While it barely rained all day, the fog and mist kept all the vegetation at full moisture content so it was as good as raining.  Or I should say it was as bad as raining.

I woke up at 6:45 again and was off at 7:20 because it was still raining a slight bit.  No one else showed up to the shelter so I had it to myself all night and no detectable rodent visitors.

The morning was mostly just fog and mist.  The trail was graded well and not too rocky.  Water was plentiful as there were streams all around.

The highlight of the morning was getting to the road with Trent’s Grocery just a half mile down the road.  I decided to hit them up since I had eaten all my good food already.  It took only ten minutes to get there.  I had a hamburger and potato wedges with a lemonade, pepperoni and a mud pie for later, and ice cream for the road.  It started misting again as I got back on trail about 11:00.

My feet were starting to hurt a little on the tops of my toes around noon. Everything was still wet so there was no point in stopping to check.  But after my foot sunk a foot into mud, it was time for action.  I stopped at a stream and dunked both feet.  I sat on the bank and actually washed both my shoes and socks of all the mud.  I wrang my socks out best I could and put them back on.  If I could walk in dry conditions for an hour, I would have enough heat in them to change to some dry socks.

After an hour, they were not really dry enough, but the pain on the tops of my toes was getting bad.  I stopped and put on dry socks.  The tops of my toes seem to be irritating the hair follicles. It’s a bit of a cross between a blister and a rash.  Within ten minutes those socks were wet too but they were cleaner wet socks.  The vegetation was still wet so there was no point in breaking out a third pair.  I would have to make it on this pair.  I only had four or five miles to go.

With about two miles to go, the vegetation got super wet again because I was back in the fog again, so the shoes are soaked once more.  To add insult to injury, the last mile got really rocky.

I was planning on staying at the Woods Hole Hostel.  This place has been open to hikers since 1986 but I didn’t know about it back in 1989.  I tried to call to see if they were open and if they had bunk space but got no answer.  The closer I got, the worse the signal, so I would have to just show up and hope they had room.

I got there just before 5 and luckily they had plenty of space.  I got a bunk, shower, laundry, and a seat for both dinner and breakfast.  Since I only have ten plus miles to Pearisburg tomorrow I can afford to leave a little later.  Breakfast is at 8.

I showered and got my laundry to them and relaxed a little before dinner.  My feet are a wreck.  I’ve lost dead skin on about fifty percent of the sole of my feet, but almost none off the heels, which is good.  The weird sores on the tops of my toes are the part giving me the most pain.  I’m not sure what to do about those, buy we’ll see how they feel tomorrow.  Right now I have my shoes drying in front of the fireplace.

Dinner was amazing.  There was a Thai-like rice noodle dish with mushrooms, and a Mexican style rice and something dish.  Fresh salad with pears and a choice of several home made dressings.  There was also home made bread with egg salad, pimento cheese, and pesto aioli to go with it.  Then afterwards, amazing cookies.  This was definitely a good stop.  I can’t wait until breakfast.