Date: 2007-06-13
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

All in all, I ended up staying in Damascus for seven days. Rather than putting seven journal entries, I decided to put just one; I think that'll be easier for me to do, and less tedious for you readers.My first of seven zero days started by going to a MoJoe's Trailside Coffee-house, right next to Subway. I walked down there with Alex and Hale Berry (that's her trail name; her real name is Hila), and we met a bicyclist there named Sam. After hanging out for a little while, waking up, we venture over to Cowboy's, where we treat ourselves to scrumptuously unhealthy southern-style breakfasts. I have scrambled eggs with cheese, pancakes, bacon, and coffee. My leg still hurts like hell today, but I just keep walking. Unfortunately, I walk in my camp shoes, which have no padding for the feet, or ankle support. My shin hurts worse than being kicked between the legs!Back at The Place, I see Spyder and Mismatch, along with Lauren (bicyclist). Spyder and Mismatch have taken several days off for shin-splints, also, and are here for today, also. Lauren has decided to take off just to hang out. She said she knows she needs to hit the road; but, that she'll regret not hanging out with us!Throughout the day, I walk around, getting a feel for the terrain, and hope against hope that my leg repairs itself soon, so I can hike out of town.The following day, I awake to find my leg still in pretty bad shape. Lauren and I head to Damascus Eats, where we gorge ourselves. I had am omelet of sorts, along with bacon, and likely a near pot of coffee. While at the restaurant, Spyder and Mismatch come in, saying they think their legs are in good enough shape to hike out now. Remember, Spyder got stress-fractures in both legs earlier in the year, from not taking care of his shin-splints (uberhikers, take note!). Lauren and I wish them off, and we head over to MoJoe's to check out email, and upload some pictures to the web. We spend well over an hour there, doing our respective work. After at least an hour, we hear the front door open, and look to see Spyder! The three of us burst out laughing at the scene, as he and Mismatch had left to hike North, heading for Mount Katahdin, just an hour or so ago! Turns out they made it about a mile, maybe a little more, before their shins started telling them to stop. So, they turned around and came back, opting to take one more day off. Lauren takes today off to, swearing that she will bike out in the morning.I eat lunch at Baja Cafe, and fall in love with their food. Sometime during the afternoon hours, High Life, McCray, Dandelion, and Mr. Burns all stroll in to town! It's good to see familiar faces! A hiker enthusiast named Larry (who has a phone on his front porch, where he lets hikers make free long-distance phone calls!), informs us that one of the local churches offers a free dinner for anyone. "You don't have to convert or come to the church service," he assures us! All of us find ourselves there. A few head over to Baja later, as they're still hungry!At this point, in the banks of my memory, certain memories start running together, where I lose track of what specifically happened on what specific day. So, I opt to share town happenings as I remember them. So, if the following seems haphazard, scattered, be forewarned!I meet another bicyclist, Dan, I think, or something like that. He is completely disillusioned with society, with modernity, and is on a journey of self-discovery. The day we meet, we end up eating dinner together at Baja, and also end up playing trivia. We're not very good, but we have much fun. There are two cute girls sitting at the table near us, and I want to offer them a drink, and invite them to join our table; but, I really need to watch my finances! I can't afford to flirt! Good luck, "Dan" on your journey! I hope you find the answers to life, the meaning to life!I meet Max, Mr. Pink, from Maine. He, too, has shin-splints, and is on his fifth zero-day, I believe, when I finally leave town. We hang out a lot, chat-it-up a lot; we're both stuck in town with the same ailment. His trail name comes from his pink crocs, he says.There are the two brothers from Utah, bicycling from there to the Virginia coast. One is a college professor, and I share some of my problems with the modern education system, and how so many young people skip the part of life where you're supposed to discover who you are, and find themselves with degrees out the wazoo, married, and with kids, scratching their heads, saying, "Who am I?" I tell him that I, at the age of 25, have finally realized that I'm not content to take that route yet. A few friends and family members think I'm too "old" to not be focusing on finishing college at the moment, and that I should have a steady girlfriend. College for me right now would be prison. I'm a well read, well rounded, self educated person (in several fields, from history, to philosophy, to theology, to literature, to english, to a handful of other subjects), and am always asked, "When are you going to finish your education?" I say that I hope I never finish getting it, then quote Mark Twain as saying, "Don't let school get in the way of your education." The way how college has been turned into a bureaucracized business makes me sick, and doesn't make me look forward to returning to it just yet. He tells me that he wishes more of his students thought along those lines.Badger (whom I met at Kinkora) comes into town, as does Scott (whom I first met in Erwin). Both stay at a nicer place than The Place. In comes, also, Royce, whom I haven't seen since Standing Bear! I accidentally left my knee brace at Kinkora, and Royce brings it for me. He joins Scott and Badger.I don't like how I'm spending as much money as I am for my daily meals, so I opt to find some local work. I meet a guy named Brant, who offers me work at his house in nearby Abbingdon. I get his phone number, telling him I'll take him up on his offer if I can't find anything local. I find some temporary work at the Baja Cafe from Jared, who thru-hiked in 2001, I believe, and is in the DVD "Trek". I cut tomatoes, chicken, steak, onions, make tortilla chips, clean dishes... do just about everything in the kitchen.One day, I head to the laundromat to clean the clothes. I meet a kid named Charles. He's going to be a sophomore in high school in Abbingdon, and has everything figured out. He loves math, he says, and is going to study that and engineering.Eventually, a guy named Tom finds me at the place, and tells me I need to leave, as I've stayed there for too long. I tell him that I have an injured leg, and can't quite leave town yet. He says that the limit is 2-nights per stay, pointing at a sign. I "argue" with him, telling him that the sign seems to refer to busy season, to make sure that other hikers have an opportunity to use the beds. It's slow time now, and The Place is practically empty, so there shouldn't be a problem. I also let him know that I've bought toilet paper for the bathrooms (I was planning on washing all of the towels later that day, but didn't tell him). He then asks me if I'm working in town, and I tell him that I work a little bit at Baja for the time being. He says that since I'm able to work, that means I'm able to pay to stay elsewhere. I tell him that doesn't make any sense, as I'm working to eat, not to pay for a bed. He then tells me of a hiker who set his tent up in the lawn, and avoided him, hiding out, and stayed for at least two weeks. I say, "Tom, I'm laying on the couch, with my leg elevated, reading a book. I'm not avoiding you, so please don't parallel me with this other person. I'm an injured person, who can't hike out yet!" He is insistent, and I decide to drop it, figuring I'll let the guy be an asshole if that all he's able to be. I write a scathing note in the register, criticizing what I think of as being unfair treatment.I meet an older gentleman in Baja one day, who invites me to eat with him. I do so, and find out that he is one of the Westerners plagued by what I call "West Coast Mountain Pride". He accuses the Appalachians as having too many trees. I challenge him to brush up on his knowledge of trees, and to find out how fascinating each individual tree is, and to soak up the vistas that definitely do exist in the Appalachians.On my sixth day, I more or less decide that I need to go home, as these days off are killing my average, making it nearly impossible to make it to Mount Katahdin before it closes for winter. I call Neels Gap in North Georgia, trying to set up a job interview. On my sixth day, Winton calls me back, asking me to come for an interview as soon as I can. That very day, I bump into Brant in Mojoe's. Brant is the gentleman who offered me work in Abbingdon. He offers to drive me to the bus station in Bristol, TN. So, I buy a bus ticket for there, and we hit the road. I hate that I'm leaving the Trail, but what can I do with my leg?In Bristol, I check in at the bus station, and put my backpack in a locker. I walk down the street to a restaurant for a burger and a beer. As it turns out, my waitress is a sports medicine doctor! She assures me that I'm making the right choice, as she's seen people damage their legs for life for not "respecting" shin-splints. She also acknowledges how hard it must be for me to stop, as she has a few friends who have thru-hiked the A.T.I arrive home in Augusta, GA on Wednesday morning, and my friend Isaac and his girlfriend (now fiance!) pick me up. Later that evening, Isaac and I head downtown to one of the bars, for a drink and to chat. I end up knowing a good number of people that are there, that are all shocked and thrilled to see me! A few introduce me to friends of theirs saying, "This is my friend I told you about who's hiking the Appalachian Trail!" They respond with amazement, and one in particular peppers me with questions, hoping to do it one day himself.I don't do much on Thursday, apart from going to a Catholic group for college-aged "kids". Again, upon walking in, everyone is shocked to see me! Afterwards, we head out to a bar, where I have a nice chat with Diana and Katie, along with the other there.The following morning, I drive to Neels Gap, where I interview. It goes well, and things look hopeful. I stay up there for the rest of the day and night, sleeping in the hostel (in the same bunk I slept in when I hiked through, too). While there I drive to Brasstown Bald, the tallest mountain in Georgia, walking up the paved pathway to the summit. I can still feel the tenderness in my leg, reminding me that as hard as it is to be off the Trail, I've made the right choice. Back at Neels Gap, I walk for a few minutes on the A.T. in either direction, just past the Blood Mountain and Raven Cliffs Wilderness Area signs. I'm very sad, heartbroken, and spend my time in silence, pondering... just pondering.The following day, I drive to REI in Atlanta, where I return my Steripen (the electric water-purifier that eats batteries alive) and my replacement boots, as I obviously haven't used them. I talk with Tim there, who thru-hiked a few years ago. He assures me that as hard as the choice was, I've done the right thing, respecting my body. He's leaving soon to go hike The Long Trail in Vermont!Back home, my good friend Father Damian invites me to New Mexico, where I stay at Christ in the Desert Benedictine Monastery in the Santa Fe National "Forest" for two-weeks, seeking solitude, and quiet. I take the time to hike some on the nearby Continental Divide Trail and some of the other canyons in the area. On the CDT, I get stuck in a NASTY, HORRIBLE storm, causing a nasty flash-flood. One local said it was the worse he's seen in 23-years! When the rain started, I took refuge under a grove of trees. In ten-minutes, the water level was up to my ankles! I decided to make a run for it back to where I started, around 3-more-miles, along with a guy named Dominic, with whom I was hiking. The water in some places is up to (and just above) the knees! This is scary in a very tangible way, with arroyos filling up, making us worry if we're going to reach impassable areas, having to possibly be inflicted with the dreaded hypothermia (the temperature dropped a good 20o when the downpour began). We make it out alive, but on the forest service road back to the monastery, we get stuck in some nasty mud. Luckily, a gentleman with 4-wheel-drive gives a ride the rest of the way. While lying in bed, it dawns on me, "I could've died today!"I'm back home in Georgia, and have applied for jobs all over the country, from Virginia, to California, to Colorado, to Alaska, to Texas, to Utah. I'm flying up to Pittsburgh on Wednesday to meet two friends, one who has recommended me to move up there. So, I'm going to check out the job-market in the area, before making a final decision.This is my journey thus far, and it is not yet complete; and, it won't be complete until I reach the summit of Mount Katahdin in Maine. Perhaps, as my parents fear, I'm overly-obsessive about this. I, for my part, refuse to not do things in life that I want to do, which aren't morally off-based. I think it is important to finish that which you have started, if it is in your power to do so; and, that "he who is faithful/responsible in 'small things' is faithful/responsible in large things." It is important that I finish the A.T., I think, and I plan to return to Damascus next May, hiking North.*Final edit: I ended up moving to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I'm working full-time at Rock Bottom Restaurant, and should have an interview with REI in the next week or so. If I can afford it, I will definitely return to the Trail next year, even if I can only get a few weeks or a month. God-willing, though, I will be able to take the summer off, finishing that which I have started.*