Date: 2017-05-19
From: Mount Rogers Visitor's Center/Marion/Damascus

To: Damascus, Virginia 
Miles today: 0.0

5/19Damascus0.0 milesI had a fun, active day for the first day of Trail Days. Juan Gone and I went for breakfast at 7:15. After breakfast, he made a video of me congratulating the two graduates from my school in Rolla to play at their graduation today. We used Facebook to send it. Congratulations to Ordia, Erica, and their families! We then met Uncle Puck. Near the hostel, canopies were set up, and there were volunteers from a local church who were washing hikers's feet and giving foot massages.  Also there were local health workers who were taking blood pressures (I didn't write mine down, but it was low), and answering any questions.  Every hiker was given a free pair of socks. There were also foot doctors who examined hikers' feet and offered advice. The doctor I saw was pleased with tbe condition of my feet.  He recommended adding a small pad to my next pair of Superfeet inserts that might help alleviate the pressure off of the balls of my feet. It was very impressive the number of volunteers in this one area alone giving their time and expertise to aid hikers. After having my feet examined, I headed over to the vendors' area. I had my picture taken for this year's yearbook and joined ALDHA (Appalachian Long Distance Hiker Association).  I visited many of the vendors and then went for more free food (lunch provided by ALDHA).  Uncle Puck, Juan, and I then rented mountain bikes and a shuttle ride to near the top of Whitetop Mountain.  We then rode our bikes seventeen miles along the Virginia Creeper Trail back to Damascus. It was downhill nearly all the way and great fun. It started to storm about halfway down, but we got lucky because there is a little cafe located right along the trail at that point. As it started to pour, we stopped for ice cream at the cafe, and the rain had subsided by the time we were ready to ride again. We got back to Damascus after a ride of a little over two hours on the bikes. I went back to the vendor area and met Redbeard, who made a very good set of videos about his AT thru hike on you tube.  He now works for ZPacks, and we had a good conversation on thru hiking and lightweight gear.  I then texted Dapper and learned that most of the old group was at the Damascus Brewery.  A nice fellow named Joe offered to give me a ride there after trying to explain where it was. It was great to be back together with Dapper, Space Jam, Alex (now known by her trail name of Boundary), Billy, Monty, and Trail Mix. Reed, Nate, and Jose opted to remain on the trail and not return to Damascus. It was wonderful getting reacquainted again. After sampling some excellent local beer we headed to Food City, where I scored four Spam Singles for my upcoming resupply.  From there, I went with the group to Tent City, where they are all staying. Tent City really needs to be experienced to be believed. There are literally hundreds of tents set up in the fields and woods near the outskirts of Damascus. It's quite a deal. While visiting with my "old friends," I met Bigfoot, another hiker who has documented his thru hike on you tube. His videos are thorough and well created, and he has also made numerous how-to videos on tips he developed while only having 100 dayd to hike the entire AT. It was exciting to get to meet him and his girlfriend, Miss Bigfoot.  He asked if he could film me for an upcoming video he is making, and I was happy to oblige. He asked me about lessons I've learned from the trail and what I use for motivation. I look forward to seeing how it turns out. After that, I chatted with the Damascus law enforcement officers in charge of overseeing Tent City and thanked them for their service. I then mosied back to the hostel to find that Juan had checked out to move into Tent City. I'm staying put, and I worked on my journal and began sorting out the food I already have so I can know what I will need for my next resupply. There will be another really busy day at Trail Days tomorrow, including the Hiker Parade and, you guessed it, more free food.  It's been a very busy time, and I am really glad I came back for it. I'll be back on the trail by Sunday.