Holy smokes I’M AT TRAIL DAYS!
It’s so pretty.
Got up. Had some breakfast at the diner nearby. It was fine, decent diner food. The onslaught of hikers plus the normal influx of weekenders ran them pretty thin. As soon as the event opened, I went there.
First stop was Nemo. I heard they brought their sewing machine and were doing field repairs. I had some stitching that was going, so I wanted to get that taken care of if I could. Sure enough, they said they could. I just needed to bring them my tent to them tomorrow. In the meantime I talked with them about their pillows and told them I convinced a few other hikers to get the Fillo Elite. They gave me a foam pillow to say thanks!
I wandered around and met the person who started Purple Rain Adventure Skirts and make my hiking kilt!
I just kind of puttered around the event collecting stickers and swag. Around 2pm, I went off to the post office to get my hip belt and to send the pillow and some swag back home. Less stuff to carry is less stuff to carry!
Back at the event. I stopped at a food truck with Ketchup. It was mediocre and too expensive. More wandering around.
Ah hell how to talk about all the things we fit in?
We parted ways and I hung out with Ranger a good for the rest of the day.
There were so many things going on. Gossamer Gear had a booth where they had people participate in events. Setting up and breaking down a tent as fast as possible. Packing a pack as fast as possible. Stuff like that.
National Parks Service had a booth where you could make your own name badge pin.
Gregory had a booth. I spoke with the president and told him about the issue I had earlier. He asked me to forward my emails with his company to him and he’d get me a replacement pack.
There was a huge raffle. Slaphappy won some stuff, I don’t remember what.
And there was a large stage where they had contests like carrying boxes of electrolyte water without dropping any, tossing things into a small bin, and stuff like that. Ketchup got into one of the events and summarily lost.
After all that, the event ended. We all left that part of the area for the day and got dinner. There was a massive dance party going on that night so we geared up for that.
The party ended on the most cruel, anticipatory hanging moment. It was during Love Shack, and not the radio cut. So the “bang bang bang…on the roof” was drawn out longer than what you’re normally used to. And right where it goes “tin roof, rusted!” they cut the music.
It was painful!
Not ready to call it. Good Canadian, Ranger, Slaphappy, and I went to a late night arcade and bar. We played some dumb games before heading back for the night.
Even though there’s lights and things to do, I guess we’re still pretty adjusted to hiker midnight.