Date: 2010-05-18
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 170.0
Weather: light rain

First, sorry for the long delay in posting. Up until about a week ago, I had been very busy hiking; in fact I took no rest days between Sam¢s Gap (south of Erwin) and Damascus. Since then I have mostly been visiting with friends, and hanging out at Trail Days. Were it not for my very sore foot, and some heavy rain, I would be on my way to Atkins, VA instead of writing this. So I¢ve been cyber-truant, and unrepentantly to be candid, but I¢ve got at least an hour here in the Damascus Library and much to post.Given my time constraint I will focus on three topics: the hike thus far, Trail Days, and the ¢real¢ story of the hike. The last topic is most compelling but I feel that diplomacy and good manners requires me to largely omit it. In any case, I will leave that topic for last since it is not intrinsic to the trail.The Hike Thus Far. When last I posted, it was from the Super 8 Motel in Erwin, TN. The following morning I shuttled back to the trail at Sam¢s Gap with Coopa and Biggoo. Hiking over Big Bald we were once again showered by falling ice and saw a significant amount of snow near the summit. The views were spectacular on the day I went through, but it was too cold to linger long on the summit. Also my shin was aching very badly, which caused me to stop early. The next day I did 17 miles¢my longest day thus far¢staying at Uncle Johnny¢s hostel only for a couple of hours. My shins hurt throughout the hike, but not too badly and other factors such as overcrowding at the hostel and the proximity of the next shelter propelled me forward.I would not say that the rest of the hike went by in a blur, but certainly the daily chores and miles have mostly become a routine matter. Only my hike over Roan Mt. deserves much attention. I was fortunate to receive a visit from the Gorp Inspector and Beans (also known as Jason and Dana Kreykes) and their sons, Elijah and Isaac. I had not seen them for several years and we had a very nice night at the Roan Mountain State Park Campground (which is beautiful, by the way). Refreshed and juiced up by healthy food (thanks guys!), I marched straight up Roan Mt. without fatigue.There are two things I must explain at this point. First, I like to believe that places possess energy and that, if we allow ourselves to be receptive to it, we can absorb some of this natural energy. Maybe that sounds hokey, but when I come to a place that speaks to me somehow, I try to stop and calm my mind. At worst this gives me a chance to rest my legs a bit, and at best it brings me closer to the natural world and is restorative. As far as natural energy goes, this day was an embarrassment of riches.The second thing is that I have been hiking off and on with a group of people, most of which I have not mentioned in this journal. I am having second thoughts about posting a list of trail names, since it would be meaningless to most readers and because I want to preserve some deniability if I post something that gives offence (this is not my intent). These are very fun people, and I caught up with many of them in this section, and so had great camaraderie around the beautiful Overmountain Shelter. Also we had many ramps, i.e. wild onions.As we hiked over the Roan Highlands a storm was flooding Nashville and heading our way. From the ridgeline we still had panoramic views, but also gusts of wind strong enough to blow us a couple of yards off the trail and a forebodingly gray cloud cover moving overhead. The ¢energy¢ of this day was amazing.I am getting very short on time, so I¢ll omit the rest of the hike into Damascus, except to boast that I saw a bear just north of Watauga Lake.Trail Days. Trail Days was fun, although I confess that I hiked out after the talent show before it had truly ended. Since I quit drinking I do not generally attend these types of events, and I a little too introverted to experience it fully, so I cannot speak much on the subject. It seemed like fun and I reunited with many people who have drifted away from me on the trail. Compared to ¢95 and ¢96 it was far more spread out and organized and this was the salient feature to me.My computer time is ending, so¢¦ The ¢real¢ story. There is much that I do not post on this journal to avoid ruffling feathers. Bear in mind that thru-hiking the AT is very much a social endeavor, and where there are people, there is drama. There is drug and alcohol abuse, infidelity, fights, pettiness, etc. Over lunch on Saturday, I discussed the idea of posting a gossipy, tell-all type journal with a friend. She didn¢t seem to think it was a good idea and, after sleeping on it, nor do I. There is also the fact that I am not totally innocent with regard to these issues. For the record, I do not drink; as to the rest I say ¢no comment¢.My library time is up and there is a line behind me, so it looks like I am booted. Sorry for the abridged and un-proofed post. More soon.