Date: 2023-10-30
From: Stealth site

To: Damascus
Miles today: 62.9

Day 150-152Coldest morning we've had on trail, about 30 degrees but a dry cold. We warmed up with coffee and it turned into a beautiful sunny day. It was a simple 3.5 miles up over one mountain followed by 3 miles back down. Got into Boots Off Hostel relatively early and were able to pick out an awesome tent site with a firepit. The hiking lately has been beyond amazing with the leaves and fall. The pictures I take do not do it justice. We had a very relaxing zero and we befriended the local stray kitty. He was following us around and napped for a while on Graham in the tent. Eventually he got enough of us and left, but it's so comforting to have pets around at hostels to make you feel more at home. Today we took advantage of an offer the hostel had for kayaking. We kayaked part of the trail and it's called aqua blazing. So we kayaked 8-10 miles on the Watauga Lake and that covered about 21 trail miles. Can't beat that!! It was the most amazingly, beautiful experience I've ever had. The sun on the fall leaves with the crystal water. The water was cool with a warm 70f day. We really couldn't have asked for a better day, and to think 2 days prior, we were freezing our butts off. At the end we stopped in a little diner to grab food waiting for the hostel to pick up the kayaks. And To top it off, the other lady we kayaked with, bought us dinner. She said she wanted to do trail magic for us. People are just amazing! Melissa's fall count: 97Beginning mile marker: 422.1Ending mile marker: 451.2Nearest city/town: mountain city,tnStealth site 29.1 milesDay 153It was a fairly easy day terrain wise. Easy grade on the trail, no big ups or downs. With the extra miles from the aquablaze and meeting Heather on Friday, we don't have to push hard and can make it an easy hike to Damascus. However despite the easy trail Melissa did take a bad fall. A rock hidden in the deep leaves caught her foot. When she went down a rock caught her knee and cut it fairly deeply. We cleaned and bandaged it as well as we could but it might be a problem to address better in Damascus. The shelter we got to was old but okay. We tented nearby and with getting there early were able to make a nice fire to sit around for awhile.  Melissa's fall count: 98Beginning mile marker: 451.2Ending mile marker: 460.5Nearest city/town: Damascus, vaAbington gap shelter 9.3 milesDay 154Another easy hike day. Apparently we hiked by some old ruins but we didn't find anything. It was an old cement slab for a cabin, but likely obscured by all the leaves. It was an exciting day to pass over the VA state line!! Its our last state to go through!! Only 500 miles left. We got into Damascus and had to check out the local diner for lunch while waiting on Heather and John to get there. Melissa's fall count: 98Beginning mile marker: 460.5Ending mile marker: 470.7Nearest city/town: Damascus, vaDamascus airbnb 10.2 miles10/26Day 155-158 10/27-10/30Damascus is a neat trail town. It sits at the intersection of several hiking and biking trails. So despite its small size, has a fair bit of services. We worked out our resupply, got new gear from the outfitters, and gorged on town food. Hopefully this will be Melissa's last pair of shoes needed. Oh and Alan flew in for a surprise visit! It was tons of fun and very relaxing. We were even able to get out and slack pack 14ish miles one day. Now we have to steel ourselves to be ready to power through the upcoming highlands with a cold front blowing in. But first, we are stopping at an urgent care to check out Melissa's knee wound. It doesn't look any worse but are concerned about keeping it clean on trail. Maybe stitches. Hopefully it won't be a major setback. Melissa's fall count: 98Beginning mile marker: 470.7Ending mile marker: 485Nearest city/town: Damascus, vaDamascas air bnb 14.3