Not sure when I sent my last update, but I'll recap the last few days. I hit VA on 12 Apr, doing 33 miles on the "TN Turnpike" - a relatively flat stretch that is conducive to more miles. That remains my longest day - 12+ hours. My feet were killing me and I had to care for some ugly blisters the next day, but I was clean, my clothes got cleaned, and I had a great meal. (Any meal w/o dehydrated food is now defined as great!). 

Leaving Damascus, VA, the AT parallels the VA Creeper Trail, a rails to (bike) trail conversion that runs along a river

‎for miles. The AT goes up and down then may cross the same bridge as the Creeper Trail - didn't seem fair! Climbed the Grayson Highlands - a beautiful area with many wild ponies, deer, etc but no sightings of bears.

On Sat 15 Apr I had another 30 mile day because I had a mail pickup in Bastian on Tuesday and had miles to make up. It also helped that at my destinatio‎n that night I could order a pizza to be delivered to the visitor center next to the shelter - so I was hiking for pizza! Reread the last sentence of the 1st paragraph if necessary to understand my motivation!!

Easter Sunday I hiked to Atkins, VA where a restaurant 40 yds off the trail was serving an all you can eat Sunday buffet. It was great and the price was right - $8! What was even better was that 2 section hikers next to my table picked up my tab and that of 2 other thru hikers - awesome trail magic!

I did reach Bastian in time to get my mail/food package from home. I started hiking at 6 AM because I had 11 miles to go, then 3 more off the trail to get to the post office before it closed for the day at noon. I walked 2 of the 3

extra miles ‎before someone responded to my thumb, but it proved to be good fortune. The driver dropped me at the post office with 90 min to spare - and then returned 20 min later to see if I needed. Ride back up the 3 mile steep road to the trailhead! Trail Magic of the 1st degree!!

The last couple of days have been cloudy and rainy - not the greatest weather, but not the worst either. I often hike alone, but meet section hikers and some southbound (SoBo) hikers. The last couple of days I've hiked with guys I met earlier and shared a shelter with a couple of nights. Everyone has a different pace and motivation, but it's nice‎ to see familiar faces.

Time to end this now. It's way past my bedtime‎ - which has become much closer to when the sun sets. I'm now in Pearisburg, VA, almost on the WV/VA border. 634 miles down, 1500+ to go!

Joker