Date: 2006-04-23
From: Campsite, Low Gap US 421

To: Damascus, VA then Massie Gap SOBO 
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: 0

Well we finally disposed of Tennesee and are now in Virginia. Now that is a mixed blessing - you see, Virginia holds almost one quarter of the AT miles...approximately 525 miles. It will be a long time before we move into another state.Hiking today was pretty easy - the grades were gradual ups and downs, so we made good speed. We arrived in town around 2:00pm and secured ourselves a place to stay. We¢re in a small building that has one bedroom with two bunk beds, or four beds. We have a small bathroom, and that¢s about it. The other hostels are larger and the beds are just wooden platforms that you use your own sleeping pad and bag. The last option is a Bed and Breakfast at a much higher cost.We arrived in Damascus two days early for my rendevous with my wife, Sue. In order to use the time wisely, I¢m getting a ride 30 miles up the trail and walking back to town. If the plan works out, I¢ll arrive back here about the same time as Sue. We¢ll have a few days together and then I¢ll go back to making miles.In the meantime, Die Hard is staying in town for a zero and he¢ll head out Tuesday. We¢ll pass each other on the trail going in opposite directions. That ought to be wierd. Once I¢m back on the trail I¢ll do extra miles and catch back up with him. That process may take a week or two but it shouldn¢t be too long.I¢ll keep the journal going even though the destinations will read backwards. This will add a challenge for my transcriber to calculate mileage, but I¢m sure he¢ll do well.GoodnightOld GoatOld Goat entering Damascus - Click picture to see full sizeDie Hard entering VA - Click picture to see full sizeDie Hard entering Damascus - Click picture to see full size Sue's Note: I finally was able to eat dinner today without feeling nauseous (first time since last Wednesday - 5 days!!). I was worried that I might have to cancel going to see Old Goat so I wouldn't give him whatever bug I had for the past few days.My list of things to bring continues to grow with each conversation we have...including the box of items he planned to swap out soon (warmer weather sleeping bag, different sleeping pad, external frame backpack...etc.). The car will be FULL!!When I learned Old Goat arrived in Damascus two days before I can get down there, I was worried that this wouldn't work out. His getting a ride North and hiking back to Damascus works out well...I'm so glad this is going to work. I miss him a lot and I'm looking forward to seeing him.Yesterday our 5-year-old granddaughter, Natalie, asked if Papa was hiking that day because it was pouring rain here. It was raining where he is, too, so I told her that, yes, he is hiking in the rain. She was amazed that he would be hiking in such awful weather.Our daughter, Cindy, told me that our grandson, Kyle (8 yrs old), was talking about how long Papa will be away for this hike, and said, "Papa will miss a lot of holidays - will he miss Christmas, too?" He was relieved to learn he'll be home by then! (Papa missed Easter and he will miss Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day.) Before he left, Old Goat tried to give them a sense of how long he'll be away by letting them know he will return after they start their next year of school. That amazed them!One thing to think about for those hoping to hike the AT in its entirety at one time...all the home activities that will be missed. So far Old Goat missed a Billy Joel concert that we would have gone to together if he were here, Kyle's school recorder concert, Natalie's dance recital, Kyle's Pinewood Derby, and an Aunt's 90th birthday party. He is going to miss Natalie's Kindergarten graduation, a birthday celebration for his Dad, Natalie's Daisy Scout Bridging Ceremony to Brownie Scouts, my work's summer Clambake, and anything else we haven't heard about yet. Everyone understands his absence, but he is missed at these events. A good part of this is that Old Goat's thru-hike makes for some interesting conversations at the family events! This is just one more thing to consider when planning to thru-hike the AT.