Appalachian Trail (day 23) - Backbone Rock Trail to Virginia Creeper Junction / mile 485

"Was that a threat or a promise?" Crazy Larry

Good day with a slightly adjusted schedule.

Initial plan was to hike down few miles to Damascus and stay for the night at the Broken Fiddle Hostel. I've arrived in town at around 8 AM and went straight to the Damascus Diner for breakfast. It was good, I'm not sure why I always get "biscuits and gravy" when they are not mentioned on the menu but they are pretty good so I won't complain, "grits" were also included.

After breakfast I went straight to Food City, a local supermarket to resupply for the next four days. Weather was supposed to be excellent all day. At this point I began to wonder if hiking out instead of staying at the hostel wouldn't be a better idea. I've asked the guy at the outfitters where I was buying a new gas canister if there's a place in town where I could take a shower and do the laundry, and I've been told that indeed there is one: Crazy Larry's.

Larry was an old man living by the main road and his house was opened to hikers 24/7, he was hosting Rocket at the moment who was healing his tendonitis. On the walls were many "thank you" postcards from people who stayed here and completed the trail. I knocked on the door and soon enough he limped in to open it for me. Everything at Larry's was donation based. He offered me a coffee and a piece of his birthday cake (the party was few days ago). He collected my laundry and I went to take the hottest, most satisfying shower I had on trail so far. Larry was full of stories which I don't know how much of was true or not, but they sure we're entertaining. Here's the picture of Larry, his dog and Tallboy:

He said that he was on probation, running from the law through the Appalachian mountains, until he stopped at Damascus. Here he met some friendly people that changed his worldview and he turned himself in. He served 14 months in prison (I didn't asked him what for). As we spoke Larry set up a second hand shop outside his house, where he brought up all sort of items to sell. Dolls, gas stoves, pocket knives, hatchets even a huge crossbow were on display. People would stop by and buy things from him. One of his friends Timber got a hacksaw for 40$ and sat down with us to have a chat. He was also a storyteller. He said that he came here following the Appalachian Trail in 2007 (two years after Larry) was initially living in the forest and getting temporary jobs in town until few years ago he finally settled down and bought a house in Damascus.

At about 1pm all my washing was done and I was ready to hike out, just before I left Tallboy wandered in, she didn't like the Broken Fiddle Hostel and decided to visit Crazy Larry's instead, she was waiting for a friend and considering staying the night here as well.

I've hiked out and managed to get reasonably far, AT was partially following a Virginia Creeper Trail, a cycling path running along the river with many bridges that got completely destroyed by the hurricane Helene. All the campsites marked on the map were swept away, I finally managed to find an unmarked place by the side of one of the taller bridges that managed to survive the flood. 

I had the whole camp site to myself. It was a bit weird smelling all nice and clean again, I enjoyed white noise of the river while slowly drifting away to sleep.