I ended up staying the night in a shelter built in the park for hikers. It was a very nice shelter and even had electricity, so I charged my phone while I slept.

I got a slow start in the morning, but I felt no guilt about it. I will hike however I hike. It was an easy hike back to the trail, and a nice walk throughout the day. Today was not as hot as recent days, which made for a pleasant day in the woods.

I caught up to some friends, and we just started a game of rummy. I’m looking forward to catching up to others and another beautiful day tomorrow.

Most everyone woke today in time for the continental breakfast, and many were trying to get as much out of it as they could. Personally, I was just excited that they had lemon poppyseed muffins, which I had not eaten since before the trail. So my breakfast was mostly muffins and coffee.

After checkout, I headed over to the coffee shop with a few other hikers, where we spent a few hours talking about life over coffee and tea. It was a nice place. We split up, and I took care of some town errands, mainly buying more food. Then, I began hiking out. It was already later in the day, so I just planned to go a few miles. I am camping tonight in the town park of Troutville, where they encourage hikers to stay. They also have free showers and laundry available. I think that is so awesome, and I am excited for more towns ahead that are this hiker friendly.

I enjoyed breaking midday yesterday to take a nap in the heat and enjoy time eating and socializing. The consequence was night hiking the rest of our planned miles, ten miles into town.

We arrived very early this morning and had agreed to go to Waffle House, as they are open 24 hours. The excitement of finally reaching town in the dark and heading to the restaurant was pretty awesome. We ordered large plates of hash browns and chocolate chip pancakes. We barely finished it all, and we were so tired afterward that we slept in a non-designated sleeping area near Waffle House.

I woke up soon after first light and didn’t know what else to do, so I went to Waffle House. With a cup of coffee in hand, I was planning out what to do in town and what town to visit next. Another hiker told me we were all going to get a hotel room, so I headed over there to hang out. When I arrived, I was a little shocked to see six people completely enthralled by an episode of Cops – even more so when it ended and the next episode of Cops began.

I finally convinced a couple of them to go check out the outfitter and the coffee shop. We went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner, which was a treat, and now we are back at the hotel, watching television. At least it’s not Cops again.

The night hike went well. We were dazzled by fields full of fireflies. Our packs were lined with Christmas lights. In the midst of the night, we reached mile marker 700.

We arrived at the shelter and collapsed toward sleep. I awoke at 5:00 a.m. Our plan was to reach the picturesque McAfee Knob early in the day. We did a pretty good job.

After the knob were many similar rock cliffs, many of which reminded me of Pictured Rocks back in Michigan. I was grateful to experience both the beauty and novelty of this section of the trail. Everyone gets a McAfee picture, and it was awesome eating lunch on the cliffs and meditating among the mountains.

I don’t plan on night hiking every night, but I ended up stopping early at a shelter to nap, with the intention of hiking a few more miles later. After napping and cooking some eggs while waiting for friends, the time somehow got to be past 5:00 already, so some more night hiking may take place. We shall see!

After our slack pack yesterday, we took a lazy day. Our plan is to night hike out and get a few miles in.

We prepared our packs and showered and then enjoyed the luxuries of the hostel. The owner, Joe, is a very cool dude. If you beat him at corn hole (beanbags), he will do your laundry for free. Nobody has beat him that I am aware of.

We played chess, read books, played darts, and watched some Quentin Tarantino films – all in all, a good day. I had missed the thrill of a good movie, and despite the fact that ten of us were crowded around an iPhone to watch it, it was a good time.

Today, we had decided to slack pack. This means that we would hike the trail like normal, only with a light pack, and meet up with our backpacks at the end of the day. Four Pines Hostel was right off of the trail, so all we had to do was get a shuttle back 26 trail miles and hike from there to the hostel again, where our packs waited patiently.

Rather than using my pack with little in it, or borrowing a day pack, I simply used my trek pouches. There was just enough room for my water bottle, water filter, and snacks. I kept my phone in my pocket. Though I did not end up hiking much faster than normal, it was nice to enjoy the views and woods without the weight of my pack, more so because some of the terrain was very steep and rocky.

It was a fairly long hike, but this stretch had quite a bit to see, like a veteran memorial, which was appropriate for today.

After a while, we reached a river, where someone had placed a plastic chair in the middle. It was unbelievably pleasant to simply sit in the chair and soak my feet in the water after a hot day of hiking. I felt like a country song.

By the end, we were hiking in the dark – only about a half-mile of hiking, but it was a challenge without a headlamp. I took it slow, straining to see the outline of the trail.

It felt great to return to the hostel. People welcomed us back, and we shared food and good company. And of course: sleep.

Sometimes, hikers can be overly ambitious. I’m not just talking about me, though I am definitely included.

We woke up Saturday morning, after having seen a few meteors. It turned into a melancholy morning, as another close hiker left the trail. Willy Wonka got a ride from the Captain into reality. It was sad to see her go, but I know I will see her again one day, and it helped strengthen our resolve. I am definitely going to Maine.

We got a late start hiking but started looking ahead in the guidebook. There was a buffet-style restaurant called The Home Place, which looked incredible, but it was only open Thursday-Sunday. Also, it was fifty miles away. Alright, we decided, fifty miles in twenty-four hours to get to the restaurant with just enough time to eat.

What actually ended up happening was this: we hiked about thirty miles by 1:00 am. We were all pretty tired, sitting in a road crossing, mindlessly eating food and considering making more coffee. Teabag, who was the only one in the group who had done fifty consecutive miles, started talking about how it wasn’t really worth it. We were all very tired, so we decided to sleep. I put down my tarp, and for the second time, slept in the middle of the trail.

The following morning, we calculated and realized that we didn’t have enough time to hike to the restaurant. So we decided to hitch. We got a ride surprisingly quickly, by a really cool sustainable farmer. He told us he would drive us straight to the Home Place, as long as we stopped at his farm, so he could feed his chickens. “We’ll help you feed your chickens,” we told him, which we did. Talking with him about his farm was awesome. He was starting the type of farm that I have always wanted to be a part of.

Aside from being the best hitch so far, we also got to the Home Place with plenty of time to eat. The restaurant was a hiker’s dream, like a Thanksgiving dinner. You sit at a table, and the servers refill dishes as needed: roast beef, ham, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, pinto beans, green beans, corn, cole slaw, lemonade, tea, and biscuits! I ate a lot of biscuits. When we could nearly literally not eat anything else, we were brought cobbler and ice cream with coffee.

It was like a dream. Afterward, we did the only thing we could think to do, which was to lie down on the lawn for a couple of hours. A few hikers we had not seen in a bit were also there, and also reclining on the lawn: reading, sleeping, or digesting.

We were also lucky enough to get a ride back to Four Pines Hostel, one of the coolest hostels I have been to. We are sleeping here for the night, after an incredibly rewarding zero day. An evening filled with Rummy and relaxation is just what I needed.

Teabag and I set out of Pearisburg early. We lacked any real plan for the day, but something in the Appalachian Trail guidebook caught our eye: “use the zip line to cross the stream,” referring to a place called The Captain’s.

It turned out to be an awesome decision. We have been doing less of a daily mileage average than we thought, but it turns out that it is going very smoothly.

The Captain was a pretty cool dude and just allows hikers to camp in his yard for free, even providing free soda. When we arrived, we saw some hikers we hadn’t in a while. They said there is supposed to be a meteor shower tonight. Looking forward to it!

Woods Hole hostel was truly a wonderful place to stay. I am so glad that I did, a charming farm with much to offer.

After an amazing homemade lasagna dinner with freshly made bread and Amish-derived ice cream, I was quite content. However, I enjoyed the meditation hosted by Neville. We meditated for an hour, which was thoroughly enjoyed.

Among the wonderful staff members was one Stone Bear, who gave me my trail name! It was so great to see him and catch up. He is working there until June, when he will start hiking south from Maine. I hope to see him again up north, as he is a big part of my trail experience.

We did morning yoga led by my friend Denali. It was awesome to do yoga after so long, focusing on my body and breath. After yoga, I hiked out, set for Pearisburg. I took care of some town errands and am going to hike out of town either tonight or early tomorrow morning. I am looking forward to some solid days of hiking in the near future with good company.

I am impressed by the diverse bodies of water. We have seen streams, rivers, creaks, waterfalls, ponds, and more in the past few days. It’s great to be surrounded by so much water, especially when everything is warming up.

With water, often comes critters. Can you spot one in this picture?

After starting our hike before 5:00 am today, I was able to hike 13 miles by noon. My plan was to go farther, but I found myself at the legendary Woods Hole Hostel. Right when I was ready to pack up, someone offered to pay for my dinner. After all I had heard about the meals here, I had to stay. Thank you Chicken Feathers!!

The people here are very kind, and I look forward to my stay here, especially as some hiker friends catch up to join me.