May 27 - Day 42: Leaving Damascus

May 27th, 2013 - Day 42
Damascus, VA to Whitetop Mountain Road (tenting)
21.1 miles, 488.2 miles total

So today I got kind of a late start. It is always more difficult leaving town. First of all, your pack is about 10 lbs heavier because of all the food you are now carrying. Second, it is really easy to get used to the town life - not having to carry your pack everywhere, eating whatever you want, SODA. But luckily after a few miles back on the trail, it all comes back to you and you realize why you love hiking so much. After eating breakfast at a gas station/convenience store called Cowboy's (I know, sounds sketchy), I headed out on a full stomach.

The first few miles were quite rough, because they were all uphill and I had a full pack. I passed Frodo after only 4 miles even though he started 2 hours before me. He was clearly still recovering from his sudden sickness yesterday, and just didn't have the energy to go very fast.

One cool thing about Damascus is that the Virginia Creeper Trail goes straight through it. I have biked the VA Creeper multiple times, but I never knew it crossed the AT. It was fun being able to see it from a different perspective. I actually hiked up the VCT for a mile or so, because there was a detour in the AT. Apparently, one of the bridges got completely washed out, so the AT was rerouted onto the VCT for a bit.

I finally saw my first rattlesnake today! I was finally getting into a groove and was just zoned out, and the rattler completely startled me. I clearly startled it as well, because it immediately began shaking its tail at me. I wasn't going to continue with it sitting right next to the trail like that, so I simply waited for it to move on. Rattlesnakes are venomous and their bites can be fatal depending on the amount of venom they decide to inject. A rattler that was simply startled like this one (vs being stepped on or provoked) would be less likely to inject a fatal amount of venom, or any venom at all.

Anyways, I got to a shelter around 5:30 or so, but I was really eager to catch up with Avo, who left Damascus yesterday, so I decided to push on to a campsite near the summit of Whitetop Mountain...meaning my final 5 miles or so would be all uphill. I finally reached the campsite around 8PM and now I feel extremely accomplished. Another long day awaits, and I have a good feeling I will sleep very well tonight.