Miles: 1003.2 | A tense morning discovery of embedded ticks gives way to steady miles, a solo push through the Rollercoaster, and a cooling river reset as salt chafe flares again. Crossing the 1,000-mile mark brings quiet pride, and the day ends in rare comfort at Bear’s Den Hostel—cold showers, real food, familiar faces, and the unmistakable feeling that something has shifted for good.
I got up early. My leg was itchy. I put my headlamp on and looked at my thigh. Three tiny black dots appeared where it itched. I inspected more closely. TICKS! Three tiny ticks the size of pin heads were stuck in my thigh. I grabbed my first aid kit from my toiletries bag and tried to find my tweezers. Why couldn’t I find my tweezers?! Then I remembered I let Miles use them at Open Arms Hostel. I thought he’d given them back. Maybe he hadn’t?
Either way I had no tweezers and my fingernails weren’t long enough to get ticks that small out. I knew I had at least 24 hours before they transmitted disease. I knew I’d see Miles and get my tweezers back sometime this morning. I should be fine, I thought. I calmly packed up the rest of my stuff.
I had about 18 miles to do that were going to be tough. The way the guide book made it sound there were only 10 bunks and laundry could only be done from 5pm-9pm at this ATC run hostel. I wanted to get there before 5. I was out of camp by 6:15am, the sun had just risen. The rain had cleared up again. I quickly caught up to Josh, thankfully. He didn’t have tweezers but he easily removed the ticks with his fingernails. Relief flooded me and I felt so much better.
It had been a while since I walked with Josh. We caught up a lot. He remarked on how much I’d changed. He said I was a lot calmer and more confident now. It felt good to hear that from someone I’d bonded with earlier on the trail. Along our walk we encountered a turtle! Which Murdock, of course, had to sniff.
We walked together until Ashby Gap, where I’d told Miles I’d meet him. Josh pushed on ahead. I sat by the side of the trail and leaned against my pack. I was so tired from waking up early and my sleep cycle was so off. I started eating a Lara Bar.... twenty minutes later I awoke with my head on my knees in front of me.
I’d fallen asleep, halfway through a Lara Bar, while waiting for Miles. It was around 10:45am now. I wanted to get to the hostel by 5pm. I still had time but I wanted to get a move on with 13 miles still ahead of me. After waiting for 45 minutes, I wrote Miles a note and put it in a baggies with a Clif bar (he totally didn’t have enough food). I stuck it to the fence at the side of the trail with Leukotape and started walking again.
I caught up to Josh about a mile and a half later. He was drying out his gear next to a river. I talked to him for a bit. We did the math: if I left now and didn’t stop for any breaks more than 10 minutes while doing 2 miles per hour through the roller coaster. I started to lower my expectations. I didn’t want to get my hopes up for a shower and laundry and food and salt chafe relief if it wasn’t possible.
I decided if I wasn’t going to get there by 5pm I might as well chill out so I put on a podcast and went to set off up the trail. I heard yelling through my headphones almost as soon as I crossed the stream. When I turned back I saw Miles, Tang, and Mark with Josh. I stopped and turned back. They all took out their gear to dry it in the sun. I took a break with them and ate another snack. A butterfly landed on my hand while we were there!
We all hit the trail together after our snacks. Josh and Tang were planning on meeting Journeyman (who previously took us all in when we were in Asheville, NC) at Bear’s Den and hiking with him to Boiling Springs, PA. So we were all going to the same place.
Eventually we all settled into our own paces and began walking separately. I was the first one to make it to the rollercoaster. I put my headphones in and listened to a podcast while I tackled the first climb. It was hot but I stayed hydrated. Sweat poured off my face and soaked my clothes. I stopped for a break after the third peak by a river.
The salt chafe kicked in again and my back hurt like I had laid on stinging nettles. I couldn’t stand still and it stung like mad. I took off my shirt and walked right into the river and laid down. My shorts were already soaked with sweat anyway! The relief from the cold water felt so good.
I laid in the cold water for a few minutes. Eventually, when the stinging subsided I got up and dried off with my camp towel. I put my pack back on and started walking again, up the fourth peak. I listened to Radiolab’s live show via podcast for the next few climbs. And eventually I made it to 1,000 miles!
Shortly after 1,000 I came up a hill and saw some boulders that were Bear’s Den’s name sake. I found the blue blaze to the hostel and followed it up a gravel road. I rounded the corner at 6pm and saw a big stone gate. Just inside was a big stone house (apparently a model castle) and a gazebo. The perfectly mowed green lawn glimmered in the afternoon light and dew of last nights rain. It looked like heaven. On the other side of the lawn I saw TNT and Biscuits of the Woo Crew!
I went over to say hi to them. TNT had just gotten new shoes! They told me they were going into DC with a friend tonight. We talked about the hostel and how cool it was. They told me about the hiker special: $30 for a bunk, a pint of Ben & Jerry’s, a frozen pizza, a soda, and laundry. The best deal I’ve ever gotten at a hostel. I bid them farewell as their ride to DC arrived and I headed down to the hiker entrance to check in.
As I was taking my pack off I saw Journeyman pull into the parking lot! He had Murdock with him. He went and picked up Josh, Tang, Mark, Knots, and Stripes packs so that they could slackpack the rollercoaster. We chatted a bit about what’s been going on since I last saw him. He said I seem much happier now. Even a person I had only met thrice noticed a change in me! I was proud of myself for a moment. But then I remembered the salt chafe, it was kicking in again now that I was standing still. I parted with Journeyman to go check in.
Upstairs I got the hiker special and found a bunk. Then I went to shower as quickly as possible. The cold shower was a great relief. I used a washcloth and dabbed my back with cold, soapy water. Rubbing the skin hurt too much. I felt a few small cuts on my lower back from where my pack had rubbed the back of my hips. I scrubbed the caked on dirt off of my inner calves and washed my arm pits four times over. After a very long shower, I got out and dried off.
I made my frozen pizza and ate it with Jeans (Shirt Pants’ brother). Eventually Miles arrived and got the hiker special, too. I hung around and talked to some hikers for a while. I went outside to the gazebo and called Chelsea, my friend in Iowa. I ate my pint with Miles. Shirt Pants told us that he was discussing get off trail with his parents. He was only 17 and they wanted him to keep hiking but he wanted to go home. We listened and tried to convince him to stay. We weren’t sure if we’d see them again.
We retired to bed as the rain started falling outside. Sometime in the night I woke up to the sound of crinkling plastic. It looked like everyone was asleep, though. I got up and looked around when it didn’t stop. I shined my red headlamp light into the Trashman by the door. A mouse looked back up at me from the bottom of the trash can! I took the whole trash can outside and left it on the front steps. I returned to bed and finally fell asleep after that.