I slept great. Since my tent was basically in an empty lot in the center of town, I got up and out as soon as the sun came up. Even though I didn’t think crazy eyed, knife wielding vagrants were morning people, I decided not to take any chances on unfamiliar turf. I had built up the town of Damascus, VA to be some kind of hiker utopia, with great outfitters and hostels. Overall, it was an average trail town, and I was ready to get back into the woods. The old team assembled: The Navigator, Vegan, Seth and I. On our way out of town we stopped at the Diner and I ate a huge breakfast. For some reason, I ordered a bacon, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich with hash browns and a side of ham. I topped it all off with a milkshake. I feasted like an 80’s movie villain.
We finally started heading out of town around 11:30 am. It was a warm morning as we followed the white blazes down the sidewalk and into the woods. The guys and I were going at a slow and steady pace. I suddenly felt like I had to get the lead out, so I started hiking super fast. My stupidly massive breakfast, my heavy pack full of 4 days of supplies and the afternoon heat combined and I suddenly felt tired and feverish. I stopped and sat on a rock while I waited for the guys to catch up to me. When the fellas caught up, we turned a corner and suddenly the trail turned into a level, gravel walking path. Thank God! I was feeling sick and it was a promise of easy hiking, at least for a while. The guys were in great spirits, enjoying the little break from the more challenging sections of the trail. I was just trying to get the energy to take the next few steps. 
The walking path continued for a mile or two then crossed over refurbished railroad bridge that was converted to become part of the trail. After crossing the bridge we went down the hill and set up camp right underneath the bridge and next to a good sized stream. We had hiked 13.1 miles for the day and found an amazing camp spot. I started feeling a little better after I set my tent up but still I was still not quite right. We made a small fire and cooked dinner. A spicy dinner might help knock out the fever, I thought. So I made a Spanish Rice Sides with a large dose of cayenne pepper. The dinner helped, but I still felt like a mess. My recent decisions had been sloppy and lazy. I needed to focus and get myself together mentally or the trail would chew me up and spit me out like it had to so many others before me. I went to bed early and fell asleep.
A poor picture of a sweet stealth campsite under an old railroad bridge.
Smooth's Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike 