I took the weekend off from the TransAm and visited Trail Days this year, the annual celebration of all things Appalachian Trail in Damascus, Virginia. Many current thru-hikers make a pilgrimage in the midst of their hikes, as well as alumni, outfitters and hostel operators. Last year, I only dipped my toes in, but this time I sought a fuller experience, and armed with my camera, hoped to document it well. In no way did I leave disappointed!
My visit to Trail Days this year was made possible by Thorny, a grizzled traveler who finished his second thru-hike last year Southbound (SOBO). I met him on my Northbound (NOBO) journey after he took in me and a few other freshly acquainted hikers on finishing Shenandoah. With Thorny’s intervention, we all became pretty good friends that night and it changed my hike for the better. He offered to pick me up with my bike on his way down to Trail Days and so I went for the road trip.
Camping with Thorny this time meant being part of “Camp SOBO”, as the rest of the hikers he coordinated with were all his new friends from last year. That led to me being the “token NOBO” amongst the group. There’s a silly rivalry between the two sects; I didn’t mind the ribbing, thru-hikers all smell the same to me. We set up in Tent City, where folks visiting for Trail Days typically stay, and there are lots of coordinated campsites, some with impressive amenities and lighting for navigating to and from in the dark.
After dark, Tent City gets interesting. There is a reputation for excessive drinking and drug abuse that has dogged the festival, but this year folks were (allegedly) on good behavior. That’s obviously a relative term, as camping in Tent City implicitly means you cede any expectation to a good night’s sleep to the revelers. The highlight of each night is the Great Bonfire, where a massive fire is stoked, a drum circle pulses and dancers orbit around its flames. If I come back to Trail Days, I’ll be bringing torches and other illuminated juggling equipment to party all night.
On Saturday, I attended the annual hiker parade. All the hikers, garbed in the most flamboyant attire, gather and walk from one end of town to the other. Meanwhile the locals blast away with water hoses (that’s one way to get a shower!) This year, the weather turned into a downpour halfway through adding to the chaos and swamping the festivities for a couple hours. Glad my camera held up!
Sunday, we booked it back and Thorny dropped me off back on the Trans Am. Though Trail Days goes on officially for another night, it tends to mellow out and the miles were calling me. I crossed the AT at Rockfish Gap that evening for some well timed nostalgia, but no hikers emerged. Trail Days was a fleeting moment of time, but it brought back the echoes of my awesome thru-hike and settled my nerves for biking to Oregon. Virginia’s route criss-crosses the AT a few more times and I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for hikers as I navigate it before I wind up in unfamiliar lands.

Mover Williams

Log Arrangement

Constructing 'Billville'

The Hiker Yearbook Crew
A gust of wind momentarily threatened the tent.

Thorny Chilling

Lil' Prince
2017 Thru-hiker

Poet spins a yarn
Poet operates Shaw's Lodging up in Monson, the last town for NOBO's on the AT.

Selfie
Credit to Krysten Repolena

Ten
2017 Thru-hiker

Billville Chili Contest

Barbarossa

Moose

Drum Magic

Back Sigils

Shapes in the Night

Night Guitarist

Circling the Great Bonfire

Tent City

Bread Baking

Ishkabibble
Hiking the AT south from Harper's Ferry and then walking cross country.

Thorny serving breakfast

The Morning After

Just Trail Days

Reconnecting at the River

The Dole
400 hotdogs were distributed to eager hikers.

Signatories
Hikers from each year sign their year's banner.

Calm Before the Storm

2016 Represent!
There are literally dozens of us!

Walking the Parade

The Vuvuzela Lives on

Aquatic Warfare
Anyone in the parade expects a good splashing

Parade Bubbling

Hiker Warfare

Hiker Warfare

Hiker Warfare

Hiker Parade

Walker & Slingshot
2016 SOBO thru-hikers

Hiker Warfare

The Rain Got Real

Sheltering Bystanders

Kodak
2016 NOBO thru-hiker

2017's Paraders Congregated

Sheltering Bystanders
