About the Author: Hi there! My name is Katelyn Barok, but in the hiking world people call me “Rogue.” I am born and raised in New Jersey. I am a Special Education Teacher by trade with a passion for hiking, which explains the name “teacher gone Rogue.” My current goal is to section hike the entire Appalachian Trail on extended weekends, Winter/ Spring Breaks, and my summer break! Follow my adventures in their entirety on roguehikesthetrail.com. Instagram: @katie_barok.
Click on Katie’s name above to see all of her posts!
Day 8, Getting into Shaw’s Hiker Hostel after a 15.1 mile day after 2pm
Getting into Shaw’s was a new experience, I had never stayed at a place like that before. We were greeted by AJ who works there and he asked if we wanted a beer or a soda. He came back handing us a PBR and gave us a tour of the place.
The first room you walk in is a common area with washer and dryer and loaner clothes. Then you walk up the stairs to the bunk room which has individual twin beds. Next was the tour of the bathrooms and where to find extra towels.
The thing that made this place so special was the people, both the employees and the hikers. You finally got to meet the hikers who were hiking ahead of you and behind you as they slowly trickled in.
I mostly hung out with Reid, Wild Card, and Slick Rock. I had many chores to do like drying out my gear, resupplying, laundry, and showering – all good problems to have.
I talked to a hiker from Israel for a bit that started the same day as me but I never saw again until then. I also chatted and interacted with AJ and Lavaer, another employee. These guys were great and always helped me when I had asked for things making me feel like I was right at home. Lavaer made this sweet blueberry pancake dessert that was so good!
Later, Reid, Charlie, Slick Rock, and Wild Card and I headed for dinner at a restaurant. I grabbed a salad and chicken quesadillas, which I couldn’t even finish.
When we got back, I iced my knee and talked to some other hikers about it. I didn’t end up going to bed until around 11. We had decided to zero the next day.
I woke up early anxiously awaiting the delicious breakfast everyone had talked about. It tasted amazing. It consisted of 3 eggs, bacon, potatoes, and unlimited blueberry pancakes that smelled like cake. I could only eat 2 pancakes.
Sadly, I had to say good bye to Reid, Ben Runner, and What’s up Doc but luckily exchanged contact information with them.
The day seemed to fly by. I had to organize my gear, open my resupply box, figure out what I needed to buy from the gear store, and ship gear home. Charlie helped give me a pack shake down. I got rid of my pack cover, rain pants, whistle, switched out my hip belt, and some other little odds and ends. My base weight is around 10lbs now.
Lavaer made brownies that I could smell up the hallway. When I went down later, he had informed me made them and knew I wanted one when we talked about it earlier. He had saved me one! He was also brewing kombucha in the kitchen and we started to talk about that. He offered Wild Card and I some from his secret stash.
Later on in the day, we all hung outside including Goat who has a trail dog named Kierra as they were playing on some of the guitars.
The special thing about Shaw’s is how they really seem to cater to hikers. They have a gear shop that had anything a hiker would need. New packs, pads, cooking supplies, hygiene, resupply, and much more.
It was as if we were home staying at Shaw’s. Poet and Hippie Chick are like our trail parents attending to our needs and providing advice for the rest of our journey.
