Every single piece of traveling gives me extreme satisfaction. Deciding on a place to go, whether it be a destination somebody told me about or something I saw in a picture or an interest in seeing friends in other places gives me great pleasure. The opportunities are endless, and my life is not. Having said that I think I have seen enough and done enough to be quite satisfied so I just have to think of what would be really fun right now.
Making the plans for the trip is another thing that I adore. The first step is finding a spot in your calendar for the adventure and it becomes complicated to find that spot when more travelers are involved. Next, is to upgrade to a more spacious plane seat if money and space is available. I was born to be riding in first class, but my pocketbook does not agree all the time. Then, there is lodging to organize and transportation to reserve. Research is next with a list of things that might be cool to do and see. Then the trip hangs out there sometimes for up to a year and thoughts of it fade until a couple of weeks before.
At this point, I take a look at the 192 million packing lists I have made over the years and proceed to make a different one because this trip is slightly different than the others. I will usually be packed about a week before the trip and often will repack entirely the day before. The biggest feat of my life was when I went to Italy with the zero club for two weeks and brought only one very small suitcase with me. We had five people in the car so we had to control the amount of luggage! I am always a fairly economical packer, but I usually neglect something that I wish I had when I got there. That's when a practical souvenir must be found! Car traveling is quite different and even if I am all alone driving for hours or days I throw lots of unnecessary stuff into the back of the car just in case. My stash of necessities looks conservative compared to my husband when he and I go together. You never know when you're going to need a generator or extra skis or something!
Right now I am ready to leave for Asheville, North Carolina to continue my exploration with my sister Angie of the 14 states on the Appalachian Trail. Last time we conquered Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Such a different kind of trip than when we hike, the superior, hiking trail! Daunting and not as exhausting, but very satisfying in its own way. We felt sort of like superheroes finishing the Superior Trail. In “Appalachia the Easy Way” we will feel less heroic but quite familiar with the Appalachian Trail.
So we will arrive in Asheville, pick up our rental car and head for Damascus, Virginia, where we will be for a couple of nights. I am so pumped for more time with Angie in this amazing world where we strive for happiness.
The drive through Virginia, to reach Damascus, was filled with mountain views. People were friendly, traffic was okay and small towns were rather sweet and clean. Upon arrival we found the key to our rental underneath an old milk can. A lovely place that just screamed “Virginia”! Lots of lawn and trees and a river we could see from the large, painted porch. An old bridge spanned the river and a few geese with their young waddled along the edge of the yard. We climbed into comfy beds, me upstairs and Angie down, nestled among southern quilts and decor. The second day we would explore Damascus and the hiking festival and walk the suggested portion of the AT.
As it turned out, the Creeper Trail was closed and we were forced to make up our own trail on the Appalachian that day. We also got a chance to have carnival food and listen to some amateur music in that cute little town. We wore our sloth hiker shirts, which got us an awful lot of attention. One woman made me stop so she could take a picture of my shirt to send to her friend. We met all kinds of lovely people many of them in outrageous costumes in celebration of the Appalachian Trail. We were scheduled to do the Black Rock Summit, as suggested but it was a THREE HOUR DRIVE ONE WAY from where we were staying. We added that to day three’s activities which would already include a visit to Harper’s Ferry and a hike on the AT from there.
Harper’s Ferry mixed us up a little bit. It was suggested that we go to the associated park so we paid the fee and looked around a bit. What we ended up getting for our money was a 2 mile hike into town, mostly along a main road, in the rain. The town was historic and sweet with some nicely preserved buildings. We also were able to walk on a bridge from West Virginia to Maryland!
Mt. Rogers Recreational Area, in the Blue Ridge mountains was one of our segments. A small hike on flat ground where we were held captive by stories of a local retired judge while his grandson was fishing. They were the most spectacular part of the loop!
Black Rock Summit was a bit of a climb but worth the treasures at the top.The views were lovely, hawks lazily soared, and I befriended three adorable teenage boys. They took lots of really bad pictures of a lizard that one of them had nearly killed himself catching so I could see it close up. They were so full of advice on things I needed to see nearby I finally had to pull myself away from their charm and enthusiasm. There is something magical about teenagers!
I think that Angie would agree that the highlight of our trip was the wonderful City of Frederick, Maryland. Our townhouse was walking distance from the main shopping street with lots of little specialty shops. There was a walk along the river, which was very nicely set up for exercise and socialization and relaxation. On Saturday night it had a wonderful vibe with people hanging around in multicolored groups, enjoying life.
