Last night at The Sterling Inn was quite an experience. I found myself going to bed hungry despite having had a shared appetizer, an entree, and half a frozen pizza and half a bag of chips. To quell my hunger before bed, I indulged in some fruit roll-ups, Fruit by the Foot, and Gushers. But that only lasted until around 6 am when I woke up ravenous and had to seek out breakfast.

Morning Routine and Connections

I was the first one down at 6:30 am when the breakfast area opened and quickly attacked an English muffin, two bowls of cereal, and two cups of hot apple cider. Along with Firebird and one of the ladies from the previous night, I had breakfast. Later, Flamethrower joined us and we basically switched places. I returned to lying in bed and playing with my phone while Flamethrower ate. She also connected with Firebird and they discussed their plans for the next few days.

Zeroing and Food Packages

By this point, most of the folks in the hostel were leaving. We were zeroing, which meant we could put off our chores. I started going through my food bag and remembered that Flamethrower and I had received some packages. I headed down to pick them up. Flamethrower's box was full of food and very heavy, while mine only had new socks, a cell phone screen protector, 3 backpacker meals, and some snacks.

Washing and Laundry

I put the screen protector on my phone with excitement. Then, looking at the new socks made me feel guilty, so I washed the pair I wore that day in the sink. It took over 20 minutes for the water to stop running dark brown and turn light brown. I declared "mission accomplished" and threw the socks in the laundry bag with other items. Around this time, Smoke, the darker-colored kitten, came in for attention and playtime. I used the string from the laundry bag to play with her, and soon her sister Snow joined. They then had a major wrestling match on the third floor.

Lunch and the Hot Tub

We decided to go to lunch at 11:30 and ordered nachos. At first, I wasn't too interested, but then I joined Flamethrower in the appetizer. We were told the small nachos were enough for two, but we ordered the large as we're thru-hikers and were told it was enough for 4. The nachos came in a large plate, and we quickly devoured them. After that, we got our burgers and fries (or onion rings for Flamethrower) and finished those too. We paid the bill almost exactly an hour after arriving. Then we spent an hour in the 20-person hot tub, enjoying the warmth. We debated coming back for dinner just for another soak.

Air Mattress and Toiletries

I took my air mattress, a towel, and a water bottle to the bathroom to wash it. It was dirty from dirt and I had been sleeping on it since my last one went kaput. After washing it, I realized I forgot my razor. Flamethrower helped me by bringing my toiletry bag. I was in the shower for a long time, and by the time I got back, Flamethrower had finished our laundry and was bringing it back.

Chores and Conversations

I dressed and sorted the laundry. Flamethrower noticed two things were missing and found one unwashed in her pack and the other in the laundry room. I smelled some of my laundry and decided it needed another cycle. I also debated taking my tent and pack outside and spraying them down with the hose but was afraid they wouldn't dry. Instead, I took our wet shoes outside and sat them in the sun to dry.

Meeting Boomboom and More

Around 5 pm, I ran into Boomboom and had a chat. They had encountered the injured man, George, and helped by staying with him and even carrying him to the helicopter. We compared notes and I asked about the whistle. Boomboom was impressed that the whistle could carry so far. I also wondered why Inchworm didn't have a whistle. Boomboom, Crash, and two others were going to dinner, while Flamethrower and I were still doing chores and not hungry yet. I later bought a pint of spicy strawberry habanero pretzel ice cream and a frozen hamburger for dinner.

End of the Day

As I continued to pack and repack my things, the kitties joined us and we gave them all the cuddles. The rest of the night passed uneventfully, and soon we were off to bed, planning to be up by 7 and out by 8. There was more logging traffic on the road, and I slept a bit fitfully, dreaming about hiking the 100-mile wilderness. Flamethrower also reported not sleeping well.