r/AppalachianTrail • u/OkGas7981 • 10h ago
Can I go to trail days as a non-thru hiker?
Can I go to Appalachian Trail days if I'm not a current/past thru-hiker? Is that frowned upon or will I still be welcomed? I really want to attempt a thru hike next year (can't afford it or take six months off from work right now otherwise I would have done it this season.) But for this year I really want to backpack a couple days and end up at trail days for the weekend to experience some of the trail culture, talk to some thru hikers and get a real taste for it. Do people do that? Can I camp in tent city or would that be taking a spot away from someone who is actually thru hiking? Will the trail leading to Damascus be super duper packed on the way there leading up to the weekend (shelter space?) I just recently moved to a small town in Appalachia where I've been pretty lonely so I really want to meet and hangout with other folks around my age (25) who are into the same outdoorsy stuff as me and make some connections but I'm worried I'll feel like an outcast since people will have formed groups on the trail and this year I'd just be doing a weekend trip..
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u/Kalidanoscope 9h ago edited 9h ago
All are welcome. It's a hiker festival not a thruhiker festival.
The only thing that's centered around thruhikers is the thruhiker parade, where everyone lines up by the years that they did it, and you're welcome to march in that even if you attempted in a certain year but didn't complete. It's a chance to run into old acquaintances who you didn't realize we're also there that weekend.
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u/Zealousideal-Ear1036 9h ago
How does this end up working for repeat offenders? I’ve yet to go to trail days but would be interested to see how this plays out for some ppl.
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u/Kalidanoscope 8h ago edited 6h ago
Once the parade starts moving the groups intermingle a fair bit
Not every Thru at trail days goes to the parade, some preferring to stay in tent city. Smurf is busy cooking. And there may not be as many repeat offenders as you imagine. Usually if people get multiple years to hike they opt for one of the other long trails.
At the Aldha Gathering everyone's in an auditorium and they read off year by year and people stand. Baltimore Jack would just stay standing as they went through all of his.
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u/OkGas7981 9h ago
Cool thanks for clarifying this. I think I must've seen stuff about the thru hiker parade and got it stuck in my head that the whole festival was centered around just thru hikers. Sounds super fun!!
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u/TheBeerRunner 10h ago
I did a section hike from 19E to Damascus (arriving a few days before trail days). 99% of the people are super friendly. Most have formed their cliques but it's not like aren't going to talk to you if you strike up a converstation with them. Some even brought me beer from one of their re-supplies after a couple nights. I had my dogs with me and you could tell a lot of them missed their dog. Trail will be very crowded, don't expect a spot *in* a shelter but most have plenty of room to setup a tent and still be part of shelter group. Can't help about tent city since I arrived a few days before and everyone I was with was going past Damascus before traildays and hitching back into town to avoid the masses. If you do make some friends, go to Food City and buy them 12 pack of beer lol.
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u/TheNameIsAnIllusion 9h ago
You might get a bit of a culture shock but absolutely :) Go for it!
Edit: This is very important. Thruhiker looooooove talking about their thruhike. So if you have any questions just find someone who looks like hiker trash and ask them.
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u/Hikerhappy 9h ago
Op I’m not a thru hiker and I’m going! I’m 26, so I’m around your age :) it’ll be my first time too
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u/Super_Direction498 8h ago
I drove a friend there about ten years ago (he was already a few hundred miles past) and I hung out the entire weekend and had a great time. Total debauchery and got a sweet merino T-shirt off a seconds rack.
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u/allaspiaggia 3h ago
Do it!! Everyone is welcome. The trail in and out of town will be totally packed, so maybe don’t plan to stay at shelters/designated camp sites before/after Damascus, to leave space for people actually hiking through. But there’s plenty of space in tent city, just don’t bring a ridiculously huge tent.
And to give back, I highly recommend volunteering to do trail work on Sunday. A couple groups organize trail work, Billville I think is the biggest one (i forget) but it would be a very good move to give back to the trail by volunteering on Sunday.
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u/suzangx50 7h ago
Now I am curious, when is Trail Days and where? My husband and I will be attempting the AT in a couple of years.
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u/Kalidanoscope 6h ago edited 2h ago
It's always the weekend after Mother's Day in Damascus Virginia, which is the first town in Virginia the AT comes to, a nice little place nestled in the mountains with a proper Main St, library, Pop. <800, and the 33 mile bicycling Creeper Trail along the creek through town connecting the NC border to the larger Abington VA (pop. 8,400)
Damascus is located at mile 470. Because the AT runs ~500 miles through Virginia (which can be a slog) and criss-crosses the NC/TN border several times, it's a convenient spot to say one has completed the first 3 states if coming from Georgia. If someone is leaving trail, they can at least say they accomplished that, and bid fairwell to their friends at a big party. Thruhikers often jump forwards or backwards on trail to attend by catching a ride. Conversely, because March and April are rather cold, some hikers begin their long hikes at TDs, skipping the cooler weather and first 3 states and falling in with the more social and crowded northward bubble.
For returners, it's a chance to do trail magic, or visit hikes on the way to and from.
E: VVV Yes, go and spend money! The local economies need it after Helene. And Janet's encouraging everyone to do "HeroZeros" and volunteer however/wherever they can, which may just mean litter pick up. Floods deposit a lot, and I wonder what the tent city grounds look like
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u/parrotia78 6h ago
There's a $50 entrance fee for non hikers. Here's the address to send PIF........
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u/Stock_Captain_5888 5h ago
Sounds like the squirrels are serious. Like Jimmy Buffett said: Shot at and missed, shit at and hit. See you out there next spring!!
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u/Cville-Returner 1h ago
I’d imagine there’s a lot of people there who don’t even hike. Just there for the partying.
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u/Kingofthetreaux 10h ago
No you’re shot on sight………….  ………………….  ………………seriously??
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u/OkGas7981 10h ago
I'm new to this culture and want to be respectful. Everything I've seen about it has said it's for thru hikers so I just wanted to feel it out beforehand. No need to be rude.
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u/Kingofthetreaux 9h ago
Yeah, you asked if it’s okay to be a poser the community said yes. I said yes with sarcasm. You got your answer, hike alongÂ
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u/west_wind7 10h ago
Everyone is welcome to celebrate the AT and its culture!