Day 133, Mile 1715

Hello from Damascus, VA, “The Friendliest Town on the Trail.” Or so they say. So far, I have found Damascus to be just about as friendly as every other town. But we’re planning to zero here tomorrow, so there is a still a chance for the town to amaze me. More importantly though, I am less than 5 miles from the Tennessee border, and after 530 long miles, I am almost out of Virginia!

This last stretch through Virginia has been very nice. We had a thumping good rain storm on Halloween which knocked all the leaves from the trees in one fell swoop. I felt like I woke up one day in September and it was all-of-a-sudden autumn, and then I woke up on November 1 and it was just as quickly winter! Although it’s been nice to be able to see the landscape through the bare trees, I do miss all the spectacular colors we had last month.

Lightweight and I have been hiking together since my last post, which has been really nice. We’ve both been in good spirits since we left Woodshole, I have felt very recharged and ready to take on this last stretch. A few days back G-Fog finally caught up to us as well! Since it was also his birthday, his mom and girlfriend were up to visit him, and so we ended up spending a night in their motel room and slackpacking the next day. His mom also took us to Waffle House one morning for breakfast–and it was absolutely delicious.

Owl near Old Orchard Shelter

Our last 70 miles was through the Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area, home to the highest point in Virginia. It was a really significant spot for us, being our first time over 5000 ft. since New Hampshire, hitting the less than 500 mile mark, and the chance to enjoy its unique “wildlife.”

Foal with its Mare

Surveying the Damage

Friendliest Pack Animal on the Trail

As you can see, the Highlands are populated by a herd of very friendly wild ponies! They came right up to us, nipped at our pockets, and dug through our bags. Fortunately, they didn’t get any of our food. Apparently, the Forest Service put the ponies there in the late 60s to help keep the “bald” areas on top of the mountain from being reforested. Whatever their purpose, they provided for a fun afternoon of photography!

Sunset from Rhododendron Gap

As I mentioned above, G-Fog finally caught up to us again and I am a firm believer in “the more the merrier.” I feel very conflicted about finishing, now that I am so close. Part of me is so anxious to be done and at home, enjoying the holidays with my friends and family. But an equally strong half of me doesn’t want to finish, because I just don’t know what I’ll do with myself if I am not walking 20 miles every day! I’m already in the job application process though, looking ahead to my next adventure. And so all I can say is “onward.”

Lightweight and I were feeling a little bit bored one afternoon, and this is what ended up happening…

Day 127, Mile 1640

I had a problem uploading some of my other pictures during my last post, so here are a few that I couldn’t get up the first time!

Snow on top of the Priest

Me on top of the Dragon’s Tooth

Fungus Fang on Tinker Cliffs

Long Legs

Fall Foliage

Morning Light on Chestnut Knob

Day 123, Mile 1563

I’m here at the lovely Woodshole Hostel, a few miles down the trail from Pearisburg, Virginia. Although housed in an old homestead built over 100 years ago, it does manage to have electricity and internet. Lightweight is in the kitchen with the owner Neville cooking up a Halloween feast!

So, it’s been a while since I’ve blogged and thus there is a lot to cover here. I’ll try to let the pictures do most of the storytelling. Virginia has been really good so far, easily one of my favorite states. We’re starting to get back into real mountains again, and the leaves are changing, and the air is getting that crisp autumn feel to it–in short it’s everything that I had hoped October would be like on the Appalachian Trail.

After heading out from Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, we trekked across the Blue Ridge and headed south towards Shenandoah National Park. Walking through SNP has been one of the highlights of my trip so far. SNP was filled with lots of weekend warriors and day hikers as well, which translated into lots of trail magic for me, such as pizza, sodas, Clif Bars, and a few choice adult beverages. Most of all though, I really enjoyed being back in mountains again, after so many miles of low-elevation ridges that dominated Connecticut through Maryland. We finally got above 4000 feet also, the first time since Vermont. Oh, and I can’t forget to mention that I saw a few bear cubs too!

View from Hawksbill Mountain, the highest point in Shenandoah NP

Sunset from Hightop

After finishing up through SNP, I headed into Waynesboro, where my brother was picking me up to take me into DC for the weekend. But before he did, I got to have dinner at the trail-famous Ming’s Chinese Garden Buffet, which was absolutely amazing. Although supposedly all-you-can-eat, I have found that Chinese buffets have a very passive-aggressive way of saying “You eat like a Orca whale, you are no longer welcome here!” After my third trip through the buffet, they brought me my check. After my fourth pass, they stopped refilling my drink. And finally, as the coup de grâce they took my fork! I walked out–nay, waddled out–a very happy hiker.

As mentioned above, my brother picked me up the next day and we headed into DC for a very relaxing weekend. After hiking for a month straight without any zero days, I was in desperate need for some time off. I definitely picked a good weekend to come in as well, because when I got back on the trail on Sunday, I found that it had been snowing while I was away!

Less than a week after I left DC, John and my cousin Andrew came back out to hike with me for a few days, which was really great. After leaving DC, I hiked by myself for five days, which can be really dispiriting. On top of the solitude, I was trying to make big miles, so I typically ended up night-hiking to make it into camp, which can be pretty spooky. I even spent the night in a supposedly haunted shelter. The story is that in the fall of 1890, four-year-old Ottie Powell went to gather firewood and never returned. His body was found five months later on top of Bluff Mountain. I read many a story in the shelter register about hearing the sound of crying off in the woods during the night. Although I didn’t hear anything, I did find a nice pile of firewood stowed underneath the shelter.

Fall Colors

The James River Valley

White Blaze in the Mist on the Blue Ridge

My brother and cousin met up with me at a crossing of the Blue Ridge Parkway. One of the best parts of having them out was being able to actually share some of my experiences with them, instead of just talking about it. And boy, did they get the full Appalachian Trail experience–rain, sun, long days, short days, awesome views, resupplies, campfires, stealth camping, homeless people in the shelter, trail names, hitch hiking, trail magic–they really got it all! John and Andrew both got trail names within their first few days, going by “Fungus Fang” and “Music Man,” respectively.

The day before my birthday was one of the best that I have had on the trail so far. The three of us summited Tinker Cliffs and McAfee Knob which had some of the best views I have had since New Hampshire. Plus that night, we had dinner at the Homeplace Restaurant. They serve homestyle southern vittles like fried chicken, biscuits, mashed potatoes, and cobbler. I had been hearing about this place since all the way back in Maine, and it definitely surpassed my expectations, and I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday dinner!

Fungus Fang, Music Man, and Tex at McAfee Knob

Me at McAfee Knob

Alas, they had to leave and return to DC on Tuesday. While they were here though, Lightweight caught up to me, and we have been hiking together since then. We’ve both been feeling a little burned out, and having someone to hike with really helps keep up your spirit. We are well over two-thirds done now, just over 600 miles to go! The end is feeling closer and yet farther away every single day. I just hope I have the energy and spirit to make it! Right now I am shooting for December 5 as a finish date, but it all depends on how the weather holds up for me. I keep hearing that I should be expecting snow in the Smokies, so that might end up slowing me down alot. Onward!