Date: 2015-04-06
From: Damascus

To: Mt. Rogers Visitor Center
Miles today: 62.8
Weather: clear sky

Day 55 - 4/2 - Had a great breakfast at Dancing Bear. Hiked out of town at 9:15. Camped next to a bridge on the Creeper Trail. Add snake (non-venomous) to critter list.Day 56 - 4/3 - Some rain overnight. Started again after we'd hit VA 601. Winds picked up and rain got heavier. Put on rain gear and pack cover at Buzzard Rock. Longhorn spotted a pony. Plenty of strong wind as we got to Thomas Knob shelter. Looked like a big crowd so we camped a bit past shelter. Had a big meal and was in tent early (6:00). Cold!Day 57 - 4/4 - Ice on outside of tent in morning. Tough to get started. More cold and wind. No rain but kept rain gear on as it helped in the battle against the wind. Didn't see any ponies. Got to Fox Creek early. Dried out tents and clothes. Had a good fire and big meal. Listened to NCAA basketball semi-finals. Started putting together shopping list for NERO in Marion.Day 58 - 4/5 - Light freeze overnight. A few other hikers out on Easter Sunday. Ran into Crazy Legs from Ohio, doing a section hike. Camped at VA 601. Had good fire. I was out of food so I snacked on chocolate covered coffee beans. Longhorn and I got a call out to Clare. In tent around 7:30. Listened to Cards vs. Cubs. Tough to sleep after all those coffee beans. Coyote and owls were pretty loud.Day 59 - 4/6 - Hiked to visitor center and caught bus to Marion. Washed clothes, ate too much at pizza hut, got room at econo lodge, ate too much at Chinese buffet, and resupplied at grocery store. Will watch some basketball tonight and hike out in the morning.Notes:Back in Erwin, gal who runs Country Scrub Board will move your clothes from washer to dryer while you go eat if you leave quarters.Even your high-end gear may fail. Working with good outfitters will help you deal with the disappointment and frustration. Longhorn had a zipper fail on his pack and the guys at Mt. Rogers Outfitters in Damascus fixed him up with a new pack. They called Osprey and they gave approval to give him a new Atmos.Clare sent me my transistor radio and I'm very thankful. Been falling asleep to radio since I was a kid.Got my potato salad fix at Damascus Pizza Plus and picked up macaroni salad across parking lot at Food City.A few days before we left for Georgia, my new hiking pants arrived. I'd gained more weight than I thought, so they didn't fit. Sent them ahead in Fontana box and they fit great when we got there. Now, they're a little too big. Weight loss since starting is around 35 pounds.Thanks to Crazy Larry in Damascus for getting the stink out of our clothes and sleeping bags. He's the man to see in town for laundry!Damascus library has moved from downtown and is now located across from the veterans memorial when you first get to town. Very, very nice!Thanks to Leon for helping out at the house, helping Clare hold down the fort. Feels good to have finally passed the 500 mile mark.Lion King, our weights are both dropping. I can afford it but Longhorn needs to cram more calories.Ma and Pa, not going to use term easier. Maybe just slightly less miserable! We are hanging in there.Could have used a hardboiled egg or two, Easter Bunny. Sorry we missed you!Bill, I've been just slightly less whiny lately. Things are starting to green up and the temps are becoming more tolerable.