Date: 2016-05-27
From: Creek Junction Station

To: Damascus
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: broken clouds

Today we got a late start and we dropped Sherpa off at the Cave Junction Station on the Virginia Creeper Trail north of Damascus. He will be walking southbound back to the city. We did this because we were unsure where the road crossing was and wanted to find it together. This will add 0.5 miles to his trek today to get to the AT. He doesn't mind the extra miles though because he's not carrying a heavy pack! We took a few photos before he went on his way. There aren't really any road acces points for his trek today so we'll just plan on meeting in Damascus early in the evening. She decided to get a few things that she won't be able to find in Damascus, so she headed into Bristol. It was a much larger town than she imagined...they have nearly every store here. After getting a few grocery items and some plastic containers, she decided to find a Christian Book Store. Since we're slackpacking, we want a full size Bible. We don't want to just read the scripture in our phones. She found a store on google maps called Gospel Book Store and it was a short drive for her from the grocery store. She went in and was immediately greeted by Sue. Sue was so kind and helped her find the perfect Bible for the trip. She chatted with Sue for a while, she felt as though she could chat with her all day! Sue is an incredibly sweet woman of God and that short conversation with her was very encouraging! Upon hearing that we are newly weds, she gifted us a book for married couples. She also gave us a book for Sherpa to read as well as a few more resources! We are incredibly blessed by her! Thank you so much Sue! We are so thankful and we are enjoying the devotional book you gave us! Sue also invited us to church in Damascus at Damascus First Baptist Church. We will plan on going here on Sunday and we hope to see Sue and meet her family. After all the errands, she headed back to Damascus to wait for Sherpa. He arrived right around 6 PM. He certainly would have been there sooner, except we misread the map at the creeper trailhead and he went the wrong way on the AT...poor guy added an extra mile or so to his short day. We had planned on a short day to allow a blister to heal...hopefully it will heal soon! The hike itself was mostly uneventful. The most exotic creatures were a bald guy with a goatee died blue wearing a kilt and a copperhead snake. Not really sure which was scarier... There was also a couple of Indian hikers that seemed a little shaken up. Apparently they had seen a bear literally rolling down the mountain in front of them (think end over end). Further along the trail, Sherpa ran into a pair of ladies walking their (big) dogs. No leashes, they recounted how their dogs had just finished chasing a bear right where those guys had been... If the bears in these parts have lost their fear of man, they sure haven't lost their fear of big dogs. After Sherpa arrived we headed back to camp to have dinner and relax. Sherpa made a fire and we enjoyed fish cooked over the fire...thankfully Sherpa wasn't too tired to cook! On a side note, our campground has certainly filled up for the Memorial Day weekend! The family across from us has several teenagers. The noise of them playing volleyball together and catchphrase is a welcome sound to us. We plan on hiking Mt. Rogers tomorrow together. There is a spur trail off the AT that we will take. We feel as though it will be a good "test run" for her ankle.