Day 35 0-miles 05-04-14
Zero day at Cory and Selina's place
Nothing describes today besides a sitting on a porch and sipping fanta all day. We both got to chat with our family a good bit. I did find out that I-540, a major highway where we live, got renamed. So much else seems to be changing while we are out here, and I'm sure I don't know the half of it. We did get to watch some YouTube and basically hangout with our wonderful host. For lunch we wandered down from their house to go see the historical district and eat. It's been said that Virginia is for lovers. Crossing the state line didn't make me feel any awesome love feelings, but I'll take any excuse i can get to give my wife a kiss. She's the prettiest girl ever. Life goes easy.
Day 36 16-miles 05-05-14
Damascus VA-Lost mountain shelter
We enjoyed our last hours in a home this morning. Both of us took another shower, and we for sure didn't leave town without going by what has become our favorite breakfast joint thus far. Selina dropped us off in town at Mt. Rogers outfitters. I picked up a new sleeping bag. My awesome 20 degree Eddie Bauer bag was too warm even when used as a blanket. To replace it I got a Marmot 45 degree summer bag. I should sleep more since I won't be waking up sweating 4 times a night. We also took the chance to mail home some other winter gear. After that we resupplied with food from dollar general and hit the trail. On the way out of town we did get some ice cream, who could pass that up. Since we didn't get on trail until 1 it made for a late evening. As a side note a lot of hikers have been getting a stomach bug. We've decided to not use the shelters for a while as a precautionary measure. By the grace of God we wouldn't get it any way. All in all it was hard to leave Cory and Selina today. They were such great host and we will miss the comforts of an air conditioned home.
Day 37 18-miles 05-06-14
Lost mt shelter-camp site by a creek
It's been a bitter sweet day. On one hand our feet are screaming from the rockiness of today's trek, on the other we got to pet wild ponies. It was pretty amazing. They would walk right up and let you feed them. As the ponies kept coming I caught myself singing that terrible child's toy theme song "My little pony, my little pony." What a ridiculous song to have stuck in your head, but it made us both laugh. I heard that there was one with a white blaze on it's back and if you found it it could be road to the end. I looked diligently for that pony, but I was out of luck. After that disappointment we finished our day around 6:30pm. It was nice that we camped so close to a creek, made for a short walk to fetch water at the end of the day.
Day 38 20-miles 05-07-14
Creek camp-trimpi shelter
We started off this morning at 8:30, which is a good time. Today's terrain was less rocky and a little flatter. So our feet are feeling less like all of willy wonka's ompa-lumpa's took baseball bats to them today. I spent a lot of time thinking about what I will do when I get home. I already have a direction, but how that plays out is still to be determined. One cool thing I forgot to mention was the watch Dawn got for me. We picked it up back in Damascus, and it's been so great to have one. I started out the trail with a watch but it had a steel band and wasn't well suited for hiking. She is happy I'm not constantly asking her what time it is the entire day. Since we don't have a gps to measure distance, time is the next best form of measurement. We made it into camp at a good time too, around 6:30. We talked to one of our friends today who's tent was ripped to shreds by a bear. He offered no picture evidence, but he did have a whole new sleeping setup. Apparently he put up his tent just outside of Damascus to save a spot for him to sleep. After some time on the town he went back after dark and found his tent torn apart. That's the first instance of a bear attack I've heard or read In recent years on the AT. It's exceedingly rare for a black bear to be more than just curious, he must of had some food in his tent. I've noticed that some people who hike alone all day want to do nothing but talk when you get into camp. Sometimes this is nice, but when you've had the same conversation about water, food, gear, and towns it gets a little old. That said, I'm very happy to be in my tent about to go to sleep.
Day 39 11-miles 05-08-14
Trimpi shelter-Partnership shelter
There was a moment in time today around 4:30pm that everything was perfect. My wife and I were laying on the grass napping, and as I starred up at the blue sky through the newly bud leaves it was perfect. We had an easier day today. For starters we got a super early start at 6:30am and made it to our destination by 10:30am. The shelter we are at is very close to a park service visitors center and it offers $.50 rides to town. First thing was lunch. Across the street was a Pizza Hut with an "All you can eat buffet" sign. Big mistake! I easily ate $25 worth of pizza for the cheap price of $6.50. Dawn and I both tore that place up, at this point it takes a lot for our stomachs to be full. For the first time all trail we got to resupply in a Walmart. I used to despise going to Walmart, but now it's a treat. Best of all we bought exactly what we wanted and didn't have to compromise like we do at dollar general. We took the shuttle back to camp, took showers, and did our laundry by hand. This shelter is only the second one we've come across that has a shower. After that we ended up on the lawn living the easy life letting the sun warm us for the rest of the day. Life goes easy.
White top Mt. 
Hiking in the early morning. 
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