The Road to Damascus – The Trek

We started our day in the way to Laurel Forks Falls with gentle ups and downs. It was sunny and warm, a perfect hiking day. Entering the Pond Mountain Wilderness, our excitement was palpable because we knew the falls were coming.

We finally got to the descent into the falls during the hottest part of the day. My eyes stung all the way down as the result of sweat dripping off my forehead into them. I was tired and frustrated from the start, but halfway down the air began to cool. By the time we reached the bottom, I was downright chilly.

As I stood there listening to the Laurel Forks Falls roar, tears sprung to my eyes. It was overwhelmingly beautiful. Falls always make me cry, but this was the largest I had ever seen. Bill and I sat and enjoyed the peace and joy together before climbing back up to the Laurel Forks Shelter to set up our tent for the night.

Blessed at Boots Off Hostel

We hiked to Boots Off Hostel, initially we were just going to get a pizza. Boots Off is famous for its beauty and hospitality, so we decided to Nero there. We were happily greeted when we arrived and ushered to the faucet to wash our hands. My heart was grateful. Clean hands are hard to come by in the woods.

After cleaning our hands, we got to meet Lucky Moon, who asked us to put our packs in our room and let her know if the room was good. We loved it and told her so. Next it was PIZZA TIME! Our pizza was delicious.

A hot shower was next on my anfenda and getting rid of the layers of sweat felt amazing. The hostel is just beautiful. Resupply was easy. Lucky Moon took great care of us! It was a quick stop on our way to Damascus.

Gorgeous Lake Watauga

After our quick Nero at Boots Off, we spent our morning hiking around the breathtaking Lake Watauga. Not only was the lake lovely, but there were also wild irises blooming along the trail.

We stopped for a long look at the lake for lunch on a huge set of boulders. I took a short nap, while giant black ants invade my space. It was the hardest day I’ve had leaving lunch break. Staying forever wouldn’t have been a problem. But Katahdin calls me.

We hiked on for 13 miles to a campsite we found on FarOut. It was spacious, and several other campers joined us. We all chatted and at the end of the night treated to Thunder Lizard playing his ukulele and singing for us.

Trail Magic with Joe

For no good reason, I had a rough morning. As I was slogging through. Bill prophesied that trail magic was ahead. He ended up being 100% correct. 

Joe provided us with Bojangles biscuits and Sausage, snacks, drinks and the love of God. He was an angel for certain. The love he shared with us gave me the boost to get through the long hiking day we had planned.

After 13 miles of hiking, we found a stealth campsite and set up the tent. The sunset was bright orange and blue. A spectacular end to a special day. We planned a long 15 mile day tomorrow to get us two miles from Damascus, where we would visit friends and family.

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