Trail Days Arrival

[RWheeler]

I'm starting my NOBO on April 25. I feel that I'd have to get my trail legs quicker than average to be able to up the miles enough to make it to Damascus in time for Trail Days - which I really want to be able to attend.

Would I be able to catch a shuttle up to Damascus from wherever I am before Trail Days, stay for that, then shuttle back to where I left off, or just try to hike it and if I make it, I make it, if I don't, I don't?

Any opinions welcome!

[Pedaling Fool]

I bet you can make it by trail days. If not you won't be far at all, so I'm sure someone will give you a ride, happens every year.

[Lone Wolf]

3 weeks is pushin' it. it's like 20 miles per day average. trail days ain't all that

[max patch]

You almost certainly won't make Damascus by TD. Many people get close (or have gotten past) and then get picked up and taken to TD. The real temptation for you will be to get shuttled back to where you stopped hiking. Many hikers end up skipping that section and hike NB with friends.

[SCRUB HIKER]

You almost certainly won't make Damascus by TD. Many people get close (or have gotten past) and then get picked up and taken to TD. The real temptation for you will be to get shuttled back to where you stopped hiking. Many hikers end up skipping that section and hike NB with friends.

True that. The common perception is that it's pretty easy to get to Trail Days from pretty much anywhere along the AT in the South. Everyone in the trail towns knows about it, and there are lots of past, present, and future hikers, and also lots of people whose relation to hiking is pretty tangential, driving to Damascus. Any hostel owner in NC or TN will probably have advice for you when the time comes.

Last year, the Baptist church in Damascus was offering shuttles back to all the popular destinations--Erwin, Hot Springs, Pearisburg, etc.--on Sunday morning after the festival was over. I'm assuming that's something that they do every year. It depends on what your hiking priorities are whether you want to go back or not.

[Slo-go'en]

You need to start on or about April first to arrive at trail days by foot. The year I started April 1st I arrived in Damascus just as TD was starting on a Wensday. Last year I started on April 7th and arrived the day after it ended on Monday. BTW, when I started April 1st I hit all the major trail magic feedathons right on. When I left of the 7th, I was always a day or two late for them.

It's true a lot of hikers bunch up in Damascus for TD and many of them don't go back to where they were if they skipped north to get there. So, there is quite a bubble of hikers leaving out on Sunday and Monday. It will be pretty crazy on the trail north for a week or so before every one starts to spread out again.

[RWheeler]

Sounds like I'll probably just skip Trail Days this year then... maybe make the trek down after I'm a 2000 miler ;)

[CrumbSnatcher]

I'm starting my NOBO on April 25. I feel that I'd have to get my trail legs quicker than average to be able to up the miles enough to make it to Damascus in time for Trail Days - which I really want to be able to attend.

Would I be able to catch a shuttle up to Damascus from wherever I am before Trail Days, stay for that, then shuttle back to where I left off, or just try to hike it and if I make it, I make it, if I don't, I don't?

Any opinions welcome!went to traildays and it was fun, but after getting back to Erwin and actually hiking into a quiet laid back Damascus, without all the crowds i enjoyed myself alot more. able to move around and actually getting served is a bonus :-) have a great hike!

[Ox97GaMe]

You arent likely to be 'hiking' into Damascus if you start April 25. It is just under 500 miles from Springer to Damascus, and you are talking about doing it in under 20 days total. That means 25-30 miles/day with no rest days. That is very aggressive for starting a hike.

that is not to say it cant be done. But I can say that there are very few hikers that could do it.

Another option if you decide to shuttle or hitch to Trail Days...... There is a 2 day (Sun/Mon) HardCore work trip after Trail DAys. If you sign up for the work trip, Bob Peoples will coordinate a ride for you to get back to wherever you got off the trail.