Along the Parkway

Virginia is burning. In fact, the whole world is on fire. Hoyle and I(Tanner) have just finished some delicious pizzas at Quincy’s Restaurant in downtown Damascus – a tiny Appalachian Trail re-supply town in the southwest corner of the state for lovers . We’ve been traveling on the Blue Ridge Parkway for two days now. And for two days it’s been raining. We crossed Smoky Mountain National Park under a constant downpour and consequently passed up our first scheduled hike up to the Chimney Tops in the middle of the park. The Blue Ridge Parkway is absolutely breathtaking, even in the rain. Stone bridges, tunnels cut into the mountains and a long lazy snaking two-lane road that winds its way alongside sheer cliffs and through foggy forests. At one point, we were absolutely lost in the clouds, with visibility only a few feet in front of the jeep and off to the side –  only a white and incomprehensible blankness, as if nothing else existed except for the lives of the three travelers inside the vehicle and the little area around it.

Last night we left the Parkway to go into Ashville and mingle with the locals. At a downtown bar called Jack of the Wood we watched the Aimee Leigh Smith bluegrass band slap some bass and get down on the fiddle. Afterwards, we were invited to an after-party that lasted into the early morning and showed no signs of stopping beyond that, except that our eyes continued to shut involuntarily and Hoyle and I finally decided to retire for the evening(morning), only to wake up today at noon and groggily get back on the road again.

North Carolina disappeared in the distance of our rearview mirror, and after dipping once more back into Tennessee for just a spell, we arrived in Damascus, home to the Virginia Creeper trail and famous Mt. Rogers Outfitter. Tomorrow morning we plan to wake early and head into the mountains for a three-day hike along the AT and some feeder trails, all culminating with a trip up Mt. Rogers itself – the highest peak in Virginia. We’ll all finally get to stretch our legs a bit and exchange the tarmac for the trail beneath us. See you all towards the end of the week.