Progress.

Trail Days was great. It was wonderful seeing faces that are ahead and behind, but meeting up in the same place. The trail magic and generosity from local church groups were fantastic. Being in “tent city” was an experience as well. There were probably around one thousand tents up between the field and the woods.

However, I ended up a bit underwhelmed about Trail Days in general. The vendor tents were a disappointment, the whole event did not seem well organized, and the number of people was a bit chaotic. I did manage to win a fanny pack by eating two sticks of butter, which turned out to be the most that I got out of Damascus. By my second day there, I was eager to hit the trail again, and early the next morning, I was boots on the ground.

The terrain leaving Damascus was pleasant. Way flatter and less rocky, it set the table to start making serious ground heading into the Grayson Highlands and the rest of Virginia. The group I left with found a nice campground next to a river, where we spent a half day lounging in the river and attempting to start a fire.

So, I will acknowledge that I am a bit behind on my blog posts. One of the many surprises Virginia has brought me was the complete lack of cell service. I am currently well ahead and doing quite well. I hope I can get a few more posts up in the next couple of days and get fully caught up.