Rice Field Shelter 1548.9 to Woods Hole Hostel 1567.6 (18.7 miles, 1567.6 total miles)
I was surprised the night had been just slightly warmer than recently, and I even took my hat and gloves off in the night. It did take me a while to fall asleep and I kept waking up, probably because of the amount of caffeine I’d consumed during the day.
I’d set my alarm for 6, but at 5:45AM, I saw and heard Anna was up and getting packed. She didn’t have a red light on her headlamp, she’d told us the evening before, but I didn’t mind at all that she’d woken me up.
I actually liked the motivation of someone else up and moving, which helped me get going as well. Slice started getting up, too, while I hid under my quilt for a little longer, resting my eyes but not in any danger of falling back asleep.
Anna left just after 6, as I started working on making hot coffee with my last breakfast essential from Shrek. I chatted with Slice, and we both said we were only going to hike to Pearisburg today, not wanting to be caught up on the ridge before Woods Hole when the weather came in.
It had occurred to me that I didn’t have proper rain gear, and that could be a problem with how cold it had become. I figured I’d hike to Pearisburg then get a shuttle to the hostel, starting back in Pearisburg when the weather broke.
The morning became much colder and breezy, with Slice hiking into a now very foggy day at 6:30. It helped immensely to have worn my hiking clothes under my warm layers, though I did have to change into hiking socks.
I ate a bagel with cream cheese for breakfast and drank my coffee, finishing packing my bag by taking my puffy jacket off and putting my cold hiking shoes on, though I did have Hot Hands in my gloves.
As I reached the turnoff back to the Appalachian Trail, I saw Peacock making his way over to the shelter, where he’d left his water bag. I said good morning to him, then got on the trail myself at 7:20, hiking at a brisk pace to warm up.
It took 30 minutes of hiking to feel my toes again, climbing down the ridge toward town. I stopped after a couple miles to take out my earbuds, but ended up removing my hat, rain jacket, gloves, and fleece while I was at it.
I threw on a podcast, already feeling tired from my big day before and poor quality sleep. I walked along a Jeep road briefly, past a power line, then over Pocahontas Road, where I’d contemplated shuttling from the day prior.
I put on music as I climbed up a little hill from the road, then completed another little up and down toward town. I stopped for a couple minutes a little before 9AM to phone Woods Hole Hostel.
I knew there were a few other hikers in the area heading there, so I wanted to make sure the hostel had a bunk available for a day or two to shelter from the weather, and to see about work for stay.
I spoke with a man on the phone, then the owner Neville, a woman who was very kind. She said they could see what was available for work for stay, or they have a trail magic jar available as well.
I told her I wasn’t sure if I was going to hike all the way there or get a shuttle in Pearisburg, but said I would let her know when I reached town.
When I was just outside Pearisburg, I could see a landfill to my right, then an industrial plant as I came out by US Route 460, a busy highway. It was 9:30, and I had a decision to make.
Apple Weather said that it was supposed to start raining in Pearisburg at noon. Atweather.org said that the closest shelter to the hostel on the ridge was expecting rain more around 4PM, with possible heavy wind gusts.
I remembered someone telling me rain tended to happen in the valleys more often than the mountains. I had 12.4 miles to go, which would only take four hours to hike, if not for a very steep 3 mile climb up to the ridge.
My gut was telling me to keep hiking, so I decided to go for it and texted Neville that I’d see her that afternoon.
Decision made, I hiked across the New River Bridge next to the highway, eating a clif bar as I went and an energy gel packet, hoping it didn’t make me irritable again. I thought it was most likely the energy shot that had done the damage yesterday, thankful I didn’t have any more of those.
I kept the music playing as I turned back into the woods, past a sign pointing toward Pearis Cemetery, and along a well manicured gravel path with many benches that was clearly made for casual use. I saw my first cardinal in a while flit across the trail in front of me and fly into the foliage.
I passed through Pearis Cemetery parking, the official marker of town in the guide, and mistakenly stepped into a very deep spot of mud that had looked dry with my left foot.
I tried to wipe it off on the wet grass ahead, as I hiked hard toward the ascent. It was a 3 mile long climb of 2,200 feet, and had some switchbacks, but mostly was a straight incline up the mountain.
A mile and a half in, I stopped for a moment at a spot that had been a water source, but was now unusable puddles. I didn’t hear or see the leaf that was mentioned in the guide, but I did stop to fuel up for the rest of the ascent.
I mixed a 4Cs into my remaining half liter of water, drinking half of it down. Then I pulled out a large Butterfingers bar I’d bought in Daleville because it was only 79 cents, and wolfed it down while I continued climbing, slightly nauseated by the sugar.
It did the job, though, and so did my playlist, as I climbed ever higher. I saw the ridge I’d descended from earlier was currently socked in, and remembered that the Rice Field Shelter weather report had been calling for 2PM rain.
I wondered why a ridge to my north would get rain earlier than the one I was on, since the hurricane was coming from the south. I supposed the cyclical nature of the storm could do that, but I also supposed I could be totally making that up.
I arrived at Angel’s Rest Rock on a short blue blaze at 11:08 and snapped a quick picture before getting back on the trail. The view was nice, but probably would have been nicer on a clearer day.
I was almost done climbing for the moment, wending my way through enormous boulders before continuing up a bit more to a flat spot, panting with effort and feeling exhausted from how fast I’d gone, but pleased to have the hardest and slowest part of my day over.
Half a mile later I found the .2 side trail to a spring, the only good water source it seemed for quite some time. I had read it was an easy, flat walk, so I dropped my pack, grabbed my liter bottle with the filter and set off down the trail.
A few minutes into the walk, I looked up and saw Slice hiking back down the spring trail toward me. We saw each other and laughed, saying we both must have had the same idea to keep hiking, and each thought the other had as well.
After a minute of chatting, I kept going, collecting a liter at the beautiful, cold pooling water source, drinking a few sips straight from the filter.
I walked back to my pack and filtered the liter, happy the whole process had only taken 10 minutes start to finish, and left a comment in the guide that it was very good water.
I drank a few more sips of my 4Cs and put on my fleece before I kept going. The ridge was very nice, with tall flowers on either side, open forest to my right, and spots of tall, bare trees outlining the flat gray sky.
The music was good, and my pace was fast. The trail wasn’t too rocky, though there were a few grassy spots that hid rocks, making it easy to stub my toe or trip on one.
I split the ridge into sections in my mind, and the first section was a 3.4 mile descent down to a campsite. I ate a packet of peanut butter crackers and ran into Anna at a power line a mile from the campsite, where she said she was going to the hostel as well.
It took an hour and ten minutes to make the 3.4 and, very pleased with my progress, I finished my 4Cs and removed my fleece for the next 3 miles. That section included mostly climbing, and a short descent to Doc Knob Shelter.
I was in need of a privy by then, and didn’t want to stop to dig a hole. Unfortunately that meant I couldn’t eat lunch or enough food to fuel me properly, so I dragged a little on my way up the incline.
It began to sprinkle on me here and there, while I hoped it wouldn’t turn into anything more heavy. There was no service on that ridge at all, so I couldn’t check if anything had changed in the report.
It wasn’t windy, though, which I took as a good sign. I finally made it to the deserted shelter, and privy, scaring Peacock accidentally as he walked up on me as I donned my fleece and pack to leave, him not expecting to see another hiker there.
I left while he signed the logbook, tucking my trekking poles under my arm so I could eat my last bagel for lunch. I was going slow because of that, and Peacock caught and passed me quickly.
The climb was only .8 over 300 feet to a cliff view off a very short side trail. It was an easy descent from there to the road, and I put on Goblet of Fire, laughing aloud as I went, wondering why some scenes got funnier over time.
I felt quite tired toward the end, but didn’t want to consume any more caffeine being late in the day. I put away my rain coat, since I hadn’t been rained on again fortunately, and hit the road at 2:20.
It was a half mile road walk down a gravel road, and I passed the gate into Woods Hole at 2:30 on the dot, impressed with myself as I’d told Slice at the water source if didn’t take any breaks I thought I’d get there at 2:30.
The hostel was an absolutely beautiful place, with a log cabin, a bunkhouse, a shower house, a garden, and more. It had a very lovely vibe, and I was glad I’d hiked all the way there.
White Walker, a current flip flop thru hiker on a work for stay break, signed me into the bunkhouse. Inside, I saw Peacock, Slice, Rudolph, and Hippy Gandalf. Pleadian was hiking a bit ahead of the other two, because he was getting off trail for nine days soon for his sister’s wedding.
Slice and I took showers, which were extremely hot and lovely, chatting in the side by side stalls about our experiences up in New Hampshire and Maine. We did laundry together after that, and I found some cozy town clothes to wear.
They’d started a pellet stove fire for us inside the bunkhouse, which was extremely warm and comfortable as I sat with the others, talking and joking. The rain had started, making for a wonderful feel, as I found a bunk upstairs in a quiet, dark corner.
I helped prepare dinner in the homey kitchen with Neville, White Walker, Mary, and Hugo, two others who were working with Neville. It was a great time, as I shredded cheese, chopped lettuce and apples for salad, and helped set up the spread.
Neville led us all in a moment of gratitude, and all the hikers went around in a circle stating what we were grateful for. Dinner was absolutely amazing, with a vegetable stew, rice, steak, salad, and incredible cheesy jalapeño bread, with homemade cookies for dessert.
After dinner, I found Grandma Gatewood’s Walk on the very well stocked bookshelf in the lounge off the dining room in the main house. I did a little reading, before retiring to the bunk room to write.
The vibe at Woods Hole was extremely serene and peaceful. Neville had a very calming and sincere presence, and I truly felt it was one of the most special places to stop on trail. Even more that it had worked out to shelter from the storm here with a group of other hikers and travelers. I felt very fortunate.