Bama➡️Baxter Day 77&78

Day 77: 18.4 miles

This morning we woke up bright and early and packed our things in the motel. Then the man who we met yesterday came and picked us all up around 7:00 a.m. to bring us back to trail. The car he drove was teeny tiny but we all somehow managed to fit. And the guy drove a bit like a maniac, but we were all just happy to be getting back to trail.

Getting a ride back to trail with a random guy from Bland, VA.

He dropped us of at the Brushy Mountain Outpost and we headed inside to score some breakfast before continuing on. Our plan was to stay at a hostel tonight which was 18 miles away. So we wanted to get there as early as possible to really be able to enjoy ourselves.

Eating breakfast at the Brushy Mountain Outpost.

There was a climb to start off the day, but it wasn’t too bad. We pushed 6.3 miles before taking our first break of the morning. I had packed out a second breakfast sandwich to eat at our first stop which was killer. We tried not to break for too long and just keep moving.

Lounging with Roxy at our first break of the day.

From there we managed to push out another 6.8 miles in between breaks. Everyone was feeling really good for sure. I was in the zone jamming out to music. Fueled by the idea of getting a hot meal later and sleeping in a bed for the night. We stopped for our next break alongside a road. Everybody ate snacks and chilled out. And we only had 4.9 miles to go to the hostel! Time was really flying by which felt fantastic. Once we ate and sat for a while we decided to head out and finish up the last handful of miles.

Hitting the AT 600 mile marker this morning!

Even though we didn’t start walking until 8:30 a.m., we still managed to get to the road junction for the hostel by 3:30 p.m.! Not too shabby. There were three beers waiting at the trailhead for us, which we enjoyed while we walked along the road. That felt like some pretty serendipitous trail magic for sure.

Trail magic beers just before we got to Weary Feet Hostel

When we got to the hostel Spring Break, Tia, GG, Stakes, and Gummy Bear were all there already hanging out on the porch. Everyone was wearing wild loner clothes and it was quite the vibe. We got let into our room and gathered our clothes to do a load of laundry.

Hikers hanging out on the porch of Weary Feet Hiker Hostel.

Then the amazing owner of Weary Feet Hostel let us borrow their truck and drive it down the road to a nearby gas station restaurant. The trust and generosity of strangers along the AT is truly unbelievable at times. At the store we all ordered some hot food and sat to wait. I also got an orange creamsicle milk which I had never heard of before. It was surprisingly delicious too.

Sweet Pea driving the truck courtesy of Weary Feet Hostel.

After we ate, we drove back to the hostel, and all were able to shower and flip over our laundry. Then I relaxed in my bed in the room for a while which was great.

Our bunk room at Weary Feet.

Later on we hung out with everybody downstairs. I really love this group of hikers that we’ve been around lately.

Before we called it a night, all of us crowded around Spring Breaks phone and watched an episode of the Queens Gambit. We started it a couple weeks ago and have been watching an episode here and there whenever we can. It’s a super good show. Then we all headed off to call it a night.

Watching TV on Spring Breaks phone at the hostel.

A bunch of hikers eating dinner at Weary Feet Hostel.

The sign at Weary Feet Hostel.

Day 78: 8 miles

This morning we woke up in the hostel and packed up our things. Then headed down to eat breakfast before getting back on trail. Everyone got a spread of pancakes, eggs, and sausage which was delicious. And by 8:30 a.m. we were all ready to walk.

Sweet Pea bought a few too many beers last night so he gave me a tall boy to pack out. But almost as soon as I put it into the side pocket of my backpack it hit against my CNOC bag and the can exploded! Beer filled my outside pocket and went all over the place. It was truly nightmarish. I managed to clean it up as best I could and then we got to walking.

Flowers growing alongside the trail.

We wound up going about two miles and then taking a side trail down to Dismal Falls, a massive waterfall with a swimming hole. Just about everyone stripped down and got into the water. It was freezing cold but actually felt amazing. This was one of the first times that I’ve actually swam along the trail so far.

Swimming in the waters of Dismal Falls.

Dismal Falls.

Hanging out by the top of the waterfall at Dismal Falls.

Eventually we headed out from there and did another six miles. There was a beautiful pond which we couldn’t resist stopping at. It was only around 1:00 p.m., but we decided to take a nice long break there. People began to joke that we should just spend the whole day by the pond. And as it goes, the jokes became more and more real as time went on. Before we knew it, we were talking about staying the night by the pond and waking up insanely early tomorrow to do the remaining 19 miles into Pearisburg, VA.

Eventually the decision became unanimous. We were going to call it a day only eight miles in and relax by the pond. Spring Break got a fire going and we all set up our tents. Then we got into the water and swam for a long while. It was surprisingly warm and really nice.

Lounging by the fire at our camp site by the pond.

Swimming in the pond after deciding to call it a day 8 miles in.

The rest of the day was spent lounging by the pond and the roaring fire. I had zero regrets about our decision to get sidetracked and stay there all day. By 6:00 p.m. I was laying in my tent and calling it a night. We planned to wake up around 2:30 a.m. to be walking by 3:00 a.m. That way we could still get into town tomorrow bright and early and hit the Chinese buffet!

Smokey and Sweet Pea lounging at our campsite by the pond.