Date: 2015-05-16
From: Damascus, VA (Trail Days)

To: Damascus, VA (Trail Days)
Miles today: 0.0

Up early again after a few hours of sleep, I managed to talk Moosehead and Hobble into join in me for a morning shower at the city pool whether than waiting in line for the mobile showers offered by a church just outside of Tent City. Promising them no lines and hot water, I would ens up being accurate on no lines. We would spend the next ~20 minutes slowly putting one part of our soapy bodies into cold water as the maintenance men proved unsuccessful at returning the showers to their former warm glory of yesterday.Feeling refreshed from a late night, we ventured back into the downtown area with, yet again, another day of no plans other than enjoying what the town of Damascus had to offer us. Moosehead, Hpbble, and I quickly found a tent offering a breakfast/lunch combo with proceeds going towards the cost of sending a local boy scouts group to summer camp. For $8.00 I received a bacon and egg biscuit, a cheeseburger, a chili dog, and 2 Coke's. Job well done. Continuing another block into downtown, Moosehead and I fell victims to another group of teenagers raising money by selling Krispy Kreme donuts. Though full from our breakfast minutes before, the 2 donuts we each bought didn't stand a chance and were gone before we crossed the street.We ventured back into the park lined with vendors selling outdoor equipment and hiking gear, as well as other goods for the non-hiker including jewelry, clothing, and even a local alpaca farm selling hats, gloves, scarves, and other miscellaneous goods made from alpaca fleece. I exchanged a few comments with the farm owners who felt confident that they had stumbled across our farm at alpaca shows in years past. Continuing on I was able to meet and grab a picture with Badger, the author of the last book I read before hitting the trail, Appalachian Trials. Approaching the hike from the mental aspect, the book covers what a hiker can mentally expect to encounter on a thru-hike and ways to potentially overcome them. Simply being aware that you'll face mental and emotional obstacles along the way goes a long way in being prepared. Meeting him was definitely a treat for it was his book that supplied me with the last bit of motivation needed to give this journey a go.Continuing on we stopped by a booth taking headshots of hikers that'll be included in the 2015 AT yearbook which will be available in October. We then arrived at the Eno tent, makers of top quality hammocks that many hikers choose to use over tents. With a selection of hammocks for passerby's to use, Moosehead and I were quickly lying in a couple where we remained for the next hour and a half. During this time we made a pros and cons list as to why we should purchase one. With a pros list far outnumbering the cons, we approached the vendor ready to bite the bullet, but ultimately didn't make a purchase when we discovered what we wanted wasn't available in person. Though we're still heavily considering purchasing some online, this was enough to make us continue to think about it for now. The vendor also snapped a picture of Moosehead, Pretty Fresh, and me relaxing in the hammocks and posted it to their Instagram page. Feel free to look it up and give it a like.We eventually met back up with Rock Licker and Pinecone and would spend the next hour or so throwing a frisbee in an open area between a couple hundred people enjoying live music and a large gazebo where the musicians performed. Several people's heads fell victim to several of our poor throws, but luckily it was a soft frisbee and often thrown back to us with smiling faces. Such a chill way to pass the time. We then walked through downtown, lined with locals and visitors alike, some holding water guns, to the far side of town where a parade would lead us right back into and through downtown. Lasting in the neighborhood of an hour, we were able to walk in a parade thrown in the hiker's honor. Divided in groups by year, former and current thru-hikers walked through town to the claps and smiles of hundreds of people showing their support for the journey we're currently undertaking. The class of 2015 was conveniently situated in the rear of the parade, allowing spectators to soak hikers with water as they passed by. Whether it was really a tradition or the local's way of providing hikers with a free shower, it was an excellent experience.After completing the parade, Moosehead and Rock Licker quickly signed up to be in the hiker's talent show that would be held an hour later. During this time, we would retreat into a nearby grassy parking lot behind a row of vehicles and run through several practice rounds of their talent. Moosehead wrote a song put to a Scottish theme a few weeks ago after we both passed over Roan Mountain and the highlands just after (the day we were both hit with rounds of freezing hail.) Titled "The Highlands of Roan", Moosehead was to sing and Rock Licker would provide an interpretive dance. After a few quick shots of Patron offered by a local, we got busy perfecting the performance while Pinecone and I offered advice and adjustments along the way. Finally it was time to begin the talent show and " The Quilted Kilts" were slated to go third. After opening performances consisting of guitars and singing, it was their turn. After a solid performance by Moosehead on vocals and Rock Licker entertaining the crowd with his dancing, the song ended on a high note as Rock Licker kissed Moosehead on the lips, sending laughter through the hundreds of audience members. As they were exiting the stage, Rock Licker quickly grabbed the microphone and began singing "Trail magic, trail magic, what...trail magic, trail magic, what..." over and over before Moosehead snatched him away. It had been joked about during practice, bit we didn't think he'd actually follow through with it. A shining example of the free spirit that is Rock Licker. After a couple of hours of stand up, poetry readings, jugging, and several additional musical acts, delayed for an hour due to rain, it was time for the winners to be announced. Moosehead and Rock Licker? 2nd place. Perfect. For winning they received a box of donated goods from several vendors including several pairs of hiking socks, a wallet, camp towels, camp bowls, and the signature item being a sleeping pad - easily a $100+ item in itself. The people of Trail Days really take care of and reward hikers. Moosehead and Rock Licker, without hesitation, graciously let us divvy up the winnings after they claimed what they wanted first. I walked away with a lightweight hikers wallet thanks to Granite Gear, as well as a pair of nice hiking socks. It was a class act from Moosehead and Rock Licker since it was they who faces the firing squad afterall.Riding a high, we ventured back into downtown where I retreated to Dollar General to pick up a few things to last me the night and the next couple of days before resupplying again - Nutty Bars, trail mix, Goldfish, Frito's, Twizzlers, and 2 Coke's. I then caught back up with Moosehead and Hobble just as Hobble's 2 friends, Mary and Kitty, arrived to visit and spend the evening with us. We started off by eating dinner and having a couple of beers at Hey Joe's before returning to Tent City so they could experience the last night of the party in the woods. Where beer flows like water, drugs are everywhere and nowhere, and plenty of different characters scurry by with the lights of their headlamps, we introduced them to what life on the trail can do to people. Back around the bonfire, we enjoyed one last evening of rhythmic drumming, archaic chanting and dancing, a laser light show, fire twirlers, hula hooping, and the last and only time many thru-hikers would see of one another. It was a unique few days worth experiencing at least one. With ~1,400-1,700 miles to go for the majority of hikers enjoying Trail Days, Damascus sure knows how to show appreciation to the many hikers that call this place home for a few days in late Spring each year. From free meals, showers, haircuts, equipment repair, seminars, and prayer services, to live music, access to tons of vendors, a hiker prom, and Tent City just outside of town where hikers can let loose, Damascus truly lived up to its reputation as the friendliest trail town.Retiring to my tent for the last time, I fell asleep feeling beyond appreciative of a small town in southwest Virginia that has been going out of its way for 29 years, ensuring thru-hikers leave knowing their choice to attempt the AT is respected and appreciated just as much in return.Here's to the many talented thru-hikers, walking in a parade where candy is actually thrown at you, and Trail Days '15 edition.- Cambo