Date: 2015-05-12
From: zero in Damascus

To: Saunders Shelter
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: broken clouds

I woke up, ate a wonderful breakfast of french toast with homemade braided bread ( created by the wonderful people at the hostel) and gathered up all of my stuff, now nearly 10 pounds lighter. I had two stops before I could hike out, one at the post office and one at the outfitters to see if they would mail out my broken pack to REI. These chores took much longer than expected so I met C.Shell and D.No for lunch and somehow drank 3 beers while writing out 15 postcards. I wobbled out of town around 3, hugging my hiking partners goodbye. They were going to take a zero. I think we will meet up again in a bit, we are both visiting relatives in VA and we hike at similar speeds. I hope so- I'll miss them! I stopped at the Klip and Kurl on the way out, I wanted more hair chopped off, but they were closed. The trail goes right through downtown Damascus, and everywhere people were getting ready for Traildays. Hikers were starting to come in to town, this place is going to be crazy in 3 days. Tent city, with hundreds of tents and dozens of porta potties sounds like torture to someone who really dislikes crowds. Disney is my idea of a hell on earth and this is going to be hiker Disney. Even though I want to avoid the crowds, I was still feeling a little forlorn (and tipsy) heading out, also knowing I would miss a very unique experience. Today- my hike is dedicated to Census Taker. She is a dear friend who hiked 471 miles of the AT over 25 years ago. She left the trail at mile 471, which is just north of Damascus. She met me and Katwalk back in Hiawassee while she was out there on business. she treated us to breakfast and made us feel very special indeed. She told me about her hike. All of these years later, her eyes filled with tears as she talked about her injury and the difficult decision to stop hiking. She was hiking with her husband and he continued. She did work for stay at hostels and provided trail magic to hikers for the rest of her husbands hike. She was as much on the trail as he was, but in a different way. She has given me great advice, especially about living in the moment, enjoying the little things, and hiking my own hike. At mile 471 I stopped and said her name out loud. The trail will never leave me either, I think. Kim- thank you for your continued support, your wisdom, and your generosity.The trail merges with the Creeper Trail on the north end of town. It is flat and runs next to a very pretty stream that is stocked with trout. I could take the creeper trail for about 12 miles and miss several big climbs, but when the AT took a left up a large set of wooden stairs , I obediently followed the white blazes. Of course, the trail started with a big climb. Somehow, the trail seemed more flowing and gentle. There were more ferns and more leaf coverage in the trees. It was a very tranquil and beautiful walk. Soon the trail had a detour sign and hooked back up with the creeper trail. Then it went back into the woods. I saw nobody on my hike today, it was eerily quiet. I reached Saunders shelter around 7pm. I saw nobody but a tent was pitched behind the shelter. Then I was what looked like women's clothing strewn all over a little grassy area and wondered what the heck was going on. I was standing there, wondering if a crime had occurred and if I should boogie on out of there when a woman came up and said hi. She had washed her clothes and was trying to dry them on the grass. She introduced herself as Bota. We sat at the picnic table and cooked our dinners and this young woman breaks out a small Bota Box of a sweet moscato. And cheese. This the trail name. I thanked her by giving her one of my oranges. She was glad someone showed up and I was glad not to be here alone. She camped in her tent and I had the shelter to myself. The mice did not complain about my snoring.