Osborne Farm and Trail Calamities

Wednesday, May 13, 2026

Hot coffee and French toast begin another day of marathon walking. Various problems affect hikers heading to Damascus.

French toast and the ballad of Ricky Bobby

METROr. and the picky hiker lady were ready to go to breakfast as soon as I got out of my van around 7:00 a.m. The French toast was delicious and they had every possible topping a hungry hiker could want. I opted to add toasted pineapple and banana slices.

We were soon joined by a hiker named Ricky Bobby. He is a NASCAR photographer. He worked his way up to this job, starting out as a freelance photographer for small bands. He worked his way into larger gangs through contacts, where he eventually connected with NASCAR driver Chase Elliott. It wasn’t long before he was on the track taking photos of the sport he loves. I love hearing stories like yours. This shows that following your passions can lead you to an incredible and fulfilling life. As a social media savvy photographer, Ricky Bobby naturally vlogging his walk on his youtube channel.

Mr. and Mrs. Discerning Hiker prepare delicious, magical trails for hikers.

Two slices of French bread with syrup, pineapple and banana.

I loved this trailhead sign posted by The Discerning Hiker.

the grass

After breakfast I walked 2.5 miles to where I turned around yesterday and then headed back down to Route 91. It was now 10:00 am and time for a much longer round trip hike. I had 3 turning points in mind. I could turn around at the McQueens Knob shelter. That would leave me just over 20 miles for tomorrow. I might go a little further to have exactly 20 miles tomorrow. I was finally able to walk to the Abingdon Gap shelter. That would leave me a little less than 20 miles for tomorrow, but it would mean doing 27.6 miles today. With time running out, I decided to hit the road and see how things went.

This stage began with a walk through a meadow. The views of the surrounding mountains were incredible. It’s just a guess, but I imagine I could see Virginia just fine. Perhaps the view included Mount Rogers and the Grayson Highlands. I realized I forgot my snack and had to go back to the van. It wasn’t exactly the strong start I needed. In the pasture, a hiker named Back in Business and his dog Marcus, who I met that night, were getting ready for their hike. Marcus is a Spinone Italiano and maintains his own Instagram account. adventurebarcus.

Osborne Farm Pasture.

Osborne Farm Pasture.

View from Osborne Farm pasture.

A random bench in the middle of the forest next to the trail.

Appalachian Trials

This section of the trail may seem like a pleasure cruise to Damascus. Trail Magic is plentiful and the trail conditions are as gentle as anywhere on the AT so far. But a good hiker never gets too comfortable. Some, like Ricky Bobby, stay alert by increasing their miles. He is running the “Damascus marathon.” 42 kilometers from the Iron Mountain shelter to the Marathon gas station in Damascus. Similarly, I’m walking 100 miles in four days.

Perhaps it was simply due to the volume of hikers on the trail, but today there seemed to be an unusually high number of chaotic incidents on the trail. The trail threw a wicked curveball toward Back in Business and Marcus. She left a fresh cow pie by the side of the path which, naturally, Marcus couldn’t resist. I passed a hiker who had taken a bad step in the morning and hurt his ball of foot. Further up the trail, another hiker had suffered a mishap on a low bridge. I felt sorry for him and told him that he had hit my head hard three times in two days. That hiker’s name? Crash.

The title of this section, Appalachian Trials, is blatantly stolen from Zach Davis. Zach directs The Trek and has published several books, one of which is Appalachian Trials. I surely want to read this book and I must point out that this blog literally would not exist without your hard work, as well as that of the rest of The Trek staff.

Marcus, right after a merry roll in a cow pie, and Back in Business.

It is recommended to be alert when entering a cow pasture.

A branch is hidden from view of NOBO hikers, causing a mishap on a low bridge.

See You Tomorrow and Crash, two of the greatest experts in the art of banging your head against trees.

cheer squad

I felt great as I made my way down the trail. The weather and trail conditions had aligned to provide the opportunity to cover the maximum number of miles today. I arrived at the Abingdon Gap shelter around 2:15 pm. It is located 16 km from the Damascus public library. That meant I would have just under 20 miles to walk tomorrow. That would give me enough time in the morning to find a suitable parking lot and return from the hike mid-afternoon to begin Trail Days.

As I walked back south, many hikers I had met over the previous few days came my way. It was a little like I had my own cheerleading squad. Each one of them enthusiastically gave me a “see you tomorrow!” while passing by on the road. Most spent the night at the Abingdon Gap shelter. Therefore, as I begin my walk in Damascus tomorrow, I would once again be walking directly toward them.
When I came across Crash, I pulled out my phone and read aloud the first two paragraphs of the how-to section. I’m happy to report that you’re feeling much better and I appreciate you showing up on the blog.

The return leg

With only 3 miles left to return to my truck, dark clouds appeared. A light rain progressed to a steady rain. I jumped over a hill and saw a handful of tents on the trail to my left. I passed them and saw the Double Spring shelter about 200 feet in front of me. For the first time I became a mountain runner. I entered the shelter and found a group of five campers stationed. They were fascinated by my choice to combine van life with backpacking on the AT. I felt like I spoke for 10 minutes straight, answering their questions and even sharing a bit from my blog. When I finished, the rain had stopped and the sun was out again. The path had served as a shelter from the rain.

A view from the trail near Double Spring Shelter.

My sincere thanks to whoever cut the grass next to the path and saved my shoes from getting filled with rainwater.

Afternoon view from Osborne Farm pasture.

Afternoon view from Osborne Farm pasture.

A barn at Osborne Farm.

-See you tomorrow

Total: 27.6 miles, 55,639 steps

• Hike type: Day hike
• Camp: Minivan, Mountain cross/TN 91 Trailhead

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