Mom, I'm alive! Currently back in Hampton, TN right now after finishing up the Hardcore Trailwork thinger I joined in on for Sunday and Monday. Trail Days in Damascus was quite the fine time. Got to catch up with all the hikers I had passed and had passed me since starting in April, see a lot of hippies dancing around bonfires and generally enjoy a lot of free food. Also got to meet Gene Espy, the second man to ever thru-hike (bushwhack) the AT in 1951 and see a lot of hippies dancing around bonfires.
Sunday morning we were whisked back to Tennessee to build new trail with 100 or so other enthusiastic hikers(switchbacks where it used to go straight up) just north of Watauga Dam. Got to paint me first white blaze!!! This was pretty huge for me and hopefully a photo will surface from the Tennessee Eastman Hiking Club that runs it at some point. It's a pretty little 2x6 in. blaze with sharp corners and a good fill if I might say so myself. Southbounders will never be lost again. Also pretty cool since I had only been through that part of the old trail 5 days prior and it SUCKED. It's a much better grade and easier climb these days. On Monday we built more new trail over near Carvers Gap and Roan Mountain, TN and had a big feed last night where we got our Hardcore patches. Ready to get back on the trail up north of Damascus this morning but bummed I'm going to get to use the word HARDCORE with less and less relevancy.
So yeah, shuttle back to the trail today and can't feel my arms from swinging those dirt tools these past few days but it was a pretty great experience with a lot of great folks. Will update again sooooon!
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