Miles: 455.1 | A brutal mix of rain, sleet, and hail turns dangerous fast when my wet shoes leave my toes numb and frostbite on my mind. With no headlamp and night hiking off the table, I bail to Damascus — hitching, shuttling, and problem-solving my way to safety. The day ends warm at the Broken Fiddle, surrounded by familiar faces, music, and a much-needed sense of control. For the first time in a while, I choose myself — and it feels like freedom.
I got up early but there was a miscommunication about time. I left Boots Off Hostel around 11:30am with Fanny, Poe, Savage, and Spartacus who all slackpacked with me the day before. We were being shuttled up to TN91 where we had slackpacked from the day before. Threatening clouds still rumbled over head and it seemed chillier on this morning.
We walked in the rain past a cool barn:
Eventually I sped off and hiked faster than the others, getting up to a good 2.5 mph pace. As I walked the trail went up a ridge. The rain turned to sleet which whipped any exposed skin in sharp slaps.
I kept walking, my wet shoes from the day before were getting crunchy as I went. I slowed down in the sleet. I had to turn my face so that the precipitation didn’t hurt my cheeks. It stung even through the Buff I wore over my lower face.
Soon the sleet turned into hail and in the cold my right foot began getting extremely cold.
The toes on my right foot were numb by Low Gap, just 6.5 miles into my day. I stopped under a large tree and took out my map. I’d had frostbite on this foot in the past but only mildly. I didn’t want to risk having a serious case of frost bite if I walk through this storm in these wet shoes and socks and try to camp in it, too.
I had been excited to use my new sleeping pad but, once again, I COULDN’T FREAKING STAND BEING FROSTBITE LEVEL COLD ANYMORE!!
Looking at the map I realized I was only 15 miles from Damascus and if I did it all today it would be a 21.5 Mile day, accomplishable. It was already 3pm, though. Which meant I would have to hike into the night. I searched my new pack’s brain for my headlamp.
I had the awful realization that when we night hiked into Boots Off we had used my headlamp to do it and I left it in the hostel kitchen there when I was eating my pizza... I couldn’t night hike, especially not in this weather, without it. I really didn’t want to camp in this either.
I called around Damascus looking to see if there were any open bunks. For a town with the most hostels on the AT this one had very few beds open! Woodchuck’s and Crazy Larry’s were full. The Place wasn’t heated. That left The Broken Fiddle.
Bonnie, the owner said she’d save me a bunk. Now, how to get there. Woodchuck said he’d give me a ride for a fee and Bonnie said she could too but she would take longer.
When I was talking on the phone making plans, an older gentlemen in a Jeep pulled up to the gap. He said he was going into Shady Valley, which would get me about 1/3 of the way to Damascus if I wanted a ride. I said I would thank you.
I would normally never hitch alone but he seemed harmless and had an AT license plate. I knew it was dangerous but I was desperate to get off this mountain. I took a photo of his license plate and got in.
He was harmless. Despite my nerves I conversed with him on the way down the windy road into tiny Shady Valley. He told me about his daughter who was about my age whom he would never let go out hiking without a gun. He was shocked that I didn’t carry one. He asked if my parents were worried about me. I told him they were of course! He dropped me off at the local ‘restaurant’ in Shady Valley, home of the Shady Valley Cranberry Festival.
The small town had just one flashing stop light. He carried my pack to some patio chairs outside and told me to be safe. He told me to call a shuttle and stop hitching by myself. He was right, and this town didn’t seem like the best place to hitch despite the southern hospitality my northerner self had heard about. He went on his way and I went inside, bells on the door ringing.
A blonde lady in her mid 50s came out and called me Sugar, Honey, and Baby in about 5 sentences with a sweet southern drawl. I bought a honey bun and a chocolate milk and sat at a table.
Woodchuck, a Damascus hostel owner and shuttler, said he was on his way and he’d knock down the price a bit. I called my dad and told him what happened. He laughed about my eating habits (I had always made fun of him for eating junk...). Some locals sat with me in my booth: a father, grandfather, and son trio. They asked about my trip in their Tennessee accents and ate their fried food. I answered their questions as politely as I could and when Woodchuck arrived I quickly said goodbye. Another jingle as the door closed behind me.
Woodchuck drove me back to the Broken Fiddle. I walked in through the back gate as directed by a sign. Some hikers there told me I could sign in in a book and pick any bunk I wanted. Some folks were watching a VHS on an older square box TV (hard to believe we call this older bow, eh?) in the living room and others were playing cards and drinking beer around the dining room table. I picked a bunk in the front room.
I recognized AM Fog from the Smokies. I met Rick James and some other hikers I’d never met before. I also saw Eskimo, Mean Spaghetti, Duracell, Vermont, and Tangerine. AM Fog walked with me down to the local outfitter as it started to rain again. Spider and Rainbow were walking out as I walked in. We chatted for a moment, they were staying at Woodchuck's. I got a new headlamp and a couple of Mountain House Meals for my resupply. After the outfitter I went and got a salad at Subway and got a couple of Tall Boys at the gas station across the street. Back at Broken Fiddle I ran into Baloo (who I met at Fontana and saw in Hot Springs again) and Trench playing chess outside. I brought my salad inside and ate it at the dining room table with some other hikers. After I ate we played a couple rounds of the card game Bullshit.
Later AM Fog and Baloo played us all some blues in the chilly evening air on the patio. We watched Forrest Gump on VHS because Trench had never seen it! Josh and Tang made it to town and stopped by to socialize, too.
I called Woodchuck and made an appointment to be picked up the next morning and walk the miles I missed yesterday. I was happy to be showered and in a warm bunk surrounded by friends new and old. I went to bed late after soaking up all of the socializing I could.
I was happy to be ‘alone’ again. I don’t know why I had prioritized other people’s feelings, wants, and needs over mine for so much of my hike. I was constantly compromising for my hiking partners. Not even thinking to just split up with them and do whatever I wanted. My freedom out here had been difficult to comprehend and exercise but I was finally going to do it.
1. WARM BED
2. Friends
3. Mental breakthrough