Miles: 1003.2 | A relentless rainstorm turns intention into intuition, and instead of pushing forward, we choose recovery. Pancakes, shared food, long naps, blogging progress, chess, and unexpected trail magic make Bear’s Den feel like a sanctuary—proof that sometimes the most productive decision on trail is staying put and letting your body catch up.
I woke up that morning with every intention to head back out into the rain. I groggily rolled over on my bunk and hopped down to the floor. I slowly packed and went out into the dining room. Some hikers pointed me toward some pancakes you can make yourself in the kitchen. The hiker special just kept getting better!
I went into the kitchen and Knots offered to make pancakes for Miles and myself! I got a cup of coffee while I waited. I set up at one of the tables in the dining room and then went and got some maple syrup I’d been carrying around just for this sort of occasion (thanks, Mom)! We ate breakfast quietly as we looked out at the pouring rain. I looked at Miles tiredly and said, “I really don’t want to go back out there.” He shook his head and said, “Me neither.” I asked, “What if just one of us gets the hiker special tonight and we share the food, that way it would be cheaper?” He laughed, “You’re always thinking of something!” We finished our breakfast and made the final decision to stay another night.
Glenn, the caretaker set us up downstairs in the hiker lounge at two bunks. I noticed in between two sets of bunks was a computer! Glenn said we could use it but the internet is spotty during storms. I got another cup of coffee before he closed the kitchen and started blogging. I blogged for hours, updated my gear page, and finished 3 new posts.
Around noon Miles came in and told me they were giving out free Subway sandwiches outside for some event! We went out and talked to the volunteers at the event and ate sandwiches. The free lunch was a nice surprise! After lunch, I took a nap. Miles played online chess while I slept.
It felt so good to have dry skin for a day. No salt chafe to bother me. No wet clothes and mildew smelling pack. It was nice to look outside at the rain while staying dry.
I slept on and off for a few hours until 6pm. Around then, we went upstairs to get our pizza and ice cream. There was a lot of history in this place. We played a game of chess on the hostel’s larger chess board. Water Boy and Thumper were there along with Spoons, Stellar, and Battle Lion!
I was in bed by 9pm, happily dry.