Date: 2015-04-06
From: Abingdon Gap Shelter

To: Damascus
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: clear sky

Another poor night, felt like I barely slept at all. Realised that part of the problem is how much my legs and feet are aching. I can't lay with them straight because they hurt in my knees and heels. However, if I lay on my side and curl up, then my knees and hips ache. It's very problematic. But at least my tent was dry and warm. I stayed awake from 6am and started getting ready for the day, trying to stay inside my sleeping bag as much as possible. I left camp at 7.30am, but Axom&Shrug and Not Yet (whose name I have finally learnt!) had already left well before me. Everyone was eager to get into Damascus today.The trail wasn't too bad- it's always better when I know that the end of it leads into a town (and is usually downhill). I covered the 10 miles into Damascus much faster than I had expected with my blistered feet. I reached the green in Damascus about 10.30am. Then I walked along the trail, which goes through the Main Street of the town, until I got to a bench where I waited for Brightside. Meanwhile, I used the free town wifi to get up to date on everything. I was sorry to learn about Signage, who has left the trail with a broken leg. We had just been talking about her the past few days, since she gave all of us some helpful advice. I hope that she has a speedy recovery and can some day return to the trail. She is an important reminder that the trail can be a dangerous place, and my fears of serious injury from falling over are not baseless. When Brightside finally reached town, we headed off to try to find her drop box. But, as has happened so many times already, her box was not there. So, we headed to the post office to check there. On the way, we ran into the Rhode Island Express and Laughtrack, who had arrived in town much earlier. We were lucky to meet them, as the hostel we had planned to stay at was closed, and the other option we had heard was not especially pleasant. Instead, we're all now staying at a very nice little place called Ruby's Rest. It is a small cabin in the garden of a family (with the eldest daughter being Ruby). The cabin has beds for 4 people, but we have 6 sleeping in here (with Dopey tenting in the garden). The cabin is very nicely decorated, and looks like a fancy hotel room (with adjoining bathroom). We also have free rein of the garden, grill, and a couple bicycles. We've utilised all of these facilities so far.Unlike other town visits, the most important thing was not to take a shower. In fact, I didn't take one until after dinner and the others waited even longer. The most important thing was relaxing and eating food. I did my own little trip to the dollar general for a resupply, and got some seam sealer. When I got back, I set up my tent and sealed it as thickly as I could. Then, the woman who runs Ruby's Rest very kindly gave us a ride into Food City (and the Dollar General). We decided to do a group dinner tonight, so I bought the condiments, Laughtrack got the salad Brightside got the doritoes and dip, Frodo got the burgers, etc. Then, when we got back, we had a wonderful feast with the grill and salad. Everyone was sufficiently full by the end of it, which was a remarkable feat. After that, I did a quick trip to the pharmacy for some Epsom salts and soaked my toes for a bit. It stung a little, and mostly seemed to highlight all the areas where my blisters where rather than actually help burst them. I ended up using a needle on my little left toe, which was really quite horrifying. The blister was completely underneath the toenail, to the point where I could actually move the nail. I am at very real risk of losing that toe nail. After that, I took a shower whilst the others went to get ice cream and milkshakes. I ate an entire box of strawberries and finished 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd' whilst waiting for the others. When they came back, we watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail. A fun way to spend an evening, and not super expensive either! Today, we crossed into our fourth state, Virginia. This is the largest state of the AT and has some negative associations. Mostly people seem to get tired of walking through one state for so long (about 500 miles). So far, the mountains and trail look fairly similar to the rest so far, with the exception of the Smokies. Damascus itself seems like a nice little town. Similar to Hot Springs, its economy seems largely reliant on tourists and hikers. It has some wonderful public services though- the free wifi is just one. It also seems to actually have less restaurants than Hot Springs, despite being bigger. As with most of the trail towns so far, everyone seems very friendly and says hello to each other randomly on the street. Tomorrow I'm going to try and explore a little more than just the food stores and the outfitters. I am also going to try to find new shoes. Hopefully, I'll have some success.