Date: 2009-05-26
From: Damascus, VA

To: Taylor's Valley, VA
Miles today: 8.5

Baltimore JackassWe found ourselves back in Damascus for Memorial Day weekend. It looked and felt a lot different from the weekend before. We had only planned on spending the night and moving on the next day, but John offered to let us camp at his dad's for the weekend and we got a message from Stone Skipper that she was yellow blazing up from Kincora to meet up with us. So, we decided to stay a couple more days. We took advantage of the weekend to get to know Farsee better, as well as other hikers. Mosely was a hiker that had been laid up at The Place, a hostel in Damascus, with a bad ankle since Trail Days. SnP, who had burned some miles between Kincora and Damascus, as also very enjoyable to talk with. SnP got her name because she carried two bandannas on her trekking poles - a green one for snot, and a yellow wore for piss. Thus the name SnP. On Sunday afternoon we were hanging out in front of mt. Rogers outfitters when John told us he had to run a shuttle into Abington and offered us a free ride to the movie theater where Star Trek was playing. Dizzy Bat, The Phlo, Graveyard, Einstein and I hopped in the van, and grabbed Odin at the last minute who had just hiked his way back into Damascus. We all enjoyed the movie very much. Afterwards we tried to hitch back into Damascus, but the Abington police pulled up and politely advised us not to do that. So we called up John and asked if he could come get us. Unfortunately he was at Mt. Rogers when we called, so they made him charge us - which was OK considering the free rides he had already given us. The next morning Stone Skipper finally made it into town. we had planned on getting back on the trail, but she desperately needed a zero day, and the rest of us needed some time on the computer at the library which didn't open until Tuesday. We decided to stay for one more day, but felt we couldn't impose on John's Dad another day, so we packed up our tents and decided to stay someplace else, which shouldn't be a problem because all the holiday visitors had left town. Farsee, Odin and Stone Skipper headed to The Place, which didn't allow dogs. The Phlo and Graveyard got a room at the Mt. Rogers Outfitters hostel. Dogs weren't allowed in the hostel, but were allowed outside, so Dizzy Bat and I paid MRO to pitch our tent in their parking lot. In the process of arranging a spot to pitch our tent, we received a very rude and condescending lecture about dogs from Baltimore Jack, an AT legend who was in town and helping out at the outfitter. Baltimore Jack is a former thru-hiker who wrote a great resupply article we had been relying on. His legendary status comes partly from his experience on the trail, but also for being a drunk and generally being a jackass. I had been looking forward to meeting him so I could compliment him on his resupply article, but unfortunately I encountered the jackass feature of his personality before I got the chance.About this time The Phlo and Graveyard made friends with a local who offered to take us into Abington for another movie. It was getting ready to rain, and there wasn't a lot of room in the guy's car, so I was going to stay behind with Einstein. But two people staying at the hostel volunteered to watch him for me so I could go. But as I prepared to leave, Baltimore Jack came over to the hostel and threatened my dog. He said if Einstein barked (which he never does) while I was away, he would be gone when I returned. I have encountered more than a few people along the trail who disapprove of dogs on the AT, but most have taken the time to get to know Einstein and realized that he's a well behaved dog and that I'm a responsible owner. Baltimore Jack seems to harbor some deep hatred of both dogs and their owners, and wasn't interested in getting to know either of us first. I was, of course, furious about having my dog threatened - especially by someone working for an outfitter we had just paid for the privilege of pitching our tent in their lot and had given a couple of hundred dollars of business to over the previous two weeks. So, I told the rest to go to the movie without me. Dizzy Bat and Stone Skipper also chose to stay behind.I went back to the outfitter and asked for my money back so I could go stay elsewhere. I also put back the $60 dog boots and other equipment I had set aside to buy. So we set off in the puring rain to find somewhere else that would let us stay with a dog. It didn't take long. The Hiker Inn, which was a B&B up the street, also had a hostel in the back and accepted dogs. We got a private room for a reasonable rate and slept in a real bed for the first time in weeks. Except for the owner being petty and rude to some fellow guests and friends later that evening for breaking some rules she hadn't informed them of, it was a great B&B and a nice place to stay. The next morning was the first weekday after Memorial Day and the library was open, so we got some time to catch up on the computer. We spent most of the afternoon at Dot's Inn, the only local pub in town and had cheap, good food. It also happened to be one of the last spots in town before getting back on the trail. We were finally happy to be leaving Damascus. It was a nice town, and we met many nice and helpful people. But unfortunately the town that likes to bill itself as 'Hiker Friendly' is anything but. They sure like to take hiker's money, but generally treat them like crooks, drifters and outcasts. Again, we were happy to finally be getting out of town.We took the Virginia Creeper Trail out of town. The Creeper Trail parallels the AT for about 13 miles on the way out of town. Since it is graded for bicycles, it is a much easier hike than the AT. We camped about 7 miles up on the creek. It felt good to be back on the trail.