Day 72: Trail Days Part 2

Morning Plans

I was surprised by how well I slept. It was still quiet for the most part. I’m sure most were partying into the early hours of the morning. I poked my head out of my tent and didn’t see or hear any stirring from Duck. I decided to go off on my own.

I went to the place that had served breakfast the day previously and saw that they were, once again, making pancakes and sausage. I didn’t have nearly as much as I did yesterday. 

I was on a mission. Most come to Trail Days for the drinking and crazy parties back in the woods. Some come for the drugs. I was there for the gear – specifically the giveaways. I headed to the gear vendors,  who hadn’t yet opened their stalls, and sat down in front of the Big Agnes tent. The festival guide said that the first twenty people who signed up would be guaranteed to get something. So I sat there for an hour waiting for them to open up. A lady, who was also interested, stood and chatted with me the entire time. The time passed by quickly. When they did finally open, one of the workers said that they didn’t know if they were even doing it. They said to come back and check in later. That was a bummer. 

The Umbrella

I went to the next stall and finally bought some water resistant bags for my small stuff. I have been getting tired of the plastic bags. Everything fit too. As I was paying, it started to pour. I jokingly grumbled. The wife of the man who makes the bags I just bought overheard and asked what’s up. I pointed out the rain and said that my poncho already had tears. She said that the Z-Packs people offer a discount on their umbrellas when it’s raining. I ran over and was told that they were $35. I grimaced and said that that was too much for me and ran back over to my stuff. I told that lady, since she was curious, and I packed up the remainder of my belongings. Little did I know, she was buying me an umbrella. Or trying to. She ended up getting me a Hyperlite umbrella. I was in shock that she did that. I still am, to be honest. I hugged her and thanked her profusely. 

Photographer credit: unknown

I Won!

I then walked around and signed up for a variety of raffles for today. I made a time table of when and where I needed to be. I was busy from 10:00 to 4:00 with a small break after 1:00 due to the hiker parade. I decided that I wasn’t going to go. My priority was the free stuff.

At the raffle for some Six Moon, Toaks, and Sawyer items, I finally won. I got a bottle of Permethrin! My favorite! I needed some. It was dead silent when the ticket was called and once I realized it was mine, I screamed, “Yes!” The guy doing the raffle could tell I was very excited. I immediately left with my prize in tow and went to take a shower.

Quick Break and Back to it

There was no line and I was glad to feel clean. I then put on my dirty clothes and felt less clean. And since it had rained so much, and continued to do so, I quickly got mud up to my knees. I hurried to get some snacks at the church before doing the second part of the day. I made it just in time for the Nemo raffle at 2:00. I was so close to getting a free pillow that they were tossing out, but I was not tall enough. It’s always the men who get those. I ended up buying one. I needed something better than my clothes bag.

It was raining off and on the entire day. The moment it started to rain, the umbrellas went up.

For the Big Agnes raffle (which they decided to do), I got some tent lights and a shirt. I didn’t win anything at the others. By 4:30, I was beat. I went to my tent and just sat there. I wouldn’t even allow my legs into the tent because of how dirty they were. I snacked the time away.

FKT Presentation 

As 6:00 rolled around, Duck showed up. We had an emotional conversation and it involved both of us shedding some tears. She asked if I wanted to go to this one FKTer presentation (fastest known time) and I said sure. I looked up at the sky and saw that it looked like it wasn’t going to rain. It had been raining off and on all day, though.

The presentation was great and I was able to relate a lot. We both grew up in the Midwest, both families weren’t overly into camping or hiking, both were fascinated by long distance trails, and we both worked in fees at Glacier National Park. I just can’t imagine myself setting or even attempting an FKT. After the presentation, I went to the doors and saw that it was raining. I had none of my rain gear. It was a gamble I had made and it didn’t pay off well. Duck decided to wait out the rain. I didn’t. 

The Evening 

I was cold and miserable on the way back. This one guy handed me a highly compacted towel and I used it to, once again, wash the mud off my legs. I went back to the church to see if they had any food and they did. It was nachos and pancakes. I ate my fill in silence and walked back to my tent.

The rainbow I saw on the walk back to my tent.

Most were headed into the woods to party. I was not going to. I laid about and read. I did take notice how, when it rains on trail, the people are silent, whereas here, it was still loud. I missed the quiet. I fell asleep listening to the sound of the drum circle.