Date: 2015-04-09
From: Iron Mountain Shelter

To: Damascus
Miles today: 25.8
Weather: clear sky

Start 7:57End 3:57 - 9:15Best Part - Trail MagicBiggest Complaint - Gnats   We had trail magic from a spot where Nelson Chapel Baptist Church supplies cold soda and Little Debbie products. While we were there two people from the church showed up to resupply. They took our pictures, said they were going to put us on their Facebook page and also prayed for us.   Now that the weather has gotten warmer the gnats are out. We had them the night before but I put my insect repellant on and they stayed away. Today I forgot to leave the insect repellant accessible and packed it in my pack. When I got to the shelter I unpacked it and used it again. It had been 15.9 miles we hiked for the second day in a row.   I got to Abington shelter and had been there almost two hours and several hikers showed up. Chef showed up and started talking about staying but maybe continuing. He started unpacking his stuff. Then no trail name sobo hiker Doug came and he was staying. Three in the shelter, room for three more. Will Tabasco get there before the shelter gets full. Then about six more hikers showed up. Biscuit started talking about staying in the shelter. Then a couple started talking about hiking the last 9 miles to Damascus, they're easy miles. It's almost 6:00 PM. Then biscuit changed his mind and decided to go on. Then more guys said go. Someone asked about cooking a meal first. "Nope. Just grab something quick." I was admiring these guys getting ready to push on. Pulling some quick food out of pockets of their packs. "We could get to town by 9:00 PM" someone said.   Then Tabasco came hiking quickly up to the shelter at 5:57 and up to me and says"Are we OK?" I said yes and he kept right on hiking past the shelter and toward Damascus. All of a sudden I had become joined to this group moving on to Damascus, the Damascathon.    I had already done 15.9 miles which means I'll end with 25.8 miles. I haven't even done a twenty mile day yet. Two minutes after Tabasco blew through I decided to take on this task. I packed and started hiking at 6:08 with Dirt Dog and Chef starting in front of me. Eventually Biscuit passed me up and then passed Chef. We eventually all passed Dirt Dog. I was determined to keep up with Chef and Biscuit. They were doing a three miles an hour pace and not slowing down much on the uphill. For awhile I lost track of them but caught up again. On easy downhill I was really moving fast to keep up the pace. The thunder in the distance added to the suspense. First Chef started using his headlamp. When Biscuit started using his I got mine going. I had it in my pocket anticipating this. This would be my first night hiking and that made me all the more determined to keep up with those two headlamps ahead of me. I would never have kept that pace that long on my own. I was tired but continuing to keep moving to keep up. I stopped for nothing except to drink water two or three times. I ate two protein bars on the run. We stopped for a minute at the Tennessee/Virginia border sign. That left 3.2 miles at 8:10. About 8:32 Chef checked with his phone's software and determined we had 2.3 miles to go and he said we should get there at 9:20. Forty-three minutes later we got to Damascus at 9:15 PM. Seeing the lights in town as we came down off the mountain was eerie but we didn't actually take time to look.    So now I've done a twenty mile day and done night hiking. I got a place at The Place. $7 donation at the hostel run by the Methodist church. I slept well.