Date: 2011-04-26
From: (35) Dennis Cove

To: (36) Damascus
Miles today: 50.4
Weather: broken clouds

Helm and I woke up in our bunks at 2:55am and silently packed our gear. We grabbed our milk and cereal from the Hotel¢s kitchen that we had bought in town the day before, and ate outside on the porch so as not to wake the hikers asleep in the living room. I felt tired. Having run 50 mile ultra marathons in the past, I had known what we were in for and did not get much sleep. Still, I was ready to go, as was Helm. We headed out at 3:45 in total darkness. My light, a key chain flashlight that weighs less than an ounce, was barely enough (Helm cheerfully sported an LED headlamp). We had been walking and talking for no more than 5 minutes when Helm said, ¢I wonder if I can pee while I walk.¢ He pulled it out and started peeing, not to the side but directly in front of himself so that he had to step through it as he went. I busted up laughing. Not even a mile in and it was already a morning unlike any other.For the most part the section into Damascus is not too hilly, but there is one large mountain we had to traverse before reaching the easy stuff, as well as the rocky terrain before it. And so, by the second mile of trail, Helm and I found ourselves climbing over boulders, crossing streams on narrow logs, and tripping over tree roots. This was made even more difficult by the lack of visibility, and several times we hiked off trail and had to turn around.We came to a river and could hear the roar of water. Curious, we shined our lights through the darkness to reveal a crashing waterfall. We continued, and the trail disappeared into a vertical rock face. Confused, we searched the area and discovered that the trail went out over the water on a small ledge in the rock face, and so we were able to continue. Eventually we hit the mountain, and climbed for an excessively long time before reaching the top, where we stopped at a spring for water.As I sat sipping my cool and unfiltered beverage, Helm announced with sudden passion that he had to poop, and trotted off into the woods. By the sound of his steps, he hadn¢t gone far. When he came back I said to him, ¢You know, that might not be as far off the trail as you think when it¢s daylight.¢¢I know¢ said Helm, seeming pleased. ¢It is right beside the trail on a rock, everyone is going to see it!¢ Then he dumped baby powder down his pants. ¢Don¢t want to get a rash!¢ I rolled my eyes and asked ¢Man, what¢s with all the pee and poop today?¢ The answer to my question was obvious: It was foreboding what would be an overall Sh?tty day.The sun came up shortly after, and our hike became a little less dangerous. Helm and I discussed what the theme song for our 50 mile hike should be, and agreed upon ¢Baby Got Back¢ (I like big butts and I cannot lie¢¦). Then I had to go to the bathroom myself, and Helm and I separated.I hiked the day alone. I came upon a massive lake in the morning where I had Brunch and drank water from a pump. The day grew hot as the miles piled on. I stopped at every shelter as I went and signed the trail log, because I wanted the people from the Hostel to know if we had made it or not (many would read them until days later). Around 11 or 12 I started getting into trouble with my water. I kept finding water, but it was always stagnant and I did not want to risk getting sick. When I finally reached a shelter, I discovered that the water source was half a mile down a steep mountain, so I skipped it too. 8 miles and a lot of sweat, grime, and delirious stumbling later, I came to a swampy area on the trail with wooden planks to walk on. Dying of thirst and worried I would not complete all 50 miles in my condition, I filled my bottle with the unfiltered, yellow, smelly swamp water and drank. Then I drank 2 more bottles (desperate times, but I never got sick).I continued my hike from there with some 23 miles to go. Mentally, they went by much faster. I was sore, but was eating tons of food for energy. I kept asking other hikers if they had seen a hiker of my height and build, and they would tell me that Helm was 8 minutes ahead, 10 minutes, etc.Finally, at the 40 mile mark and in agonizing pain, I reached a shelter and there he was. ¢Geesh¢ I said, ¢I stop for one dump and it takes me 40 miles to catch you again!¢We ate some food and I learned that the two other hikers there, Porter and Pace, were doing a 40 mile day into Damascus. So, with 10 miles to go, the four of us set out.Darkness soon overtook us, and I lost Helm again when I stopped to shake a rock out of my shoe. Turns out there was no a rock; my shoe was falling apart. I became hungry again and ate my emergency ration: uncooked Ramon Noodles (now that¢s roughing it!). I started feeling sick like I might throw up, but was distracted from this when I passed a sign announcing my entrance into Virginia! Soon after I caught up to Helm. He was talking to a man in a tent, who turned out to be Green Hat! It took us an entire day, but we had finally passed him.Helm and I hiked the rest of the way together. For me the last miles were the worst. My feet were so bruised that it felt like I was walking across hot coals and I wanted to cry out in pain, but below us in the valley were the lights of Damascus, and so I pushed on.We reached the town at 10pm, successfully completing the Kincora/ Damascus 50 mile challenge in 18 hours and 15 minutes. We limped through the town, found an open hostel for 5 dollars a night (The Place), and went to sleep.