Date: 2016-05-11
From: US 501, James River crossing

To: Off the trail for a few days
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

James River to a few days off and Trail Days5/11/16   This entry is a continuation of our day on 5/11. So we were picked up by the shuttle driver on US 501 by the James River this afternoon and he transported us back to Troutville which is right next to Daleville where we had been on the 9th. Here, our trail boss (and my wife) Maria had arranged to have us picked up by a friend she knew in high school back in Ohio, and hasn't seen since then! Talk about connections! Amy Fletcher, who lives with her husband Jim in a beautiful house in Daleville, met us at the Troutville post office and took us to their home for a very nice steak dinner, showers and a night in a comfy bed. After dinner we had some pleasant conversation and a few beers before bed. These gracious hosts even offered to put me up for the entire five days that Caboose was going to be in Maine but since I was hell-bent on getting to Trail Days I declined the offer. At any rate, I greatly appreciated the hospitality shown to me by these nice folks who didn't know me or Caboose from the next guy on the street. 5/12/16   We got up early this morning so Amy could drive us to the airport in Roanoke (on her day off) and drop Caboose off for her 0800 flight to Maine. Then I rode back to Daleville with Amy where she dropped me off at the same Howard Johnsons that I stayed in before. I figured that if I couldn't get a ride to Trail Days, at least I could get a room there and try again tomorrow. So time kept dragging on and it looked like I wouldn't get a ride, so I ended up renting a room. I was in the room wasting time when I decided to check my e-mail. What I discovered was a message from Aaron Megquier, chairman of Friends of Baxter State Park, and a phone message from Dick Klain, president of FOBSP. They had been trying to contact me to offer me a ride to Trail Days in Damascus where they were going to have a booth set up. I called Dick and it turned out he was at that moment in Glasgow VA waiting for me to show up in town off the trail! I told him I was in Daleville and in no time he showed up at the Howard Johnson (in his very nice all-electric Tesla) and picked me up. Talk about luck! We stopped in Wytheville at the next charging station and got a bite to eat while the car was charging and then off to Damascus.    We had two bunks at "The Place",a church run hostel, reserved for us. After we got settled in Dick went down to the FOBSP booth and I went around town checking out all the other Trail Days stuff. Later on we went to Bobo McFarland's for some great burgers and a good live band. I was surprised to meet Carey Kish,aka Beerman (1977,2015 thru) coming out the door of Bobo's as we entered. Hard to believe I was actually at Trail Days! 5/13/16   Today is the official start of Trail Days so I got up early, went and got some free coffee and cookies with Dick and then went wandering around town seeing all the sights. There was a lot to see, and if anyone walks away from this hungry whether they have money or not, it's their own fault! There's free food all over the place. I took my backpack, which needed repair, up to the free repair area and got it fixed. They did a nice job too. Probably better than original. I met David Miller, author of "AWOL On The Appalachian Trail" and "The A.T. Guide", the book that most thru hikers carry on the trail, myself included. I also met Zach Davis, author of "Appalachian Trials", a book full of good advice on how to handle the psychological hardships that sometimes rear their ugly head while on a long distance hike. I caught up with Spiderman and Food Bag today. Glad to see some familiar faces. I also saw Lucky, Little Santa, and Goat Gas, all of whom I last saw at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. It's great to see them again. Later in the day I watched an eating contest. The first six people had five minutes to eat six hot dogs each. It must be harder than it looks because no one finished their six hot dogs. The second six people had five minutes to eat a whole cake each. The twist is that they weren't allowed to use their hands. I got some good pictures of guys with cake all over their face. Quite entertaining. 5/14/16   Saturday, day two of Trail Days. Went down to the fire station with Dick for some breakfast. The breakfast was good but I could have eaten three times as much. It's for a good cause though. I walked around town for a while after breakfast and ate more free food then back to the hostel until about noon to work on my journal entries. At noon I went to the other end of town for some free hot dogs and saw Dirty D and Buckles, a thru hiking couple who I hadn't seen in a while. This is also where the start of the hiker parade was. The hiker parade is just what it sounds like... There's a few fire trucks and sponsors followed by hundreds of thru hikers, from both past years and presently on the trail, who walk through town on the Main Street. The catch here is that people on the side are allowed, actually encouraged to bring giant water guns to the parade to soak the passing hikers. Not to be out done though, some of the hikers bring their own giant water guns and shoot back at the crowds on the side. I saw Buckles stalking through the thru hikers and staging quick, precision attacks on the crowds. Very entertaining and all in good fun. After the parade I met the Hiking Viking, somewhat of an icon this year for starting a southbound thru hike in January and finishing at Springer in May, and blogging about it the whole way.    Went to supper with Dick again at Bobo's and while we were there Food Bag, Cheeks and Wook came in. Haven't seen Wook since the Easter Feast and he didn't have a trail name then. This was karaoke night at Bobo's and Food Bag, Cheeks and another hiker whose name I didn't get decided to do a little number on stage. I got some good pictures and video of that. 5/15/16   Today Dick was returning back north so I caught a ride with him back to Roanoke to a motel near the airport where I'll be meeting up with Caboose tomorrow so we can get back on the trail. Dick, thanks for the rides. I had fun hanging out with you. Safe travels!