Date: 2017-05-20
From: Damascus, Virginia 

To: Damascus, Virginia 
Miles today: 0.0

5/20Damascus0.0 milesI slept quite a bit better last night than the night before. I got up leisurely because I will be staying in the same place tonight. I wandered over to the Fire Station around 7:00 to take advantage of their excellent fund-raiser breakfast of eggs, sausage, and biscuits and gravy. I then went back to the hostel to get my pack to take it to the folks at ZPacks so they could look at the straps that are twisting.  As I passed the Fire Station on the way back to the park, the hobbit came out in me, and I stopped for second breakfast. When I got to their booth, Joe from ZPacks told me they have upgraded the straps on their later version of my pack.  He upgraded all the straps on my pack for free. Thanks, ZPacks!  I then saw Boundary and Juan Gone, and we decided to go get lunch. The Yellow Deli were serving delicious sandwiches at half price for thru hikers, so I had an absolutely yummy turkey and provelone sandwich that set me back all of $3.50.  We then headed over to Sundog Outfitters where the parade was scheduled to start. We were greeted with free hot dogs.  Also, Sundog is the first outfitter I've seen that sells individual mayonnaise packets. When heated, mayonnaise converts to a clear oil that makes it a great way to add fat to pouched meals without having to worry about carrying potentially messy oil. I picked up ten of them. Hikers gathered by the hundreds for the parade, many dressed in silly costumes. We more or less organized by year, with our year bringing up the rear. We had a big banner that we all signed. It was loud, rowdy, and fun. The townspeople got involved by spraying us with super soakers.  About halfway through the parade, Mother Nature decided to get involved, and the heavens opened up with a vigorous thunderstorm. We were all soon soaked to the skin. This did nothing to put a damper on the enthusiasm level. After all, we're hikers who are used to walking in the rain.  After the parade, I went back to the hostel, took a shower, and got dressed in my town clothes (I paraded in my hiking clothes). The rain stopped, and the sun came back out. I went back to the vendors' area.  I saw Bigfoot again, and he asked if he could interview me again about my motivation for hiking and about Beau. I had already cleared it with Beau's parents, so I told Bigfoot the story. I was really impressed with Bigfoot, and thanked him again for his influence on hiking philosophy via his you tube videos. He is a trully genuine, friendly guy. After my interview, I got a text from Dapper inviting me to dinner. I went to BoNo McFarlands and had a good feed with Dapper, Boundary, Space Jam, Billy, Trail Mix, and Bluebird.  I veered slightly from my usual fare and had meat loaf, macaroni and cheese, and cole slaw. I planned on calling it an early night and returned to the hostel to put my wet clothes in the sun to dry. I heard the music of Jackdaw 7 coming from the concert stage through my window and decided to go back to the park and enjoy the concert. On my way, I was excited to see Gizmo and Melanie. I met Gizmo and Melanie on Springer Mountain.  In fact, Gizmo may have been the first person I met on the trail. He lives in Johnson City and has had to leave the trail periodically to go home on business.  He thinks he will be home during the railroad convention, and we hope to be able to get together while I'm back in Johnson City for the convention. After chatting a bit, I headed over to the concert stage. The rain had cooled everything off, and the weather was perfect for an outdoor concert.  I enjoyed listening to Jackdaw 7 and left the concert after they finished a bit before nine to return to the hostel to get everything in order to catch our 10:30 shuttle back to Marion. I have had an absolutely wonderful time at Trail Days and am touched by the friendliness of the people of Damascus.  While it's been a great diversion, I'm looking forward to getting back to the woods to continue my way northbound. Rain is forecast for the next four days. Sigh.  Oh well, liquid sunshine . . .