Damascus, VA

7/4
Started at Abingdon Shelter
Ended at Damascus, VA
10.2 miles

Woke up to rain on the tin roof of the shelter. It was supposed to rain all day so we ate and got our rain gear on. Since we were so close to town everyone was up early and out of the shelter fast. We were one of the last to leave, and within a few hours everyone had passed us.

Pete kept us from getting an early start by refusing to eat his oatmeal because it was the wrong flavor. Then he said it tasted bad and didn't want it. I'm out of flax, honey, raisins, and walnuts so it was really plain compared to my usual oatmeal. Still, the other kids ate, but Pete wouldn't, and then he got upset when I took it. It was a hard morning for him and dinner was not much better.

The walk to town was easy so we made good time, a little under 5 hours. The trail goes by a playground so we had to stop, and the sun came out about the same time so I was able to dry our gear before we got to the Dancing Bear.

After the playground we went into town. The trail goes over a bridge and the water was really swift, so we wont be doing any swimming, but if the community pool is open we will go check that out. The first stop was Mt Rogers Outfitters to see if my box arrived, but it did not. The boys found headbands and used the tooth fairy money to buy one. The hiker Jesus has two and the boys are copying his style. Pete has the tan one with hiker boot prints and AT symbols.

After showers at the Dancing Bear it was time to eat. We were really hungry and I had been hard at work getting everything out of our packs to dry while the kids showered. Once everything was out to dry we left for Hey Joe, a Mexican place. Sydney wanted the guacamole and the boys got soft tacos. They messed up Pete's order by adding salsa verde, and messed up Sydney's burrito by adding cheese. I asked to keep the soft tacos and I ate them, but when they brought his replacement tacos they had lettuce and Pete refused to eat them (I ate them too). Lucky he had a bunch of chips (but the chips had to much salt for me) and some of the cassadia appetizer. In the end Everyone but Pete was very happy and full. 

After Joes we headed to the Dollar General. They are in almost all the towns we pass. They carry some food so I like to look. This time I got crushed red pepper to spice up our dinners and honey in a squeeze jar so I can put the good honey Mary-j is sending us in it. We also got flip flops as camp shoes. They were a dollar, so not the best quality, but since our shoes have been getting so wet we needed a break. 

On our way back to the Dancing Bear the vegetarian store/cafe was open. We stopped in and got orange-banana smoothies. The menu looks amazing so we will go back. She gave us a sample of chips and homemade hummus that was AWESOME

Walking around town has been interesting because we know so many hikers. Just about every store we went to we knew someone. Even sitting on the porch we see hikers walking past who stop and say hi. 

At the outfitters I got the kids stickers and they used them to decorate their water bottles. They have been talking about getting stickers for at least the last 100 miles. Pete got the peace sign.

As we settled down to read, the kids tried on the flip flops and Pete got a pair that was to small. So we walked back to the store and switched them for a larger pair. As we walked around I decided to stop into a bike shuttle provider and booked us a 10am shuttle to the top of the mountain. At $20 each it was cheaper than the other places I had talked to, and the boys both fell in love with the BMX bikes they had. Sydney will get a nice bike too.