By this time in 1980 I was in Virginia. I had already completed all of Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. I have a very clear memory of crossing into Virginia and entering the first town called Damascus. In the Bible, Damascus is known for the place where God spoke clearly to the apostle Paul. That didn't happen to me, but there were several events that did happen in Damascus that changed me forever. It will take a few blog posts to get the entire story out, but here is the start.
As I entered Damascus, the trail followed along a road with several old houses. I saw a man with a broken leg wearing a large cast. He was pushing a lawnmower around his yard! I immediately stopped and offered to cut the grass for this man, but he refused...claiming that he needed the exercise. He did appreciate my offering though.
I passed by another house and struck up a conversation with a woman who was on her front porch. There was a sign hanging in the front that said "Suits Us". In the midst of the conversation, I asked about the sign. She said, "well, this house may not seem very nice to a lot of people but it suits us!" She was a very nice lady and we had a good talk. She was impressed that I was clean shaven and that my hair wasn't too long. I did try to shave every day and I had tried to trim my hair a little with my backpacking scissors!
Damascus had a very large hiker hostel--an old house where hikers could spend the night. I stayed in the hostel and enjoyed indoor plumbing! That evening I went for a short stroll. A young boy had made friends with one of the other hikers. That boy was playing in a little league baseball game, so we went to watch him play. He was so excited that he had fans!
Damascus was a restful place. Most hikers got mail at Damascus, but I did not. My mail drop was about 20 miles away at a tiny little town (I think it was called Troutville?) I only planned on staying one night in Damascus. That first night was so peaceful, so restful, so rejuvenating. I had no idea of the storms and difficulties that lay ahead.......
In 2011 I continue my project of losing weight. This morning I weighed in at 182.6 pounds. Not bad after a short vacation where I ate whatever I wanted and hardly exercised. Tomorrow I will re-start my exercise program (jogging) and try to watch what I eat. Today is Sunday, time for some rest! Big things are ahead!
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