trail days 07
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Here are some photos from Trails Days 2007 in Damascus, VA. I hope the suppliers and other attendees can fill in some of the details and start additional discussion.
Tent City – thruhikers (past & and present) and others camp in a wooded area at the edge of town. There were suppliers (MSR, Leki, etc.) that offered equipment repair. Also Backpacker Magazine, a Japanese film crew, and others were at the campsite.
There's a fervent subculture of hammock hangers hiding in the trees. I think that there were more hammocks than tarps. They also got some of the prime spots along the river where you couldn't put a tent.
There were some tarp folks. Here is an Super-ultra-light version…assuming that 40-50 people were sleeping under it.
I didn't see BPL there this year, but there was a growing number of lightweight vendors.
Brian Vargo returned with his line of Ti gear, and a new stove.
Ron Bell from Mountain Laurel Designs had a full line of tarps, packs, and some new lightweight bags. He had several versions, with insulation on one side and a breathable material on the other. Ron…give us some more detail on this since it's not on your webpage yet.
Gossamer Gear showed off their new packs and shelters. Grant & Jeff were at the booth, but Glen must have been off hiking.
The big dogs were at GoLite. They sponsored two Fast Packing hikes to demo lightweight backpacking practices, and did some gear give-a-aways. Coop didn't make it due to some last minute family issues.
Flyin Brian during his interactive Fastpacking hike and demo. He stated that bivies are good for folks that haven't refined their site location and pitching techniques. He also believes that the Cat Stove is the most efficient alcohol design.
Ron Moak of Six Moon Designs was there again with his Gatewood tarp and other great shelters.
Bob from Big Sky was there with his line of shelters.
I don't know the folks that sell the Packa, but they are just down the road from the festival, near Grayson Highlands and Mt. Rogers. http://www.thepacka.com/
The hammocks continue to gain ground and there were 4-5 groups selling them this year. Tom from Hennessey Hammocks drew a big crowd with his water collection and winter hammock options.
Ed Speers was back again. He's a great supporter of the hammocking crowd, and has a well written book about hammock camping.
Jacks R Better had their popular line of quilts for inside and below hammocks…but this year they had their own hammock system. Take a look.
I can't recall the name of this hammock maker..can someone supply that?
Tin Man of Antigravity Gear had his line of stoves, pots, etc. He also carried other people's products.
Trail Designs were drawing lots of attention with their Caldera Stove. I almost got one myself, but am still wrestling with the storing options.
Equinox was selling some great accessories, and got some of my business
.There were also some people that had written books or produced videos. JR "Model T" was hawking his new book "Walking with the Ghost Whisperers" about history along the AT. He also wrote "Walking on the Happy Side of Misery" about his AT thruhike. I have both. http://www.modelt.homestead.com/
Michael Thomas "Lion King" Daniels gave a viewing of his "Walking West With Freedom", which chronicles his PCT hike. This follows up his previous AT video (Walking with Freedom). The room was packed to see the great PCT imagery and follow his hike. http://imdb.com/name/nm1554266/
Rick McKinney was selling his book "Dead Men Hike No Trails." I got a copy, but haven't had a chance to read it yet.
Edit–I just finished reading the book, and enjoyed it. It's not a "traditional AT" book with a heavy slant toward the floral, fauna, and history of the trail. He praises Jardine's lightweight philosophy, but doesn't get into his gear other than the fact that he did not like his hammocks. The flow is…well…turbulent with frequent flashbacks to previous situations on and off the trail. He openly discusses his and other's battle with depression. His preferred treatment seems to be meds, Crown Royal, women, and hiking (not necessarily in that order). Here's a link to his site.
Mark Flagler was selling his "Appalachian Impressions " video, and promised another one from the PCT next year. http://www.flaglerfilms.com/index.cfm
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