Date: 2014-05-16
From: Trimpi Shelter

To: Damascus via Atkins
Miles today: 22.0

Where do I begin to describe today's events? I suppose from the beginning.It rained off and on all night, so that when my alarm went off at 5:30 am, I discovered my air mattress was floating in the puddle at the low end of the tent. And as I broke camp, I found that the spot where I'd set up the tent the previous evening had turned into a muddy paste that was stuck to my tent, footprint, backpack, crocs, stuff sacks, and clothes. In short, to everything. So in addition to being really cold, I was a bit annoyed when I left the shelter at 7:00 this morning.The plan was to get an early start and hike 11 miles to Partnership Shelter, where AZ, ABear, and I would take an 11:00 am shuttle into Marion, VA to resupply and spend the night in a motel. But as I walked along, the sky cleared and I decided I didn't want to lose a half-day in town, particularly since we'd zero'd in Damascus just a few days before. Instead, I planned to make it a 22-mile day to Atkins, VA, but not before stopping for lunch at the Partnership Shelter, the only one along the AT where it's possible to call for pizza delivery. So that's what Thor, Pockets, Bear Juice, and I did -- ordered three large pizzas to be delivered to the visitors center adjacent to the shelter. And before lunch, we cleaned up in the lukewarm water of the shelter's solar-powered shower. Shortly after leaving the shelter, I checked my cell phone and discovered I had a text from Sparkle (formerly Just Kate) and Kimpossible asking whether I planned to be at Trail Days in Damascus. This is the question everyone had been asking and answering over the last week or two, and my responses had ranged from "I'm not sure" to "Probably not." But hearing it from these two, who I so enjoyed hiking with the first three weeks of my trip, caused me instantly to change my mind. The only problem was, it was now 2:00 pm, I was eight trail miles south of the next major town, Atkins, and from there it was 60 road miles back to Damascus. But I double-timed it into Atkins just in case the stars aligned and I was able to find a quick hitch back to Trail days.Turns out the AT trail crossing at Atkins has two buildings: a Relax Inn and a Shell gas station/convenience store. The first person I saw at the pump had hiking boots on, so I asked if he might be headed south. He wasn't, but instead was quitting the trail and gave me the remainder if his trail food. So I went inside, scrounged a piece of cardboard on which I wrote, "Damascus/Trail Days." I also asked the attendant which direction along the road I need to hitch to get to Damascus. By the time I walked out of the store, another car had pulled up to the pump, and the driver took interest in my cardboard sign and struck up a conversation with me. Before I knew it, I was in the passenger seat, cruising down I-81, on my way back to Damascus. The driver, Jon Box, is retired Air Force and used to fly planes that refuel other planes in flight. A big thank you to Jon!So four hours after receiving the text from Sparkle and Kimpossible, I'm back in Damascus making a call to find out where to meet them. And who should be with them when we finally reunite in Tent City on the outskirts of town? Ringo, formerly T-Dub, formerly Ben, who is surely the Where's Waldo of the AT. The four of us, along with Floss, walked downtown for a dinner at the Blue Blaze Diner, where I'd had several meals while zeroing in Damascus last weekend. Kimpossible, Sparkle, and I picked up right where we left off when we parted ways three weeks ago in the Smokies.It's now well past midnight, and I'm lying in my tent in a field, surrounded by thousands of other tents, listening to the happy chants of other past and present AT thru-hikers. Despite my 22-mile day, I don't expect to sleep much tonight.