Wed 4/30
Yesterday was my birthday. Today the group paid for my breakfast at the B&B. it was the best breakfast I've had yet! They wake up and start preparing breakfast at 4:30 every morning. It was quite a feast.
I hiked 25 miles today with a girl named Tortoise. There was a small group that was slackpacking to the next hostel. For a fee, you can have your packs dropped off farther down the trail and hike without a backpack. It's called 'slackpacking' but I call it 'snackpacking' because you take a small daypack and fill it with snacks. I didn't slackpack but I did hike the 25 miles with them. Within one's day hike, I saw many new flowers and changes in the landscape.
Thurs 5/1
I felt great last night but was left feeling wiped out this morning. I just hung out at the hostel all day and took a couple naps outside. I was at the Kincora hostel. The hostel is owned by Bob Peoples. Bob is another legendary member of the trail community. For a $5 donation, you get a bed, shower, laundry, and a shuttle to town. The name comes from the Celtic word meaning kinship of the heart. Bob Peoples, originally from Boston and complete with a thick Boston accent, travelled the length of the trail in search of a location to have a hostel. Bob takes thru hikers out to the trail and does trail work with them. Bob puts in hundreds of hours doing trail work each year. The writings found scribbled on the inside the shelter walls along the AT are epic:
"Bears hang Bob Peoles' bear bags for him."
"When Bob Peoples builds a switchback, an angel gets its wings."
"When Bob Peoples hikes, mountains take notice."
Over 20,000 hikers have been through Kincora since it opened 18 years ago. The walls and ceiling of the hostel are covered with postcards and thank you letters from past thru hikers.
I enjoyed hearing Bob tell stories about his hikes of El Camino Santiago and Portugal. Also working at the hostel is a man named Lumpy. Lumpy has thru done the trail twice and has two pieces of advice for fellow thru hikers:
(1) Say "yes" to everything. If someone offers you a ride into town, do it, even if you weren't planning a town trip. You never know what good may become of it.
(2) Always take candy from strangers. They've got the good stuff: Snickers, Butterfingers, etc.
I left Kincora, hiked past a really nice waterfall, and made it to Watauga Lake. There were picnic tables, bathrooms, and a swimming area.
Sat 5/3
We hiked about 12 miles today, most of which was uphill. We stopped at Vandeventer Shelter to cook dinner. Nice views were had at this shelter as well.
We did some night hiking and camped at Turkeypen Gap for a total of 12 miles.
Sun 5/4
We hiked 15 miles to Double Spring Gap and hiked some pretty sweet green pastures.
Mon 5/5
Beth and I finally made it to Damascus. We did about 13 miles.
I picked up my resupply package at Mt. Rogers Outfitters. I got some food, a new pair of shoes, and my summer sleeping bag. I mailed home my winter bag.
Beth and I ate at a pizza buffet and then camped outside at Woodchuck's Hostel. Woodchuck is thru hiker that moved from Maine to open a hostel here in Damascus.
Beth went back to Asheville and I spent the day at a coffee shop with the Piñata Party Posse. That's the name of our little hiking group. We sat there all day until the shop closed. And then we sat outside a little longer. AT hikers are often referred to as "hiker trash." This term describes the type of people that we now have become. We simply have a lower standard of living.
We are hiker trash.
We have Ziplock bags for wallets.
We take toilet paper from public restrooms.
We choose where to eat based on whether a restaurant has wi-fi and electrical outlets.
We smell bad and don't shower very often.
We will gladly eat a stranger's leftovers from a restaurant.
We walk around town in our underwear because we are washing the rest of our clothes.
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