Date: 2006-04-26
From: Double Spring Shelter

To: Damascus, Montgomery Homestead B&B
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: light rain

The highlight of today's hike was reaching the border of Virginia, the 4th state the AT traverses and the state with the longest mileage. Three states down; eleven to go. I reached that point after a damp hike with fog, drizzle, light showers, and a few periods of bright clouds at about 3PM. Fiddlehead reminded me a little of my youngest daughter Becca (returned Peace Corps volunteer and MA in Environmental education), and she and I snapped each other's pics at the border sign. I am so glad I was in the shelter last night, as the rain was beating heavily on the roof most of the night. I delayed leaving by about 1/2 hour until 8:15am to avoid a drenching 10 minute downpour that was, I thought, the last hurrah of last night's storm. The delay gave me time to savor my cherry poptart (high calories/carbs) and "no cook" oatmeal to go. Nevertheless I was out before anyone else who was inside the shelter or one of the five tenters. It looked to be a long day, but the trail was relatively easy and mostly downhill. Hiking in the rain can be quite mesmerizing. The only views into the valleys on either side of the ridge were of the tops of the fog/clouds that had settled there. To help pass the time, I listened to music on my MP3 player. I actually stayed ahead of the young men from the shelter until about noon when they roared past. Ran into them leaving the midpoint shelter where I stopped in for lunch. They were figuring out how to have a beer blast in spite of the 2 cheap hostels being dry. I was planning a night in a bed at one of the B&Bs in town and was disappointed I couldn't get a cell signal to reserve a place. The 6.1 miles from lunch to the TN-VA border went quickly, again to the accompaniment of rock on the MP3. The remaining 3.5 miles of mostly downhill sped by with classical music and All Things Considered fading in and out on the Virginia Tech FM station. Before long I could see Damascus in the valley below. Damascus seems like a great trail town with all needed services in a compact area. As I walked down the main street, I ran into Mr. Breeze, who was staying at the hostel run by the outfitters. I checked in at the outfitters, but learned its hostel was full. That helped me feel less guilty about spending the extra $ on the B&B. Just as I was about to cross the street to check out the B&B, the proprietress came out the front door of this neat, old bungalow and I hollered over to her asking, "Have you got a room for a dirty, smelly old hiker?" Her response, "We love dirty, smelly hikers!", in a north-GA drawl told me I had the right place. I followed her to the "mud room", a side porch adjoining the den, to take off my boots. Suzi and her husband, Gaines, a Western Electric/Lucent retiree, have been running the B&B for a couple of years, having moved from near the start of the trail in north Georgia. They acquired this brick bungalow built in 1921 from heirs of the town banker. The place was in excellent condition with all the original woodwork in the Arts&Crafts style, unpainted and undamaged by any children ever living here. Gaines even has the original blueprints! The Montgomery's are also remodeling a 150-year-old farmhouse on the edge of town to give them a home away from their business---so there was lots to talk about over dinner to which they treated me. Talk about hospitality! After dinner, I gathered up my dirty clothes and walked the quarter mile to the laundry wearing the scrubs loaned from the B&B and using my rain jacket as a laundry bag. I was somewhat concerned when it started raining again while the clothes were drying, but found the solution of tucking all the clean clothes under my vest and topping that with my rain jacket. I must have looked like a yellow-suited Santa with my stout chest and now very full beard as I walked back to the B&B through the very fine drizzle. At 10:30pm, it's well past my bedtime and I'm looking forward to a night's sleep in a bed in a dry house. I only regret Carol is not here. I am tempted to zero, but tomorrow and Friday promise to be great hiking days and I want to make the most of them. Onward to Maine!