As I sit here and ponder upon this years Appalachian Trail Days here in Damascus, Virginia I feel a sense of wanting to hike along with the many hikers I have witnessed passing by in front of my home as they head on north and hopefully all the way to Mt. Kathadin, Maine.

I am told by some here in town that they think this years event was by far the biggest yet. I know one thing, the hikers that participated in the parade was a huge crowd.

Before the start of Trail Days I involved myself somewhat in aiding the committee that overseen this years activities, though for the most part I just laid low and observed the tremendous work it took to make this years event successful. My hat is off to those who organized and worked their tails off to make Trail Days 2007 a memory that will last in many a heart. Richard Smith, a.k.a. "Local" told me that this year was the first time that the town allowed hikers to volunteer so as to make the ends come together and they are glad they did. I personally witnessed thru hikers, hikers of years past, wannabe hikers and other people jumping in and bringing the whole thing together. Miss Janet and her crew worked with chainsaws and weed whackers to help make the camping area accessible.

I did not witness the drum circle this year but I am told that there was a guy who was shooting flames out of his mouth long after eating Tin Mans chili. I bet the truth be known, he was probably shooting flames out of his butt as well. I am also informed that there was some real tribal dancers dancing around the fire and the crowd was hot for the excitement that stirred within them.

There are three memories that stand out to me the most. Blister Sisters presentation of her hike on the PCT-CDT-AT, Lion Kings DVD of his hike on the PCT, and my water balloon fight with some of the hikers in the parade. I am sure as I write this essay other events will come to mind as well.

My Trail Days began about 1 am on the morning of May 16, 2007. That's when Blister Sister, Matthewski, Red, and Dead Man Walking rolled into town after driving ex amount of hours to get here. I rolled out of bed to welcome them into my home with the best I had to offer and instead they rolled into my home offering the best of themselves. They stole the Trail Angel right out of me and the situation became a give and get scenario. Someone tacked a hefty bank note to my refrigerator and two days later Blister and Matty rolled into the house with enough groceries to last me a week. I was taken by shock to say the least.

Blister Sisters real name is Karine Kelleher. I have known her since the winter of 2002-03 when I was working as a Sous Chef at the Andirons Motel and Restaurant in West Dover, Vermont while she was working as a waitress in Manchester, Vermont. We talked once or twice on the phone but this is the first time I had seen her since. She is still as beautiful and graceful as ever and I don't know if she has an education in photography and presentations but the show she did at the Rock School was a class act to say the least and I'm sure that if she would enter it into a competition she would take first place.

The name of her show was "Three Different Ways of Life." It was a slide presentation with music of her hike on the Pacific Crest Trail, the Appalachian Trail, and then the Continental Divide Trail. A few minutes into the show you could hardly hear a pin drop and that is the way it remained until it was over. The place was packed and most remained till the end.

The show began with her hike on the PCT with many a shot of the majestic mountain ranges that she covered on foot from southern California to northern Washington, at the end a caption read "At the end of the PCT all I wanted to do was hang up my backpack forever, but if I knew then what I know now....." Hiking was in her blood for life.

Then the show blended into the AT. The many photos brought many "oohs and ahs" from the audience as they recognized many a familiar face and some of those faces were in attendance as well. Midway through that presentation a caption popped up and said "Due to the Postal Service losing four cameras, we now fast forward to New Hampshire.

But the most impressive part of the whole viewing for me was her hike on the Continental Divide Trail. This part of the presentation grabbed at me and I wanted to just pack my pack and head to New Mexico and start walking.

In the first few pictures there was a shot of a curled up and ready to strike rattlesnake! Then came cave dwellings, mountains, country fences, Pie Town, Thomas Mountain Ranch,windmills, mesas, plateaus, conifers, buttes, wilderness areas, goodbye New Mexico and hello Colorado, snow on the trail, the Rocky Mountains, rolling mountains and valleys intertwining as far as the eye could imagine, lush green pastures, railroad tresses, log cabins, snow capped peaks, aspens, no "alien" signs which means no aliens from outer space, wild flowers, bird nests, rain on a lake, trillium's, Red Rocks Colorado, Malas kitchen, chicken hats, art cars, stream jumping, tree art, Spur and Ready, goodbye Colorado and hello Wyoming, sheep, more rolling mountains, sunrises and sunsets, mountain streams and misty lakes, rainbows, big trees, rocks, waterfalls, flowered boot, The Wind River Mountains, Mala and Tucker the dog, cloud covered peaks, moose, elk, steam vents coming from within the earth, hot springs, geysers, goodbye Wyoming and hello Idaho and then hello Montana, high grassy plains, Big Sky Country, big skies, shadowed valleys, high deserts, log cabins, sunbursts, Leadore-population 63, cattle, hay bales, split rail fences, Mullen Pass, slanted trees, twisted geological formations, painted skies, Blister waiting on tables in a trail side cafe, glaciers, mountain goats, hole in the walls, expansion bridges and then the end of the trail with the Canadian border looming in the distance..............Whew!

The crowd roared their approval immediately after Karen's presentation and as I walked home I began to formulate my future hike of the Continental Divide Trail.

Upon my arrival I find my friend Tyvek, Ron Zalewski on my front porch. Ron started hiking south from Mt. Kathadin, Maine on Memorial Day of 2006 and after having some difficulty with his back and legs which removed him from the trail over the winter he is now "back on the trail again." Ron is hiking to raise awareness for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder so as to persuade Congress to make the military deal with the soldiers stress from war before they are released back into the general population of society. He has already been to Congress and spoke on capital Hill about his hike. In fact he has been interviewed by about every newspaper along the Appalachian Trail, even our local Washington County News got onto the action and published a piece about him with a picture of him sitting on my front porch. Penny Coleman, who wrote the book "Flashbacks" in 2006 and published by Beacon Press in Boston, Massachusetts is writing about him too. As of this writing I am told that a Japanese Film crew that was at Trail Days chased him down on the trail as well.

I have kept up with Tyvek's journey for the last year and I have no doubt that he is hiking for a real cause and I believe in him. His demeanor and his love of life emits from deep within him and he is a cut up to be around. We were laughing all the time. I have a phone I let the hikers and bicyclists use to call home. I had to leave for a little while and when I returned the donation kitty I set up was almost full of money. Tyvek said "I have been gently persuading the hikers that it was okay to put money into the pot." I can imagine how he "gently persuaded them?" We visited for awhile and then off to tent city and Billville I went, had to go check on my friends.

I don't know how long ago Billville got started, but they are a group of hikers who come together every year getting the party started and keeping it that way. They are also the main force in the big cleanup at tent city after Trail Days comes to a close. Some of the members are also members ALDHA, the Appalachian Long Distance Hiker Association and some volunteered to man the ALDHA booth at the town park encouraging hikers to join. I joined and even let George Andrews, "Tin Man" from Anti Gravity Gear talk me into committing myself to one the best alcohol stove sets I have seen.

The second main group at tent city was the "Miss Janet" crew from Erwin. Her crew is responsible for getting the big fire going and the drum circle. She knows what she's doing and the crowd loves her. Last year at Trail Days the hikers that had stayed at her hostel in Erwin wore t-shirts that said "I slept with Miss Janet."

Rambo Ron, who has been hiking south with Tyvek said he went over to the drum circle and fire early Sunday morning about 2:30. Most everyone had turned in by then but there were a few still dancing around the fire. He says "There's this one young lass that is swaying to the drums beat as she is dancing around the fire. She's pretty intoxicated and as she nears me she throws herself right into my arms. I'm not the kind of guy to take advantage of such a beautiful young lady in such a state, so I just stood there holding this young child up while she has literally passed out in my arms. I look to the side of me and notice this young man who is just as drunk looking warmly at her in my arms. So I turn with her towards him and I ask him if she belongs to him. He nodded and I pass her to him." What a gentleman!

Another group, and I think this group was just a group of present day hikers who came together on the trail, was the "Wizard Titty City Clan." I think they had the biggest tent on the grounds. Whoever constructed it did a good job of arraigning the many tarps purchased from a local hardware store. One of the groups members "Patches" told me they came together at the Kincorra Hostel and the name is derived from a game they invented one zero day called "Madlips." The local "Law Enjoyment Officers" were attempting to have them take down the tent but a Trail Angel from Granite Gear was walking by and had a talk with one of the officers and they decided to leave it be. Granite Gear saves the day again! Here's a high five to you guys! They were a good bunch of kids and I enjoyed their good natured fun.

Bill and Ted were a couple of young men I had met right after meeting the Wizard Titty City Clan. They had stopped to rest under a highway bridge in Ashville, North Carolina as they were making their way to the trail head in Georgia hitch hiking all the way from New Jersey. Apparently someone had told them about Trail Days and they hitched here to Damascus, Virginia from Ashville, North Carolina. They were having the time of their life and you could tell they truly were on the adventure. A day after the party they came by my house as they headed to the Appalachian Trail deciding there was no place better to start their northbound hike. I'll probably see them again sometime soon.

As I was talking to Bill and Ted I heard some guys playing John Prine, so I moseyed in their direction. For an hour or so I got lost in the music. John Prine rocks!

One of the best water balloon fights I have ever had happened when the hiker parade came through downtown Damascus. I was standing on the corner of Laurel and Shady Avenues. I had filled about one hundred and fifty balloons with water and placed them into a trash bag that I received from Carmen at the One Way church with a promise to her that if she gave me the trash bag that I would stay clear of the food tent that the church had set up to sell food to the hikers and parade goers. I really wanted to set myself up right there, but a promise is a promise. No wet food this year, oh well.....

I grab three balloons and get ready. First came the Holston High School Marching Band, fire trucks, and the "Law Enjoyment Officers" emergency vehicles. Man I just wanted to splatter one of them balloons all over one them shiny cars with the red and blue lights, especially the one that held our mayor, Creed Jones and police chief, Tony Richardson. I managed to control myself, it was hard but I did it. The town should give me a "Bozo" button for it too!

Then here comes the hikers. Mt. Rogers Hiking Club was leading the pack. Elanor Grasselli was right up front holding the clubs banner. I acted as though I was going to lob a balloon right at her, she and everyone holding the banner slowed down and the crowd on the sidewalks got quiet. They picked up the pace again and this time I meant business! Had Elanor not have stopped that balloon would have made contact right upon her head. She gave me the ole evil eye and the crowd made a big "Whew!" Elanor was sending ESP messages out to me and I heard her voice inside my head tell me "You just wait til I see you again at Mt Rogers Outfitters, my buddy Jeff Patrick is going to show you another use for them water balloons big boy!" I knew she meant business too, so I smiled at her and she gave me big ole grin and the parade happily proceeded.

What I had been waiting for finally arrived! Hikers! And I mean a whole bunch of them too! I started lobbing and throwing balloons like it was the end of the world! I got one hiker right upside the head, another in the groin, then another on the backside! They returned fire with water guns and balloons too! All at once about three of them broke away from the pack and grabbed my trash bag full of balloons and tried valiantly to rob me of them. I fought them tooth and nail just like a Sackette would from one of them Louis L'Amour western books! From my standing position I lobbed myself at them and grabbed onto that trash bag, we fought hard! Me against the three of them! I did a upper hand chop to a jaw, then I pushed one on his behind with my left forearm, then I kicked one with my right foot after I had brought my right leg up and over my head from behind me! Wham! Smack! Bam! I got my trash bag of balloons back! They'll know now not to mess with "The Only Wanderer," that be me, who is a legend in his own mind of the Appalachian Trail!

I managed to save about thirty balloons, Boy was I fired up for the fight this time! And out of the crowd comes Baltimore Jack! I'm nailing hikers with balloons and that dog Jack comes right up and starts stomping my balloons! I managed to save two balloons from his size 29's, big ole clod hoppers of his! I nailed him with one and then nailed Tyvek with the other!
What a good time that was! Next year I am going to position myself in a tree or on top of a roof and nail Jack as much as I can!

After the parade most everyone converged on the town park for the hiker talent show. Opening up to get the crowd in the mood is "Takoma Ted" playing "People Are The Trail." Back in '01 Ted and his hiking partner Hutch, who happens to live here in a trailer park, that's right he's a redneck, well they hiked six weeks on the Appalachian Trail together. Ted tells the story that every time someone asked them about the trail and their hike Hutch would always end up telling them that the people are the trail. That's the truth of the trail. When I was out there hiking the trail, the scenery was great and I enjoyed the woods but what I really enjoyed was after a long day of hiking and then arriving into camp, some of the people that were there. Most always there would be a campfire and we would sit around sipping on some kind of drink telling each other long windy tales till we passed out about 7 or 8 pm. And then there were the people who lived along the trail, they made up the difference. I enjoyed meeting everyone of them it seemed.

There was some real talent at that show. I heard some guy by the name of "Pop Tart" get up and tell his story in poetic form of how he got his trail name. Man that was hilarious! I am told he won first place. But I would have judged the trio with the two dudes playing guitars with one of them tooting the harmonica and the hiker babe that sang for them. I wish I could remember their trail names. Man that girl had a voice! If she does not allow herself to go someplace with that voice she will be letting the world down! Plus she was hot too! She reminded me of Liza Minnelli, only with more muscles. She was just a beautiful young lady!

I met Lion King last year at Trail Days. Lion King, better known as Michael Daniel is a hiker who likes to film his hikes. I've kept up with some of his postings on www.whiteblaze.net and kept tabs especially about his competing in some kind of film competition having entered his DVD of his Pacific Crest Trail hike "Walking With Freedom." I never did find out if he won, but I am here to tell you that he should have. On Saturday evening, May 19 he showed his DVD at the youth center of One Way Ministries. It was absolutely awesome! there is no way I can put into words what that boy put onto the screen. I think that most of tent city poured into the youth center to watch it. Forty five minutes after it had started there were hikers still streaming in. The turnout is just a small testament that Lion King has on his peers in the hiking community. I don't know if he went to school to learn how to put together such a masterpiece, but I hope to see more of his work!

There were more activities and I could continue this long windy tale of mine. But for the most part I just kept a low profile. On Sunday morning the 20 of May I got to entertain my friends from the trail and one guest from New York, Penny Coleman by shoving food down their windy pipes. Boy was that crowd windy too, first group I ever come across that could eat and speak at the same time! I got to meet Sgt. Rock and his beautiful wife Dixie from the hiking web site Whiteblaze. Rock had been in Iraq and kept us posted as to what he was going through. Every now and then he would come on and just let go. He, Penny, and Tyvek had what seemed to be a good conversation about the stress that our servicemen and women have to go through after returning from a war. There is no one who can understand what battling another human being can do to ones thinking, or their lives after the battle is over. Our troops deserve the best care that our government can give them to help them to readjust to a life they once had before going off to war to do our governments bidding. But that is another story that will have to be told by people like Sgt. Rock, Penny Coleman, Tyvek and people who have witnessed first hand the trauma of a war that many still fight long after the battle is over. I encourage you folks to read Penny's book "Flashback."

By Sunday afternoon the quiet of Damascus had returned and I loved it! I love this quaint little village. It is unlike anyplace I have ever been. People don't get in too much of a hurry. Tyvek left to continue his hike south and tell the rest of the trail his story with Penny tagging along. I just kind of hung out on my front porch for the rest of the day talking to passing hikers who would occasionally come to use the phone that I put out for them. I did stop at Hutch's place and Takoma Ted gave me an autographed copy of his second CD. I was awed to say the least.

Now I look forward to "The Gathering" that ALDHA is having in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania this fall and I hope to bring back fond memories to report to all of you. I love the people of the trail because the people are the trail.

Larry Riddle
"The Only Wanderer" May 25, 2007