Spring Break Trip - Day 1

Let the Spring Break adventure begin! Mollie and I were both up by 0730 and packed up quickly. Mollie ate breakfast (Belvita Sandwich) and we were on the road (after a quick return to the house to get Mollie's NPS passport book, which we forgot) by 0830. We headed south on our Daddy-Daughter "make it up as you go along trip." We filled up the gas tank in Haymarket (0900) and Mollie sent Snapchat post to Brenna and Erin as we passed Harrisonburg on I-81. When we reached Marion and filled up the gas tank (1330), Mollie made the first decision: wild ponies! We headed south on VA-16 and used US-58 to get to our destination. We ate lunch (quesadillas, dried fruit, triscuits) in the car on the way and entered the park at 1415. We'd been to the location during the Columbus Day weekend last year but we can never get enough... We found a couple of our furry friends in the first 15 minutes and then used the AT (NOBO) to explore the area further. Despite some serious mud slogging, an encounter with singing Trail Life scouts and a creepy conversation with an old hippy hiker, we didn't see any more ponies. The weather was beautiful! I'd estimate that we hiked about three total miles between Massie Gap, the Rhododendron Trail, AT to the boundary and the Virginia Horse Trail (we definitely covered more trail than the AT Guide indicated and there were not a lot of markers in the book for the wide open spaces). We very much enjoyed the close encounters with the wild ponies and didn't leave the park until around 1600. We then drove west to on US-58 because it was my turn to choose an activity: I selected a visit to Trail Town USA! The drive on US-58 was an adventure itself... We stopped for dinner (1800) at Bobo McFarland's (mmmm) and then (1845) walked off the calories on the AT - it wound its way all through the town. It was clear that the trail was a huge part of the economy for Damascus (it reminded me of Millinocket). We enjoyed the pleasant spring evening weather as we walked between Water Street and Douglas Street (mostly using Laurel Avenue, but also using part of the Creeper Rail Trail). Completed another two miles of hiking. [AT Today = 1.00 miles / G.T. AT = 895.06 miles] Will definitely return! As the sun set behind the hills in the west, we headed into Tennessee (via VA-19, TN-19, US-421, TN-67, US-321). We made it to a hotel (Lake Watauga Resort just west of Hampton, TN) by 1945 and were settled into our little cottage by 2100. We read and watched TV until bedtime at 2315.  AT Today = 0.60 miles / Grand Total AT = 894.06 miles