Hot Springs to Zero in Damascus

       Well, it has been a wet adventure for the last 2 weeks. After leaving Hot Springs we had rain storm after rain storm. The trail turned into mud and we slipped up over mountains and balds with no view. Luckily we got a little repreive from the rain when we stayed the night in Roan Mountain TN after hiking through a tropical storm to make it up and over Roan Mountain. In town we drank beer and I had a burger that had two patties, pulled pork, coleslaw, and cheese fries on it with a side of fried pickles and an ice cream cone. It was so much good but definitely worth the $15.

    Continuing the hike we pushed through more mud to make it the the 400 mile mark which completed North Carolina and were treated to an amazing waterfall

Now that we were fully in Tennessee the weather refused to improve for us and we got drenched every day. The rain had was beginning to drag us down and morale was very low. Even so we continued to pushed and were treated to a few good views. 

After what a rough couple of days we crossed the border into Virgina and made it to Damascus at mile 471. Damascus lived up to it's name of Trail Town USA with friendly people and plenty of hikers around. After staying at a hostel the first night in town the crew decided to get private rooms for a night and ended up taking a zero in town. We basically rented out a super nice cabin that came with a kitchen, deck, and fire pit.

The zero day was a much needed break and rest from the trail and we had a blast with our own private cabin in town. We sat around drinking beer and cooking food until well past hiker midnight (9:00 PM) 

I also was able to pick up a new pair of shoes in town because mine were done. 

With new shoes full bellies and packs heavy with food we are heading back out on the trail today and looking forward to sunny weather and a new state. I have some videos showing the wet trail conditions that I will try to get uploaded sometime soon. Until then I'll keep on trucking northward.