Hiking to Boots off Hostel on the Appalachian Trail

After hiking late into the night last night, I definitely wasn’t ready for an early morning. My alarms went off between 4:30am-5am but I just kept snoozing. Then I heard Punisher start his stove around 6am and I followed suit. Today we only have to go about 25 miles to get to Boots Off Hostel, where we’re planning on staying the night.

We got moving right around 7am and had a really cruisy start to the day. Today there aren’t really any particularly big climbs until the end of our day. For the first 10 miles or so we just cruised up and down rolling hills. You would climb for maybe 5-10 minutes at the max and then begin another gradual descent. Some stretches were a bit steep, but they didn’t last long. In comparison to the type of climbing we’ve been doing since getting on the AT it felt really good.

Leaving the Mountaineer Shelter this morning.

There were some areas along the trail where all of the trees and rhododendrons opened up, making way for pristine views of blue mountains in the distance. We even passed by a water fall called Hardcore Cascades. And over the next couple of hours we did have to deal with more blowdown damage. There were areas which required going slightly off trail to get around the downed trees. Even one or two brief sections where you had to climb through thick thorns and other plants to pass a tree. It wasn’t ideal, but it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. So much has been cleared out through this area. I’m grateful for the extent of clearing that has been accomplished in such a short period of time.

Walking through a forest of rhododendrons.

Around 9am I got a text message from my buddy Ricochet, saying he was only a mile ahead of us! He actually tented at a spot just before the shelter last night. But because it was off trail we couldn’t see him. He had an earlier day than we did so he got a slightly earlier start, and passed right by us at the shelter. This means we’ll be catching up to him at some point today! I was so disappointed yesterday that we never saw him. I figured we must have passed by his tent or something without seeing him. Which would have been super disappointing. I haven’t seen him since the PCT in 2022. Then we talked on the phone toward the end of last year, talking about the calendar year triple crown. As we were both planning on doing a similar big hike for the year.

By 10am we passed by a shelter which had been almost entirely destroyed by hurricane helene. That is the first damaged shelter that we’ve seen because the other ones we’ve passed by have been off trail. And I’m not going to take a side trail just to look at a damaged shelter. Though I do love seeing the shelters and taking a look around if we pass by them. And I love staying in them even more!

Mushrooms growing along a tree.

By around 11am I could see a hiker down the trail in the distance, and I knew it had to be Ricochet! I called out to him and he waited for us to catch up. It was so awesome to see him! I love how the trail brings people back into your life over and over. It’s pure magic. We started walking and talking with him. And unfortunately the wound on his foot has only gotten worse since he got back on yesterday. He was hopeful that it had healed enough that it could continue healing. But all of the rubbing from walking all day really tore it up.

It’s hard to imagine how much your foot scrapes and rubs all day long on trail. Until you walk for 8-12 hours in a day it’s pretty tough to fully understand. Apparently his doctors had given him the go ahead to try getting back on trail. But on the AT the terrain is hardly ever flat, and is usually pretty rocky. So your feet just twist, turn, bend, and rub, all day long. I felt so bad that he was back to square one. And after taking 30 days off trail to heal he now has to get back off trail again.

Aside from some brief rain it was a blue sky day with great views!

That was upsetting to hear. I can completely imagine the devastation of not being able to continue on with your mission. That’s the whole reason you’re out here! And having plans such as the calendar year triple crown would be hard to have to pause or give up on. Especially when it’s not the mental or even physical aspect. It’s one terrible wound or injury that is physically preventing you from continuing on.

Hardcore Cascades which we walked past in the early part of the day.

I was just glad that we caught up to him and could hike with him for the rest of the day. At this point Boots Off Hostel was maybe only 10-12 miles away. So we knew that we would be getting there pretty soon. If it’s going to possibly be Ricochet’s last day on the CYTC for the year then we could at least make it a fun one!

Those next handful of miles were a delight. The trail was either gradual uphill, or primarily a mixture of downhill with the occasional small climb. We were heading toward the Laurel Falls area. Which is one of my favorite sections of the AT! The waterfall is so beautiful. And the trail surrounding the area is really unique. You walk along narrow cliff right off the river. The rocky trail weaves around briefly before bringing you back to dirt trail.

Laurel Falls.

In 2023 it was a nice sunny day and we swam in the water beneath the falls. But today it was chilly even with the sun out! I managed to just wear my sun hoodie and shorts, but it was certainly not warm enough for a swim. When we got down to the waterfall we checked it out and continued on. Then the trail followed along the river for a couple miles more.

Eventually you cross over a bridge and begin a long climb along the other side. It’s about 3 miles in total and is the last climb before the road where Boots Off Hostel is. I didn’t remember the climb to be too terrible, and was hopefully that my memory was correct. Once we got going I actually felt really strong. The grade was perfect to just continue pushing on and maintain a good pace. You were climbing uphill continuously, but it wasn’t incredibly steep. There would be sections with steps going up. But then the trail would level out just long enough for you to get comfortable again.

Crossing over the bridge to the other side, where the final climb of the day began.

I felt really good going up and led the way. I don’t always like leading on climbs because I like everyone to be able to set their own pace. Punisher climbs really strong and sometimes I find myself lagging maybe 10-20 feet behind when the grade gets really steep. But he just keeps pace and can continue on without any issue. Hiking with him has definitely made me a stronger hiker. I have felt my breathing and pace on climbs improve alot over the last couple of weeks. It doesn’t matter what the climb is, we’ll go up the whole thing without stopping. Then we’ll get to the top and just keep moving.

I love hiking with someone who I would consider to be a “stronger hiker than me”. Obviously that phase is difficult to define and it’s very personal to every individual. But for me, when I hike with someone who moves quicker than me, climbs faster than me, or does bigger miles than me, it makes me stronger. That energy is contagious at times. And also just regularly pacing with someone who is a bit faster can be great training. So it has been an absolute delight to grow as a hiker and get even stronger on trail this year hiking with Punisher.

When we got up toward the top of the mountain there was a false summit. I remembered it from 2023 fortunately and didn’t get too excited. You go downhill briefly after that before you begin the final push up toward the tip. We got up further and Punisher hollered to me. There were some flags off to the side of the trail along trees. He had reach a comment from last year that the flags marked an alternate route, avoiding blowdowns ahead. But I figured that most of the trail had been cleared. And from where we stood at that moment the trail looked clear ahead.

The beautiful lake on the other side of the mountain! We’ll be walking by this tomorrow.

But we definitely should have followed those flags. We walked for a few hundred more yards and then hit a pile of trees. After walking around the first chunk we wound up in the middle of a field full of huge down trees. In order to pass through we had to climb through limbs and brush. Then climb up and over, under, and in between huge trees to pass through. Punisher could see more flags off in the distance so we just headed in that general direction. And after wading through an ocean of massive trees we finally popped back out onto the trail. That was a dang mess! I guess we should have just followed the flags.

Not long after that we were up at the top of the climb. Then waited at the next camp site for Ricochet to catch up. He hadn’t been that far behind on the climb. And lucky for him, he ran into a day hiker on his way up and the guy told him to follow the flags! So he actually rolled up just a few minutes after we arrived. Because he saved himself a whole lot of time and effort just by going the better direction. 

Descending down towards Boots Off.

Then we all began the 3 miles decent down to the road. Boots off Hostel is right down the street and is an incredible hostel! I stayed there in 2023 and am so excited to be back. And actually Shep, the Chaplin and trail angel that we’ve seen a few times this year, is putting the two of us up for the night! He already called and arranged for us to stay at the hostel which is absolutely amazing. And makes this long stretch to Damascus feel a whole lot easier. It would have been 4.5 days for us to get there. And now on the 3rd day out we get to stay the night at the hotel, eat some food, and replenish ourselves.

When we got to the hostel we were greeted by Lucky Moon, who was absolute delight. She was so sweet and recognized us, and told us that everything was arranged for us for the day! It was about 3:30pm at this point which was nice and early. We get to check in, get situated, shower, and then the staff at the hostel offered to shuttle us into Hampton around 5pm. I wasn’t expecting that we would get to go to town, so that was an awesome surprise.

The sign on trail for Boots off Hostel.

Once we got there I dropped my bag off and headed straight to the store. And wouldn’t it just be my luck, they had one water filter left on the shelf! Mine froze the first morning leaving Erwin. And I was just to nervous to ever use it again. Once they freeze they can drop filtered effectively. And the last thing I need is to get sick off of bad water. Now I’m back in the game.

Inside the store I also got a Yoo-hoo, a Dr Pepper, and 2 hot pockets. I definitely didn’t eat or drink enough today, as I was so excited to just get to town. Once again we never even stopped to break over the course of the day. We just kept on moving from start to finish.

For the next couple of hours we all just hung out. I got some writing and video work done. Then took a really nice shower in their outside shower set up. After that the shuttle driver was ready to take us into Hampton. We would stop off at a grocery store and then a McDonald’s. Which I was so dang excited about!

I don’t need any resupply because I still have so much food. But I wanted some chocolate milk, juice, and maybe a dessert. I got a half gallon of chocolate milk of course. This one was whole milk so the whole container was 2,000 calories. Then I got a bottle of mango peach V8 juice. Which I realize isn’t good for you, but it’s delicious and it has a few vitamins and what not. I planned to drink some and then fill my bottles up for tomorrow.

After we all got what we needed we drove to McDonald’s next. And I went hard on my order. I got a Big Mac combo with a large fry and a caramel frappe. And I also got 12 chicken nuggets. I know I need to be packing on the calories. So every time I’m in town I have to try my best. If I eat all of that McDonald’s and drink the half gallon of chocolate milk it will be about 6,000 calories. Not too shabby. Plus I got some donuts for dessert and planned to drink some juice as well. This is how you keep weight on along a hike such as this. I might not be able to eat 4,000+ calories in a day when I’m out hiking. But I can sure try to eat even more calories when I’m in town. And we’re moving quick enough to be in town every couple of days.

From there we just drive back to the hostel to chill out. I feasted on my McDonald’s and then drank some of the milk. Then we just spent the rest of the night shooting the shit in the kitchen area. It was such a blast spending the day with Ricochet. It’s such a bummer that he’s getting off trail again after today. Hiking together for a bit would have been really cool. Especially since we were going for the same goal.

For the next few hours laughed wildly as we all shared stories and joked around. It felt so good to just mess around and laugh. It was the perfect way to end off another solid day along the trail. Especially after doing two very difficult days of hiking back to back.

Earlier in the evening we had gotten word that a hiker was in distress on top of the mountain that we climbed before town. We had actually passed him on our way up! I remember that he had an AT hiker tag and was seemingly having a little bit of trouble at the start of the 3 mile climb. There are some steep steps and it can be slow going. But when he had gotten up to the top he got turned around and headed into the blowdowns. He wound up getting lost and wasn’t sure if he could get out.

Originally Ricochet had offered to go up there and bring the guy down. Even though his foot is badly injured and uncomfortable to walk on. Lucky Moon had said that Punisher and I weren’t even in the running for the rescue mission, just because we have to do another big day tomorrow. But either hiker named Voodoo actually wound up saving the day and going up there.

The adorable cubbies at Boots off for hikers gear.

Back in 2023 I met Voodoo for the first time at Boots Off. He was around helping with shuttling and what not prior to trail days. Our paths wound up crossing a few times. Now he lives in the area and just happened to come by at the right time. He threw on a pack and immediately hiked out to bring food to the other hiker and help him down. I guess he had blood sugar issues and was pretty much out of food as well.

By 9:30pm Voodoo arrived back at the hostel with the hiker. The guy was ridiculously grateful for the help. It took hours for him to get up there and then successfully help the guy get down. I imagine he was just exhausted from the whole situation, and possibly also dealing with the blood sugar issues.

The bunk room at Boots Off.

Once they got back we stayed up a bit longer chatting with Voodoo. That gave me time to continue working on my chocolate milk and get in on some donuts. Then some time after 10pm we finally decided to call it a night. I always wind up staying up so late in town! When we got into the bunk room I still had a lot of writing and video work to get done too. So I stayed up doing all of that for another hour or so. Then eventually called it a night.

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