Date: 2004-05-26
From: Iron Mountain Shelter

To: The Place - Damascus, VA
Miles today: 26.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Farm:The morning of the 26th was much cooler than yesterday. This made yesterday's rope swing and swim all that much more precious. It was a good hiking day though a bit damp. The terrain was moderate and the next shelter, Double Spring, was only 8 miles away. That would make a nice lunch part 1 break. Three guys were waiting for a ride where the trail crossed Tennessee 91. We spoke briefly. The trail crossed the road and headed up a double rut dirt road through some farm fields. Four strands of barbed wire were strung on weathered posts along the road and across the fields. Gold Finches decorated the barbed wire like some kind of ornament brilliant on this gray day. Weathered old wooden shacks completed the classic look of this place. It all just made me so happy. I was so grateful that the farmer let the trail pass this way.It had only taken 3 hour to hike the 8 miles to Double Spring Shelter. That made it a perfect spot for lunch part one. It was also a chance to make another shelter journal entry and read some too.A bit further on a small old shelter appeared just a few steps to the right of the trail. It wasn¢t mentioned in the Handbook. That was odd. It was having a tough time but hanging in there. The first page of the register said it all. ¢This is possibly the oldest shelter on the AT. Built in 1934, it was the first shelter on Holston Mt, or so says the Trail Guide.¢ Apparently the shelter has been dubbed ¢The Holiday Inn¢. It¢s so fun when shelter get nick names like that.Dogs:Back on the trail just a little later, a couple of dogs came running up behind me. Usually this would mean a hiker would be along soon but not this time. One dog was big with short two tone chocolate brown fur and a really nice collar with an engraved brass plaque on it. The other was little with long blond hair. They ran right past me, which is a bit tricky on a narrow tread way lined with wet grasses and the like.A little later, while cruising down the trail, the dogs returned, this time barreling toward me head on. They proceeded to hike with me for quite a while as though they belonged to me. My usual tact in these cases is to command them firmly to go, hoping that will convince them to go find their true masters. It didn¢t work this time. I didn't even know which way to point. From time to time the big one would haul off the trail into the woods to investigate something. The little one, not wanting to miss anything, would immediately dash off behind him. Of course this was tough for the small one because of the thick ground cover that was about knee height, just the height of the top of its head. Then the big dog would return and lead the way. The short one might land on the trail in front of me but would never walk ahead of me. It insisted on following and closely. Some times the little guy wouldn¢t realize the big one had returned to the trail. He¢d make terribly sad yelps until they were reunited. The big guy set quite a pace. He¢d stop, turn and wait impatiently for me. There weren¢t many on the trail who could out hike me but he was one. The irony of this situation is that I am not particularly fond of dogs or should it be said that many dogs are not exactly fond of me. Nevertheless they had been leading/following me for nearly 10 miles and I was getting quite concerned for them. They were very well behaved and their humans were certainly missing them. My contact lenses made it impossible to read their tags but what would I do with that information out here anyway. My thought was that if they accompanied me all the way to Damascus the police could find their owners and get them home.Abbington Gap Shelter was my lunch part 2 caf©. The dogs showed up and started rummaging through the fire pit where some careless folks had left some trash. This didn¢t make me happy. Despite my best attempts to dissuade, them they still made a mess. It was hard to blame them. They had to be hungry. I even tried sharing some of my Ritz crackers with them and this from a guy who doesn't much like to share his precious food with anybody when on the trail. They wouldn't have any part of it. It was the empty tuna pouch in the fire pit that had gotten their attention.Another ten miles would put me in Damascus and the Virginia border was 3.5 miles shy of that. It was only 4pm. Granted it would be a 26.3 mile day but hey, Virginia! Shortly beyond the shelter it started to rain lightly. There was that decision again, to don the rain gear or not. It probably won¢t rain much or for long. It hasn¢t yet. Well, there¢s a first time for everything. After a while it began to pour. Eventually, I put the rain gear on just to trap some heat. The rain came down in buckets. The trail flattened out and became a series of lakes and rivers. Boots get so wet it¢s best to simply walk right through the water, squish, shuish, squish, for mile after mile. A state border picture would have been nice but my camera would have been destroyed by the water. On top of that the only way to know where you cross into Virginia is a Mount Rogers National Recreation Area boundary sign. The rain had gotten me down but really, I couldn¢t complain. This was my first real soaking in over 3 weeks of hiking on the trail. Not bad. Back home, you're lucky to et 3 days.My buddies, the dogs showed up just as I reached the town of Damascus. This wasn't good. The hostel in town had a specific no pets rule. It was stated in the Handbook. I would have to find the Police Station. Of course they didn't stay with me. No, they found every dog in town to carouse with. They were all over the place and then they vanished. Perhaps that was just as well since the police station appeared to be closed as I walked by. It was kind of late.The trail goes right through the center of Damascus and the rain just kept coming down. It chased me all the way to ¢The Place¢. That¢s the house run as a hiker hostel by the Methodist Church. ¢The Place¢ is amazing. I had never seen so many Thru-hikers in one place. It was a bit overwhelming. No one was in charge. It¢s completely self service. It was just about dark by now of course. Hikers were fixing food in the kitchen, eating food in the dining room, hanging out in the living room. Upstairs there were a bunch of bunk rooms. I dropped my stuff in one with out so many folks in it, my home for two nights. What a concept. Tomorrow would be my first zero. That's a day when no trail miles are covered. Most folks thought it was crazy not to take any zeros till now, so I figured it was time. It's not uncommon to take about one zero day a week.It was still raining and full dark by now but the pizza & sub shop down the street was calling. It was once more into the storm. Walking through town in the dark rain was a bit depressing having just dried off at The Place. It wasn¢t far, only about 3 blocks. The Pizza place was not small but only one booth was occupied. Then again it was late. The sad part was that there was this cooking show on the TV suspended on the wall. It was hard not to watch it and impossible not to hear it. No TV for the last three weeks was great and this show was not persuading me otherwise. The vegi sub was plenty big enough. It surprised me with saut©ed vegetables.The rain was pretty light on the walk back to "The Place". There were still people hanging out all over the place. Upstairs, five or six bunks had stuff on them. Mine was an upper bunk and a young woman was climbing into the bunk at my feet. The bunks do not have mattresses and that made me happy. My Thermorest pad is a much safer bet than some tired worn out mattress. We talked for a bit and tried to get to sleep while the others quietly piled in. Sure it had poured on me today but it was still a good 26.3 mile day.