Date: 2008-05-01
From: The Place

To: Campsite 2.5 miles past Lost Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 18.3

Today I got up, paid the donatino to The Place, resupplied at the Dollar General for only $20, then sent a few things home like my camera cable and stuff sacks I've switched out for waterproof ones. I also sent my camera card to a friend in Philadelphia. [so pictures should be coming soon!]I had breakfast at the Dairy King in Damascus (no affiliation with Diary Queen and they don't serve ice cream here yet), then headed out. Oh, before I left I saw Freebird and his dad SlimJim at the outfitter, that was fun...he's getting new shoes too because of his heel. The outfitter didn't have pink laces for my shoes, so I guess I'll have to live with them being moderately effeminate instead of severely effeminate.I got on the trail at about 10:00am and after about 2 miles ran into a girl named Margret. It was her first day on the trail and she said she was planning on doing a 550 mile section hike from Damascus, VA to Harpers Ferry, WV. Her gear looked really wacky - a cotton sleeping bag hung awkwardly on the outside of a pack with a plastic external frame. We were talking for a while and I asked her eventually what she was carrying. I don't like to critique people's gear on the trail, and I usually just don't care, but although she was down to earth and intelligent, I wanted to make sure she had the appropriate gear to be out here, right before Mt. Rogers which received 6 inches of snow last night. So I asked her what she was carrying and her response floored me:1. 12 cotton t-shirts2. 25 pairs of socks3. No stove and no food besides 85 PowerbarsPlus, she couldn't carry more than a liter of water and had no place for her water bottle, so she just carried it. While she was walking her bathroom kit fell out of her bag and I had to throw it back on her pack, it alone probably weighed about 5 pounds. At one point she took her pack off - watching her put it back on was a spectacle: she sat down in front of it, scooted back until her back was touching it, put her arms through the shoulder straps, then struggled mightily and awkardly against the forces of gravity until she was upright again.Again, she is a smart, young, friendly girl - she just had no idea what she was doing.The Appalachian Trail is more difficult and dangerous than I realized, and I came prepared. Although I originally just wanted to encourage her regardless of the gear, I realized I could not let her go on. She wasn't gonna make it to Harper's Ferry, she wasn't gonna make it 3 days.I realized - we're in Damascus, or close to it. This is her one chance to go to a decent outfitter and get her stuff straightened out. Not necessarily buy all new stuff, just talk to the knowledgeable staff who won't let her go back, I knew, without the proper knowledge and equipment. She also needed to go to the post office to send a lot of stuff back.Damascus is interesting, because you're meeting people who are just starting the trail like Margret. It's cool because you remember the extreme excitement and innocence of that first day, and you see yourself.I've heard stories of people seeing stuff like this on Springer Mountain at the start, but this is the first time I've ever witnessed it. I've been telling this story all day to the extreme amusement of other hikers. You just can't help but shake your head. 85 Powerbars. I resupplied with a variety of food for $20. For what 85 Powerbars must have cost she could have bought some cheap and decent gear.So anyway, at the next road crossing 2 miles up I stuck my thumb out and 2 trail maintainers stopped and said they could take her back to Damascus. She thanked me and I think she saw eventually that she couldn't be on the trail with that stuff. I felt bad raining on her parade but I felt sure I did the right thing. I really hope this doesn't kill her dreams and that she gets back out there. But now I'm so curious - what happened at that outfitter? How much did the pack weigh? What was the reaction of the staff when they looked inside?[I want to note - I heard through the grapevine that she did indeed get back on the trail, with mostly the same gear but different food and hopefully less weight]Anyway, that isn't all that happened today - I walked and saw BilgeRat, OrangeDust and Greenwood, and Privy Monster. I went to the shelter, expecting to camp alone, but yay! Found Pearl, Trainwreck, Nest and his mom Lost [who just signed my journal - hi Mrs. Nest!]. We played ukulele and sang around a fire and they retired to their hammocks.