Date: 2012-05-08
From: Damascus

To: Whitetop Mt. campsites
Miles today: 21.5

There is a prejudice against hikers in the town of Damascus. That may sound weird since Damascus is the home of "Trail Days" the biggest backpacking event in America, but it's true. We may look the same and smell the same when we come out of the woods, but we are not the same. Mixed in with those that are out here for the trail are others that don't have anywhere else to go. Some are out here to escape their problems not realizing that they've brought their problems with them. It's clear that some of the folks in Damascus have had enough. I can't say that I blame them. There are enough disrespectful drunks on the trail that it has tarnished the image of hikers in general. I've heard of three hikers going to jail for alcohol related offenses while in civilization so far. I met one guy who fell and broke his nose on the sidewalk while he was drunk back in Georgia. I overheard that another guy was cut off and kicked out of the bar in Damascus two nights ago. So, be extra good in town so that the people living there don't mind having hikers around. Moving on, a fellow asked me what I think of my "TarpTent Notch". There are a couple things I like about it and a couple things I don't. I don't like how slippery the bathtub floor is on the inner bug tent. When you pitch the tent on a slope your sleeping pad tends to migrate during the night. Pretty much all the camping spots are on a slope along the A.T., so this is a constant problem. When I ordered the tent Henry suggested I take some extra seem sealer and put silicone dots on the floor. The dots may have helped a little but I think two full length stripes would work better. Also, the bug tent is only clipped to the outer fly and not staked down. To keep it from sliding around you really need to put silicone stripes between the bottom of the tent and your groundsheet as well. I haven't gone through that hassle yet. My biggest criticism of the design revealed itself tonight during a heavy rain. The way the fly tapers at the head and the foot of the tent does not provide sufficient coverage. I experienced enough splash back that my sleeping bag started to get wet. It was bad enough that I lowered my trekking poles to get the tarp closer to the ground. To adjust the tent I had to go out in the rain. I did manage to lower the tarp a little but it's made to have a nice tight shape with the poles extended higher. When you set it low you can't get a tight pitch and the bug screen will sag on the inside too. I wasn't that happy. An aspect of this design that I feel neutral about but is worth mentioning is the fact that it's not free standing. It's cool because it gives a dual purpose for your trekking poles at the end of the day. You don't have to carry the weight of tent poles. However, I've had to pitch the tent a couple times on rocky ground and the stakes don't want to go in. The four guylines hold the tent up. If you can't stake it out you've got problems. I ended up using rocks to stretch out the guyout points. I like that the tent is lightweight. The tent also vents well, I haven't had any condensation problems. I'm not sure if I'd recommend this tent. I don't know what I'd replace it with though either.