Date: 2016-05-14
From: 1.8 miles past Abingdon Gap Shelter

To: Between 2 Streams
Miles today: 14.6

We tried to wake up early today, but the cold, windy morning kept us cocooned in our sleeping bags. Eventually I forced myself to get up and pack quickly so we could hike our 8 miles to Damascus before noon. Leaving when we did was perfect because we got into town at 11:45, 15 minutes before my arbitrary goal! About 3.5 miles before this however, we crossed the TN/VA border, meaning we¢re done with our 3rd state! Tennessee was definitely a tough state and it gave us some difficult days. However, since Watauga Lake, the terrain was relatively easy compared to the rest of the state. It¢s almost as if Tennessee was tipping his hat for besting him in a game of endurance. He put us through the ringer and as a reward, let us pass his northern boundary without a fight. Tennessee, it was fun while it lasted, but I¢m glad to be done with you.Now to completely change subjects, I want to write about something possibly disgusting, but definitely interesting. Since I have started hiking the AT, I have a more difficult time pooping n civilization using a real toilet, but I¢ve had no trouble going in the woods. In fact, if I feel like I have to go the morning we leave our hotel, nothing will come of it. But as soon as I¢m back on the trail, not more than 12 mile in, my body will decide it¢s time to¢¦open the floodgates. It¢s almost like I have reverted to a primordial state of existence where I¢m only comfortable doing my business in nature. I only bring this up because I needed to go as we were walking to Damascus, so I was going to try to hold it for town. Then I realized that I probably won¢t be able to go once there, which will hinder my ability to eat massive amounts of food. So, I decide to go on the TN/VA border. Now I have officially pooped in 2 states at the same time! Next up I guess is the 4 corners.Okay, now back to normal things. In Damascus, after going to the library for some general info, we walk through the area with all the vendors so I can check out some tents that would work for Jenny and I. After checking a couple out, we spot the Hennessy Hammock tent. I figure since my hammock ridgeline is fraying, maybe they can do a repair. Well, Tom Hennessy, the founder and CEO, is there himself. I told him my problem and he asked me to show him He sat down in his chair, looked it over quickly, and began fixing it. Within 5 minutes, my hammock was fixed! And not by some random guy, but by Tom himself, free of charge! After fixing my hammock, he showed me a new, better way to hang it using one descending ring on each side instead of two. I am currently in my hammock using this new system and it works great. Oh, by the way, for Hennessy the company to fix it, it would¢ve cost $15 for the repair and $20 shipping each way. They also could only do a 2 week shipping back to me. So I saved $50 and 3 ¢ 4 weeks without my hammock by being at Trail Days today. Thanks Tom Hennessy!After this nice turn of events, we go to an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet for $7. This was a great find as I ate my weight in pizza with salad and pudding as dessert. We then went next door to Food City for our 5 day resupply and I only spent $17! I don¢t know how I managed it so cheap. We then checked out a few outfitters on our way out of town. I bought Outdoor Research Sparkplug gaiters. Ever since I bought bigger shoes, I have been getting more and more stuff in my shoes while hiking. The Sparkplugs are super light weight and seem like they¢ll do the trick. We then charged our phones at Subway while I spoke to Jenny for a bit. It is always nice when I get to hear her voice, even just for a few minutes. I then got an ice cream cone for the road and headed back into the woods.About 4 miles in, we had to detour on another trail as a footbridge crossing a large stream had been washed out. We walked the detour and reconnected with the AT before stopping to camp. All in all, this was a very eventful day. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that we ran into Indy, Pyro, Stretch, and Badger in Damascus. Somehow they are only 11 miles north of there on the trail. So as we sit here at camp, we¢re only 6 miles behind them. I di the math since our break and concluded that they¢re averaging only 10.8 miles per day since we saw them last before our break. Since being back, we¢re only averaging 13.9 miles per day and have somehow basically caught them! It¢s funny how that works out sometimes.PS ¢ I¢m going to refer to those 4 guys as the Lost Boys, it¢s easier to write.