On the Trail to Damascus

Mile 470.7 for Northbounders like me

Greetings from Damascus, Virginia, A.K.A. “Trail Town USA!”

Roan Mtn Summit TN, Former Site of Cloudland Hotel
(demolished in 1915)

I arrived in Damascus at noon on April 21 after a short 10 mile hike from my last campsite. Turns out we were not supposed to camp in that zone due to “Aggressive Bear Activity” last year. My heavily blistered (and painful!!) left set of toes said “STOP,” so I did. It was my first time dipping into my supply of “vitamin I” (ibuprofen).

I am staying at Laurel Mountain Inn B&B, and HIGHLY recommend to anyone interested in coming to Damascus. Kathleen and Drew are delightful, accommodating, and most gracious hosts. The 125 year old home is charming beyond description and I am quite content just to hang out and prep food, etc. for the next 3 weeks. Breakfasts are TO DIE FOR! Drew said I left a nose hair in the bathroom, so I am not speaking to him, although I did accept the giant craft brew yesterday that was offered after I helped move a couch.

Damascus "Feelin Froggy" Craft Beer

I suppose the most challenging segment I have had since we last spoke was April 8, 9 and 10. Pam had messaged that she was glad I was out of the Smokies as that area was to get 6 inches of snow. Unbeknownst to me, so was the NC/TN border where I currently was. The snow started around noon Friday, April 8 (nephew Charlie’s birthday) and increased in intensity as the afternoon progressed. Things got slick and at one point I slipped and did a barrel roll. Winds from the west were icing up the inside left lens of my glasses. I trudged on and made it to Jerry Cabin Shelter where at least 15 people were already hunkered down. I was able to set up my tent and looked forward to better weather the next day (with no cell service to check the forecast, it turned out to be wishful thinking). The 9th was bitter cold with wind gusts. And the snow just kept a-coming! I decided it would be wise to zero then and there and spent an excruciating long, cold, and boring 36 hours in my tiny tent.

Taking a Zero Day in my Tent

Losing a day of travel would mean I’d have to average 16 miles a day over the next 6 days (I had been averaging about 12.5 to that point) in order to get to my resupply box at Elk Park NC Post Office before it closed at 11AM the Saturday of Easter weekend.

The winds died down and Sunday dawned cold but clear. I got outta there as quickly as I could but couldn’t feel my fingers nor was I able to tie my shoes tight enough as they were frozen stiff. My goal was to climb over Big Butt and get into the sun, which was blissful despite the cold. I was blazing the trail thru 6-8 inches of snow and followed turkey tracks, and crossed numerous sets of deer tracks, as well as those of a bear.

Scaling Big Butt Sunday April 10
Seeking Sunshine to Get Warm

Trail conditions ranged from snow, then slush, then ice, and finally mud and rivers of water. Nevertheless, things were getting better. I did eventually remove my shoes and found brand new blisters, which I attribute to inadequately tightening my shoes earlier. Later in the day, I came down in a Tennessee hollow and saw a sign that indicated “Snacks 300 Yards” that way. A lovely guy sold me a Dr Pepper (great time for 20-30 teaspoons of sugar) some DOUGHNUTS, and a frozen slab of pizza (“pait-za” in his awesome drawl) which I cooked in his microwave, bagged up, and carried off for my supper later that evening. “All the girls at the shelter gonna be eating dinner with you tonight when they see you have pait-za!” Let ‘em try touching MY pait-za and someone gonna get a trekking pole in the eye! I wasn’t in a giving mood. Got to Hog Back Shelter later around supper, found a great camping spot I shared with 3 really nice young men, ate my pait-za in peace, and had my best night’s sleep since Christmas. I upped my daily mileage to 16 and got to my mail drop on time.

Sunrise at Unicoi TN April 14

Trail Magic:

Lisa and Tom were set up beside the road April 10 in Sam’s Gap TN. We were served omelettes with all the veggie fixin’s, bacon, fresh fruit, coffee, water, and hand sanitizer (not to be consumed). All they wanted in return were tales from the trail and that we all extend kindness to one another, in any simple way. WOW!!!

Trail Magic, Sam's Gap TN

News Briefs:

Norovirus (a nasty gut bug) is rearing its ugly head in some shelters and hostels. Yuk!

I had heard about them but finally saw one: a thru hiker wearing flip flops! And he was cursing trail conditions as he flew by.

Hostels:

I finally experienced one, The Station at 19E near Elk Park NC. Manager, “Kitchen Sink”, was so helpful and kind to me. I had a shower, did laundry, charged devices, had lunch, dried my tent, and had a delicious craft brew. Kitchen Sink liked my trail name, but thought it needed something more to round it off, so I suggested Sponge FOB Old Fart. He loved it! But that was just for him. Anyway, that place was pretty cool and trail buddy, Lone Wolf, told me that later that night there was a live band and a huge crowd of hikers, bikers, and “country folk”. Everyone got along and the bikers drank the most.

Awesome Night in Nature:

Sugar Hollow along the Elk River April 16. Just moi and Potholder — the frog song as I drifted off to sleep was pure magic. There were spring peepers and 2 other species I couldn’t identify… times like this I really miss my kids and kids-in-law who know ALL this stuff.

Whippoorwills: one of my absolute-all-time-favourite bird calls — first heard at mile 366!

At night in my tent, Unicoi TN

Hitchhiking:

We'll call him Adam picked me up April 16 as I trudged into Elk Park in the rain. I likely could have done a complete re-supply from all of the crap accumulated on his passenger's seat and on the floor of his vehicle. When I got out and was wrestling my pack out of the back and thanking him, several pieces of unopened mail spilled onto the parking lot, including a “Summons to Appear” from the state of Tennessee. Am confident he would get around to opening it, perhaps the next time he cleaned out his SUV?

“Hike Your Own Hike” is a bit of a mantra on the trail. It means go by your own rules, to an extent, and don’t measure yourself by other’s yardsticks. To be recognized as a thru hiker by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, you must complete all 2192 miles in a single season, without “blue-blazing” which is taking a more direct route via a side trail, without “yellow blazing” or getting a ride in a car (an absolute sin!), and without “aqua-blazing” which is paddling a portion on an adjacent river here in Virginia. Which brings me to “slack-packing”. Slack packing means getting your heavy pack, or yourself, to some point down the trail, and hiking back or forward with only the barest essentials on your back. It involves vehicle shuttles and is often coupled with hostel stays. People can really increase their mileage per day, but to me it seems a real pain in the posterior and would greatly take away from the hike I want to have. So to this point, I have been on every white-blaze-inch of this path with all my gear, and have no plans to change. Fellow hiker “Never Better” is following this same philosophy, but he IS making use of hostels often, and shelters occasionally. His reasoning is that shelters and hostels are part of the history and the vibe of this trail, and I think he has a valid point.

Day Hikers: are people too, and they are just as much a part of the story out here as the rest of us. I met 2 delightful women over a week ago and had the pleasure of seeing them a few more times. At Carver Gap I met a family: mom from Germany, Dad from Kenya, Kid # 1 born in Canada, Kids # 2 and # 3 American, and Kid # 4 to be American when it is born in the fall. Challenged my fellow Canuck to strap on my pack... he might have been 7 or 8 years old. He staggered but he took a few successful steps!

Toenails: they really do grow back after they fall off.

Hermits: there was a time when people were scorned or shunned that they sought permanent refuge in the forest. There are numerous references along this trail to folks like this and even the odd monument. Makes me sad to think how that must have felt then, and how it must feel today.

Nick Grindstaff Monument, Iron Mtn TN
Lived as a hermit for more than 40 years

Critters that want to bite, kick, or scratch you: There was a large bear last week seen perhaps 20 minutes after I passed near Iron Mountain TN, and a cub “playing” nearby the next morning. On Friday April 15, I was descending from Big Bald Mtn and navigating a rather rocky stretch of trail. I was on the lookout for snakes as the day was quite warm and I figured prime conditions for an animal that requires sunshine and heat to regulate body temperature. I stopped to rest and get water at one point and 3 young men asked me if the Copperhead was on the trail when I passed. I had not seen anything.

Next Phase: about 3 weeks in Virginia ‘til I meet up with Pam (!!!!!) who will hike with me for a couple of days. I cannot wait to see her and show her this lifestyle and experience.

Trail Pals: I met up with Virginian Tim a few weeks back. I had not seen him for some time. He told me I was responsible for his official trail name. Weeks ago we were both at the summit of Blood Mountain in Georgia. We both left the summit to carry on, but not together. A little while later we came face to face. I was navigating by white blazes and gravity, and Tim by Guthook — a popular A.T. app. “Are you going the wrong way or am I?” asked Tim. “Pretty sure you are,” says I. And that’s the day Tim became “Wrong Way.”

Trail Names: Desie, Spicy, Name Game, Shalulah, Sam # 1, Sam # 2, Cinderella (he arrived at a vacant shelter to find an empty pair of Crocs and they fit perfectly), Lone Wolf, Legend (am told his parents met and were married on the trail), Aquaman (I met this guy Easter Sunday at Mountaineer Falls. He was southbound with a big pack, so I assumed he was doing a section hike. We chatted and he congratulated me on 400 miles. Had I known who this guy was, I would have congratulated him on 1800 miles, as he is an actual southbound thru hiker who started in Maine just after Christmas!), Brett, Detour, Black Hole (my age category who was observed in a shelter back in the storm I describe above, eating sticks of butter), Pot Holder, Waffles (from some place called Waterloo ON!), Roller, Gizmo, Loris, and Mosey.

Mountaineer Falls TN, April 17

Taking Chances in Life:

It is with regret that I learned this morning that Late Bloomer, the 71 year old woman with whom I chatted with on at least two occasions and made reference to in an earlier blog post, has had to leave the trail after "blowing out her knee'. This woman is the essence of the A.T. thru hiker... defying the odds and the skeptics (i.e. her hubby) and taking her shot. Late Bloomer, I tap my trekking poles in your honour and salute you for your "don't tell me what I can't do" attitude.

The Trail Thru Damascus

Thanks to all for your interest and supportive comments. Rest assured they keep me connected to my family, my people, and my country. I may describe some challenging moments from time to time, but am loving this opportunity and experience and know how lucky I am to be out here.

Robbie Robertson: “Little friend, I am skinnier than when I left and look a little like Santa Claus from the shoulder blades up. We will walk and play ball again soon enough.”

Pierre