Date: 2004-05-07
From: Campsite 4 miles north of Abingdon Gap Shelter

To: Damascus
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: clear sky

Just a quick note from the trail. I am in Damascus Virginia, at the Side Track Cafe, getting something to eat. I will take a zero day tomorrow and head north on Sunday. Feeling great. Good hike so far and beautiful views. It is getting hot and that makes the afternoons tougher. Time to eat and pick up my mail drop at the Mount Rogers Outfitters. Then hopefully a shower and a rest. More later. CBiscuit 05/07/04 Main Journal Entry I have finally completed the trail through North Carolina and Tennessee. The trail follows the state border between these two shortly after crossing into NC from GA, and finally leaves NC for the last time near Elk Park, but for many many miles you follow the trail with one foot in each, or nearly so. I am about 3 1/2 miles into Virginia, at Damascus. This is a major trail milestone. Damascus claims to be "The Friendliest Town on the Trail." It is a small town of maybe 1000 people if you are generous and the people seem very willing to help out the hikers. Next week is the annual Trail Days event, and some say the population will swell greatly as nearly 30,000 people are expected to visit over the course of the week. That should be quite a sight. I hope to come back for one day before traveling back to Birmingham. Flamingo Joe and I hiked to about 4 miles past Abingdon Gap Shelter last night so that left about 6 miles into town this morning. I was motivated, so I got up at 6:00 and began to prep for the morning's hike. Flamingo Joe kindly gave me a cup of hot water for coffee, and I had the usual pop tarts and tuna (I know your mouth is watering). Joe left before me, intending to make Damascus in time for breakfast. I quickly came to the Virginia border on a fairly easy trail. I called Marlene from the border since we always kiss as we cross a state border. It was good to talk with her and just catch up. I miss her but these talk times help. The descent into Damascus was typical in that I saw the town below a long way out and up. There was a very steep down section, but mostly it was a fairly gradual descent. Damascus is a pretty little town with a welcome sign on the trail as you enter. The trail comes down off the mountain between two back yards and hits the street near one of their driveways. There is a long narrow park the trail follows until you cross a bridge over Beaver Dam Creek and enter the downtown section. There are gear stores, hostels, cafe's with internet access, a library and a smattering of antique stores and garage sale stores. I dropped my pack at The Place, a famous trail hostel since 1976. It is run by the Damascus United Methodist Church. I went to The Sidetrack Cafe for a pizza but I began to feel badly and could hardly eat any. Back at the hostel I lay down and napped for awhile, followed by a shower. I felt better after that. I visited the library and updated my journal on trailjournals.com and then sat around the hostel for awhile just having conversation with the other hikers. I ate supper at Sicily's Italian Restaurant and am back at the hostel writing at a picnic table in the yard, while talking with some more hikers - Dingle, AKA, Waterloo, Machine, Little Chicken and Rapdog. Others come and go. I will go back to The Sidetrack Cafe for a movie and to spend the evening with some other hikers, and get a milkshake. I plan to take a zero day tomorrow - do laundry, sort my mail drop and maybe send some stuff home. The rest will do me good. After that, on Sunday, I head north for five more days to the Partnership Shelter on Virginia Highway 16, according to plan. It has been a good full day. Goodnight Sweetheart.