Damascus, VA: "I Live Here Now"

Trail Update: Healing in Damacus.

This post is dedicated to one of my college roommates, Chelsea Grama, who just got engaged to the love of her life! Chelsea and Mike are both all-around amazing people, and I wish them both a lifetime of happiness and success. 

Day 55: May 23rd: Dave's Place.

I awoke early (as usual), so I had to wait around an hour or so before I could call Mt. Rogers Outfitters and request a shuttle. When I finally did talk to them, I was informed that getting picked up from Low Gap would cost $40! What the hell is that! It was less than 15 trail miles! Well despite my opposition, I was so defeated from my injury that I just accepted the price and told them to come get me. (I later justified this decision when I saw that the road wouldn't have been an easy hitch.)

So I got on the trail and hiked about 2.5 miles before a dog ran up to me southbound. Behind him emerged a man (Bill) asking if I was Maybelline. He accompanied me for the rest of the trail carrying my pack and then drove me to town. I enjoyed his company, and tried to savor the car ride and the views along the road. 

We arrived in Damacus and I checked into "Dave's Place", which is partnered with Mt. Rogers Outfitter. I basically sat on the front porch all day, soaking my feet in Epsom salt and getting to know all the men who worked at the store. They all felt the need to give me advice and encouragement and company.

I learned that Dave had just died a few weeks back :( 

Inside Dave's Place.

Things were pretty minimalistic...

(At least I know there won't be bedbugs!)

The 2nd room is the best room. 

Other activities of the day included: walking to Dollar General, eating potato stix, plotting to potentially wwoof in Hawaii with my friend Vanessa, trying to even out my tan, and chatting with friends from home.

My feet never see the sun.

While sitting on the porch, I spotted Grape walking past! I joined her for a trip to the dollar store and then back to The Place, where she was staying. Her group was heading to Bobo McFarlands for dinner, and I decided to tag along. I ate a delicious potato soup, while the guys ordered full steak dinners. 

Around 8pm, I got a call from Bunny saying that her parents were willing to drive me to the doctor in Bristol, TN the next morning so I could get my foot checked out. (The doctor in Bristol took my insurance and would cost only $40. My other option was a visit to the ER in Abington for $150). Needless to say, I was overjoyed at this news. I feel a bit lost and vulnerable without my car. I've always had the freedom to go wherever I please - now I have to rely on others, which is a bit difficult for me. 

This day was one of the most mentally difficult days I've had so far on the trail. I went back and forth in my head the entire time, arguing with myself and weighing all my options - "Can I continue? Do I even want to continue at this point? Hawaii sounds awesome. Is it a one-week fix or will I need to stay off my foot for the next month? An injury is a legitimate excuse to quit. No, I committed to the entire thing. ...I'll see what the doctor says and decide then... Etc. Etc." 

Not gonna lie, coming home sounded so amazing - I am definitely prone to homesickness. And Bristol had a Greyhound station - making it a really convenient location to quit.

*** I skipped the section between mile 452.4 and mile 467.1 -  a total of 14.7 miles. I'm usually a  bit of a "purist" (for myself at least -  I don't care what other hikers do), but there was no way I wasn't going to walk north out of Damascus this time. 

Shelter: Dave's Place ($21 for a private room)

Miles today:

Miles from Springer: 467.1

Miles to Katahdin: 1718.2

Day 56: May 24th: Doctors Orders - Moving In.

I awoke and decided to walk over to the Lazy Fox B&B because I knew some of my friends were a bit late sending me birthday cards. I let myself in and said hello to Genny, who promptly informed me that I had mail! I hung around for a few, and decided to open the anonymous package first (I knew it was from Tracy).

Tracy is a dear, dear friend who likes to make me open inappropriate packages in front of a sweet, 80-year old woman.

I decided to pack up all my gear and bring it to Bristol, just in case I needed to catch a bus back to New York. Bunny arrived in Damacus in her car (!!!!) and drove me 45 minutes to the Urgent Care. I wanted to ask the doctor if I was causing any permanent damage, and make sure it wasn't a bone issue. When he finally examined me, he was condescending and unhelpful. "Oh, you're hiking the AT and your feet hurt? What did you expect?" "You're in pain? You should probably stop hiking." What the hell! I asked for a professional diagnosis, not your two cents on my life decisions! In the end, he determined that it was most likely not a stress fracture, and if I felt the need to continue hiking, I should give my body some rest. I went back to Damascus with the intention of just hanging around all week and seeing if my feet felt better with the passing of time.

Bunny's big puppy cuddled with me! My day instantly got 1000000% better. 

Considering I'm on a budget, I decided to check into "The Place", which is owned by the church and was only $7 a night. 

Homeeeee! I became really fond of this hostel.

The normal limit is 2 nights, but I asked the caretaker Bayou if I could have an extended stay to try and heal my foot. He said he would allow it, on the agreement that I actually stay off my feet/elevate/ice/etc.

Yes, I chose the top bunk. 

It's more fun.

I went back to Dave's Place to soak my feet and hang out on the porch with all the guys again. I met a bunch of hikers just passing through - most likely never to be seen again. The guys offered me some homemade moonshine, which I politely declined, but I appreciated the fact that they were looking out for me/accepting me into their little town family.

Later that day, I made my way back to The Place and hung around the Grape group as they grilled up some steaks and potatoes for memorial day. It was a really low-key BBQ, but I enjoyed their company. I bummed around on Tinder, hoping that I would find a local who could take me out of Damacus for an evening/get me away from hikers for a second, but Damascus only has a population of 1,000 and the surrounding towns are forever away. So no such luck. Grape and Autobahn got back on the trail that night, but Freight Train broke his tent poles and decided to stay another day to make repairs.

Autobahn and the back of Grapes head!

Shelter: "The Place" ($7 a night)

Miles today: 0.0

Miles from Springer: 467.1

Miles to Katahdin: 1718.2

Day 57: May 25th: Home = The Place.

I decided to take a stroll around town in order to buy some water-proofing stuff for my rainfly and see if my feet were improving at all (they were still too tender to walk on for longer than 5 minutes). I passed by the library, which was closed for memorial day, and ended up hanging out and talking with the lady who ran the antique shop. Basically, I was killing time - allllll day.

"On Fire For Jesus"

An old shelter built in the center of town.

(No longer available for use).

A cute mural on the side of the barber shop!

"Damascus, VA: Where Trails Meet" 

I don't exactly remember how I occupied the rest of my day, but I definitely took a nap, and waterproofed my tent. I attempted to blog (but seeing as I'm weeks behind with it, I obviously wasn't very successful). Around twilight, I heard a group of new hikers arrive and went to investigate. I found Peacock, a guy who I had met during Trail Days (he was also camped behind the Lazy Fox) and a few of his friends talking to Bayou. (Yes, I now have two Peacocks in my trail-life). We talked for a bit while he (slightly drunkenly) helped me take down my tent, and then I just went to sleep. 

Shelter: "The Place" ($7 a night)

Miles today: 0.0

Miles from Springer: 467.1

Miles to Katahdin: 1718.2

Day 58: May 26th: New Faces, New Friends.

Well. I woke up with pink eye - again! Gross! (I have since invested in some actual soap to prevent future pink-eye infections). 

Lol. Guess which eye.

I am not amused.

Luckily I had a refill on my eye drops (I lost the first bottle about 3 days after Gatlinburg), and I had to fill another prescription from the foot doctor in Bristol, so I strolled along the Virginia Creeper Trail to the pharmacy in Food City. (The Virginia Creeper is a popular bike trail that cuts through Damascus). 

Creeper Trail!

I invested in some athletic wrap and epsom salt for my feet, resupplied, and then walked over to the library for some light reading. I chose "If I Stay" because I figured I could read it in a sitting or two. Long story short, I wouldn't really recommend this book to anyone over the age of 16, but I enjoyed spending time in the library. On the way back, I ran into "Rambler" and gave him "Maybelline's Official Tour of Damacus". 

Back at The Place, I found Peacock, Bubbles, Rambler and Snack-time planning on going swimming/rock jumping. Seeing as I didn't have any friends in this "bubble", I decided to be social and join them. We found a snake in the river, as well as a ton of baby geese and ducks! The water was kind of gross, so I passed on the swimming and just hung around. 

Gross Geese water.

I went back to my bunk and decided to take a little cat-nap before joining Bubbles and her group for a campsite party 0.5 miles north on the AT. The boys went ahead, while I helped Bubbles take down her tent - and since she had been hiking with a group of guys for a while, she seemed to need some girl-talk (And I love trail-gossip, so I happily lent an ear). 

The campfire was quite enjoyable - I met "Hammertime", a German who has been carrying a hatchet (not entirely uncommon), and Peacock and I talked about art preferences for a while. Around 11pm, I decided to head back to town for the night. Though I've gotten more comfortable with night-hiking, I still psych myself out a bit and imagine dangerous creatures emerging from the dark woods (especially if I'm all alone). But I felt better once I got to the road, and enjoyed a nighttime stroll through Damascus.

Shelter: "The Place" 

Miles today: 0.0

Miles from Springer: 467.1

Miles to Katahdin: 1718.2

Day 59: May 27th: Just Passing the Time...

I woke up and made a bee-line for the library again where I finished the book and read the local newspaper. I then soaked my feet in the river again, where I witnessed two baby ducks get swept away by the river current and then survive a goose attack! (Hence the Facebook status: Geese are dicks.)

Ahhh! Look how yellow and perfect and cuddly they are!

When I made my way back to The Place, I found Peacock had returned to town! (His feet were hurting, he hadn't resupplied yet, and he decided to wait for his friends to catch up). I was excited to have someone to hang out with because when you spend an extended period of time in one town/hostel, it's common to make friends for a day and then watch them get back on the trail without you. :( 

So we went back to the library and borrowed the computers so that Peacock could contact his family (he hikes without a phone/electronics). Since I had already gotten my fair-share of social-media binging, I played on neopets for about 45 minutes and it was fantastic.

Afterwards, we wasted about an hour walking around dollar general - eventually buying push-pops and stickers, which I like to use in the shelter log-books. (Is it obvious how much time we had to waste?) We decided to go hang out at the river behind the Old Mill Restaurant, where there was a man-made dam/waterfall. Even though it was cold, we forced ourselves to go swimming for a bit because swimming in rivers is what the trail is all about!

As we made our way "home" (yes, we began to refer to The Place as home), we stopped by Hey Joe's to get some Mexican Food (which was delicious, by the way). The waitress was very friendly - Peacock and I determined that if we lived in Damacus for real, we would be friends with her. 

Vegetarian burritos and quesadillas are top-notch here.

That night, we walked along the Creeper Trail and explored Damascus for a while. When I first arrived in Damascus for the 2nd time, I was a bit sad to see the park without all the Trail Days vendors and crowds, but I started to grow fond of the quiet little town. And while it was frustrating to be stuck in one spot, I learned to appreciate the mandatory "town-rest".

Shelter: "The Place" 

Miles today: 0.0

Miles from Springer: 467.1

Miles to Katahdin: 1718.2

Day 60: May 28th: The Last Zero.

I decided to keep Peacock company as he resupplied that morning, so I tagged along to Food City and read trashy magazines/followed him around the store while we discussed how to spend the day - we ended up walking back to the "Tent City" area to look for a nicer swimming spot. It took a lot of off-trail walking, but we spent the afternoon in the river/sunbathing on the rocks. 

Mural outside of Mt. Rogers 

We made our way back to The Place, took afternoon naps, and decided to set up our tents/tarps in the yard. You can only sleep in the bunkhouse for so long before the lack of privacy gets to you. (Also, I like to munch on snacks in the night - all that packaging is loud!)

That afternoon, all of Peacocks friends arrived! It was a loud, joyous reunion, and I will admit, I was a bit envious. 

Peacock and I just hung around The Place that evening - his friends got drunk (thank goodness Bayou was on vacation in New Orleans for the week!), but we chose to have a low-key night.

Shelter:  Camping at "The Place" 

Miles today: 0.0

Miles from Springer: 467.1

Miles to Katahdin: 1718.2

Day 61: May 29th: Day-hiking to the Border!

So I decided that 5 consecutive zero days would probably be enough rest - it was time to test out my feet. Though I was slightly bothered by the fact that I had to yellow-blaze those 14 miles into Damascus, there wasn't anything spectacular to see in that section - except the TN/VA border. I knew it would be a quick and easy hike, especially since I wasn't carrying a full pack - so I gathered some water and snacks, taped up my feet, and made my way south. 

So long Tennesee! 

I was pleasantly surprised with how decent my feet felt and knew that I would be able to hike out with Peacock and his friends the following day. It felt good to get back into the woods, despite having gotten attached to my life in Damacus. 

Finally walking into Damacus!

(For good this time).

After I took my afternoon nap, Peacock and I walked around town and made our way to the antique store, where I bought myself a book I actually want to read (A Separate Peace)! We went back to the library and Hey Joe's for burritos and discussed how I would probably work at Hey Joe's or Bobos if I were to live in Damacus... 

Climbing on bridges on the Creeper Trail.

Back at The Place, Peacocks best-trail-friend, Big Deal, signed us all up for his rock-paper-scissors competition (it was legit - with brackets!)

Patches and Peacock battling it out.

We had another easy night, knowing we would have to get up (relatively) early the next morning and leave our Damacus lives for the trail. 

It's like those pictures where people say goodbye to their dorm rooms when they move out for the summer.

Shelter: Camping at "The Place" 

Miles today: 3.4 (+3.4) = 6.8

Miles from Springer: 467.1

Miles to Katahdin: 1718.2