Though I slept at a motel, I didn’t sleep very well at all. The bed was hard and uncomfortable. I guess it beat sleeping on the ground though. As usual, I made some coffee, and drank a few cups, and tackled some work before really starting my day. Mulligan rose from his slumber and we stopped by a local diner for some quick breakfast. The game plan was to get back on the trail today and knock out some more miles. But it was raining outside. No one is ever too motivated to start hiking when its raining outside. Mulligan heard of a hostel close by that quite a few people were staying out. So we decided to check it out.

The hostel, Angel’s Rest Hiker Haven, was in walking distance from the motel we stayed at. So we just walked over after breakfast. We weren’t there more than 5 minutes when I noticed someone looking at me kind of funny… so I looked back. We both had a puzzled look on our faces. Then he yells out in a British accent “Wolverine!?” He starts walking towards me. I feel bad because I still had no idea who he was. He gets closer. I finally recognize him, “oh my goodness, Cocoa, is that you?!”  He replies, “it certainly is, it’s great to see you!” He had shaved his head and face and lost about 30+ lbs. He looked totally different. The last time I saw him was when we got stranded on top of Clingman’s Dome in that snow storm months ago. He had a beard and hair longer than mine back then.

I was surprised I caught up with him. He was a pretty fast hiker. He said he hurt his leg and had to take several zeros. I asked him about Luke (or Half Plate). The other guy that stayed with us in the women’s public bathroom that snowy night in the Smokies. He said they hiked together for several days doing some pretty big miles. Then Luke made the decision to get off the trail. I asked him why. He said he got off because he has been in a relationship with a girl for several years and felt guilty spending his savings on hiking the AT vs. on things that would build a future for them together. IE: ring, marriage, house, etc.  Awww ?

Then I saw Fire Plug. We last saw each other at the diner / gas station when my cousin picked me up just a few days ago. Since we hadn’t hiked in a few days, I was curious how we caught up with him. He was slack packing from the hostel. So even though we were physically in the same place, he was actually miles ahead of us. The hostel was picking him up and dropping him off at various places along the trail and then he’d stay at the hostel at night. Slack packing is nice. You don’t have to carry your full pack, you get a shower at night, a bed to sleep in, real food, etc. Mulligan and I discussed possibly doing the same some over the next few days. Especially since it was supposed to be raining most of the week. Fire Plug said there was beer in the fridge, offered to get me one, and did so. Very kind of him.

There was a house in the center of the compound that was used as a community center. That’s where everyone hung out when they weren’t hiking or eating in town. The door flies open and out steps… Bruiser! Her and her boyfriend Savage were both staying there. I hadn’t seen them in awhile so it was good catching up with them as well. We went into the house and ran into Evergreen, Tater and Trip too. It was good seeing so many people we knew. We hadn’t seen most of these folks since the Bushy Mountain Outpost in Bland, VA. We decided to stay and grabbed a couple of bunks in the bunk house.

Several people were headed to a Mexican restaurant in town for dinner so we decided to join them. While there, I checked my messages on FB and IG, and found a message from Bill, whom I had been introduced to from a high school friend, Casey Kelly Nicholson, a few months back when she learned I was hiking the AT. He too was hiking the AT. I asked him where he was. He told me a hotel in Pearisburg, just showered, and was about to head to a Chinese buffet. I told him we were in Pearisburg as well, with a group of hikers, at a Mexican restaurant in town. He said his hotel was right across the street and asked if he could join us. “Absolutely” I said. He was over in a few minutes.

His trail name was “Step Daddy”. He got his name because he accidentally hiked the numerous, steep steps on the approach trail at Amicalola Falls…. twice. Apparently he made a wrong turn at the top, hiked back down a side trail, then had to hike back up the stairs again. What a way to start I thought? We had a few beers and burritos while we got to know each other. He had a tight deadline to complete the trail due to work obligations so he was knocking out some pretty serious miles. We talked about our experiences hiking the trail. He was missing out on some of the sights and the social community aspect of the trail and was kind of bummed about it. I believe that all changed after that night though. While there, he ran into some guys, Rabbit and Ketchup, he’d met on the trail. They bonded over beers and several games of pool and I believe starting hiking together the very next day. I wondered how the rest of his AT hike might have gone had he ventured over to the Chinese restaurant instead that night.

Since Mulligan and I had been at the restaurant for quite a few hours already, we left fairly early. But then again, “hiker midnight” is as early as 7PM and typically no later than 9PM, so it was time for bed. Even if we hadn’t hiked at all that day. Out body clocks were set and it was time to turn in for the evening. We walked back to the hostel, climbed into our bunks, and fell fast asleep.

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