Date: 2013-05-04
From: Double Springs Gap, campsite

To: The Place, Damascus, VA
Miles today: 18.7

Wow, did I sleep good last night! I'm not sure I moved an inch all night. When it was time to get up, I felt so fresh and ready to take on the day. I made breakfast first and sat in my tent to stay out of the wind. It was cold outside, not freezing but high 30s. I looked at my water reservoir. I had left if outside my tent but under the vestibule. It wasn't frozen, but the bite valve looked frozen. I pinched it. It wasn't frozen, but it looked like it was full of ice crystals. I looked closer and felt the rubber nipple. It was all chewed up. It seems that a mouse had used it as a teething ring the night before. For the rest of the day, everytime I took a drink all I could think of was those little mouse lips. I'll have to get a replacement when I get to Damascus. The wind blew constantly all day long. A dark heavy cloud just seem bolted on top of the ridge, though the valleys to the east and west looked like they were enjoying something that approached sunshine. But the trail under my feet was forever in a shadow. The ridges were starting to mellow out and smooth down. I was coming along the trail, and I saw something in the path. At first I thought it was dog feces and a pile of wet worms all clumped together. But when I took a closer look, I realized they were intestines. There was only a little bit of blood, no fur, no feathers. Just guts. Some little animal was having a really bad day. The trail went up a little and down a little, but nothing too crazy. I stopped at the old McQueen's Knob Shelter. It was a tiny log-cabin shelter with the words "Love Shack" and "Holiday Inn" carved above the opening. I stopped for a long snack break. I checked my phone. I had gotten an email from Tom with a photo attached. Before I left, I had given him a strip map of the AT to put on his wall and trace my progress. He took it a step farther. Not only had he mounted it on his wall, he has been printing off the pictures that I send him and tacking them up on the wall, connecting strings from the photos to where there were taken along the trail. I got all choked up. I passed by Abingdon Gap Shelter and signed the register. The trail seemed to roll on for forever, and the wind kept blowing like hell. The hoovering clouds never went away. I knew that the border was coming up, and I had planned to camp just after the border and roll into Damascus tomorrow. I wondered if I would have the decipline to stop. I stopped at 2:30 to have a late lunch. My tortillas looked like they had been sent through a paper shredder. The tuna kept falling through the holes. A bit of tortillas fell onto the ground. A tiny ant set claim to it and started tugging it off. I admire its ambition. Before I realized it, I was at the border. I saw a sign, but didn't realize its signifcance until I saw the words "Damascus 3.5 miles". I huge smile spread across my face, and I danced across the state line with Michael Jackson's, Billy Jean, playing in my head. It was only 3:25 p.m. My self-discipline disolved. I was going to Damascas.I came across Tumbleweed and Foolhardy as soon as I cleared the trees and walked into the town park. They were sitting on a bench and shared a bit of trail magic they had been given. I got a Segrem's Strawberry Daquiri wine cooler that was so red it gave me a headache. I poured half of it out and headed to "The Place," a hostel run by the local Methodist Church. For the bargain price of a $6 donation, you get a wooden bunk in a dry, clean, neat old building. But first you are given a stern talking to, read your rights and ordered to take your shoes off. The caretaker, Bayou, is an interesting character from New Aalins. Sadly, his job requires him to run the place with an iron fist and seems to do a better job of putting people off than making them feel welcome. It's unfortunate. I know he doesn't have an easy job, but many hikers leave feeling really negative about the place, thus they are less willing to offer more generous donations or their extra time. There were a group of hikers that had progressed beyond Damascus, but the wind and weather conditions were so bad up on Whitetop and Mt Rogers that they called for a shuttle to bring them back to town. I stopped by Crazy Larry's to see about picking up my mail drop and possibly staying there tomorrow night. According to the guidebook, he takes donations, but that's changed. He runs a junk-shop out of his house and rents out a couple of beds. He charges $25 for a bed. Fair enough. But he said that if he let me have the double bed he would probably put someone else in the bed with me to make more money. Hmmmmm.... I don't think so. I'll find someplace else after I've used up my 2 night limit at "The Place." I met up with Coach (who I hadn't seen since Hiawasee) and some others at Jeepers Creepers for a hamburger, french fries and a large batch of battered and fried jalapenos. I needed Tums afterwards. But it was yum-my!