Trail Days this weekend

For some reason, I am going to have 3 Holer pick me up to go backwards to Damascus, Virginia, because I love hiking so much that I hike even more than I need to, for funsies.  Then, he's going to drop me back off where he picked me up.  Maybe I'll find some chicks this weekend.

My progress so far!

Preparation for Trail Days

I got a message from Nub while out on Mount Vernon H3 trail on Saturday, May 13th.  I haven’t listened to it yet because the text translation seemed adequate.  Nub said that he had made it to Damascus, VA where the annual event AT Trail Days (http://traildays.us) happens May 19-21, 2017 this year.  I’m heading down to take him 100 miles backwards on trail to Damascus for the weekend. According to Siri translate, he needs the following items:

1. Whiskey  I’ve tasted multiple $200 to $500 bottles of whisky with Dungeons and Drag Queens (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highland_Park_distillery and http://www.whiskysaga.com/highland-park-the-valhalla-collection-tasting-it-all/).  I have a bottle of Fitzgerald whiskey left over from Spinal Tap’s memorial hash that DDQ says is pretty good; so whiskey should be covered.  I’ll take some cherries, sugar cubes, and oranges (so Nub won’t get scurvy) if we need to make Old Fashions.

2. Ginger Beer  I have 3 cans of Crabbies ginger beer and 2 bottle of Jamaican ginger beer in my mixer cabinet.  I’ll take those along with a 5^th of rum to make Dark and Stormies.  Add a bottle of bitters and one more six pack of ginger beer to my packing list.

3. Safety pins  I have 1 big safety pin and 2 little ones that were stuck on a race bib.  Nub needs them to dry his socks.  He apparently hangs yesterday’s socks on his pack with binder clips to dry while he hikes, but he thinks safety pins will do better.  If someone has one more big safety pin; hand it over this week before I go.

4. Beer  Yup.  I’ve got this one covered.  I’m taking a cooler down with stouts and interesting beers for us to drink and a 2^nd cooler of crap hash beer to give away to any stinky hippy, patchouli smelling, dope smokin’ AT hikers we meet.

5. Unknown package  If I understand the translation correctly, Nub has a brother that has already put together a mystery package of “stuff.”  

#1 – Nub has a brother!  WTF!  What’s his hash name?  Why haven’t we met him?  I guess it makes sense that someone has to stay behind to make the Keebler elf cookies while Nub is away.  

#2 – Am I going to be a drug mule for Nub?  What else could be of possible need that he wants to friggin’ carry on trail!  

#3 – Nub has not asked for a resupply of condoms.  Maybe birth control/STD prevention is what’s in the package and he’s too embarrassed to ask directly.  He’s probably slaying tail on trail!

Plan:

Thursday, 18 May drive to Richmond, VA to do brewery tours.

Friday the 19 May, Drive to somewhere near Blacksburg, VA to pick up Nub and to eat somewhere interesting.  Go to Damascus and pay $20 per car and $5 per person to camp for the weekend.

Saturday 20 May, eat, drink and be merry.

Sunday: Return Nub to AT trail to continue his hike.

- 3 Holer

357 miles in, a million more to go!

ICHY, here, posting about PFT and I's time hanging out with Nub this weekend in Asheville.  PFT and I were supposed to go to OBX this week with a group, but plans fell through so we thought it would be a good opportunity to go back and visit Asheville for a longer period of time so we could hash, check out some more breweries, and hang out in a hot tub.  We knew Nub would be close-ish, but weren't sure what his plans were - if he wanted to meet up briefly for dinner or hang out for longer or if we were even going to be able to find him with limited cell service on the trail.

Well, let me tell you, nothing gets Nub hiking faster than the promise of bourbon and ginger beer, a nice warm shower, and a hot tub.  I'd also like to think it has to do with also being able to hang out with us, but whatever.  We picked up Nub at Uncle Johnny's Hostel in Erwin, TN.

"Nub, good to see you, how's the journey going?"
::laughs manically:: "Hiking is stupid.  Soooooo stupid."

Thursday night we made tacos and had beverages in the garbage cabin we rented.  Friday, PFT and I regretted said beverages and in her hungover state, telling Nub he would be our "butler" slipped up and instead called him "Buttboy."  So, for the rest of the weekend we called Nub Buttboy and he quickly regretted every decision he ever made his life.  Nub wants everyone to know he got a trail name, which is supposedly "Delicate Flower," but we all know it's really Buttboy.  We went on the Blue Ridge Parkway to visit Slippery Rock, where PFT was so overwhelmed by the beauty of nature that she threw up on the side of the road.  We went to a few breweries including Sierra Nevada which is an amazing place.  It's like an adult playground.

Saturday, Nub was overcome by the fact that his feet didn't hurt that he started jumping around doing a little jig proclaiming that his feet weren't even sore today!  We hashed with the Asheville Hash House Harriers later in the afternoon, where Nub was clearly so excited to be around people that weren't all dirty hippies.  It was cold most of the weekend, so we had to take Nub to get some pants.  Nub, because he has been so thoroughly prepared for this trip, didn't really check the weather despite that he'd be hiking probably in places where there was snow.  After getting Nub pants, we went back to the cabin to shower, take a nap, then we went out to downtown Asheville later and went to a few more breweries.

Sadly, Sunday came too fast and we had to return Nub back into the wild where he belonged.  Now he is back among the animals and the bears and the squirrels, making animal friends.    

P.S. I'd like to further reiterate that Nub didn't have pants on his hike.  This guy was in the exact place where we dropped Nub off on Sunday http://bikehikesafari.com/2017/05/08/at-day-21-and-then-it-snowed/

Nub coming back to life

Sliding Rock

PFT overwhelmed by the beauty of nature

Going to breweries can be really exhausting, like, just as exhausting hiking the Appalachian Trail.  Naps are necessary.

At Green Man Brewery

A haiku

I pooped today
in the flora and fauna
Life is beautiful