Date: 2010-05-20
From: Iron Mountain shelter

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 26.1

"Dam¢¦ Dama¢¦ Damas¢¦ DAMASCUS!!!"--Sly, from Double Springs shelter register.Before I explain the "Damascathon" let me tell you about the raccoons last night at Iron Mountain shelter. Around 9pm three SOBO section hikers were having dinner between their three tents, about 30 yards in front of the shelter, when a large raccoon charged toward them and had to beaten back with a stick a couple of times. It was obvious to all that this was a habituated and aggressive raccoon.At 4:15 this morning I heard some noise near the shelter and turned on my headlamp to find the raccoon just a few feet away from the four of us in the shelter on the shelter picnic table partially under the shelter awning. I hit the table with my hiking poles and instead of fleeing the raccoon took a defensive posture. I then smashed the table just inches from the raccoon and it left, only to go over to one of the tents and try to drag one of the SOBO hiker's backpacks out from underneath his tent vestibule. We eventually chased it away.At 5am a smaller raccoon was rummaging about below the shelter table just 3 feet away from me and I smashed the ground in front of it and it ran away without further incident. Not exactly the peaceful sleep one would plan for a 26 mile day, but as I didn't plan a 26 mile day it just happened to work out all right on 6 hours sleep.Now about the walk:1.Walk, walk¢¦2.A stop at the Nick Grindstaff monument, an infamous local hermit who lived in the area from 1851-1923. As a young man when heading out West, he was robbed and beaten, and he returned here to Tennessee to live his life out as a hermit. The inscription on the monument cheerily reads: "He lived alone, suffered alone, and died alone."3.Walk, walk, walk4.Find "excellent-good" trail magic at Tennessee 91 left by one of the local churches in a hand crafted bear box welded into the ground: moon pies, fudge rounds, and pepsi. I have one of each.5.Walk, walk, walk6.I find a new relocation wrinkle since I last hiked in 2004. While the Trail had already been relocated through a farm in 2004, it has now become the Cross Mountain Accessible Trail: a neatly manicured and mowed half mile of wheelchair accessible aggregate trail that traverses the gentle hilly farm fields in this section. Another half mile features a wide and lawn mowed A.T. The entire area is teeming with all number of birds, and includes my third sighting of a Bluebird. Nice stuff.7.Walk, walk, walk8.I have a 45 minute lunch at Double Springs shelter and learn that one of my shelter mates last night at Iron Mountain shelter is Andreas from Basano di Grappa, Italy, where just about everyone makes homemade grappa.9.Walk, walk10.I start thinking I might hike the 26.1 miles into Damascus as it is only 1:30pm by the time I've done 13 miles.11.Walk, walk12.I start obsessing about having the 1/2 pound cheeseburger at Quincey's in Damascus.13.Walk faster (see #12 above)14.I'm enjoying the best weather day in a week, the first sunny and cool, and non-rainy, day in a week.15.Walk, walk16.I take a 53 minute early dinner break at Abingdon Gap shelter. Now I'm sure I'm headed into Damascus tonight. Andreas thinks I'm a bit daft for trying 10 more miles (after going 16) at 5pm. I assure him that I am entirely daft.17.Walk faster still18.I'm surprised that I hike the 6 miles to the Virginia border (yay, Virginia, finally!) in less than 2 hours. I check to see if I sprouted wings on my feet. Obligatory border picture taken, see above.19.Walk, walk, walk20.I'm salivating¢¦ 1/2 lb. CHEESEBURGER! Death to Ramen!21.Walk. Walk¢¦22.¢¦ into Damascus at 8:15pm, and straight to Quincey's and my special date with a 1/2 lb. cheeseburger. Death to the food bag and all the trail food it contains!23.Walk¢¦ to The Place Hostel and find myself a bunk. I'm so tired I put a shower off until tomorrow.24.My feet are so swollen and throb for so long that I can't fall asleep for an hour, until I'm so exhausted that I'm oblivious to the pain. 25.Walk¢¦ I kid you not, I dream about walking.26.1 W¢¦ that makes 26.1 "walks" -- one for each mile. Damascus is "excellent-good!"