Trail to Damascus, VA, 2 states checked off and a marathon.

Last I wrote I had just arrived in Hot Springs, NC. I am Just shy of 200 miles further down trail in Damascus, VA. I spent two very relaxing days with Journey Man, near Hot Springs, who I met in Georgia. He was doing a section hike with his Dog Miki and an old friend Magellan who he had met on his thur-hike 10 years ago.

Journey Man

Miki

We played Disc Golf and hung out. Drank a little Trail Candy (Journey Man's home brewed no coast IPA). Then set back off on the trail together.

Second day on the trail I pulled ahead of Journey Man after the Southern Cookie Lady's house and speed hiked to meet back up with my Tramily at the 300 mile mark.

(you can see the 300 in sticks there)

Got stuck in rain most of the next day☹️. Wet feet, cold and tired. First tent pitch in the rain, but I am sure there is more to come over the next few months.

(all our stuff drying out the next day once the sun came out)

The Tramily got a little smaller, Sub Zero concerned about getting higher miles in, set off on her own after Hot Springs. AT also disappeared for a few days to visit college friends in Ashville, and played in an Ultimate Frisbee tournament. (But he caught back up and rejoined the group)

After we left Erwin, the gang was mostly back together. Simmer Down, Wind breaker, AT and I set off in the rain, climbed a mountain, pushing a 22 mile day because a trail reroute detour (cleanup still in progress from Hurricane Helene)

It was overcast the following day. But the rain brings out these little Red Newts, which are really cute.

I think I will carve this little guy into my Stick as the animal for Tennessee. I am not sure if I mentioned this before but my walking sticks have names. The lighter straighter one is called "Up Hill" and each state line crossing it get a carved line. The darker curvier stick is "Down Hill" and at each state crossing it get an animal carving from a critter seen in that state.

(maybe you can see the GA line and the Owl for GA)

The last day of April was so foggy I could barely see 5 feet ahead of myself. We crossed Hump Mountain which is supposed to have amazing vistas, but this is what I saw:

All was not lost, in the cold mist. I ran into a friend Rooth, who is sort of an extended Tramily member We hike and camp with her often, but don't share logistics, sometime we don't see her for a few days and then pop, there she is. This particular morning I walked with Rooth and shared conversations about faith and prayer. We prayed together. It was encouraging and inspiring.

(Rooth and I April 31)

Crossed the final NC state line

(poop emoji keychain was a gift from my daughter Anna in a care package I received in Hot Springs, Anna thinks digging cat holes is the funniest part of the AT)

That night the Tramily stayed the Refuge Hostile near Roan Mountains. While taking a shower I found a tick burrowed into my waist line and kind of freaked out. I was able to call Tele-doc and get a prescription to be filled at the Roan Mountain Pharmacy the next morning. Because of my med run I started off the day a few hours behind my Tramily and mostly hiked alone. After the prayer session with Rooth I was inspired and I downloaded the Gospel according to Matthew as a audio file and listened to it while I hiked. If you want to know if God is talking to you, you gotta get familiar with His words.

Cross the 400 mile mark on May 1.

May 2, hiked from Moreland Gap to Boots Off Hostel. Along the way stopped Kinkora Hostel. even though I didn't stay there I wanted to see it and meet Bob Peoples who is sort of a trail legend and Kinkora the oldest continuously operating hostel. Unfortunately Bob wasn't there, but Heidi (who was staying the night and had met Bob the night before) gave us a tour and told us some Bob stories. Which were epic. Bob is 82 and hikes somewhere in the world every year. Last year was Egypt and he surprised his son with a sunrise hot air balloon ride over the Nile and Pharaoh Queens tombs.

Friendly horse on the way to Kinkora

The Mountain is eating the Hostel.

Heidi in the Hostel

The ceiling is covered in pictures of hikers from over the years.

Maybe I will meet Bob at trails days. I hear he is Good People!!

Later that day we hiked to Laurel Fork Falls, which was epic. The water was cold. so ofcourse I went swimming.

It is bigger in real life.

That night we stayed at Boots off Hostel. it was fun, sort of a party place. I bought steak and sausages and beers. One of the hikers staying there (Dragon Ball) had been a cook at a steakhouse. He did all the cooking for everyone. There were probably 25 people tenting or bunking there. We caught up with Sub Zero there too. Fun night.

May 3 we hiked around a lake and had lunch at the Van Deveter Shelter, that had a nice view.

Lake

(Lunch spot, I forgot to take landscape pic of the view, but trust me it was very pretty)

That night we stayed at Iron Mountain Shelter, which just so happens to be 26.2 miles from the Marathon Gas Station in Damascus Virginia. There is this challenge where you hike the whole thing in one day called the Damascathon. AT and I decided to go for it.

So we got up at 4 AM and started the Damascathon on May 4th. May the 4th be with You.

this what the trail looks like at 4 AM

here comes the sun