Left 4 Pines hostel 3 days ago, after learning that the group of 8 kids who partied so heartily didn't donate a dime for their 2 days there. Plus a pack of my cheese was gone from the refridgerator. So much for trusting. And I talked with Eddie and A.J. about their experience with the Twelve Tribes in Rutland. A.J., the tall one, is native American, an ordained Pentecostal minister with degrees from bible colleges in his home state of Oklahoma. Yet somehow he fell into the world of the Twelve Tribes and spent a year serving, as he put it, a "slave." Working double or triple shifts at their soap factory or Yellow Deli, he was told not to complain, and was even denied medical attention. Eddie joined in Rutland last year when he was hiking through. He and A.J. managed to escape together and sought refuge down here with Joe the owner of 4 Pines, where they help out with the hostel, the shuttling, and the farm. So clearly the public face of this cult that I experienced in Maine is not the whole story. Again, so much for trusting and having faith in human nature.
2nd day out I climbed one of the countless ridges in drizzle, and crossed
the eastern divide.
Yet the sun did come out later for some distant views west.
Today I walked 20 miles to get to Pearisburg, in a cold breeze and late drizzle, staying in a motel basement "hostel" since all the rooms in town are taken by gas line builders. Will take a more leisurely 11 mile hike tomorrow to yet another hostel that I've heard good things about.
2nd day out I climbed one of the countless ridges in drizzle, and crossed
the eastern divide.
Yet the sun did come out later for some distant views west.
Today I walked 20 miles to get to Pearisburg, in a cold breeze and late drizzle, staying in a motel basement "hostel" since all the rooms in town are taken by gas line builders. Will take a more leisurely 11 mile hike tomorrow to yet another hostel that I've heard good things about.
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