Date: 2015-05-05
From: Damascus, Va. Woodchuck Hostel

To: Damascus, Va. Woodchuck Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

You may have noticed that I didn't move very far today, although the reader with a sharp eye would see that I went from a tent stay to a hostel. I liked it here so much that once the hikers cleared out this morning, I took a spot inside for tonight. The difference being that tomorrow morning I won't have to take down my tent and pack it...possibly wet, since there's rain in the forecast. I would say thatWoodchucks is the best value in town as far as bang for the buck: any stay, whether inside or out, comes with shower and free all you can eat breakfast of home made waffles, fresh fruit, orange juice, tea, coffee. There are kitchen facilities available for hiker use, plus snacks for sale at a low price. There's an outside covered pavilion with picnic tables and a grill. You can opt to sleep in a teepee. And there's corn hole set up in the yard...a clothes line to dry your tent pieces or clothing, or both. And much more. As for the zero mileage day: I probably walked at least 5 miles doing errands around town, including my morning trip to the local coffee house where I enjoyed a s'mores frappe (I've been craving a Starbucks Frappuccino since the weather turned so warm, and that was close enough to satisfy), and the Taco place, where I had a couple of fish tacos with home made Cole slaw topping. There were a few trips to the grocery store and dollar general for supplies, plus the post office for some mailing. But overall, it was a nicely slow-paced day to recoup from the last section, and I will be ready to hike out in the morning after a repeat of today's breakfast, a stop at the coffee house (right on the way as I leave town), perhaps for a mocha, and also a stop next door to that at Subway, for a 6-inch loaded with veggies to carry out for a lunch treat. If you take a look at the photos I posted with this entry, you will see a few extras, along with some scenes from Damascus: one is a photo of my legs/feet, and the other 2 of my backpack. The wifi is rather fussy in this town, so before I write more I will post what I've written so far, then add some more, shall we say, random bits, to it.I've been on the Trail for a little over a month now, and have been meaning to add some thoughts, miscellaneous information, nitty-gritty day-to-day "stuff", and a bit of gear talk, for those who may be interested. So here goes, in no particular order...For those who wonder what I think about all day while I'm hiking, any given day might include some or all of: *wonder what I'll see today, who I'll see today, how long does this hill go up, how long to the next shelter, what will the water supply be like, will it have a privy, will the privy have a door, will there be room for me (if raining) or good tent spots (if dry), etc.*love these wildflowers blooming, which variety of them do I prefer? The unknown tri-leaf one with crimson or yellow---the crimson. Of violets, the purple, yellow, or white---the purple (they are called violets, after all). Of trillium, the white or the red---definitely the white, for its sharp purity. And so on. *it looks like rain. Should I put my pack cover on or leave it off? Should I get my jacket on once the rain comes, or leave it off? (The rain jacket keeps you dry from rain, but makes you sweat, so it's 50/50 unless it's cold, then you may want jacket. Ditto for rain pants, although they are seldom needed).*wondering how you can come down into town past lush green forest, and on the other side of town go up a dry, rocky, almost barren hill. The two are just a couple miles apart, or less.*thinking about how heavy my pack feels on my hips. Adjusting the straps, now it's heavy on my shoulders. Or after a long day, how it's just heavy and I want it off*thinking about the big peak that I will be climbing soon, is it time to get out the ipod and listen to music, for a distraction*thinking of food. Snack food. Lunch food. Supper food. Town food. Breakfast food. And repeat. Once there's a craving for an item it doesn't go away til satisfied.*thinking of what I want to say in my Trail Journal for the day. If I could write it while I walked it would be much better, and longer. By the time I can do it, I forget a good percentage.*looking at my phone periodically to check for service. If I have any, are there any messages (note: ANY messages, via text, email, guest book are encouraging, esp if I've been out several days without service...please keep them coming, even if I can't respond same day)*I do try to answer every message...if I don't it's probably because email address wasn't added to guest book sign. But believe me, I appreciate comments from folks like Phil, from Sydney Australia hi Phil! I've met a few hikers from Down Under, they're great.Random: one day my hair may smell like coconut, and the next, lavender. It all depends what is provided at the home or hostel or hotel, since we don't carry it. If it's the super 8 don't expect any at all, they're so cheap it's not included. And I've seen maybe 2 hair dryers total since I started, and one of them was at Forgetmenot ' s salon. We air dry.When I walk outside it makes my nose run. If it's chilly or damp, more so. I couldn't possibly carry enough kleenex (and then carry it out again...we carry our trash) for the roughly 57 times a day I need it. Instead, I have a bandana hung from my backpack strap. I wipe, and it dries. Repeat. Rinse and air dry occasionally.Because of the nose thing, I have occasional bloody nose from over-use.I have a weird hiker tan, see photo. Permanent "white socks" from wearing wool socks and trail shoes while outside all day for days on end.My backpack is the Osprey Aura 50. It's a nice pack and easily the one I've seen most on the Trail on women. Fully loaded, it just barely holds everything, unless you want to start tying things to the outside.I don't like to take my pack on and off all day. Off would be fine, if I could leave it off, but taking it off knowing it has to be hefted back on, not so much. So I made myself a "pouch" from an old water resistant jacket, that straps onto the front of my pack, so I can easily get what I want: my phone, which is also my camera. My trail guide. My eyeglasses/case. Lip balm. Ipod. Wallet. Advil. Knife. Sunscreen. Flossers (granola bars, trail mix, etc sometimes get stuck in teeth, may as well do hygiene while walking).I have literally had other hikers stop and ask me where I got my pouch. One French-Canadian said he was going to have his wife make him one.P.s. my pack weight is anywhere from 28 to 32 pounds fully loaded with food and water. Depends how many days' worth and what I bought and how far I filled my water bladder for a given section. I would prefer under 20 pounds but can't seem to get there unless I slack pack. I will soon send home more cool - weather gear, and will fill the water less and gather it more often to have colder water to drink out of springs instead of my warm pack. Those may help a bit.I have not seen any bears.I have fallen about 5 times, not too serious. I had a spider bite, but fortunately, it was a rather benign one. I have a knee strap, but so far haven't needed to use it. My feet are doing fine, still, no blisters to date. My goal was to hike 100 miles per week. So far I have gained another hundred miles or more each Thursday. I've been blessed by trail angels in the first 3 states. Waiting to see if/how that continues through Virginia...it's a big, long state and I have nothing lined up so far...Still glad to be out here, doing this. Very thankful for the chance. To be continued...another day down the Trail