Day 67: Hikers Welcome Hostel

Start: Jacobs Brook Stealth Site (AT mi 1778.1). Stop: Hikers Welcome Hostel (AT mi 1794.2). Today’s miles: 16.1 miles. Total AT mileage: 769.5 miles

I didn’t sleep as well as I thought I should have..I had a couple nightmares about snakes which made no sense. I got up at 6:30 because I thought I heard rain drops. I packed so fast so my tent would stay dry, and then when I realized it wasn’t going to rain, I took my time eating breakfast. I some how didn’t leave camp until almost 7:30! Not sure how that happened, even now as I’m recounting what I did. Haha

The trail went right up immediately after leaving the brook. Mount Cube was the first ascent and it wasn’t terrible. Jola and a couple other hikers passed me early on, so much for yesterday’s success in that department lol. I met up with them on a gorgeous rocky out look half way up. They pointed out the fire tower on Smarts Mountain that we crossed yesterday. It was an impressive mountain from this view. An impressive mountain that I have already conquered. Boom.

The rest of the way up was more of the same, rocks and mud but also pine needles and moss. Stunning mixed with “what in the hell?” Before reaching the rock summit, I ended up walking back through the moss covered ground to dig a hole. Sorry Mother Nature, I couldn’t wait for a better place! Ya gotta go when ya gotta go!

At the top, I took pictures for a lady day hiking with her perfect golden retriever. Then I slowly made my way down the slippery slopes that are what we call the trail. Some how I did manage to keep my socks out of the mess today, but the ones from yesterday still stink. My shoes reek, too, FYI.

I crossed more boggy wetlands in between mountain, all with broken wooden planks.. and then more ups and downs but they were dramatically less daunting. I do remember thinking how sick of rock hopping over mud I am though.. and the sad thing is, I don’t think that changes any time soon. I ate lunch in one of the low spots today, after a road crossing, and knew it was a bad idea because once I stopped moving I was swarmed by bugs (it was definitely a bug net kinda day). I didn’t even finish eating because I was so annoyed with them.

I made it to a road crossing with 2 couples set up under a canopy.. giving out TRAIL MAGIC! It has been so long! Man, it was great. I sat down and they made me an excellent PB&J and I had a Mountain Dew, too! This totally made up for the crappy lunch I had. While I was chatting them up, they mentioned tomorrow’s “full rain” forecast. As they said it, I decided I was going to a hostel tonight instead of camping at the shelter I was originally aiming for. The hostel was only a mile before the shelter, and I could now slack pack tomorrow in the rain instead of hoofing over the “first mountain of the White’s” with all my gear.

I saw on the trail angel’s roster that a lot of my friends came through today.. Lizard, TBird, TownLegs, Smiles, DoubleDecker, and TieDye. So I sent out some texts to see if any of them were going to the hostel: they were ALL at the shelter I had originally been going for! Dang it! I already made my mind up to go to the hostel and be inside when the rain hits, but I did see if any of them were slackpacking.. TBird and TownLegs are! And.. one of my favorite people is doing their shuttling: Cholula! I messaged her, and she’s going to pick me up, too! Heck. Yes.

I made it to the hostel, and it’s super cute. I took a shower in the outdoor shower, and promptly picked a bottom bunk on the upstairs section of the “barn.” Then I hung out with everyone for awhile, mostly people I don’t know.. a SOBO, Doppler, gave me all the ins and outs of the whites and she looked over Andrea and my itinerary and agrees that it’s “more than doable.” She also seemed super impressed with our John Muir hike, especially when I told her how much weight we had to have been carrying back then.. we were backpacking babies. Oh, the things we learned!

Some of us got shuttled to a deli and I got stuff to eat for dinner tonight and then to carry tomorrow. Nice and easy. When we got back, I ate, paid for my stay, and retired upstairs to my bunk. It’s almost 10:30 now and it feels like 2am! Getting pictures to load is a task that requires patience.. something I seriously lack.

Now that I have yesterday’s post uploaded, I’ll save today’s post for some time tomorrow. Cholula is going to pick me up bright and early, And then I’ll get to slack pack southbound over Mount Moosilauke.. which should be an adventure in its own right, especially if it rains like they say it will. But-and this is the highlight here- I’ll be in a hotel tomorrow night!

Alright, phone is charged, lights are out, so it’s time for me to roll over and do the same. Goodnight y’all!