Day 8 - Deep Gap to Dicks Gap/Blueberry Patch Hostel

Today was a good day – our first day and night off (after hiking three miles down to the road). Gary from the Blueberry Patch picked us up and brought us to his hostel. There are bunks for seven. He did our laundry for us, even folded it! First clean clothes.

Took a hot shower and then put on the sweet-smelling clothing. What a novelty. We hitched into town (got a ride from a really nice woman on her way to the dump). Went to Ingles supermarket to resupply, then stopped at a thrift shop and picked up a short-sleeved poly print shirt ($3.81).

Dave, Pacman, Charlie, and Murph

Oh, at the hostel are hiker boxes – good stuff! Lots of food, some toiletries, clothes, etc. Fun to pick through and throw stuff into! 

We decided to go to Daniels Restaurant for a $5.50 AYCE buffet. Salad bar, mashed potatoes, gravy, fried chicken, cheesecake. Good food, but I ate too much. Tried to hitch back to the hostel. The first guy wanted to charge us $5. We said no thanks. Then a kid in a Corvette (I think) stopped and we piled in.

A man named Adrian from Switzerland had arrived at the hostel; then Julie and Virginia came in. They know a lot about hiker food and are entertaining. It’s weird being in a room with electricity and a refrigerator. There’s a wood stove here, too, so it’s quite toasty.