Date: 2013-05-10
From: Damascus, VA

To: Saunders Shelter
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: light rain

I awoke to the sound of cars going down the road this morning. Not nearly as peaceful as waking up to the sound of birds singing as I have grown accustomed to. I took a morning stroll down the street to Cowboy's, a gas station with a diner inside, for breakfast. "The best blueberry pancakes in town" the sign outside read. They were delicious for sure, but I didn't eat any other blueberry pancakes in Damascus so I couldn't verify their claim. It would be hard to beat them though I can say that. I had coffee and a long chat with the store owner. We talked about SEC football (he likes UGA so we had that in common), local trails, and of course the AT. Julie called this morning informing me of great news, she had been voted by her peers as teacher of the year at her school in its inaugural year. What a great accomplishment for her, I am so proud. She deserves it because I see all of the hard work that she puts in outside of school. After I got off of the phone I ran a last few errands in town before leaving right around lunch time. It is hard to leave Damascus, but you gotta keep moving. It was pretty warm today and I was soon sweating out the beers I had at the Blue Blaze while in town. Sweating profusely as a matter of fact. After a couple of miles on the trail and crossing a few streams, I stopped to change socks. Moments earlier I had passed a lady who warned me of a strange man with an aggressive dog camped down by the road. I had unknowingly stopped relatively close to his campsite. He and his dog came over to greet me and I would have a much different experience than her. The dog I found to be inquisitive at best, the man no stranger than anyone else that I've met on the trail thus far. I chatted with him for some time and found him to be an interesting man with even more interesting stories. His mannerisms were some of the best I've seen in some time as well. I'm willing to give anyone a shot. I left him to his Busch Light and his cigarettes, crossed the road and found myself walking adjacent to a spectacular river for a while. The pancakes were starting to wear off so I stopped to have lunch by the river, the name if which I am unsure. I would not have been lolly gagging if I knew what was coming up. As I started uphill from the river I could see in the distance very dark clouds. The boom of thunder soon followed. I reached a sign telling me that the next shelter was two miles away. Unfortunately for me, it was all uphill. I booked it as fast as I could, sweat pouring down my face. I didn't make it. I could see the thick wall of rain coming towards me. I cursed at my procrastination and frantically put on my rain suit and my pack cover. It poured on me. By the time I made it to the shelter though it had let up, frustratingly so. That's the way it goes sometimes. I wanted to get more miles in today but another wave of thunderstorms rolled in. I decided just to stay put as I had noticed perfect trees behind the shelter from which to hang. I wish that I would have done more miles today, I certainly had the energy to do so, but the important thing was that I escaped the vortex that is Damascus. It is supposed to rain more tomorrow, a trend as of late it seems, but I am going to try and get in some good miles regardless.