Date: 2007-12-06
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 154.8
Weather: broken clouds

I'm in the library in Damascus, VA, known as the "most friendly hiker town on the AT". I'd have to agree with that at this moment because I just came from a relaxing, wonderful Swedish massage! Whooee! Do I feel great!I also feel great because the past two weeks, since Thanksgiving Day have been filled with memorable weather events, mountains, friends, terrain, and natural sights and sounds. This journey keeps getting better and I'm continually grateful to be hiking.Ten miles south of Pearisburg, VA on the day after Thanksgiving, in the midst of wet snow, I crossed Sugar Run Road, my actual very last mile to complete the AT. At that moment, I earned the esteemed title of 2000 Miler on the AT. I'm so glad I didn't have to come home then! I'm thoroughly enjoying hiking again all the way to Georgia. Here in Damascus, I have 460 miles to go, which seems like a small bit of walking compared to what I've done. Yet, every day brings beautiful sights and precious time spent walking in Nature.Since Pearisburg, Hiker John and I have started having wintry days. Some days, though have started out cold and gotten warm enough for us to hike in only shorts and t-shirts. I call these "bonus days" because they challenge the view that I could be off the trail in a warm house instead of hiking out here in the wintry weather. I'm happy to say that we've had more bonus days than seasonal ones in the past two weeks.Climbing Mt. Rogers, the highest peak in Virginia brought the most severe weather challenge but also the most dramatic and memorable scenery. As we hiked higher up the gentle slope, the temperature dropped and the wind increased. The spruce trees and shrubs were covered with frost that looked like that fake white snow that people spray on their Christmas trees. In the gaps, the wind whipped through, blowing my windshirt hood off. I got warm by wrapping "Purple", John's 30 degree down sleeping bag around my head and shoulders. OOOOh! That felt great and I hiked on, happily enjoying the winter wonderland.Mt. Rogers also brought us up close to WILD PONIES! In the two days that we hiked on Mt. Rogers, we came right up to six groups of ponies. Their thick winter coats were coated with frost, but they placidly munched on the long grass on the balds. They were smart enough to keep to the wooded parts of the mountain but seemed unfazed by the wind and cold. Our night in the Thomas Knob Shelter atop Mt. Rogers was our coldest yet on the trail, probably in the single digits. The wind rattled the metal roof on the shelter so it sounded like a freight train. Thankfully, with our sleeping bags zipped together with my new down bag on top, we stayed warm. The alcohol stove struggled to light and heat up the icy water, but we gladly drank our warm tea poured over the breakfast buckwheat.The next night, Dec. 4, we reached Lost Mountain Shelter, much lower than Mt. Rogers. We had a nice fire and slept easily in the upper 20 degree weather. The morning graced us with a snow covered wonderland. Our morning hike toward Damascus yesterday was a delightful trek through shallow, dry snow. The snow provided a slate for woodland animals to leave their stories. We followed tracks of fox, chipmunk, rabbit, - and bear! - south of Lost Mountain.Well, I'm happy to say that we are NOT the last of the Southbounders. Today, as the "SOBO Stampede" of Roy, Oblivious(Sam), Deluxe(Blake), and Coffee marched out of Damascus, we sighed, thinking there were no other hikers coming up. But, today, in Damascus, we've met three hikers - Tork, Susan, and David who came in to town. So, we'll meet up with them and journey along together. We'll miss one of the SOBO Stampede, Burt, who left today to go back to support his wife in her surgery in PA. Wishing him and her the best of health and a quick return to the trail.Thanks go to my husband, John, for sending me a HUGE box filled with food and warm clothes. I had asked for a quilted warm jacket that weighs less than a pound. Well, in the box was a beautiful blue silk jacket, warm and stylish which he found at our favorite second hand store, Value Village. I'll wear it happily and warmly, feeling his generous and enduring love and support for me in this journey. Blessings to all in your own journeys!