May 11: today was our push into Damascus. With the promise of a hot shower, food, and laundry, we aimed to do the 18 miles mostly downhill) quickly and get onto town early afternoon. Subaru and I left the shelter with Cat at 7 and went down the trail to find Hawkeye and Road Runner. We found RR, Hawkeye had already started hiking. We caught up with him at a small, "no longer in use" shelter where we put on rain gear and pack covers as the sky looked threatening. The rain showed up shortly thereafter, and we spent the day hiking downhill, out of the clouds and out of the rain. We had decided to skip lunch and eat in Damascus. Sub and Cat were putting up a really good pace and I soon fell behind. After rushing all morning, I finally reached the point where I just slowed down. What is 40 minutes when you are planning on zeroing in a town?
The hike into Damascus felt like heading into the Emerald City. The famous Damascus, the myths, the legends! The most hiker-friendly town on the trail with really good pizza!
About 3 1/2 miles before the town, I passed this:
The hike into Damascus felt like heading into the Emerald City. The famous Damascus, the myths, the legends! The most hiker-friendly town on the trail with really good pizza!
About 3 1/2 miles before the town, I passed this:
State #4! We will be here for a while. One quarter of the AT is on the state of Virginia.
Finally, I emerged from the woods into a park with a model of a shelter and a welcome sign.
Damascus is pretty small- didn't take long to find Sub and Cat and secure a bed at The Place, a Methodist Church run hostel. The hostel did not supply towels for the showers, and I quickly learned that I had left my camp towel at a shelter a few days before after another bite-valve incident. So I headd to the Dollar General to get a towel. While there, I saw a 6 pack of Snickers bars and figured I'd get it to share with my friends.
I left the store, sat on a bench, and ate all 6 Snickers bars, one after the other. Then I felt bad about not sharing and went back inside for another package. These I shared: 1 for Hawkeye, 1 for Subaru, 1 for Road Runner, 1 for Cat, 1 for the hostel caretaker, and 1 for me. For later. Because sometimes it's just a 7 Snickers kind of day.
May 12: zero day. Which was good because The Place was filled with really loud snorers! The temp had dropped at night and we unexpectedly spent the day bundled up. Typical zero: eat, blog, resupply, nap, organize gear, shower, sleep.
May 13: Got up and went to the post office to get my transition box. But in light of the cold front that had moved on, and since we had a 6000 foot mountain coming up, I decided to have an outfitter hold my summer stuff for a week and change it out when we returned for trail days. Hawkeye had an emergency dental situation arise and was getting off the trail to get oral surgery.
So Road Runner, Sub, and I hit the trail about 10:30. I was still a little sluggish and not very well rested, so I started lagging behind a little. I pushed up a particularly steep and poorly maintained section of trail and... Had no idea where to go. The trail just ended at an ATV trail. No white blazes on sight! Come to think of it, I hadn't seen a white blaze in a while! So I ended up backtracking about 3/4 of a mile to where I had made a wrong turn onto a mountain bike trail. I want credit for that extra mile and a half!
Now on the right trail, I zipped along, and then passed a camper who asked "Are you with 2 guys? One German?"
"Um, yup."
"They went back looking for you. Stay here so they'll find you"
Now our little group calls Pink Blazing taking the wrong trail.
We spent the night, appropriately enough, at Lost Mountain Shelter.
Finally, I emerged from the woods into a park with a model of a shelter and a welcome sign.
Damascus is pretty small- didn't take long to find Sub and Cat and secure a bed at The Place, a Methodist Church run hostel. The hostel did not supply towels for the showers, and I quickly learned that I had left my camp towel at a shelter a few days before after another bite-valve incident. So I headd to the Dollar General to get a towel. While there, I saw a 6 pack of Snickers bars and figured I'd get it to share with my friends.
I left the store, sat on a bench, and ate all 6 Snickers bars, one after the other. Then I felt bad about not sharing and went back inside for another package. These I shared: 1 for Hawkeye, 1 for Subaru, 1 for Road Runner, 1 for Cat, 1 for the hostel caretaker, and 1 for me. For later. Because sometimes it's just a 7 Snickers kind of day.
May 12: zero day. Which was good because The Place was filled with really loud snorers! The temp had dropped at night and we unexpectedly spent the day bundled up. Typical zero: eat, blog, resupply, nap, organize gear, shower, sleep.
May 13: Got up and went to the post office to get my transition box. But in light of the cold front that had moved on, and since we had a 6000 foot mountain coming up, I decided to have an outfitter hold my summer stuff for a week and change it out when we returned for trail days. Hawkeye had an emergency dental situation arise and was getting off the trail to get oral surgery.
So Road Runner, Sub, and I hit the trail about 10:30. I was still a little sluggish and not very well rested, so I started lagging behind a little. I pushed up a particularly steep and poorly maintained section of trail and... Had no idea where to go. The trail just ended at an ATV trail. No white blazes on sight! Come to think of it, I hadn't seen a white blaze in a while! So I ended up backtracking about 3/4 of a mile to where I had made a wrong turn onto a mountain bike trail. I want credit for that extra mile and a half!
Now on the right trail, I zipped along, and then passed a camper who asked "Are you with 2 guys? One German?"
"Um, yup."
"They went back looking for you. Stay here so they'll find you"
Now our little group calls Pink Blazing taking the wrong trail.
We spent the night, appropriately enough, at Lost Mountain Shelter.
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