My thanks giving Sunday was spent in Pearisburg VA in a sleazy motel and at a Pizza Hut. It was a miserable day walking into town because it was pissing down rain and blowing chilly winds. I was pretty homesick for my Grandads place where I would probably be if I were at home.

All night at the motel I could hear the other motel dwellers slamming doors and arguing, along with their yappy dogs barking. Not the place you would take your family on vacation. The rooms smelled funny, kind of minty and in the morning an ear wig crawled out of the bathtub… Needless to say, I was glad to hike out in the morning, even if it was still raining and windy. That place gave me the creeps.

Luckily that night we only had to hike 10 miles to get to a hostel out in the woods that was described as “a slice of heaven not to be missed”, and it turned out to be just that. We walked up to the old cabin from the 1800’s and went right inside. It was wonderful! So warm and cozy with 3 dogs and 2 cats who greeted me and wanted to cuddle. I sat on the couch and a cat came over and fell asleep on my lap, and then I fell asleep on the couch.

The couple who run the Woods Hole Hostel made us all a great dinner and we slept inside on a comfy bed that smelled good. I slept like a baby and a dog even came to cuddle up with me. Woods Hole saved the day. 🙂

Fall is here and the temperature is dropping. Sadly my warm jacket is somewhere in the mail, so it’ll be a few more days until I’m cozy in the evenings. At least my sleeping bag is warm!

As I get closer and closer to the end of the trail (515 miles left) I can’t help but get more and more homesick and excited to be done. I am trying to stay in the moment and enjoy my time here. I know there is still a lot to see, this week we are walking through a park that has wild ponies in it that come up to you! I’m so excited!

Hope all is well at home!