Wednesday- Sunday, May 15-19th
It was a wild week at AT Trail Days in Damascus VA. I embraced it all, from camping in the woods in Tent City, to the commercial hype from all the vendors, to joining in the AT class parade through town, to dancing in the rain and mud around the bonfire to the beat of drums. I’ve never been to a rave and this may be as close to one as I get. I wanted to complete my Triple Crown of Trail Days, coordinating the timing of my Benton MacKaye Trail hike to end just beforehand, and a Foothills Trail hike directly after. In this way, I killed a whole bunch of bears with one stone.
A bit of history on this topic: CDT Trail Days in Silver City, NM was the first and only one I went to while thru-hiking its corresponding trail, the Continental Divide Trail in 2019. Then I had the opportunity to attend the Pacific Crest Trail Days in Cascade Locks, OR in 2023. I guess I was technically hiking the PCT that year, just not the whole trail…that I did in 2018. The idea to go to AT Trail Days was hatched while talking to folks at Billy Goat Days in February 2024 (the Florida Trail equivalent of Trail Days). I just had so much fun at all these events, especially as my list of hiker friends grew. Trail Days were like class-mate reunions, and I couldn’t get enough. Each had also been a level up in craziness, and this one was the biggest and craziest of all, to date.
Wednesday: Since I finished my BMT hike a day early, I had some time to kill. I also inherited 4 AT hikertrash guys, which happened to be the first I met when I reached Davenport Gap. Funny story: they were all partially responsible for the Trail Magic being provided by Harry, Nary, and Jamie (who I also later ran into at Trail Days). The 4 hikers (Liam, Logan, Chase, and Rocky Bidet) met the 3 soon-to-be Trail Angels when they were all hiking up Clingman’s Dome, days earlier. Nary asked the hikers how they could go about providing Trail Magic on the AT, and the rest was history: a hiker feed at Davenport Gap, timed just for when they finished the Smokies. I happened to finish my hike through the Smokies at the same time, promptly made friends with the guys while partaking of (their) Trail Magic, and offered them a ride to Trail Days. I love how all these events were so intertwined!
I’d of course been planning to give a ride to a few AT hikers, but squeezing 4 and their packs into my tiny Ford Ecosquirt was a real challenge! These were not small guys! But we managed…I wasn’t about to split up their Tramily. So what to do with an extra few days before Trail Days even began? Well, luckily I was able to deliver all of us to Shep’s @adventurepreacher way-cool AT hostel near Shady Valley, TN. It was only a 15 minute drive to Damascus the next day and the perfect place to chill and hide from the rain. I even got to sleep under a roof in Shep’s awesome AT bunkhouse, which had yet to even be christened by hikers! He and his wife NoMiles just built it, along with another building housing a small kitchen, bathroom, and laundry machines. I met Shep at several previous Florida Trail events and was so happy I got to visit his new place. Shep is both a missionary chaplain and a hiker himself, so he found his calling in serving and helping hikers. I feel blessed to know him and call him a friend, even though I’m not a religious person myself.
Thursday: I convinced the guys to slack pack a 15 mile section of the AT, from Low Gap to Damascus. This way, they got a day’s worth of hiking in, making up for a lost day due to my schedule. They wanted to hike as far as Hot Springs before hitching up to Trail Days, so this strategy at least got them some more miles done. Later, when they got back up to the area, they could stay at Shep’s place again and then skip straight to Damascus. They also got to experience the joy of slack-packing and hiking into Trail Days, which I imagine was a pretty cool feeling. They certainly encountered a lot of Trail Magic on the way and arrived in hikertrash-style.
My entry to the event was not as much fun. I drove all our stuff to Damascus, paid $20 to park my car (and never moved it all weekend), and another $20 to be able to camp in Tent City, so the cost of this event quickly started to add up. I’d previously arranged to stay at an established tent group called “Hicker Village”, so I at least kind of had an idea where to go. AT Trail Days has been around so long that there are ‘factions’, groups like ‘Riff Raff,’ notoriously outlined in a 2017 Backpacker Magazine piece: Meet the Hardest Partiers on the Appalachian Trail. I remember reading that article and thinking I never wanted anything to do with AT Trail Days, yet here I was, ready to embrace it all. Fortunately the group I joined was quite a bit more laid-back, comprised of mostly women. HoneyBun (another FT event friend) invited me, since I was feeling rather intimidated by the whole scene and the stigma of ‘belonging to a camp.’ In reality, all the camps were welcoming, despite some outward appearances (like the POLICE LINE tape that we set up to mark our area).
I was very smart to throw my spare Nemo tent in my car before leaving Florida. I had an inkling it would fare better than my Zpacks camo tent, which had been tripped over in the dark by numerous drunk guys at PCT Trail Days, despite having pitched it in a far corner. I figured the neon-green Nemo would stand out better, plus it certainly was more watertight than my leaking Zpacks tent. Just as I got it pitched, it started to rain again. This tent amazingly withstood some crazy downpours all week, with not even a drip inside. If I couldn’t get my Zpacks Plexamid fixed or replaced, at least I could use my Nemo for my upcoming GDT hike. I just wasn’t the biggest fan of a poled-tent for thru-hiking, mainly because of having to carry the poles in the pockets outside my pack.
Most cities are desperate to avoid scenes like the ones above, but Damascus embraces Trail Days and us hikertrash. I mentioned having to pay for parking and camping, but really I agree that participants should have to pay something for the use of these spaces and the organization of the event. The city spent a lot of time and resources setting up toilets, shower facilities, signage, fencing, and even police for the event. I really love Damascus for being such a cool little trail town. While thru-hiking the AT in 2021, I took a zero in Damascus (1 of only 4!), and it was definitely worth a layover. I was so excited to be back for this special weekend… a festival of Hikertrash.
Above are the guys I gave a ride, partaking of Hicker Village’s Dizzy Bat Challenge, to earn a jello shot. Rocky Bidet is wearing one of my dresses…it permanently became his. The basic goal of each camp was to 1. party and 2. provide trail magic for the current year of thru-hikers. This came in a variety of forms: alcohol, food, beads, gummy bracelets, snacks, and yes, that’s Honeybun handing out condoms. The newbie hikers in turn provided the entertainment. The guys did not let us down. They chugged their beers and spun on the bat for as many seconds as it took them to finish their beers. Then they had to crush their can, hit it off into the woods with the bat, retrieve the can (from all the poison ivy), and finally they got a jello shot. It was a fun way to spend the first afternoon in camp. We also went to a free fried chicken dinner, sponsored by one of the churches. I was a good hiker and went to bed at 10:30 pm. I even slept well, pretty much oblivious to all the noise after I put my ear-plugs in. I guess since I fully expected the woods to be loud, none of the partying bothered me…and no one tripped over my tent. Some rain also helped drown out the noise.
Friday: I spent the day mostly hanging around the vendor tents. There were lots of give-a-ways and raffles, but I didn’t win anything this day. I did exchange my old Darn Tough socks for new ones, exchanged a Purple Rain skirt (that I hadn’t worn) for a new dress (thanks Mandy!), and complained to the Zpacks team about my leaking tent. They were nice and helped me remove the frame and then patch the corners around the frame. I fully intended to put more tape on it once I got home, so they gave me some extra. They also said to contact them if it didn’t work. With enough tape, it should stop the leaks, but I knew I also couldn’t go back to using the frame ever again. The tent was designed to have a frame, so having no frame resulted in a floppy pitch which in turn might result in other problems, like excessive flapping, or water getting trapped in the canopy. So I wouldn’t know if my problem was solved until extensive testing…and testing while in Canada, with limited resources to replace my tent, was risky.
After this, I spent a lot of time at the Hyperlite Mountain Gear tent trying on new packs from their ultralight line-up and playing with their Mid 1 tent, which I really liked except for the color (white) and the zipper on the rain flaps. I decided I’d probably buy a pack but wait on the tent. One of the reps, Strawberry, remembered meeting me on the AT in Rangely ME. I remembered him too, since he was sporting all HMG gear, including a new HMG-branded trekking umbrella…the first one I’d ever seen. One of the other reps, Tim, heard our conversation and promptly offered me one. Well, first he asked, “If I give you one, will you use it?” Mind you, it had been raining on and off all day, so I was already sporting my well-loved Six Moon Designs Silver Shadow (used now for 2 years and 4 thru-hikes: PNT, HDT, PCBCRT, & BMT). He probably noted this, but little did he fully realize that I may just be the top Umbrella Influencer out there. Well, I’ve a least been responsible for more than a few backpackers adopting them, even some ultralighters.
I’ll say upfront that the HMG umbrella is a tad (0.5 oz) heavier than other lightest silver umbrellas and has some metal parts that I don’t quite yet understand, but it seems very durable and I’m going to use it on the GDT. Grateful for the opportunity, thanks HMG! I also talked at length with another rep, Nash, who designed HMG’s newest and only frameless pack, the Contour, along with another ultralight 35L pack with a single frame stay, the Waypoint. I liked both of them a lot.
Some historical context here, I used a white HMG Southwest 2400 (40) for almost all my first thru-hikes (TA, PCT, CDT, AZT, LT, GET)…about 10,000 miles! When it finally died, I replaced it with a black Windrider 40 that I got on Ebay. I used this second pack for the MRT and HDT (and it’s still in my prime line-up), but then I also moved to using my frameless and hipbelt-less Waymark Gear Thru 40. I just replaced my first Waymark with a second this year, which is what I recently took on the BMT. My first trail with the Waymark Evlv Ultra wasn’t great…the shoulder straps rubbed me the wrong way and felt too wide for my frame. It’s a nice nice pack but maybe not for me. I’d already decided that I was going back to my HMG for the Great Divide Trail, but then there were still some things I didn’t like about the Southwest/Windrider.
For starters, my Windrider weighs around 28 oz…and that’s after I cut a bunch of stuff off. Also, I never liked the side pockets because they don’t extend to the bottom of the pack. As such, my umbrella rides higher. They come stock with too many pieces…so I cut off all the side compression straps and also removed the velcro from the top roll. HMG’s new ultralight packs improved greatly on the side pockets and included shoulder strap pockets already built-in. They also made the hip-belt removable on the Waypoint. It has none of the things I used to cut off, like velcro and excess compression straps. I decided it was the best bridge between my framed pack and one without a frame, possibly able to stand in for both. To justify buying another pack, I decided to sell my new Waymark pack…the company just went out of business so it’s a good time to unload it while it’s still in like-new condition.
I digress. I went out to dinner with some friends in the evening and then went back to Tent City to check out the party scene. It was a bit too much for me, so I went to bed early-ish once again. I decided to save Saturday night for my big RAVE reveal.
Saturday: This was probably my favorite day, even though it rained the most of all days. I was sporting 2 umbrellas, so I loaned one out to friends (converts) throughout the day. Who knew I could have been one of the popular girls in high school if I just carried an umbrella? Ok, maybe not. I did invent a new way of trying to capture small gear items that were being thrown into the crowd at give-aways: turn the umbrella upside down and it acts like a giant catchers mitt! But I still didn’t score anything.
Instead, I bought a new HMG pack…the Waypoint that I fell in love with earlier. I spent even more time this day trying on several sizes, loading it with some weight, and really dialing in the fit. Multiple reps worked with me and one guy, sorry I didn’t get his name, even went so far as to switch out the frame stay with one that fit the curve of my back slightly better. I’ve never gotten such personalized attention with a pack fitting…I guess I’d never even done a proper pack fitting before. Incredibly, they all said I’d been using the wrong HMG size (small) for over 10k miles, when I should have been using a size medium. Apparently I’m just very tolerant of hiking thousands of miles with things that that are the wrong fit / aren’t good for me (packs, shoes, and perhaps even some past hiking partners :)_
In the afternoon, after a torrential downpour, I lined up for the Hiker Parade. Past and present hikers walk the main street of town as the features of this annual parade, dressing in all kinds of hikertrash outfits. The parade’s loosely organized by the class year each person hiked. I was a little embarrassed that I didn’t really know anyone from 2021 (since I went SOBO), but I made friends quickly. I didn’t get very dressed up because of the rain, but at least I was wearing the same dress and pack that I wore on the AT, so I was in my appropriate ‘work’ attire. I randomly took a picture of the downtown drag on Thursday, then incredibly and unwittingly took a picture during the parade from almost the exact spot, days later. I love the contrast of these 2 shots!
At the very last give-away of the day, my luck finally came through. I won a cool Exped waterproof Typhoon 15 daypack! I was standing next to youtube star Metro on the Move when he won and seconds later when the other guy next to us won. They were both talking about how it’s about having a winning attitude, so I tapped each of them on the shoulder with my finger, joking that their luck would rub off on me. And then the announcer called my name! Just what I needed…another backpack. But I will use it for day hikes!
Saturday was the night to PARTY! The rain thankfully held off but the woods were turned into a giant mud pit. I drank some crazy concoctions at Hicker Village, giving me the liquid courage to let loose a little. The bonfire and mud pit circle around it were quite the experience. Like I said, I’d never been to a rave before but perhaps I’d be up for some more. Lots of my friends were there but might have had a little trouble recognizing me, for some reason…
Sunday: Despite some shenanigans the night before, I got some sleep and felt pretty good when I woke. A weird thing appeared in the morning…I think they were sun rays! Just in time for the party to be over, but at least they dried out my tent. The vendors were open one more day and my friend Mandy of Purple Rain Adventure Wear asked if I could help her out in the booth. She’s a one-woman show, so of course I was stoked to help her. I was so proud that I actually sold several dresses and skirts throughout the day. Yay!
Of course my favorite part of the experience was seeing so many of the hikers, vendors, and trail angels that have become my friends over the years, from trails around the country (FT, AT, CDT, PCT, PNT, GET, and even BMT). I love this community. ‘Until next time’ to all of you. I guess I’m just going to have to keep coming back, year after year. I’ll be doing the parade in my walker, the only one holding the sign for 2021 some day. But not just yet.
I made a run-on list of some of the people I recall meeting and what they mean to me, but it’s unfortunately not everyone and I’m sure I’ll be going back to add to it over time. The week was a bit of a blur but so many moments that I’ll never forget (thanks in large part to this long and overdetailed post—I do it for ME!).
In no particular order: Nary, Harry, and Jamie…Trail angels from Davenport Gap, Google who I stayed with at the Paradise Creek BnB outside of Fontana. Rocky Bidet, Liam, Logan, Chase and 2319 who I met outside Standing Bear Hostel and gave rides, Dr Pepper from the BMT Indian Rock Shelter, Taco who I met hiking SOBO in Shenandoah on the the AT in 2021, Bleubs, another 2021 AT SOBO. Metro on the Move, Cody, Shep, NoMiles and all the people at Shep’s hostel. HickerVillage: Clutch, Tink, Honeybun, Hard Hat, Girlscout, SheRa, so many more I forgot all the names! PegLeg, who I met on the FT, as she was the first woman to hike the entire ECT. Abe, Brit, and Jerry representing Florida Trail Association. Flo and her awesome bus, who I first met at Standing Bear…she was the artist that designed the Trail Days logo in 2024! Ombroz people: Blue, Peru, Twerk and Jenson the co-founder of the company. Zpacks: Jamie, who was nice to help me with my tent and we exchanged info about hiking the PNT (and most recent update, who hooked me up with a new Zpacks tent!!!). HMG: Strawberry, Tim and Nash and GC thru-hike guy who helped me out immensely with HMG goodies and awesome pack. All Good…SMD Silver Shadow umbrella is still the bomb!, plus I’ll forever respect his style and insight into the industry. Mandy…by far my favorite vendor and also my good friend…so much respect for all she does. Hippie Chick and Poet from Shaws hostel in Monson ME and their parents Old Man and Navigator, who used to run the AT Lodge in Millinocket ME…love all these folks very much, as I see them at FT events every year. Marlene Simpson…always a ray of light even in the heaviest of downpours. The Perch Creek Explorers family, who also hiked the AT in 2021…as a family of 8! I walked with the mom during the parade…think her name was Butterfly…hella awesome. Jesse Cody/The Boston Mule of Hike the Good Hike…a very cool mental health advocate I hope to hear more from in the future. More to come!