Edge of Town 1724.1 (0 miles, 1723.6 total miles)
It had certainly been a late evening, and I found myself sleeping in until almost 8AM, warm and cozy in the guest room in Bojangles’ home. I got up and started my laundry, but was so tired that I forgot to wash my hiking shirt, so had to start a second load of laundry.
The bathroom with a shower was attached to the master bedroom, and I definitely wanted to take a shower before hiking out. I drank coffee, watched Hulu, and downloaded a few new playlists while waiting for Bojangles to wake up as well.
Later on, I finished my laundry and took a shower, when I heard from Iroh that he was in Atkins for the day, arriving at the alpaca hostel with Jake. I suddenly had the idea for Mary, Bard, and I to drive out to visit him because we had access to a car. I’d missed hiking with him, and we had all wanted to get The Collective back together.
Iroh said he would like that, so I contacted Bard and Mary to see if they were interested as well, since they were both hanging out in town for the day. Mary called me, and said she wasn’t feeling well unfortunately, so I told her I’d walk over to the hostel and see if I could help.
I had chatted with Bojangles a while earlier, who’d been extremely kind and generous to me. He told me to have fun and come back whenever I wanted. I gathered my things and walked an extremely pleasant half mile back across town to the hostel, feeling like I was in a Halloween movie as I listened to Season of the Witch by Lana Del Ray and walked under trees that were dropping orange leaves in the cool breeze, the sun fighting to come out behind the overcast sky.
I stopped at Dollar General on the way, picking up goldfish, poptarts, and a soda before continuing on. At the Broken Fiddle, I met Bard out on the porch then checked in on Mary in the hostel. She was laying down, not feeling great, but ate the goldfish I gave her.
Bard played the song on his guitar for us that he wrote the day I started the second half of my hike, which had evolved quite a bit in the last month, with accompanying lyrics and cleaned up instrumentals.
Mary wasn’t up to taking the drive, and Bard wanted to stay and hang out with her, but Mary urged me to take her car and drive out to meet with Iroh and Jake. It was very sweet of her, and a really amazing piece of trail magic.
She asked me to drop off a package for a hiker at a hostel in town, which I was more than happy to take care of, then I was on the road in Mary’s Ford, listening to country music and driving through southern Virginis, constantly delighted by the golden, red, and orange leaves in trees all around me.
I took a slightly longer way to avoid the highway, arriving at the alpaca hostel in Atkins around 3:00. Quasar ran out to the car, very excited to see me, with Iroh and Jake outside as well wearing scrubs for town clothes.
Jake seemed like a really nice and funny person, and was Iroh’s best friend since first grade. It was his last couple days on the trip out, and I was glad to have the opportunity to meet him.
We chatted and hung out for a bit, and I found out that Jake’s car was at Burke’s Garden Hostel, and he was paying $160 for the hour and a half shuttle tomorrow to pick it up. We figured it would make more sense for me to drive them today to get his car, and he could pay for the gas money for Mary instead.
It sounded like a fun adventure, and we got moving at 3:45 on a very beautiful drive through farmland, under huge mountain tunnels, and over a windy, twisty road curving around the mountains surrounding Burke’s Garden.
It was a treat to drive into the Garden itself, after seeing it from the ridge a week ago. I learned there is a large Amish population there, and a big wedding was being held today. We passed several Amish folks walking down the road and waved to them all. They seemed like a very friendly bunch.
The garden was full of gorgeous pastoral land, one half of it covered in ominous gray clouds, the other half full of bright sunshine and sunbeams that streamed out through white clouds. The greenery and colorful leaves popped visually, and it felt like a very special place to be in.
At the hostel, we grabbed Jake’s keys and vehicle, then set back off the way we came, Iroh, Q, and I in Mary’s car following Jake. We lost him a little ahead, stopped to get gas, and met him at a Mexican restaurant after an hour and fifteen minute drive.
The food was good, but the service a bit slow, and we got back to the alpaca farm after another 20 minute drive around 8:30. I talked to Mary on the phone, who was feeling much better, before we sat down to play a couple card games.
Jake won a very long game of crazy eights, then I managed to win my first poker game when I learned how to play Texas Hold ‘Em and won the pile of cheerios we were using to bet with. While we were playing, a few other hikers showed up and started sorting their resupply, sharing popcorn and cookies with us.
They were thru hikers, except for one man who had been a NOBO this year and was out for a section with his friend, similar to what Shrek had done this year. They were all nice, friendly people, more of the SOBOs I hadn’t gotten to meet yet, still being toward the front of the SOBO pack.
After lights out, Iroh and I went to hang out at Jake’s car because he had a whole plethora of snacks back there that he’d brought for the trip. Iroh was hungry, and wanted to get in some more calories for his upcoming hiking to make up miles after Jake left and get his legs back under him.
While we were sitting there, I realized that I was feeling rather anxious about the end of my hike getting closer and closer. Leaving Virginia was a lot harder for me than I’d realized. It was my favorite trail state, and the place where I’d experienced trail community in the greatest measure.
The trail feels like home to me, and Virginia is the place where that has always been most apparent. Right now I am in a position where Virginia was the first several hundred miles I hiked on the AT, and the most recent as well.
I talked to Iroh about it, tearing up when I told him I was afraid of losing who I am out here, scared for this to end because the trail is the place I like myself the best, where I fit in more than anywhere, and feel the most authentic.
He was very insightful, telling me I’d just have to be cognizant of that, take that person back with me, make an agreement to myself I won’t let that self go, and know the trail isn’t going anywhere.
As the moon rose higher in the sky, I made my way back to Mary’s car for the 40 minute drive home. It was late, but I didn’t feel tired as I listened to the radio and took the highway home this time, enjoying the last bit of having a car to drive for a while.
When I got to the Broken Fiddle, I made sure the car was organized like I’d found it, and left Mary’s keys for her. She would be up and leaving for the two hour drive back to Woods Hole at 5AM.
I walked the half mile back to Bojangles’ house through a sleepy Damascus, thinking how nice of a day it had been. Tomorrow, Jake and Iroh were coming to hang out in town, so I would probably take one last day off, then hit the trail on Saturday.
I hung out with Bojangles for about an hour after I got in, as he told me about his day and gave me some tips on the trail coming up. Charlie was very happy to see me, and I told him he’d be making a new friend tomorrow, when Iroh brought Quasar to town.
The Queen of the Zeros had struck again, and I’d made a little home for myself in Damascus with the help of some very kind people here who had been most welcoming. Really getting to spend time in the trail towns and with the people who love the AT so deeply had been an amazing aspect of my hike so far.
I remembered when I was so upset at Chet’s place because I couldn’t hike Franconia Ridge when I wanted to due to the weather, and he’d told me how important the trail towns are and how much their economies rely on thru hikers, but also how much hikers can get out of experiencing life in these places.
I’d laid the groundwork on my first hike to have a lot of friends out here affiliated with the trail, and I’d only made even more during this hike. The community out here is tight knit and inspiring, and something that can’t be found in a lot of other places. I felt very grateful to be welcomed so deeply to this family, and loved finding ways to use those connections to help other hikers.
For example, Acadicus getting to feed a whole group of us for dinner because he knew where I was. Getting to bring Jake to his car and save him quite a bit of money on a shuttle. Introducing Bard to Bojangles so he would have a place to stay while in town. It makes me feel like I get to do a bit of trail magic as well, but I can’t wait to give back in even more ways after this hike.
Community is sometimes a difficult thing to find, I feel, and I’ve been blessed to not only be welcomed into this community, but also to be welcomed back. These people, the moments, and connections are what I will never forget. The magic of the trail, and the way it will never stop feeling like home to me.