Damascus or Bust: Is it worth leaving the path?

Sendero days. Trail Days is an annual festival held in Damascus, Virginia, to celebrate the path of the Appalaches. There are suppliers, live music, many talks, free food for hikers, etc. He had discussed to make the trip to Damascus for several weeks. Is it worth taking a few days off to see what the whole hype was about?

It’s worth it?

Let’s be honest, the days of trails require a serious commitment of current hikers. Basically, you are taking a rest of several days of walking to travel to Damascus. Some people travel hundreds of miles to return to the days of trails. Logistics alone can be enough to turn the head. But the hiking community is incredible: transfers are available in several cities of nearby trails and cheap accommodation can be found in «Tent City» (on the outskirts of the city). Fortunately, it was not far away along the way, so it was quite easy for me to return.

In my opinion, Trail Days offers something very unique that can not get any other place along the way. It is an opportunity to go back to the daily routine of miles and elevation and remember why you fell in love with this hiking community in the first place. The energy is contagious, the stories are endless and you will find yourself laughing until your sides hurt with people who really understand why you decided to live outside a backpack. Although not all in Trail Days are a current hiker, everyone has a special connection with the place called at home.

Of course, you can lose a few days of progress forward along the way, but you will get memories and connections that last long after you finish your walk. And to put it in perspective, these words come from an introvert.

So much to do

Shortly after arriving at Tent City, a fellow hiker threw me a schedule for the weekend. He said there were «many great things in progress,» but most of them were not even on the list at the time I had just launched. It was a bit overwhelming. I decided to spend and choose some things that seemed interesting to me and see how it shook the weekend. There were non -negotiable ones such as the hiker parade and review the team vendors (they gave many things free!), There were some new activities such as the Dance against, and there were some exciting events such as Tara Dower’s FKT talk at the Beautiful Place meeting to which I wanted to go.

Against dance I was definitely on my list of hiking desires, but there it was, stumbledling with steps with a group of hikers who had no idea but twice more enthusiastic. It was probably one of the most prominent aspects of my weekend. Sellers were dangerous for my wallet, but fascinating for my recent obsession to try to discover how I can’t carry so much weight during the next 1,500 miles. However, the conversations went where the true magic occurred; Listening to other hikers, authors and community members sharing their experiences reminded me that the trail community is full of genuinely inspiring people who have done incredible things.

Catch up

One of the most surreal aspects of the days of trails is how Damascus makes this mass meeting of paths where geography and hiking schedules suddenly do not matter. There are so many people there and yet I felt that I met a friend in every corner. I had the opportunity to meet several of my YouTube subscribers who recognized me from the videos, which is something I don’t think I got used to it. But the real joy was to connect with other hikers with whom it had begun months ago, people who had dispersed in hundreds of trail miles due to different steps, zero days and life.

There is something magical in exchange stories with someone with whom you shared a refuge in Georgia, while both fill your face at the breakfast of pancakes everything you can eat. You compare notes in the sections, you laugh at shared struggles and realize how much they have changed since those first days on the way. I updated the clumsy of the north who were far ahead of me, beyond the hikers who loved to share their favorite trails when they were asked, and even some travelers who were there for the party. The trail community has this incredible capacity to make you feel that you are part of something bigger than your individual walk, and the days of paths amplify that the times of feeling thousands.

I could not believe that I had even discussed to return to Damascus for the days of trails. It ended up being such an incredible weekend full of memories that I will appreciate for a long time. I hope to join the fun again next year!

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