Days 33-40: Damascus, VA to Pearisburg, VA
Ponies!!
At mile 500 I hit the Grayson Highlands, a Virginia state park famous for its feral ponies. For those like me who didn’t know beforehand, feral means that the animals were once domesticated but are now wild. I had been looking forward to meeting the ponies for months (well before I started the trail), and despite the significant build-up in my head they did not disappoint. I will admit that, even though I was completely by myself, at the first sight of one of them, I squealed “Pony!!” out loud and started running with my full (quite heavy at that point) pack weight to greet the animal.
The ponies are friendly: they love the taste of salt, and me being covered in several of days of sweat since my last shower in Damascus, I was therefore very enticing. The ponies came right up to me and licked my legs, letting me pet them! One, the apparent mother in the mother-child duo pictured visiting with me above, decided that she too wanted to experience thru-hiking, and followed me down the trail for several miles.
I absolutely loved taking it slow through the highlands, stopping to pet all of the ponies that I met and soaking up all the scenery.
I’ve also made it over 1/4 of the way through the trail! I’m definitely feeling fully comfortable and physically adjusted now, and it’s awesome.
Trail Magic Up the Wazoo
In my last post I talked about Fresh Ground and how amazing (albeit quite filling) his trail magic was coming into Damascus. Well, leaving Damascus I got the chance to really get to know Fresh Ground and reap his generosity, because he followed me and the group I was hiking with, serving us trail magic once if not twice daily for the next four days. I got to end my 25 mile hiking days with veggie burgers and homemade fries, and got to wake up to fresh hot chocolate, banana and apple pancakes, and skillets. He even bought pizzas and brought them to partnership shelter, which is right near the road that leads into Marion, VA.
Not only is the food amazing, but it breeds a wonderful sense of community as people gather and loiter around the food. Come Thursday I was sad to see Fresh Ground and his amazing food go at least for now (I’m sure I’ll see him again), but I was grateful to start eating my food and lightening my pack weight.
A quick visit to Bland
I shipped a resupply package to a motel in Bland, VA, about 40 miles south of where I am now in Pearisburg, so not the most popular trail town. My experience getting the box, though, was pretty much perfect. I hiked 31.5 miles into town so that I could make sure I had time to go to the post office the next day (which was a Saturday, so the post office is only open 9-11 am). It was my longest day, but it felt awesome—I got a second wind in the last seven miles that was definitely propelled by the idea of a subway sandwich and Dairy Queen blizzard once I got into town. I checked into my hotel room, with my own queen sized bed, TV, and lovely shower, and immediately fulfilled my food desires. Then, I visited the hiker box and snagged some fancy shampoo and conditioner, and a brand new roll of toilet paper to carry for the next section of trail. To date, I have paid a total of 69 cents for all of the toilet paper that has carried me these 637 miles (yes…I have accomplished this feat by stealing toilet paper from places such as the Fontana Lodge and the public toilet at Wayah Bald—sorry.) I had the best sleep, ate some hiker box oatmeal from breakfast, switched out my winter and summer gear, and hit the trail. It goes to show that town days are about simple pleasures, not staying at the very best hostel on trail or eating the very best food.
Spring Flower Update!
I’ve been absolutely loving seeing spring develop. Since last post, I’ve decided to be more active in taking photos of flowers, since I love seeing them so much.
Up next…
In the next week, I’ll be visiting Dragon’s Tooth, McAfee Knob, and Tinker Cliffs, some of the most iconic spots on trail!