hello, hello, hello! Long time no post!
I am in the land of Virginia. Approximately 500 miles of trail (about 1/4 of the trail) are in VA! Virginia can be intimidating and exhausting, but I was so happy to be done with NC/TN that I was ready to cross into this endless state, even though I know it will be a while before I cross another state border.
Virginia so far
Mentally, it was an adjustment to go from being motivated from one state to another and instead being motivated from one section to another. But in general, short-term goals are the way to go down this path.
My friends I had been hiking with and I (mostly) crossed into Damascus together. I can’t believe I walked all the way to Virginia! I can’t believe I now have a photo under the iconic sign! Wow! We spent a nice weekend relaxing in zero and enjoying our time together at Lady Di’s fabulous B&B before Singe and I split up to explore the map of southern VA in mid-May. My cousin came to Damascus and took us all to see Devil Wears Prada 2 and get DQ in the neighboring city. What a hero.
Singe and I got married at our respective homes the weekend of May 23rd. We wanted to make a dent in VA’s progress before returning home so we wouldn’t feel so behind when we returned. That meant we started celebrating really important days more consistently. In total, we completed the Southern VA map in two weeks! Oh!! We were both very happy to have a friend to spend the days with. There is a lot of beauty in VA, but it is not flat like everyone says. Your body is simply more accustomed to the routine and demands of hiking. There are many stretches that seem long and redundant, but there are also many gems.
Grayson Highlands
Grayson Highlands is iconic! This state park has been a section I have looked forward to for years. I didn’t realize we’d arrive so soon after leaving Damascus, but it’s pretty much the first thing you do. It is famous for the wild ponies that roam freely in the park. They were cute and beautiful and everything we wanted, but the scenery left me equally impressed! It was unlike anything we had seen on the trail and reminded me of northern New Mexico. What a delight!
Marion
From Grayson Highlands, the next hiking town you’ll reach is Marion. Marion is a really sweet little town in southern Virginia. We stayed at the Merry Hiker Hostel and ate in town at The Wooden Pickle TWICE because it was so good. We packed up a big section that included our first major road crossing, where we were able to get chocolate milk and soda at the gas station for lunch. We also began passing various cow pastures, power lines, 19th century schools, railroads, etc. Sometimes it’s strange but sometimes it’s beautiful and, in my book, having different reference points is welcome to have a change of scenery/pace. Marion was especially sweet because we weren’t too far ahead of our friends yet, so we met at the hostel! We’ll have any meeting we can get. 
Hostel Highlights
From Marion we finally headed to three more lodges that were featured. Burkes Garden is a quiet old farmhouse in the Burke’s Garden Valley region, which is also part of Amish country. The views of the fields here were stunning and we enjoyed our stay here on a night that would have been quite cold even outside.
Woods Hole Hostel is famous for being one of the oldest operating lodges on the trail. It’s on the property of an 1840’s farm where they prepare and serve fresh farm-to-table meals for hikers. Hmm! We stayed here for a nil to relax and let out some rain. We were with a really fun group of hikers both days, which made our stay even more special. 
And finally Angel’s Rest in Pearisburg! This stay was enjoyable because once again we met many friends from different parts of the trail. Several people were preparing to head to Damascus for the Trail Days festival, but Singe and I were going to press on. In Pearisburg we were able to eat Mexican food not once, but twice. What more could you want? It was a super strange hike while most people were on Trail Days. Although you don’t necessarily see tons of people every day on the road, we can still feel the emptiness. We originally wanted to go to Trail Days as well, but it would have been too logistically difficult to get down and travel down and back and up again so close to when we had to get down for the weddings. So we move on. 
VA, etc.
Because we went through southern VA so quickly, there are a lot of other great memories that I can’t exactly place. It turns out that after 700 miles, things really start to blend together. But one standout memory I must mention is meeting friends at Trent’s Grocery and camping at Dismal Falls. Also 1/4 of the way completed! We also completed the VA Triple Crown (Dragon’s Tooth, McAfee Knob, and Tinker Cliffs) before jumping in… but that could have its own post. 
Overall, Virginia is doing well. It’s a long state, but being in Virginia is the most comfortable I’ve ever felt claiming the title of Thru Hiker. We are here! We are doing it! I get to have the iconic AT photos I’ve seen hikers take year after year! But the Virginia Blues are real. There are new obstacles here… like the increased threat of Norovirus (people are *temporarily* dropping like flies), dry water sources and long stretches without good water resupply, the intense humidity and heat of summer getting HOT, snakes everywhere (no thanks!), the creepiest stretch of trail next to a landfill and chemical plant, and sometimes a frustrating or boring trail. The AT is not easy but there is still nothing I would rather do. I will also say that knowing a break was coming was actually just what I needed. I needed a little time away to get lost, but not too long that I didn’t want to come back. Luckily, we struck the perfect balance and are now back immersed in Northern Virginia and dreaming of Harper’s Ferry!
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