Day 39 – 43: Proving people wrong is a great motivator! Let’s go to Damascus!

I’m walking in the real world of the trail and doing my best to make time to hike here too. I’m at the point where the ending feels so real that I want to absorb every moment as intentionally and authentically as possible.

I’m also realizing that reflection might be one of the most important things I take away from this trip. Without reflection, this hike will simply be something I did and then something I was no longer doing.

So here I am reflecting on the exciting rush of the pre-trail days, aka days 39-43 of my hike!

***I wrote that introduction while I was still on the trail, somewhere in Maine I think, and gave no thought beyond adding pictures to this post and sharing stories with my hiker bubble. I’m back now, about 100 days from the end of my hike, reliving the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life!***

Day 39: Mountaineer Falls Shelter (404.4) to Boots Off Hostel & Campground (428.7)

After throwing Chef a fun-filled graduation party, I got some rest and woke up in high spirits. There was a bit of frustration when another hiker announced that he “had fleas” and still decided to take up residence in the shelter next to me… but I didn’t get fleas!

I booked a primitive dome at Boot’s Off Campground to reset myself before heading out to the trail days. I realized this morning that if I send it out and walk 24.4 miles today, I could make it to Boot’s Off tonight and get a double zero! I mentioned it jokingly and was met with some pretty serious doubts. Other hikers explained that I couldn’t maintain the pace I needed to all day to get there before the office closed and the fire ignited in me.

One thing about me is that if you tell me I can’t, chances are I will.

So today I’m going to walk 24.4 miles starting around 9:30am! I took a break (I thought) to devour a tortilla filled with a fruit bar and a packet of peanut butter and spent the rest of the time jogging or at least brisk walking.

I passed some nice places with waterfalls and soaked up the views as quickly as I could before reaching a crowded road junction. Riff-Raff Trail Magic! I figured out how long I could hang out before I ran out of time to go up Pond Mountain and then stayed on the magic trail a little longer than I should have anyway. The magic must have helped because I actually picked up the pace and flew over the last difficult climb while my hiking companions struggled.

I arrived at Boot’s Off about half an hour before the deadline and Grumpy reluctantly signed me in to find a campsite. I even got my free soda for showing off my Boot’s Off bracelet that I’ve been wearing since my stay at Above the Clouds Hostel! Spirits at Boot’s Off are high and I met up with some other friends who arrived the day before me.

Day 40 and 41: Double Zero at Boots Off Hostel & Campground (428.7)

In the morning I remembered that I had a package waiting for me in the office. My dad sent me lots of vegan treats and I was able to share them with some new friends who were working to stay before the walking days! I also got the stamp carving tools I requested so I could etch my trail name on a stamp to use for the rest of my hike. I’m a little more LOL.

My girl Vortex hit the road for a big trip to the city. We all hopped in the van and were honored to be taken to WalMart with 6 times AT thru hiker, WalMart! We stopped by a restaurant, used every bit of brainpower we had to solve the word search on the kids’ menu, and grabbed snacks at the grocery store before getting tired in the city and calling WalMart early. It really is a little overwhelming to be in the city after so many days in the forest.

Back at the hostel, I checked into my “power dome” and prepared for the night. Boot’s Off hosts a Pre-Trail Daze festival with live music, prepared food, a variety of trail legends, and top vibes. Some musicians canceled and Jake Mosca, aka Slim Pickins (class of 23), played for what seemed like 48 hours straight. And no one was disappointed!

Before the night was over, I met up with Skip and Groovy (aka Bug Bite) and the trail’s sun, Yellow. More and more hikers continued to appear and they laughed non-stop. I even got a good snuggle with my favorite trail dog, Athena.

Day 42: Boots Off Hostel & Campground (428.7) to Iron Mountain Shelter (444.8)

The next day, I reluctantly told my new friends, «See you on trail days.» Those who are not hiking this year will travel by car to Damascus in the coming days. A very sweet friend even took the extra food for the week that my dad sent me to lose the weight in my backpack. This was amazing because of the great plans I came up with during my time at Boot’s Off!

Riff-Raff caught me back in the magic of the trail less than a mile from the lodge. However, my plan is to do the Damascus Marathon: walk the 26.2 miles from Iron Mountain Shelter to the Marathon gas station in Damascus, VA, in one day! So, that leaves a pretty digestible amount of miles to walk today and I was perfectly happy to waste the time.

I arrived early at the Iron Mountain Shelter, which was good because HOLY BUBBLE. The place was packed with current hikers, past hikers, and even section hikers. I knew the trail push days would be busy, but this was by far the largest number of hikers I had ever seen camped in one spot. Almost everyone present was also planning to do marathon day the next day (except the two poor section hikers who had no idea why so many people showed up or even what trail days are).

Before the sun even thought about setting, I was ready for bed. Roach reminded me of one of my favorite sayings: Without parents, there is no bedtime. I got into my spot in the small shelter and realized that phrase doesn’t always mean staying up late.

Day 43: DAMASCUS MARATHON! From Iron Mountain Shelyer (444.8) to Marathon Gas Station (471)

I got up before the sun and that means walking in the dark. I’m afraid of the dark! Fortunately, many other hikers had the same schedule and I stayed near a friend until the sun came up. That’s when something strange happened that made me uncomfortable for the rest of the walk.

Someone was kind enough to set up a huge magic trail and was making breakfast for hikers heading to the Damascus Marathon. I’m vegan, and while I always appreciate people who bring magic to the trails, I can’t always participate. I don’t expect the path angels to go out of their way to provide special diets, no big deal. Honestly, I’m often happy for a soda or a chair! I explained that I don’t eat meat, eggs or dairy and I happily had some fruit. Then he excitedly told me that the muffins were actually vegan. They placed two on my plate and I sat down. As I took my second or third bite of the muffins, the trail angel took a photo of me and started laughing. He happily announced that there was, in fact, butter in the muffins and explained that this was the only correct way to make them.

I laughed awkwardly and decided not to eat anymore. I couldn’t help but think of people with dairy allergies, who carried epi-pens in case of this type of exposure, and I was grateful that it was me and not them. I moved on pretty quickly after this strange interaction and feared I would ever encounter this “trail angel” again…

Marathon day was long and my Altra trail runners probably needed replacing in Erwin, Tennessee. My feet were killing me and I was so desperate to stop the pain that I walked much of the day in my camping shoes.

I realized that if I went a little faster, I could get into town before the supplier closed. I could buy new shoes and NEVER USE THESE HORRIBLE, ABANDONED, ZERO DROP DISASTERS AGAIN!!!! get rid of these. Then I started running.

And I did it! I crossed into Virginia, the longest state on the AT: 550 miles. Tents were going up and the city was packed as I headed to the Marathon gas station to enjoy my celebratory slushy!

In classic Tracker style, I didn’t take the last few steps gracefully. I ran into someone I met at the trailhead while I had the gas station in sight. I explained, «I have to go to the gas station to finish my marathon day! Look at this!» And I ran, climbing the steps between me and my slushie… and I was wiped out. I caught myself walking up the stairs in a video before getting up and finishing my longest day yet!

I had plenty of time to go to the supplier and pick out some new shoes (I chose Topo Traverse) and hoped they would heal the damage I had caused. I was very lucky to get a bunk bed for the night at Broken Fiddle! I showered, met the team and headed to the local brewery for some aggressive live music and food. The vibes at Broken Fiddle are top notch and I spent a few hours by the fire and met some amazing new people. Trail Days start tomorrow and I’m so excited!