Date: 2017-04-18
From: 2-3 miles past iron mountain shelter

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 25.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Scene 1:       A dark campsite somewhere past Iron Mountain Shelter in Tennessee. Two tents are set up next to each other, both containing a smelly thru-hiker. Alex: "Oh man"Kal: *laughter*Alex: "its the blubbering owls again"Kal: "what do they have to talk about at one in the morning?"      That's how I started my day. With a family of six or seven barred owls right outside mine and Alex's tents chattering away at 00:52. For those of you that are not Mike Harvey and do not have a PhD in Ornithology, are not an avid bird watcher, or just have never heard a barred owl call before... I strongly encourage you to look them up. They sound like a bunch of punk kids laughing at a stupid joke while huffing helium. I heard them my first night on the trail and several times since, but never this bad. It was honestly comical at that point, all we could do was laugh... If you can't tell, I'm also at a library computer (hooray real keyboards!).      When the sun came up later, rain was pattering on the silnylon of my tent fly. a wonderful sound for sleeping but a less than stellar noise when you've chosen to live in a one man front entrance tent (OMFET). trying to extricate oneself from a OMFET is an acrobatics act during dry weather but when it rains, it makes the task even more fun because of the added fun of water dripping into your tent from every vibration on the frame once you unzip the fly. Its a petty issue I know compared to many of those in the world but I still need to vent (tent pun?) somewhere right? But I digress.      The rain luckily slowed down to a lovely soft drizzle by the time I emerged cursing and spluttering into the world. A fine spring day actually. So, soggy tent fly on the outside of the pack and properly stored dry clothes on the inside, Garbahnzo and I started our 21 mile day to the campsite just shy of Damascus.       The rain stopped shortly after we started and the wind picked up to allow for a free blow dry of my tent fly and managed to dry it out by lunch (hooray!). The final miles out of Tennessee were lovely and relaxing: broad flat trails with mild changes in terrain over long stretches and light packs made the miles breeze by. Due to this, Alex and I decided to do a 23 mile day into town and get a hot meal (the temptation was just too much). We managed to do a 23 mile day in 9 hours! We weren't pushing for speed, it just happened (well, maybe a little bit). We also crossed into Virginia and out of Tennessee! Now only 500 miles in VA!       Upon entering Damascus, we did what any sensible hiker would do when entering an unknown town in the now renewed rain: we got Mexican food. We walked into Hey Joes Mexican and were promptly treated to a corona each by some fellow thru hikers who were there celebrating one of their tramilies birthdays (thanks again guys!).       Nachos and spinach salads in our bellies, we then checked into "The Place" a hostel run by the methodist church in town and it was as clean as a Naval Vessel. Very tidy and rather strict on rules but it really kept the riff raff out at the Broken Fiddle Hostel and ensured that everyone was in bed by 10 (we didn't need any encouragement after our 23 mile day and then our walk to the resupply food store and back). The bunks didn't have any mattresses so we had to use your sleeping pads which made an ungodly (its punny because we were in a church) screeching noise whenever you moved. like those owls, it was just comical. Insert the earbuds and problem solved.    I also found a pair of crocs in the hiker box at the place, I was looking for some because I kept smashing my toes on sticks in camp and it was really getting old after a month of twigs and branches jamming into the front of your toes. They're yellow however so I look extra ridiculous. Thats all for today. Tune in tomorrow for more exciting thru-hiker adventures. and also, seriously look up barred owl calls... then play them full blast at 1 a.m....