Maine's 100 Mile Wilderness from atop Mt. Katahdin

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The Road to Damascus

April 7-10, 2011
These four days have passed with little incident with nice weather, including two days in the 80's that almost melted this cold-adapted hiker.  I spent one night in Elizabethton, TN getting a food re-supply and scrubbing off one layer of dirt before finishing the walk to Damascus, VA.  The Laurel Forks Falls near the Kincora Hiker's Hostel was especially noteworthy because of the stone steps that were created to allow hikers to descend into the gorge to see the falls and walk along the Laurel River.  Those stairs and the rock cribbing along the river were prepared over one summer by an 8 woman crew.  Amazing.  The next time someone calls physical labour "man's work" I'll have a perfect rebuttal to the claim.
I have now reached Damascus, VA, the "Friendliest Town on the AT".  The trail goes right along the main street with all services available within short walking distance.  I spent a couple of days in town doing support work for some of my customers via internet connections.  It's nice to be able to do work to pay some bills while I'm hiking the trail. 
Over a quarter of the AT is in Virginia so it will be at least a month before I reach the next state line.  What's the cure for the "Virginia Blues"?

Mileage to date = 464.4

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