Appalachian Trail SOBO Day 87 – The iconic Woods Hole
21st October 2023
VA route 100 / Pearisburg (1561.4) - Sugar Run Road (1572.9)
Daily miles: 11.5
Total miles: 1582.2
It was a surprisingly good nights sleep considering how full the bunk house was. I thought some people were getting a shuttle out at 7am but at 6:30am there had been no movement.
Eventually people started getting up and moving to the communal cabin to get coffee.
Morning mirror selfie – seriously how do people make these look good?!
We finally met Sidequest and Safety Inspector who we have been seeing in all the trail logs. Sidequest was excited to see other females after hiking with all boys for so long. The said they were trying to finish on the 16th and we tried to convince them to finish on the 18th. They didn’t say no. We also tried to convince them to not do a 25 mile day and stop at Woods Hole hostel with us.
The communal caravan
Call your MOM!
Woods Hole isn’t a super convenient stop for us as it’s only 11 miles out of Pearisburg but it’s said to be the best hostel on the trail (and I missed staying there in 2018) so we decided to stay there.
We still had to leave at a reasonable time because Toe’s parents are coming to meet us and give us lunch and stay at Woods Hole with us.
We left at 08:45 with Rabbit Foot in tow and we were back on trail by 9am. We had nice light packs because we only had snacks for the day and I had a few leftover things in my resupply. Rabbit Foot didn’t have a light pack because he’s got a full resupply and a massive pack with a lot in it. He’s also carrying around 10 pounds of camera equipment. But he’s moving faster than I am, the man is a machine.
The bunk house
A hiker with the hugest pack
The first part of the day was a 2000ft climb which started gently and was not too bad. I hiked with May Queen for a little while and Rabbit Foot was behind us, probably frustrated at going so slow! And Cal hung back a bit to sort out his pack.
Pretty soon we were too warm so stopped to delayer and Rabbit Foot went on ahead. May Queen stopped to pee and I went ahead. I could see Lemonhope and Rabbit Root on the switchbacks above me. Toe was nowhere to be seen, she ran up the mountain to see her parents who had parked at the junction to the hostel and started hiking towards us.
I had to stop to put my jacket back on as the wind was icy cold. The rest of the day was spent trying to regulate my temperature with my buff and my hat.
The trail got a bit steep and I was struggling uphill with my not grippy shoes on slippery leaves. May Queen passed me. Then Cal passed me and went to the lookout point with Lemonhope.
Trying to keep up with May Queen
Big rocks
I walked the rest of the way with Cal, through a nice patch of rhododendrons, and along the top of the ridge which was a nice walk. May Queen stopped to dig a cat hole and then she caught up to us and hiked with us. We were just speculating about when we would catch up with Toe and her family when we saw them up ahead.
Big views
Trying to keep up with Cal
We were only about a mile from the road so we all walked in a big hiker train. Toe’s parents are awesome – I heard them talking to Rabbit Foot, he is aiming to finish earlier than us and Toe’s dad said he would pick him up from the trail head and he could stay at their house. They literally met 10 minutes ago!
Meeting Toe’s parents
Rabbit Foot’s massive bag
We got to the road and they brought out coolers of drinks and a big camping stove and heated up this really delicious butternut squash soup and made grilled cheese sandwiches. I had 2 bowls of soup and 2 grilled cheese. Hunger had really kicked in today. I ate 2 Milky Way and a Twix and a bunch of sweets this morning and my stomach was growling, although in hindsight I think it was growling for water because I was dehydrated.
Side of the road trail magic
Not sure what I’m trying to find in my food bag, it can’t be anything good
Grilled cheese and soup
We sat in the sun but after a while we were in the shade so it got quite cold. Rabbit Foot was going to hike on but changed his mind and came to the hostel with us, we managed to vortex him! We then got a message from Sidequest and her crew and they had only just left town so they were coming to the hostel as well. A SOBO hiker bubble of 10 people!!
During our time sat in the dirt I was able to look ahead and make a plan for the next few days on trail.
We loaded all our kit into the car and then walked the half mile down the road to the hostel. The hostel is cool. It’s quite quirky, rustic and homemade but that’s its charm. It’s also run with precision.
Woods Hole Hostel
Piggy
The bunk house
An iconic AT stop
They grow all the food here
We got a tour and bagged our beds - the dormitory is like a boarding school set up - and we didn’t really need to do any chores like laundry or showers because we did them all yesterday.
Toe’s dad drove us to Walmart to resupply, we got through that experience before dinner so afterwards we could just relax.
Dinner was incredible. All homemade and picked from the garden (apart from the cheese) even homemade tortillas for our rice and bean burritos, with sautéed veggies. There was homemade bread and salad from the garden too and I’m sure it was delicious but I was so full from the burrito I couldn’t fit it in. My stomach hurt again.
It’s all veggie food and it is delicious
Before dinner we had to go around the table and introduce ourselves and say what we were thankful for. I said I was grateful to be in a position where I can come here all the way from England and do this, and I am.
Around the dinner table
We had all just finished when Sidequest and her crew arrived and they all got fed dinner too. Huge burritos. There was so much food.
We played monopoly deal for a couple of rounds and chatted with everyone. I picked up my box from Aileen with my waterproof trousers and new charger (so both ports work) and there were a few treats in there too of course!
It was so nice to have only hiked 11.5 miles today. I think all of us were needing a break. Definitely good for the body and specifically the feet. Do I feel rested and relaxed? Not really. Do I feel uncomfortably full and weird on the stomach? Yes. Is eating refried beans yesterday and beans today playing havoc with my digestive system? Yes it really is.
