of moss, and in no time we were crossing Trout Creek. We stopped here to refill our empty water bottles and to get our minds ready for the next section.

The hike up and out of Trout Creek was a steep one, but honestly, the climbs were keeping me warm!  With the slight rain, everything was just a little bit damp, and the air had a slight chill to it.

We passed by Pickle Branch Shelter and soon enough it was time to start heading back up into the mountains. 

Our big destination of the day was Dragon’s Tooth, part of Virginia’s Triple Crown of hikes. Every time we took a pause and then re-started, Misty would yell, “To the tooth!” And then I’d yell, “Toodaloo!” And then Jeff would yell, “To Duluth!” And off we’d go, chuckling as we went. 

The higher we climbed, the better the views became. We stopped so many times to check out the world below. Higher and higher we went, wading through deep leaves and sometimes questioning our life decisions. 

The trail was steep and rocky and we were moving at about one mile per hour. The struggle was real. Every time we’d think we were at the highest point, we’d end up climbing to an even higher point. Sometimes the trail was just rock and we’d have to pick our way up and over.

Finally, we came to the sign for Dragon’s Tooth! We eagerly took the side trail, which was again a rocky maze. The climb was worth it, though, and we soaked in our victory! 

After we’d taken our fill of pictures, it was time to get down to lower ground. The wind up there was whipping and it was getting a little scary! 

If we thought the climb up was difficult, the climb down was nothing short of harrowing. Solid rock face and tiny ridges filled the trail. A combination of using our poles, our hands, a little crawling, and some butt sliding was used to navigate this section. On more than one occasion my foot slipped on the rocks, stopping just short of disaster. Slowly, slowly we went, careful of every step. 

This mile ended up taking us one hour and nineteen minutes. It was so difficult.  And then the rain started back up, giving everything a fresh coat of slipperiness. The weather started to become severe, and very cold, so I threw my pack off and quickly put on my rain jacket. I did not want to get to camp soaked all the way through! Misty and Jeff did the same and then we hurried up our hiking, in search of our campsite. 

By the time we arrived at Lost Spectacles Gap, it was pouring rain and the wind was fierce. When I say fierce, I mean 30 mile per hour winds, with 50 mile per hour gusts.  Luckily, this camping area was slightly away from the ridge, offering a tiny bit of protection.  We pulled our tents from our soaked packs and rushed to get our shelters in place. The wind really wanted to take my tent away! The rocky ground made it hard to get the tent stakes secured, but I succeeded in the end, got my tent up, and dove inside. I sat there for a few minutes, catching my breath.

 I was beat. My feet were throbbing and blistered, my knees were aching, and I was drenched. Slowly, I peeled off my wet layers and pulled out some dry clothes, along with my puffy jacket. There was just enough daylight to cook by, so I whipped up some chili and ate it in my sleeping bag. Once dinner was over and my bear canister was stashed, I was ready for bed.