PCT Trail Days was a great opportunity to catch up with other hikers, some I haven’t seen in hundreds of miles. On the first night, I caught up with people I’d met on day 1 and hiked with until San Jacinto; Tiger, Villem, and Linda. We all shared stories from the trail and reflected on the time since we’d last met.

The first real day of the event was the 15th of August. As well as hikers, there were vendors at the event too. This was our chance to meet with the people who make our gear, from tents and packs, to clothing, shoes and accessories. Osprey had a tent set up, and they were repairing damaged packs. I took my pack to them looking for some stitches for squirrel damage from Deep Creek Hot Springs, asked for some advice on the foam padding in my frame, and before I knew it they were sending me a brand new pack. It seems like Osprey really mean it when they offer lifetime warranty.

There was rain on and off during the first day, but that didn’t stop us from hanging out and catching up. In the evening, we cooked a BBQ dinner during a pause in the rain, then partied inside a big tent brought out by one of the guys from Portland.

The second day brought sunshine, and we could dry out all our gear. I spent another day hanging out with the others and checking out more of the vendor stalls. Once the ground dried out, the folks from CLEEF brought out the class banner, signed by all of us who started from there between March and May.

That night, we cooked another BBQ for dinner and enjoyed the evening outside. Without the rain hanging around, we were able to spread out and set up for a real party. We had music going, and other hikers joining us from around the island.

Since it was the last night of the event, and possibly one of our last chances to all hang out together, we had no trouble going until the very late hours, even into the early morning. By the end of the night we’d had a few dozen other hikers join in and hang out.