Damascus to Marion

I haven’t updated since arriving in Damascus Thursday. Coverage in Virginia is spotty at best. I’m assuming it’s because of the lack of mountain tops…

We took zeroes in Damascus on Friday and Saturday. Friday night was one of the best nights on the trail with a lot of friends, candy, and beer. Saturday was really rainy. Sharktooth and I ended up chilling at a diner and then a coffee shop until the hostel we were staying at opened up. We watched the Dallas Stars play at a local food joint and then headed back and went to bed.

Nothing too exciting. Damascus was not what I was expecting of a town though. I was expecting bigger but it was super small. The trail does run right through town and there are bricks acknowledging thru hikers. Very neat.

Sunday was difficult to get back on the trail. We ended up doing 17ish miles but the trail crossed highways which was a lot of temptation to just go back to Damascus. I later learned that Turd felt the same way. At the shelter we met a couple from Dallas – d20 and I believe Happy.

Yesterday we did another 16 miles. We got to see ponies! We also hit the 500 mile mark and listened to the proclaimers several times in a row. We met the ridge runner for this section… It was her first day! We were given some chocolate from a woman from Keller named Brenda who was helping her husband and son slackpack around the trail. She’s only out a little while longer while they thru hike.

We got a hotel room so I could watch the hockey game last night but they didn’t have cnbc. I listened to a majority of the radio broadcast. Stars won. Happy days. Prior to the game, we sat outside with d20 and Happy who had gotten to the hotel just before us.

Today we did 18 miles and are at a camp site right by a road outside of Troutsdale.

Tomorrow we resupply in Marion and then not sure where were headed.

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