Creeper Trail

11:33 am on May 12, 2010

Howdy, here’s a quick update from mile 626 as I wait for the pizza hut buffet to open.

I’ve had some beautiful hiking since leaving Damascus. I took the Creeper Trail, an old railroad path, out of town. Gorgeous views all morning of waterfalls and rusty railroad trestles. The next morning, the terrain got even more interesting. Alpine meadows, wild ponies, and forest rangers doing blasting work up through Mount Rogers and Grayson Highlands.

Since I have pizza on the mind, let me tell you about what non-trail food I’ve been eating this past week. I spent a night at a church-run hostel in Troutdale, Va., and had a huge double bacon cheeseburger at the restaurant down the road. Later that night, a thru-hiker named Southpaw came up the road with 10 more cheeseburgers for the folks at the hostel. Nothing like trail magic from other hikers.

At Partnership Shelter, I ordered a large pizza, an order of cheesy breadsticks, and a half-gallon of sweet tea. Only the breadsticks survived the night. The next day, I had a pulled pork sandwich and a slice of chocolate pie at the Barn Restaurant in Atkins, Va. Not to be outdone by Atkins, the town of Bland provided me with a Subway sandwich and a pint of chocolate milk. The next day I walked into a little crossroads of a town to have a chocolate milkshake and a philly cheesesteak. And then when I got into Pearisburg yesterday, I headed straight for the Chinese buffet.

Partnership Shelter

The problem with my guidebook is that, in addition to listing the shelters and water sources, it also will include an “M” for meals at road crossings. After hiking 15 or 16 miles, I’ve found I really don’t have the willpower to resist walking or hitching a mile or more out of the way to find out what that “M” is. Got to pack in the calories though–I’m losing weight and really can’t afford to lose much more.

More updates from Damascus during Trail Days! Till then, happy hiking.

Jeff