Back On the Trail: Wild Ponies in The Grayson Highlands.

Trail Update: Damascus to Marion

I dedicate this blog post to all my work-friends at The Park City Diner (Garden City Park, NY). First off, this job gave me the opportunity to save up enough money to finance this trip and I am immensly thankful for that. Additionally, my fellow staff and regular customers were witness to my pre-trail planning and jitters. Thank you to everyone who encouraged me, and thank you to everyone who doubted me. You have both given me a reason to be determined to succeed. 

Day 62: May 30th: Leaving the Nest! 

So the day to leave Damascus finally arrived! I only wanted to do about 12 miles, so I wasn't in a rush to leave town (neither was anyone else - leaving town is always extremely difficult it seems). I did some final town chores, packed up my gear, and checked out of 'The Place' for good. Peacock and I casually strolled out of town, stopping by the ice cream shop, In The Country, before hitting the trail.

I had noticed a rash on my leg a few days prior which I later determined to most likely by poison ivy. I've never been previously exposed to poison ivy, and I will take every precaution to ensure that it doesn't happen again anytime soon (because it totally sucks).

Peacock and I decided not to blue-blaze the VA Creeper (which would cause us to 'skip' a few AT miles), but we stopped by and splashed around in the river for about an hour. The hike wasn't too strenuous, and the morning went quickly - we watched as Peacocks apple rolled down a steep hill, I ate an entire cucumber because I didn't want to carry it anymore (have you ever just bitten into a whole cucumber, without cutting it up? It's weird.), and we met a handful of new hikers.

Peacock admiring the river.

I enjoyed having Peacocks company, but our hiking partnership formed a bit too quickly - seeing as the two of us are very independent - both as hikers and people in general, we decided to catch up with his friends that night, which meant hiking a longer day than intended. We eventually ran into them where the AT and the Creeper Trail meet again where we took a short snack break and crossed the Luther Hassinger Memorial Bridge (where we threw pennies and made wishes). 

Bridges are the most fun.

I hung back so that I could hike alone and listen to music until it got dark - at which time, I was happy Peacock waited for me so that I didn't have to night-hike alone. 

Rant: I really do not enjoy arriving at camp late at night. I dread setting up my tent wearing my headlamp, I hate not having time/energy to make hot dinner and walking to the water source in the dark is just a pain. (Though, I must admit, I found a little newt home/hole near the water source that night and the company of a newt was splendid).

Shelter:  Lost Mountain Shelter 

Miles today: 16.1

Miles from Springer: 483.2

Miles to Katahdin: 1702.1

Day 63: May 31st: Torrential Rain & Double Rainbows.
I woke up early and made my way over to Peacocks tarp to wake him up - we hung around for a bit before he decided to head out for the day. I stayed behind to eat hot breakfast, do some chores and talk to Shaggy  - I ended up being the last person out of camp that day. 

The first half of the day was absolutely gorgeous - non-threatening clouds spotted the sky and I loved being out on my own again. 

I love all the signs along the trail.

The trail has a lot of stairs...

I love the sky out here!

Soon, I came upon Buzzard Rock and found a family willing to take my photo!

Look at that view!

I'll throw in a selfie for good measure!

Communication between hikers can be difficult, considering our phones are always in airplane mode - but there is nothing more exciting than finding a note written to you in the woods! It almost makes up for the inconvenience. 

"Miss May: I'm camped at Deep Gap. P."

I walked for about half a mile before I needed to stop and massage my feet (just so you're all aware - hiking hurts). While doing so, I realized someone was throwing mini pinecones/acorns at me! I looked around and saw Peacock exploring off-trail. As we started to talk, the wind began to pick up and before we knew it, we were caught in a torrential downpour. The trail turned into a swift, flowing river, and my clothes were completely drenched. We trudged along until we found the road, at which time, the rain slowed and we discovered Lady Unicorn, Rhino and Rain-Man hiding under an information awning (they had been lucky enough to avoid the entire storm!)

I was in a pretty foul mood, but soon, I stumbled upon an unexpected surprise - a field of ponies! I went over to say hi, and the ponies immediately started licking my arms and legs (hikers tend to be very sweaty - and thus, salty and delicious). Seriously, these ponies were aggressively friendly.

Rain-man and pony staring contest

Rhino and a friendly pony!

A pony licking my leg.

Peacock taking a photo of me with his disposable camera.

And so we eventually hiked on, through some cow pastures and trees until we made it to the ridgeline - at which time, it started to pour again (and hail)! Though hail is not unusual, it's always a nuisance because it hurts to get pelted with little ice-pellets! 

We made it to the shelter to find it already full (despite having a capacity of 16), so I wandered off into the woods to find a campsite. Setting up my tent in the rain is not pleasant, and I had to deal with a few puddles before I could unroll my sleeping bag and get warm.

Hiking above the clouds!

When the rain started to clear, I went back to the shelter to find that there was a double rainbow! Sorry for the lack of photos, but I tend to try and keep my phone as dry as possible...

Shelter:  Thomas Knob Shelter 

Miles today: 12.2

Miles from Springer: 495.4

Miles to Katahdin: 1689.9

Day 64: June 1st: Ponies. AKA The Best Day of My Life.

That morning, I decided to back-track a bit so that I could summit VA's highest peak, Mt. Rogers (5,739 ft). I didn't  really have much interest, but I figured if I ever want to become one of those people who try to summit the highest peak in every state, I would regret not doing this one. The hike was easy, and the summit had no view. In fact, the blue blazes just stopped in the middle of a pine forest. I took a few photos, scoped out the area, and went back to take down my tent.

All about them blue-blazes

The hike was only about .5 uphill 

My chubby cheeks made it to the highest peak in VA!

Luckily the weather had cleared up, because this was one of the most anticipated days of the entire trail - the Grayson Highlands. This section of the trail is by-far my favorite so far. The landscape is stunning, the views are awe-inspiring, and come on, there are wild ponies.

Blue-blazes don't normally look like this! 

I blue-blazed to the top of that!

Peacock on a rock!

View from said rock. 

Peacock and rock from afar.

Sometimes, you just get into an unexpected staring contest with some cows.

Rhododendrons in bloom! 

And then finally! It was time to enter the State Park! 

Butt-scratching post.

Ahhhh! Baby!

We basically became BFFs.

Afterwards,  I walked half a mile to the parking lot because there were bathrooms and garbage cans! Yay! (Any convenience is a luxury out here - I am thrilled with the slightest extra amenity.) I spent about 2 hours drying out my gear and making lunch before I noticed storm clouds were heading my way.

A mighty fine lunch-spot! 

In order to avoid the rain, I hauled ass to the next point of refuge. Thunder was threatening a down-pour at any moment, and I was grateful to find Wise Shelter about 2 minutes before the rains came.

This is where I met Sam-I-Am and his pup, Iris.

I reached 500 miles that day!

(I couldn't find the '500' written in rocks, but this was carved into the privy!)

I would like to thank all the Eagle Scouts that build awesome privies for us hikers.

For some reason, this shelter had TWO privies!

So, it was only about 2pm, and I had I only gone 5 miles, but I decided I didn't trust the weather to hold out. Instead of heading out with other hikers, I chose to set up my sleeping bag in the shelter and read a book all afternoon. I got to know some new friends, and enjoyed being lazy for once! 

Shelter:  Wise Shelter 

Miles today: 5.1

Miles from Springer: 500.5

Miles to Katahdin: 1684.8

Day 65: June 2nd: Group Naps, New Friends.
Due to my unproductive afternoon the previous day, I made sure I was one of the first hikers out of camp. 

I need more mini waterfalls in my life back home. 

I enjoy this too much.

I am always thankful when the blazes tell you which way is North. 

Sometimes, people hike the wrong way. 

You'd think that would be ridiculous, but the woods are sometimes repetitive and you get worried occasionally (like when leaving camp in the morning).

View from "The Scales Livestock Corral" 

Due to poor planning, I ran out of all of my snacks - I only had dinners left! So I decided to stop by the first shelter and cook some brunch. 

Old Orchard Shelter. It was decent. 

A birds nest in the privy!

I continued along to the next shelter where I found two guys sitting at the trail crossing - they said there was a 100% chance of rain in the next hour. I blue-blazed to Hurricane Mt. Shelter where I found Lady Unicorn, Rain-Man and Rhino, amongst others, where I relayed the weather news and we all decided to take naps and wait out the rain! (I wish I had taken a picture of this shelter because it was gorgeous).

Everyones gear is slowly starting to break...

Though we agreed to leave at 4pm, the group of us decided to just spend the evening at this shelter instead. We were comfy and dry, and wanted to stay that way.

Later that night, Gourmet Greg and his brother Waldo showed up with a ukulele! I normally don't like when people play instruments in shelters, but I was so excited to see a ukulele - he even let me play for a bit! I've been considering carrying a little uke since then.

The shelter got crowded late that night, and we maxed out its capacity. The four of us went to bed with the agreement that we would start hiking before 6am in order to push 19 miles to Marion, Va.

This privy had a nest as well!

Shelter:  Hurricane Mtn Shelter 

Miles today: 10.9 

Miles from Springer: 511.4

Miles to Katahdin: 1673.9

Day 66: June 3rd: Big Miles.

Well, we tried to be as quiet as possible, but deflating sleeping pads and shoving sleeping bags into compression sacks tends to be a bit noisy. At least we waned everyone that we would be waking up at 5am.

We got out around 5:45, and the trail was still too dark to navigate without a headlamp. My favorite time to hike is between 6am and 7am because the temperature is comfortable and the lighting is beautiful. 

I forged ahead of the pack and made it to the lunch spot - Trimpi Shelter - an hour before the group. I happily made food and read the log-book.

10/10: would privy again.

10/10: would cross again.

The terrain was pretty easy, so the 19 miles went quickly, but my feet were still killing me by the end of the day. 

"Yay! I have friends to take pictures with now!"

We had intended to stay at Partnership Shelter, which has a shower and a local pizza place will deliver food, but upon arrival, I convinced the group to hitch into Marion and get a hotel room instead.

The shower was freezing - which further convinced us to go into town.

Put the man in the kilt in the front - 

you're more likely to get picked up! 

(I completely made that up.)

It took a few minutes to find a ride, but eventually a man let us ride to town in the bed of his truck (apparently it's legal if you're 16+). 

Despite the fact that riding in a truck-bed is fun, its extremely cold and windy. Also, I kept shouting "how is this legal?!" 

We read in the log-book that the Travel Inn had bed-bugs, so we opted for the ever-luxurious Econolodge instead. Lady Unicorn made us all leave our phones in the room while we went out for Mexican dinner at La Puerta (which was delicious!)

Showered. Cleaned gear. Enjoyed the WIFI. Bed.

Shelter:  The Econolodge in Marion, VA 

Miles today: 19.8

Miles from Springer: 531.2

Miles to Katahdin: 1654.1

Day 67: June 4th: Yummy Yummy.

I'll be honest, it's really not too difficult to convince hiker friends to take a zero day. Our bodies are begging us for a break - I've notived that they are so busy trying to heal muscles and joints that bruises and scrapes last for weeks. 

Town days go by so quickly, it's almost laughable. Between spending time in the laundromat, resupplying at Walmart, running into other hikers and maintaining gear, there seems to be no time to simply relax.

But don't worry - there's always time for Taco Bell!

Lady Unicorn and I spent a while coming up with a hiking schedule that would allow me to arrive in Harpers Ferry by July 6th. My Best Friend is coming to visit for the week, and I felt that Harper's Ferry would be the most convenient location to meet up (due to the Amtrak station). Also, rumor has it that if a thru-hiker makes it to Harpers Ferry by July 4th, they have a good chance of making it to Katahdin before Baxter State Park closes. 

While walking to Walmart for the third time, we ran into Wrangler, PMac, and Bistro. We agreed to meet up with them all later at Yummy Yummy, the local Japanese place, which was pretty delicious.

"Welcome to Marion, VA!"

That night, Rain-man got drunk with Bistro and them, while Lady Unicorn and I were channel surfing in the room. We found a movie with Aubrey Plaza, (turned out to be The To Do List) which captured our attention for the rest of the evening. 

I love all the street art!

"Join the Revolution. Shop Local. Shop Marion." 

Shelter:  The Econolodge in Marion, VA

Miles today: 0.0

Miles from Springer: 531.1

Miles to Katahdin: 1654.1 

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