Date: 2004-05-13
To: Maine
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Damascus Trail DazeThursday Trail Daze has begun. Truth to tell, I hitched south from Bland,Virginia (great fucking name, eh?) about 120 trail miles north of here,on Wednesday. Wednesday night at the SideTrack Cafe was a bender. Awoke the next morning with a 30-pack of Old Milwaukee beside my tentand zero desire to drink any of it. To make something of the day, I go check out a film someone made on aprevious year's trek. The film is showing in the auditorium of theDamascus "Rock School " literally a whole school, maybe even a highschool, made of stone. In the audience are Dingle and Skirt andKickstand. The latter I haven't seen since Hot Springs, or was itNantahala? Great personality, Kickstand. Big, jovial, generous, aconstant smile on his face.   The film starts out depressing and stays that way, focusing on theprobable failure of just about every one of its subjects. Thehighlight of the film (up to the point where I walked out) was thispissed off dog that refused to let its owner put one of those "doggysaddle" packs on him. He'd growl and bare his teeth and snap at anyonewho tried. Otherwise, whatever year that was they were filming musthave sucked for all present. All the scenes were full of rain andmisery.   I've no doubt that in a better mood, I might have sat the whole thingout. But spiritually hung over and wrestling enough with my own doubtsabout finishing the trail, the film was not what I needed. I retreatedto the SideTrack for a beer, the Dollar General store for a clean toweland a cheap floor map to sit on outside my tent whilst here at thismudfest of 30,000 so-called hikers I've never seen on the trail, thenback to the tent where I sat out the drizzly day in my tent. Next morning felt much improved. Walked the 8/10ths of a mile intotown from the alleged "superfund site" where they've got all us hikerscamped out. Walked in for the breakfast at the fire station. Lastnight there was a free dinner sponsored by the Baptist Church that Imissed for lack of a ticket (never did learn where to procure aticket). I figured maybe the fireman were being charitable, too. Butat $4 for an ice cream scoop of scrambled, biscuits and gravy, and somedried up sausage, it warn't no charity, as the hicks say.   Walked from there to the vendor area in town where all the makers ofbackpacks and sleeping bags and hiking shoes are hawking their wares. I went to the Lowa hiking shoe/boot tent to show them the travestytheir $95 shoes had become in 600 miles, in hopes they might cut me adeal on something stronger, perhaps with better ankle support. The repnamed Casey assured me that the baling wire-repairs and failed seamsat every vent point were normal wear and tear for that many miles. Shesuggested I write the company and pointing to the www address on abrochure said, "Just write them." I asked her repeatedly to whom Ishould address such a letter (since email requires a name and the @symbol) before realizing the girl apparently has so littleunderstanding of the basic workings of the web that my query waspointless. I then made my way down to the makers of Smart Wool socks and longjohns and such. Here I explained that a $50 pair of their longjohnshad torn right down the leg after being worn only 3 times, and only tobed, at that. Here I got a little more help, sort of. I wasintroduced to Jim, another rep, who suggested I write the company andactually gave me his card with an email address. Looking at the card,I noticed he was a rep from Lowa, the boot company! Well, how aboutthat. Again, I repeated my tale to no avail. These were salespeople,after all. I'd heard stories of Trail Daze being full of reps from thevarious outfitting companies just tripping over themselves to repair orreplace gear so as to maintain a good name on the heavily trafficked AT.Well, so much for the facts, Bronco! But my morning meanderings were not totally in vain. At the MSR boothin the campground, assistant Steve went right to work trying to tightenthe tines on my cool little Pocket Rocket stove. I love the stove andwas consequently quite chagrined when the tines, or arms that spreadand hold the pot above the flame, started to loosen. Steve went rightto work with a mammoth ball peen hammer and a stone, a fix-it method Ifound rather frightening. But perhaps this savage and impossible curewas a blessing in disguise, for he quickly gave up and gave me areplacement set of tines, tearing apart a new stove to do it. Groovy. Thank you Steve and Mountain Safety Research for being the only companyhere at Trail Days that has thus far shown me they give a damn. Having said this, I would like to retroactively thank Leki poles. They have a fix-it booth here replacing all busted and bent parts for free.The outfitters here in Damascus replaced my bent Leki parts last week,also for free, based on Leki's solid guarantee policy. Thank you Leki! -RSM**For the full story of Rick's journey - visit Jigglebox.com**