Blogs from Damascus, Virginia, United States, North America

Greetings from Damascus. I am sorry for the lack of new pictures. Internet is limited. In brief, camped at church ground, visited by a cop in a residential area while camped out - good outcome, biked 20 miles in rain, walked bike 4 miles in rain, two broken spokes, Damascus is a total bike community, 11 bike shops, and travel hostels. bike is getting repaired, breakfast with Larry Tow, a super chill guy who came over to Christ as he says. He lived on the Appalachian Trail for three years. We are heading out of here to Tennessee. 60+ miles a day has been the average with all the hills. Tennessee looks much flatter so we are hoping to put in more miles. I am loving life, love the people on the road, carry pepper spray ... read more

I decided late on Saturday night of Memorial Day weekend to take a little holiday to western Virginia with my bike. There's a trail that runs from Abingdon to just past Whitetop, through Damascus, called the Virginia Creeper Trail. It's about 34 miles long and follows the old railroad bed of the Virginia Carolina Railroad. It's a great shared-use National Recreation Trail that goes through the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area in the Jefferson National Forest. I got up Sunday and took the scenic route to Damascus where I started my ride to Whitetop and back. I fully enjoyed it...even with an 18 mile uphill climb the first day--1646 vertical feet. ***If you decide to go, most people rent a bike from one of the many bike shops in Damascus, take a shuttle to Whitetop, and ... read more

Thomas Knob Shelter to the Lost Mountain Shelter... read more

Honest business men are sometimes hard to find. We spent the day in Damascus going over our gear trying to lighten things up a little. CC now has a pack that fits and is about two pounds lighter, we both have lighter sleeping bags. The three man tent will be replaced with a four pound lighter two man tent. I took my pack down to the outfitters for evaluation and possible trade in on a lighter one. The owner of the place was quite friendly while he and I sat going over how I packed and what I carried. He spent about an hour with me; and in the end, he told me he could not in good faith sell me anything. What I have is about the best pack I could have, and the weight ... read more