Hikers travel across the nation for the 37th annual Appalachian Trail Days

DAMASCUS, Va. (WJHL) – Appalachian Trail Days arrived in the small town of Damascus, where thousands of hikers were walking their trails.

The annual Trail Days festival celebrates all things Appalachian Trail and provides an opportunity for Thru and section hikers to stock up on gear. While the event caters to those who have taken on the trail, organizers said there’s something for everyone.

“We do educational programming so that folks can learn about hiking,” said Trail Days Committee Chairman Beaty Jackson. “We have folks who’ve already been here years prior and come back as a reunion to meet the friends that they’ve made on the trail.”

Many vendors in attendance have been part of the festival for years and said the event is truly something special.

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“This is the biggest trail event that we do in the United States every year,” said Whitney “All Good” Laruffa. LaRuffa is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Six Moon Designs, a company specializing in ultralight trail gear. “It’s kind of like if you really want to be in the space, you really need to come to this event.”

“I am from Oregon, and I live out west, but since my roots are on the Appalachian Trail hiking here, I get to come back once a year and be part of this community,” said Mandy Bland. Bland owns Purple Rain Adventure Skirts, a company specializing in functional skirts for those hiking the trails.

Veteran vendors are not the only ones who find the event special. First-time vendors also say the experience is unlike any other.

“Today and the last couple of days, the excitement of like, ‘Oh, Good-to-Go! I love your food, this is perfect for me,’” said Jennifer Scism, Chef and founder of Good-to-Go, a company specializing in trail meals. “That was really exciting.”

“Everything’s going great,” said Rob Gasbarro, co-owner of Outdoor 76, an outdoor store that has recently begun specializing in footwear. “It’s a good affirmation for us to help us realize that what we’re doing is a good thing.”

Hikers and vendors said that what makes Trail Days unique isn’t the gear or the products being sold but the people and their stories.

“[It’s] just a great time to meet and hang out in the Appalachian Trail community,” said a hiker who goes by the trail name “Masters.”

“Masters,” “NPR,” and “Foghat” all met while hiking the trail. Both Masters and NPR stumbled upon the festival by accident.

“Last year, I hiked right into Damascus during Trail Days,” said ‘NPR’. “It was great timing and [I am] very blessed to have been there during that time.”

“I hiked last year and hiked into town,” said Masters. “This year I came back to really see a lot of friends.”

This isn’t the first year that Foghat has attended the festival. He said the people truly keep him coming back.

“The big piece for me is reconnecting with people,” said Foghat. “People I’m currently with on the trail.”

For more information about Trail Days, visit its website.

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