Hope y'all got the pictures! Damascus is a cute little town. It's strange though, hikers are so pervasive, as opposed to Erwin or even Hot Springs, where we were present, but just guests of the "real" residents. This place just feels like any point on the trail!
I'm glad to be in Virginia. Three whole states - Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Done, done, and done! Virginia will carry me through at least another whole month. In all, there's 550 miles; about 1/4 of the trail in this one state! The walk in was rainy, of course. Rain has become a theme in the last few weeks, ever since that nice afternoon at Beauty Spot really. I don't mind it that much. I stay pretty dry, the towns are close enough that there's time to get a break and air out wet clothes. But what makes the rain annoying, for lack of a better word, is that it makes places that are supposedly beautiful (see the Roan Highlands) into grey foggy blurs that I race through as fast as I can to get to cover. It's a little disappointing and...annoying! August, a chronic thru-hiker who has completed several thrus, attempts one about every other year, and is a wealth of experience and information, told me that this year is on track to be the wettest one he's ever hiked through! I'm staying positive, though. At least I'm in good health, and I'm making good time, and I'm in Damascus, the mecca of the Appalachian Trail! And the rain will clear up eventually, and everything will be a glorious green, right...?
Today is my first official zero. I had planned to stay outside town last night, per usual, and hike in this morning. However, the terrain was easy-peasy, and I was at my planned campsite by 1:30. On top of that, it was pouring. I decided that my half-day would be better spent in town than sitting in the rain. I'm staying at "The Place," a church-run hostel. Last night was fun playing guitar with other hikers, and tonight will be my first night sleeping in the same place since I left home! I'm eating tons of food, and really enjoying the zero. The library here is awesome. It's brand-new, the people are friendly, and the computers are fast enough to upload pictures.
Tonight will be more eating and then tomorrow I hope to get a bright and early start and get back out on the road. Expect another town-related update tomorrow. I'm off to find some ice-cream....
- Ted
12:59 pm 4/20/2015
Day 38 Photos Here!
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