Date: 2022-04-03
From: McQueen Gap

To: Damascus (Lady DiÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs B&B)
Miles today: 11.44
Weather: broken clouds

McQueen¢s Gap to Damascus (Lady Di¢s B&B)Today was an ¢easy¢ day. I always complain that we never have an easy day - even the easy days are hard. Well today was easy. Hiked 11.44 miles and averaged 2.6 mph. I am usually at 2.0 or 2.1 mph. I think the explanation involves a combination of a several things. One is that the elevation is just not as high now. A second is this particular day I was mainly hiking along the ridge line for 5 miles and then downhill for the remaining 6+ miles.  The elevation gain today was ¢only¢ 1,375 feet. And the final reason is I feel I am starting to get my trail legs. I hesitate to say that because I don¢t want something to start hurting and derail my hike. I finished Tennessee today!  So 3 states down now and 11 to go. Virginia will be a LONG state though. Virginia has more miles than any other state - more than 550 miles. 25% of the AT is in Virginia. Not a lot of views but I did try to get a few pictures and videos.  Saw a number of the usual hikers. Saw Ohdi and Steamer at the very beginning. Hadn¢t seen them in a couple of days. I saw Tennessee Slim and Annie at the Abington Gap shelter where they stayed last night when I hiked past it this morning. Ran into another couple hiking with two cars and staying in hotels most nights. They are going north but hiking south each day. They have a dog with them. They were planning to spend one night in a shelter between Damascus and the gap where TN 9 is located. They were upset that that section of the trail was closed to camping because of aggressive bear activity. They were not sure what they going to do. I got to talk to Annie a little more. She said will only live in her tent for a couple more months and then intends to go to Wyoming for the summer. I asked her what she would do there and she said she would figure it out when she got there. She of course passed me on the trail when I stopped for lunch. When I got to Damascus she had headphones on and was dancing in a park by herself like no one was watching. I took a very short video because it looked really cool. When I passed her she waved and gave me a big smile and kept dancing.  The trail goes along the park and when I got there a young boy was taking a picture of his dad under the sign welcoming hikers to Damascus. I asked him to take my picture and he was very happy to do so. He had a Cincinnati Reds fanny pack on and I said he had to be a true baseball fan to cheer for the Reds, almost as much of a fan as you have to be to cheer for the Pittsburgh Pirates.  I explained where I was from and his dad said they were from Kentucky and the Reds were the closest team and that his son really loves baseball.I am staying at the Lady Di B&B and will zero here tomorrow. I have been hiking for 10 days straight. I took a picture of the picture outside my room. It is of Princess Diana. The Lady Di who owns the B&B thru hiked the AT in 2019 after she retired from her job.  She said she fell in love with Damascus and sold her house in Minneapolis, and  bought her B&B. Went to dinner with a guy from Napoleon, Ohio, which is close to Toledo, and an ER doctor from Hampshire in the UK. She is hiking with her husband but he is 100 miles behind her and they intend to catch up in 2 weeks.  One final point. I asked Rabbit why he stopped wearing shoes. He said when he was doing his southbound thru hike in 2017 he read a book called The Barefoot Sisters Southbound, By Lucy Letcher and Susan Letcher. The book is about two sisters who hiked the AT barefoot!  He said when he got to the last half mile before Springer Mountain he said it¢s now or never so he took his shoes off and hobbled the last half mile and gradually stopped wearing shoes after that. He said he feels his feet are much healthier.