day 48 - 04/27

i planned my miles so that by the end of today i could stay at the bears den hostel, reportedly one of the best on the trail. so after hiking 18.8mi in 5.75 hours, i got to sign put up by the blackburn potomac appalachian trail committee warning hikers that one is about to enter "the roller coaster." upon studying my guide i discover that i will quickly ascend and descend 9 peaks, some with a 600+ft elevation change, in only 9.8mi. so basically a mountain per mile. it was quite a roller coaster of a ride. so, needless to say, when i got to the bears den hostel, with its thru-hiker special of a bunk, hot shower, laundry, pizza, soda, and a ben n jerry's pint of ice cream all for 27.50, i was in elysian fields! (yes, that reference was for you uncle bink) i realized as i was putting in my laundry that other than rinsing my stuff out in streams and springs when dry weather permits, i haven't done laundry since damascus - aka 530mi ago. oops. i must not have smelled bad because when i asked the ladies at pass mt shelter they said i surprisingly smelled good in an "outdoorsy, manly way." maybe it's the pheromones??? lol. absolutely love the bears den hostel, which is on top of the 9th roller coaster hill, northbound (nobo), of course, in an old castle-like stone building. really cool. definitely tops the list of all the places i've stayed so far. 28.2mi from denton shelter to bears den hostel. 994.5 total.