Trail Days: Day 2

Day 2

Heather and I woke up to our lovely neighbor we had asked the night before to try to waken us, his attempt failed but it was nice he thought of us. Once we got up we desperately needed a shower. We heard that the Baptist Church had showers for the hikers. We took about a mile walk to the church, where they had Disaster Relief showers. The church volunteers told us that they were missing a trailer of Disaster Relief showers because of the tornado's that recently hit the mid-west. It' never crossed my mind that people going through such distress needed such simple things as a shower or laundry. It's interesting to think how much a simple thing like a shower, let alone hot water could change their recovery experience. Especially when the last time they showered was probably in their own home.

Damascus, VA

We got our name on the waiting list to shower then waited about an hour or so to shower. But not a minute of that hour went to waste, we met a guy our age on the trail that had a baby kitten it was extremely precious and adorable. I am a sucker for young kittens. He told us it just got on dry food and that he found it on the AT. It had been riding his shoulder since he found it. He then informed us he was out of cash and had to return to Massachusetts somehow without any money. I told him we were going to DC later and could give him a ride if he needed a head start. Heather and I babysat his adorable little kitten while he showered. “Please don’t take him,” he asked us before he got in the shower. It was hard to give him back. Unfortunately we never saw him before we left.

Cash is the one thing you may need on the AT

I asked around to see about how much money you need for the trail, the average amount I heard is approximately $2,000 to $4,000. "It depends on how comfortable you want to be on the trail." Kyle told us. Hostiles average at about $20 a night when hotels can be a lot more.  It's also more like $4,000 if you haven't bought all of your equipment/if you want to buy equipment. I met someone on the trail that made everything he was camping with including his stove. That also means it may not have been the lightest pack. As it was stated before, "there is no right way to hike the AT."

We were coming to the conclusion of what “out of cash” meant on the AT, in most cases it meant game over. Which was kind of depressing knowing how these hikers dedicated their lives to the trail. Some could find work like the young man we talked to at the hostile in Hot Springs he told us he got “sucked in” to working at the hostile. Some hikers view low on cash as a sign to make a few phone calls to mom or dad. But for most it means time to leave what they were working on so hard on to just go home and maybe pick the trail back up another time they had cash.

Damascus, VA - I wish I brought my camera to the showers to get a pic of the kitten

We babysat the kitten with 2 men, one was from Canada. He worked at a zoo and was a sculptor. He was pretty nice and cool. We soon met Fireman (his trail name) and his companion, from Tennessee. Fireman started hiking in Tennessee and started the trail with no money. He told us the other hikers ignored him because he was considered “yolkels” and that he volunteered at the church a few nights ago so he could shower. You could tell he was a yolkel, not as well educated as other hikers nor did he have the equipment. But maybe you don't need cash on the trail after all.

The church provided hygiene products for the hikers including toothbrushes, razors, floss, pre-paid post cards, coffee, free socks and fresh towels. The showers had shampoo and conditioner in them, they were like small shower stalls inside a trailer. There was also a sign out front the church, “feed the hungry hikers.” Making me feel slightly homeless however very much so like a through hiker on the AT at the same time.

No one understands the need for a shower unless they haven’t had one in days after sweating and living in dirt. It is pure bliss after you shower. I felt bad waiting in line in front of actual through hikers that deserved a shower more than me. However it was much needed.

People on the trail decorated their packs this one I really appreciated the art work

Trail Days Vendors

After we showered we explored the vendors, there were a ton of them; Heather and I tried some free samples of trail food, they gave us an idea for what to purchase for the AT. I was able to get some vegan jerky and hemp with some beads for hair wraps. Hdawgz and I walked around town to get a feel for Damascus, VA. It was a sweet little town, but not much to do. I was able to get my broken headlamp replaced by Princeton Tech, with a brand new one without any questions asked.

Seeking some free food tired of bag food Heather and I stumbled across a memoriam to the AT to inspire and relate to hikers on the AT. It had pictures and information of the trail, hikers and the towns/places the trail runs through. It was neat gaining knowledge on the AT. Kyle gave us a brief story as to how it started but this was a lot more informative.

We walked around and talked to a lot of hikers that day learning some hiker terminology:
• Swtichbacks: when the trail zig-zags uphill instead of going up stairs which can be strenuous
• Trail magic: when something “magical” appears on the trail whether it be something a hiker left or something someone planted on the trail. i.e. a cooler filled with cold drinks
• Section Hikers: hikers that have only hiked sections of the AT; it could be a few miles or it could be half the trail
• Trail Brothers/Sisters: Guys/girls that hike together and know each other like siblings

The people we talked to were from all over including people from Sweden, they were so eccentric and friendly. Probably the best people I have ever met in a while, a lot different from fast paced New Jerseyans, let alone a lot different from Rowan Students.

If the Dogs Could Talk

One thing I noticed at Trail Days were the dogs that hiked the trail. A lot of hikers had a dog, this didn't only mean a companion for the hikers hiking a lone but it meant a whole different hiking experience. The dogs give the hikers a sense of security as well as a friend they can vent to and share their amazing experiences with.

The dogs carried their own weight in their own “doggy packs” and usually slept with the hiker. The dogs were all very well trained and had a very strong build (much like the hikers). At Trail Days they even offered doggy baths and a vet check up, a lot of homeless people on the trail can’t afford a vet. We met some stunning dogs on the trail, most were medium to large sized all of them were extremely friendly; For a few exceptions of small dogs and a fox-dog mix. We met a very small dog that apparently hiked the whole trail by himself.

This dog had such a personality

One of the hikers told us the dogs on the trail are for the most part not a problem, they keep to themselves and actually benefit the other hikers by scaring away the rats and mice in the shelters. We met a homeless person from PA who we could share our love for dogs with. He was hiking with his boxer who slept with him every night and was very well trained. I wish the dogs could have been able to tell us their trail stories.

Unfortunately, the Smokey’s is the only part of the Trail that I know of that you cannot have a dog on, I wish I had asked what people did with their dogs on that part of the trail however I heard it’s a hefty fine for dogs. Heather and I decided if we do hike the trail we are getting a dog to hike it with. I would want to find a young spunky dog on whiteblaze.net (the AT forum, that is extremely helpful) that someone wouldn’t mind lending to us that is trained and used to the Trail already.

Then the Rain Came

It hadn’t rained the whole trip, we lucked out pretty well. Then it poured, Tent City was so incredibly muddy. We held out the majority of the rain in Camp Bring It, were we met 151 and Tomoma, they were debating where to go next after reuniting after their one year anniversary of hiking the AT. They couldn’t decide over Oregon or Florida, they reminded us of ourselves, debating where to go on this road trip.

Tomoma was in his thirty’s and 151 was in his late twenties, they called each other brothers (they were trail brothers) and acted a lot like it. I really enjoyed meeting them they were REAL “Trail Trash,” or what they called themselves for continuing to travel all over America. Talking to them, it did cross my mind that I could of just joined them on their journey. This whole trip we were being spontaneous, why stop now? Wherever they were going I could have just told them I want to tag along, they did seem to like my company. But knowing I already paid for Mexico and California kind of deterred me. They were pretty awesome people, I wish I knew where they were today, I hope our paths can cross once again.

The general store specialized in different types of sodas

Camp Riff Raff was rude to Heather so we went to a band playing in the general store with Jed, it was cool hearing the music/seeing the different type of dancing down south. I began to really appreciate dancing once again, those dance classes as a little kid really did pay off. I do really enjoy different types of dance, watching it or being the one dancing. Afterwards we hung out around the fire talking; Soon to pass out once again on the sticks and tree stumps in the tent.

Our Time Had Come...

Heather and I woke up in the morning ready to go. We just felt as if our time had come to leave. Almost as if we over stayed our welcome because we were not through hikers and we started doubting hiking the whole AT this spring. It was a great stay, don’t get me wrong we just had an urge to get to DC and finish this road trip so we could get to Mexico.

On our ride to DC I started noticing things were laying flat on the ground first trees, then billboards then houses. I was like what? why are they bulldozing everything to the ground in this poor town. Then it clicked, with Heather and I at almost the same time. This was where the tornadoes hit in Southern Virginia. My thoughts switched quickly, wow once again a place that could have been MY home. It could have been my house flattened on the ground. It was devastating to just look around. We were silent.

Heather's stinky feet next to mine.

This is also where the magic rule of “don’t speed, you can’t afford a ticket,” was broken unfortunately. Just another learning experience, $121 ticket for 80mph in a 70mph, that is all I’m going to say. To make it worse Heather feet REEKED from muddy trail days it was a mixture of wet dog, dog pee and rottenness in a nasty flip-flop. I made her wash her feet at a rest stop before we got to my aunts.

In the car we kept saying, "I can't believe this week." It was pretty emotional. We had been through so much in such a short amount of time. So much that a single class at any university couldn't have even tried to teach us.

Some people could have gone on the exact same trip as us at the exact same time and met the exact same people. And said they camped the Appalachian, but I don't think they could have gotten out of it what we did. I always wonder what would have happened if we never met the Dudes of the Mountain or never went to Trail Days. Life is so variable, timing is a funny thing, the people that come into your life can highly influence it. I find it funny that the trail is still there, people are still hiking it and meeting each other and forming relationships they will never forget, but I am here.

I still can't believe the AT trip and the experiences, yet we were just getting started on our summer and we hadn't even arrived in DC yet.