Kevin's AT Thru Hike

Day 42, Wednesday, 4/27 – It was cold again last night. Cold enough for me to sleep in my fleece, my down jacket, and my quilt. Im honestly surprised it’s not hot and muggy by now. Here’s a picture of camp from the stealth spot we were camping at.

It took me a while to pack up this morning because my hands were frozen. After I packed up, it was a quick hike into town. We passed the Virginia border on the way into Damascus! It was a 9 mile hike to Broken Fiddle hostel (mile 471).

I ran into Bounce outside the outfitter in Damascus (Fun fact, I gave Bounce her Trail Name as a result of her bouncy personality). She was about to hike out, but had 3/4 of a chocolate cheesecake that she didn’t know what to do with. We happily took that off her hands and brought it into the diner with us. Genie, Splitzy, Jetpack, Parkour, Sprite, Birthday Sandwich and I all had breakfast/lunch at the diner together.

Today was a day of a whole lot of chores. I took a shower, did laundry, went to the post office to mail out a few things, went to the library, went to the outfitter, etc. For dinner, we all walked over to a restaurant for chicken wings.

I met a thru hiker who was trying to Triple Crown. Triple Crown is when a hiker has hiked the entire Pacific Crest Trail, the Continental Divide Trail, and the Appalachian Trail. He hiked the PCT and CDT, so only had the AT left. He seemed to have a lot of criticisms of the Appalachian Trail. I don’t understand why he doesn’t get off trail and do something else. This interaction was a good reminder to follow passions and not chase accolades.

After dinner, Genie, Splitzy, Sprite and I tried to hitch hike to the grocery store. It didn’t end up working out, so we just walked the mile there and back.

I spent the rest of the night discussing logistics with Dad, Mom, and Martin. They are visiting the first week of May! I tried to predict where I’ll be and made up a gear list for Martin so he can join in on some backpacking. I found a nice b&b for the folks.