A long night of sleep got us back up and on the trail before 8am today. Feeling much better. We hiked 12.5 easy miles or so to Damascus by noonish. It was super exciting to cross the border into Virginia. We are now done with the first 3 states!
Done with Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee!
Damascus seems like a nice trail town, so we decided to take off the rest of the day and tomorrow to rest as previously mentioned.
AT entering the south end of Damascus
The trail runs right down the main street in town.
Small town Virginia
We are staying at the Hiker’s Inn, which seems really great and on par with the other fantastic places we’ve crashed at (Elmer’s in Hot Springs and Mountain Harbour in Roan Mountain).
We will be in Virginia for probably around a month. It’s got the most mileage of any state on the trail, with around 550 total miles, around1/4 of the whole thing. Getting here in one piece is a serious physical test. Now comes the next test, as Virginia is the state that takes out a lot of thru-hikers due to the mental grind of a thru-hike, so keep those positive vibes/thoughts/prayers coming please!
Vital stats :
Mood – really excited to be not puking and in Virginia
Physical state – see above!
Smell – minty fresh
Song stuck in my head – Hurts Like Heaven by Coldplay
So glad your relaxing in VA before the grind. But I know you two will do great! Of course, I’ll continue to keep you in my prayers and light candles in church. Be safe and have fun! Go J&K!!!
So sorry to hear about your pukefest — that sounds really nasty! (Can’t have been much fun for Katie either!) Really happy to hear that you seem to have recovered nicely & hope you
continue in good health for the rest of the trip! I also hope that the only bears you may
encounter will also be going in the opposite direction!
Do you have any idea how long you’ll be in VA? We’re taking the Skyline Drive on our way
to a wedding in NC & will be staying overnite in Harrisonburg, VA on June 5. If we could by
any fortuitous chance be in the same area at the same time, we’d be delighted to take you
out for an excellent dinner.
Stay healthy & keep up the good work — I know you can do it!
I love the trail going through the town! Sounds like a great place to take a break and get back to full strength. Enjoy! You and Katie can sing to each other to keep yourselves amused through VA. 🙂 Wishing you great health, lovely weather and NO critters…even though you have the secret family for chasing critters away! Sending extra positive thoughts, more prayers and lots and lots of love!
Continue to hike smart…good planning. We’re following your every move and rooting for you every step of the way!
I keep up with you crazy fools every day. I look forward to the stories and especially the daily smell update. Haha!
Love ya both,
Brax