Welcome To Damascus
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The Place
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Trail Days – Damascus - “The
Friendliest Town on the Trail”
About two thousand hikers start
the Appalachian Trail each year
on Springer Mountain, Georgia. If
they haven’t given up by the
time mid-May roles around, chances
are they’ll be found in Damascus,
Virginia for Trail Days. The event
is a celebration organized by the
people of Damascus for the hikers
of the trail that goes through the
center of town. As I finished the
final section of the AT last year,
I felt it was time to be a part
of it this year. |
Tenting at The
Place |
Hiker Reunion
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The spirit of how the town people relate to the
hikers is symbolized in the “The
Place”, a hostel provided by
the United Methodist Church. It provides
lodging and showers to hikers and
cross-country bikers during the year.
During Trail Days, its lawn is overflowing
with tents of returning hikers.
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Hiker Reunion
Story Telling |
Hiker Reunion
Story Telling |
Hikers who’ve completed the trail in previous
years come back to meet their fellow
hikers. Some precede their visit with
a week or two of hiking to get back
into the Trail spirit. Current hikers
who’ve already passed through
Damascus ride back to partake in the
event. A Hiker’s Reunion in
the Rock School auditorium provides
a formal opportunity to reacquaint
with one another, as well as an opportunity
to tell a few stories. I met a couple
of SOBO’s.who I’d seen
after their first few days on the
Trail. SOBO’s are southbounders
who start at Katadhin, usually in
June, and head south to Springer,
typically reaching it in the winter.
Greg had finished up in December and
Doctor Doolittle in January. The latter
name is an example of the trail names
each hiker receives or adopts during
their sojourn.
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Rock School -
Future Hiker |
Parade Practice
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The eminent event is the hiker parade at 2:00 Saturday.
The parade features high school girls
vying for the title of Appalachian
T rail Queen, a marching band, fire
engines, and a few thousand hikers.
The hikers are informally grouped
into “classes”, which
represent the year they finished the
Trail. However informality reigns.
Some participants wear clothing other
than normal hiking outfits, covering
either more or less than they normally
expose. Water battles between paraders
and spectators punctuate the journey
down Laurel Avenue, the main street
in Damascus. Super-sized squirt guns
and arsenals of water balloons comprise
the main weaponry.
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Pre-Parade Sign
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Pre-Parade Waiting
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Pre-Parade -
Checking Signatures |
Pre-Parade -
Mohawks |
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Costumed and
Uncostumed |
Parade Honor
Guard |
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Parade Lead Off
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Parade Band
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Parade - Appalachian
Queen Court |
Konnarock Crew
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Towards Front
of Parade |
Class of 2003
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Hikers Galore
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Hikers Galore
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Parade - Hikers
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Squirt Gun -
Water Balloned Hiker |
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Squirt Gun Equipped
Spectator |
Costumed Hikers
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Monty Python's
Holy Grail |
A Little Help
from Friends |
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Squirting the
Fire Truck |
Mt. Rogers Outfittters
Mural |
Several outfitters offers camp gear year-round
to hikers. During Trail Days, hikers
may gather in front of the stores
to swap more stories or put on some
impromptu entertainment. |
Hiker Entertainment
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Side Track Cafe
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The Side Track Café, which used to be just
a coffee place, now serves as an informal
center for AT Hikers. Beer is inexpensive
and the four computer terminals connect
the hikers to the world away from
the AT. Hikers gather there to stoke
up both in food and liquids. John,
a SOBO, was at the “Birches”,
a campground near Mount Katadhin the
day before I finished the Trail..
He had just climbed Katadhin that
day and was heading south on the morrow.
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Side Track Cafe
2003 NOBO's |
Internet at Side
Track Cafe |
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Side Track Cafe
2003 SOBO's |
Whittler Carving
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A couple of whittlers gave a demonstration of whittling
at the library. One displayed carvings
made from golfing items – a
golf ball and the head of an old driver.
The library (“The Friendliest
on the Trail”) also featured
a book sale, so that hikers could
walk away with a paperback for a quarter.
The sale included hardbacks for a
half-dollar, but I didn’t see
any of those getting bought by hiker-looking
people.
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Carvings - Santa
and Bears |
Carver
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Carving - Blank
to Boot |
Candles Good
Enough to Eat |
Music emanates from the gazebo in the center of
the Riverside Park for most of the
day. The style is mostly country and
bluegrass, but a rock band sneaks
in every now and then. Surrounding
the gazebo are food vendors. Stretched
to one side are the craft people and
to the other side, gear retailers
and lightweight equipment manufacturers.
For those in need of new shoes or
socks or insoles, a multi-vendor booth
can provide the necessary equipment.
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Vendor Booths
in the Park |
Pack Vendor
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Custom Shoemaking
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Sock Vendors
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Feet - Good,
Bad, Ugly |
Campground Tenting
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A campground south of town provides more space for
hikers. Various groups create areas
where hikers can partake of a snack
or a meal. Gear manufacturers erect
tents with a staff on hand to help
fix gear that is not working up to
par. Several tents feature commercial
sewing machines to repair fabric items
as packs and tents.
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Campground Gathering
Place |
Campground Gear
Vendors |
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Stove Repair
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Water Filter
Cleaning |
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Sewing Repairs
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Gear Contest
- Inexpensive Sandals
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The creative hikers enter the homemade gear contest,
sponsored by Backpacker magazine.
This year’s winning inventions
included homemade sandals made from
retired insoles and an insulin cooler
using a nalgene bottle.
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Gear Contest
- Insulin Cooler |
Appalachian Trail
License Plate |
When Trail Days is over, the non-hikers head back
home in their cars and the hikers
return to their Trail journey via
rental car or hitching. The next night
will find them back in or near a shelter
on the Trail. And ready to finish
the challenge. |
Sign heading
south out of Damascus
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AT Shelter in
the Park |
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