Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Day 3- Rod Hollow Shelter to Bears Den Hostel

Note:. This is a previous section hike I wrote up and never posted. We have big plans for summer of 2019, so I am getting caught up on our section hike records.


Mar 4
Miles Hiked: 10


We ate a quick breafast of ramen and left by 0745, hoping we could finish the last 17.5 miles to the car and sleep at home, warm in our beds. This ambitious plan was fued by hubris and a serious underestimation of the Rollercoaster.
I texted my wife and said "50/50 chance we will be home a day early."  Lol....i had no idea.

Shortly after leaving Rod Hollow, the Rollercoaster begins. The first climb was demanding, but we made it up. I though "Hey...that wasnt bad...we've done much harder climbs than this." Then we went down, and did it again, and again...and....

    A bit after 3pm in the afternoon, i stumbled into Bears Den Hostel, sat down in a comfy chair in a warm room...and knew we would be spending the night. It had only been a 10 mile day, but in those 10 miles we climbed 3k feet and descended 2.5k feet. We grabbed a couple bunks and waited eagerly for their signature Ben and Jerrys and Pizza dinner special.



    My recommendation: Bears Den Hostel is simply too clean, too warm, too pizza and too ice cream to hike past. Sure...youre a tough guy, you can hike right past and do the Rollercoaster in one day. And as you do that, all the other hikers will be at Bears Den enjoying their pizza, a shower and a comfy chair.  I made my choice...and i have no regrets.

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