Damascus, Virginia

May 2-3

The so-called “Friendliest Town on the Trail” and the home of the largest annual hiking festival “Trail Days” held med-May each hear. People have been talking about Damascus for weeks. Being the contrarian that I am, I’ve been lowering my expectations consistent with everyone else raising theirs. I was not disappointed. Damascus is a little bigger than Hot Springs, but otherwise similar. The A.T. runs right thru the middle of town. It has all the usual hiker stuff: hostels, B&B’s, outfitters (multiple in this case), a bank, a few places to eat, a Laundromat, a Post Office, and a Dollar General store.

I, however, found that Damascus had a harder edge, was a bit dirtier, and lacked some of the charm and naiveté of Hot Springs. Perhaps the success of the “Trail Days” experience has ruined the small town feel of Damascus that once was. In any case, I walked into town about 12 noon on a sunny Friday. The town was bursting with hikers and tourists. I was fortunate to get one of the last available beds in the whole town. I had to take two nights, given that it was the weekend. So, I ended up at the truly lovely “Victorian Inn”, a B&B in a restored 1906 home. The innkeepers were retired antique dealers from Phoenix, so the house was jammed with awesome Eastlake antiques. I felt like I was back in Woodruff Place!

With my extra day in Damascus, I did an 18+ mile slack pack, which allowed me to finally get totally back on schedule. I’d been 1-2 days behind ever since my first zero day at Fontana Dam.

Oh, Mrs. B&B made some great breakfast treats as well, so my committed effort to stop losing any more weight is starting to work. Putting weight back on while hiking the trail is not likely possible – but, I think if I really stuff myself in town at every opportunity, I can at least stop the downward trend. Then I hope to gain maybe 5 pounds or so during the two weeks I’m off trail in June. Other than the weight loss, I’m doing fine physically.

Oh sure, I have aches and pains every day. My knees hurt every night as I go to sleep – but not enough to keep me awake. My shoulders scream at me every afternoon starting at about 2 p.m. from the pack straps cutting into me. But, almost miraculously, I have not had a single blister, and my feet rarely, if ever, hurt at all. So, I am in much better shape physically than many other who are hobbling along beside me. And, I am very grateful for that!