Woods Hole: An AT Hostel You Can’t Miss
Due to an injury the first time around, I had a 300 mile section of the Appalachian Trail to finish after I summited Mount Katahdin. Legs joined me initially and we were stoked to be in the woods again. It didn’t take long for us to realize how scarce the water was in VA in September. After a few dry sources, we decided to take a half mile detour to Woods Hole for a drink, one of Legs’ favorite hostels on trail.
As we approached the property, I immediately fell in love. I fell in love with the hiker bunkhouse, with the large pasture overlooking the mountains, with the large main cabin, and with the two large pigs that were snorting their way across the lawn over to me. We spent the night under the stars, no fly on the tent, and spent the morning playing with half a dozen goats in the pen. Two kids had been born in the spring and they were bouncing from rock to rock, chasing Gaia the long haired cat around as she tried to find a way to us to get some attention. Needless to say, Legs and I knew we would be back here.
The first two weeks of working at Woods Hole was hard work to say the least. Anyone doing a work for stay at Woods Hole should expect to be earning your keep. We had long days, but they were filled with feeding the animals, setting up safari tents, prepping the bunkhouse, caring for guests, and stories.
Oh goodness, the stories.
If there is one thing I would say is the most underrated part of staying at Woods Hole, it’s Neville’s stories. Neville is usually clad in overalls with some string where one of the buttons should be and a cozy green turtleneck sweater. The hiker season hadn’t started yet so those first few weeks were mostly filled with work and stories. There was always some history, some wisdom from a hiker that had passed through, some origin story behind her animals or infrastructure, all with a common thread; they were enjoyable as hell.
One day we approached Neville with an idea. “Hey Neville, have you been to Tractor Supply and seen the chickens? SO CUTE RIGHT!” She smiled. “You guys want some? Just read up and do your research, we have the infrastructure and if you want to raise them.” The next day we had seven new peeping family members.
The animals were Legs’ favorite part of our stay. He had taken a particular liking to the two young goats that we had met in the fall, always sneaking them extra grain during feeding times. It backfired once the goats realized that if they hustled, they could finish their grain and beat us to the cows during feeding time. Rufus, the large orange highland cow with large white horns, had a particular affinity for Legs. Any time Legs would enter the pasture, Rufus would bellow loudly and start slowly making his way towards us until he got some head scratches.
The thing that impressed me the most was whatever witchcraft Neville must have been pulling that inspired me to cook. Both Neville and Legs had culinary experience, and they exercised their teaching skills on me. I was the perfect pupil, I was 100% a blank slate. If it meant more steps than making Mac and Cheese I’ve probably never cooked it. By the end of our stay, I was baking a few loaves of bread daily and knew how to make ice cream, roast coffee beans, and improve a calzone from scratch. And I only set off the fire alarm a couple of times!
As coronavirus cases rose and public anxiety over the pandemic began escalating, we all quickly realized that the hiker season was a bust, at least for NOBO A.T. Thru Hikers. We spent a sweet night with a bonfire, homemade cinnamon rolls, and coffee with cinnamon whipped cream, and the friends we had made. Though leaving was bitter-sweet, we know we will always have a home at Woods Hole.