Another aspect of the Appalachian Trail that I enjoy is hostel life. I’ve explained before all the reasons I believe living in a space that requires community and compassion is a good skill to practice but moreso hostels can be a really fun time. On the AT, hostels specifically cater to thru hikers as well as passerby’s like us. They provide a space to shower, resupply, and do laundry. If you’re lucky, you can catch up with WiFi and find some entertainment. We used The Wicked Waystation as our base camp. After staying here for an evening, we left the bus and got shuttles from the owner of the hostel and her close friend. Although, Amy and I had to use most of the day to pack for the AT and other chores, we were able to enjoy spending some time getting to know some of the other hikers staying the night, including Poo-Shoe Pork who unfortunately earned her trail name after stepping on a lone pile of human feces. In the evening the kids asked me what Monopoly is and so they explained learned the pros and cons of capitalism while we each ruthlessly tried to bankrupt our fellow family members. Amy was nodding off after the long day. The owners were really great people who just felt that with the boom of the ski resort nearby, this area does not have any reasonably priced lodging for hikers like us. She is so friendly she has been texting me for months to help me finalize a perfect plan. It’s a pleasure to finally meet her and I will be returning to her hostel for years to come.

Amy got jealous of Fitz and I visiting the mountain hut, she has the same nostalgia from years ago that I experienced. She woke up early and ran the three miles up another mountain to the stunning Lonesome Lake. She got there as the workers were preparing breakfast for the lodgers who stayed the night. Amy was able to grab a coffee and some feels before running back to wake us up to start the day.

After the trail, I made sure to find a cozy little space for us to enjoy town. The Arcady Lodge was a little outside of town so we had to tip our ride extra. It had a cute pool, shower, and electricity. It might as well have been The Plaza compared to our shelters the previous nights and we felt like we were living in luxury. We had the entire lodge to ourself on this random day in the middle of the week and a young employee from Ecuador named Alberto has made it his personal goal to treat us like royalty.He succeeds and I would frequent any business this man ever works at for the rest of his life. The lodge has free range chickens, ducks, and turkey; in the morning the staff would gather fresh eggs and whip us up the freshest omelets. Our bags stunk up the room so bad we had to just leave everything outside all night or risk suffocating. During the drive the next day we found a sign for a Chocolate Village, it turns out this chocolatier has been making a small Christmas village. We each chose some chocolates to go.

A couple shuttle bus pictures to get you hot.

Also Amy claims to be so accepting of everyone but this one little wasp with a two foot long stinger tries to join her for Yoga and you would think the wasp was the six fingered man the way she treated it.