Friday, June 02, 2006

Damascus VA

Mile 458

Damascus after Trail Days shows its true identity: a semi-rustbelt little town whose churchgoing community lives in weird coexistence with the itinerant hiker population. I have a lot of respect for the people of Damascus. They are unfailingly polite, not even two weeks after the notorious "Panty Dance" at the Hiker Parade. Their attitude, insofar as I have been able to gather from conversations with locals, is that the trail experience is a lot healthier for young people than college. From personal experience, I'd have to say that they are right.

To do the hikers justice, they do bring in a fair amount of cash. It doesn't replace all the industry jobs gone to China, but it helps. And the thru-hikers, though hairy and smelly, are almost always polite and articulate. Most of the trail crazies have dropped out already.

As for me, I am blowing out of town after a nice, 4 dollar bunk at The Place, a church hostel. Normally I'd stay a day, but I am meeting my folks at Grayson Highlands State Park, 3 days or so up the trail.

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