Date: 2009-05-15
From: VA 859

To: VA 58 (near Damascus)
Miles today: 9.0

The unbelievable occurred this morning ¢ two of the world¢s most highly proficient and experienced ¢AM-butt-draggers¢ were somehow able to get up and out the door in a record-setting :45 minutes ¢ nearly one and a half hours better than our next closest time! This was a particularly notable achievement considering that ¢Pack Rat Willy¢ (aka ¢Justin Case¢, aka brother-in-law-Bill) spent a goodly portion of the nighttime hours Unpacking his dinner. But whatever it was that hit him (and hit him hard!) he was over it by 8:00 am this morning and was in the car with me en route to pick up breakfast at McDonalds (now that¢ll settle your stomach!) then on to gather "Red Shoes" and "Dr. Bob" for the trip to Damascus.After saying our "goodbyes" to "Red Shoes" and "Dr. Bob" (Bob and Mark), Bill and I wandered through the tent city bourgeoning on the edge of town as the 20,000 expected attendees at this year¢s ¢Trail Days Festival¢ were beginning to congregate. Tents were set up everywhere in the woods and fields, some even on the lawns of homes along streets in town. Interspersed among them were tents and make-shift booths of food purveyors, equipment manufacturers¢ and of a host of hiking-related interest groups. Spotting a ¢Free Equipment Repair¢ booth that was already operating, I handed over my gaiters to them to have new sole-straps (that keep the gaiters from riding up when walking through mud and water) sewn in place (and they did a great job in no time at all!)At 10:30 am Bill dropped me off for my last 9 mile segment heading southbound back toward Damascus. The Trail was in great shape and in many places paralleled the Virginia Creeper Trail that is a bicycle trail built on an old railroad bed with over 100 trestles and bridges through the rough mountain landscape. At the end of the first hour I had covered 3 miles ¢ a pace that I was able to maintain for the next two hours... feeling strong and light on my feet. This faster-than-expected pace brought me to our rendezvous point on VA 58 almost an hour and a half ahead of when I had originally thought I¢d arrive. Fortunately, I was able to reach ¢Justin in Case¢ by phone and we adjusted our plans accordingly so I'd meet him on his out and back hike about a half a mile from the final destination. Having already covered the last mile and a half twice yesterday by mistake, I knew the terrain pretty well allowing me to blow through it quickly for the third time.Bill (oops, "Justin Case", that is) dropped me at the ice cream parlor on the edge of town where I performed a repeat of yesterday¢s ice cream-brownie splurge which I devoured while walking back into town so my finish point when I eventually complete the Trail (presuming I do) will be under the "Trail Days" banner close to the center of town... how appropriate!We drove back to Hungry Mother State Park while ¢Pack Rat¢ napped and we then set about packing up the trailer and getting ready for the five hour drive back to New Market this evening.All-in-all, this has been another great week of hiking on the AT. Other than the first day, the weather has been just about perfect for walking in the woods and, as always, I¢ve met new people and made new friends. Such is the nature of the AT hikers¢ community of the Trail. I'm really glad Bill ¢Pack Rat, Justin Case¢ has had a chance to experience this slice of real Americana and, through bits and snippets, walked 10-15 miles of it for himself. Looking ahead, my plan is to return to Maine this summer to finish the 184 miles I have remaining between Rangeley and Katahdin. I¢m thinking about doing it southbound (beginning at Katahdin) so I¢ll pass some of the people I met over these past few days as they approach the end of their Thru Hike odysseys. Tomorrow (or Sunday) when I¢m back in New York I¢ll add a wrap-up of thoughts and impressions I¢ve had perking in my mind as I¢ve covered this leg of my journey¢¦ sort of my personal Catechism of the Trail.