My destination tomorrow shall be north of here
It was 6:45AM, and Damascus was just preparing to start its day. Preparing to leave Damascus was not easy, but I needed to continue my walk north.
I packed everything up and was at Mojoe's Coffee Shop by 7:45AM. I sat there drinking my coffee, checking my email, and reading a local paper. I went on Whiteblaze and asked Lone Wolf to come over. I talked with him about several scenarios that would allow me to visit my school on their trip to Franklin, West Virginia. We both deemed all scenarios to be logistical nightmares.
We then chatted about trail related thingd fot a while. He is an encyclopedia of trail information, and I enjoyed talking with him.(He does not want me to say this for National Security reasons, but he actually works for the CIA undercover in Damascus, shhh! Don't tell anyone!).
This coffee shop had free refills, so I had three cups of coffee there, and took one for the road. I hit trail at 10:00AM. Leaving Damascus, you can take the AT or you can take the Virginia Creeper Trail. The AT starts on the Creeper Trail, goes into the woods, and reconnects with the Creeper Trail roughly 13 AT miles later. I decided to take the Creeper Trail out of town, and I don't regret my decision one bit.
The Creeper Trail is slightly(barely noticable) uphill going out of town. It is wide enough to allow a lane for each direction, but not enough for a car. It is completely soft gravel the whole way, allowing for delightful walking.
The Creeper Trail crosses over the Wholston River(I believe) quite a few times. I stopped quite a few times on the tressells(bridges), and looked at the river for a little while. There were many trout fisherman out today. I recorded(in my mind) a high temperature of 80.1 degrees F today. There were few clouds in the sky, it made for a wonderful walk on the Creeper Trail.
I stopped for lunch at the Creeper Trail Cafe. I had a cheeseburger, fries, and a bottle of soda. It was quite wonderful.
The AT and the Creeper Trail had a reunion 1.7 miles south of my destination.
The AT from the Creeper Trail to the shelter is nothing special. In fact, I can't think of anything noteworthy.
I rolled into the shelter at 2:40PM. I set up my headquarters in the shelter and lounged around for a couple of hours. On a nice day, it is lovely to relax in the sun and doze in and out of a nap.
I had Four Cheese Mashed Potatoes and stuffing for dinner, a new meal for me out here.
It's now starting to get dark, so I shall prepare to sleep.
My destination tomorrow shall be north of here, I know that.
Good night, and good luck.
Kirby
Ga>ME 2008.
