4/20 - hot springs trail fest awesomeness

Its april 20. Supposed to be a fun weekend. Im waiting for miss janet to come back from shuttling. Then me, pilgrim, dah wah he, and miss janet are heading to hot springs for the hot springs trail fest. Gonna be tenting in a big group at hot springs while partying with a bunch of strangers. I heard theres going to be a big agnes sales rep there, so theres a possibility of free gear. Gonna be fun. Watching three stooges all morning waiting. ................... Today, april 20, 2013 was an awesome day. Woke up in miss janets living room when alll the other hikers woke up. It was about 8am. For breakfast, I ate some leftover pizza from last night. The other hikers were packing up to get back to the trail, i was packing up to get back to hot springs. Today in hot springs, nc, was trail fest. A family friendly town party celebrating the great outdoors and hot springs' location right in the middle of it. When miss janet left with the load of hikers, me and dah wah he, who has been staying in miss janets house, headed to hot springs in dah wah he's car. Only one hiker eazy E, stayed at miss janets. He hurt his back yesterday while hiking, and couldnt wear his pack without pain. He gave me his big agnes sleeping pad to try and exchange in case there was a big agnes sales rep at the fest. We got there after about 45 minutes of driving. 7 days of hiking were suddenly gone in 45 minutes as i rolled into hot springs. But hot springs is different now. When i was here 2 weeks ago passing through, the trees were mostly empty, some small buds on some of them. Now in hot springs, flowers are in bloom, trees are covered in green. Its like a whole new place where spring is in full swing. I noticed it too during the drive.the barren mountains i had hiked over were tinted green with the buds growing into leaves on the trees. The downside, was that every face was a new one. Going so far backwards meant that all the hikers are a week behind me. So i didnt know anyone. My first hour here was wandering around town, wondering what to do. Dah wah he had found some old friends, and was talking to them. so he was occupied, but i was alone. I finally built up the courage to go to a random group of hikers and introduce myself. Its difficult to do that at this point, everyone knows everyone around them. So when i walk up, i am a strangeer to everyone there, while they already know each other. Its an odd feeling, and some hikers have just been unfriendly. It went well though, i spoke to them for a few minutes, told them im a hiker. Then went back to being by myself. I still had to find the big agnes rep. So when dah wah he said he wanted to go find food, i asked if he can show me where the rep is. Earlier When we were driiving into town he pointed him out, and mentioned being his friend. Turns out the rep is fixit guy. I met fixit guy a few days earlier outside of uncle johnnys. He drives around to popular points on the trail and fixes gear in a trailer/workshop that he tows around. When i asked him about eazy e's pad, he told me that the best course of action would be to send it back to the company. He also asked me if i need any other gear fixed. I brought my backpack and he sewed up a hole chewed by a mouse. It was about this time that miss janet and pilgrim showed up. Miss janet told me about a duck race that happens down the river that runs through town. Hundreds of plastic ducks, each with a number on it, is dumped into the river and allowed to float downstream. The first 3 ducks that get to the finish line win, and split half the money earned by selling ducks. I got six ducks, whhich cost $10. Some people get more, some get less. We had an hour until the race started, so we all went to a bar right on the river. We had a few beers, and pilgrim got me a beer too. Then miss janet asked me if could help wrangle ducks on the river when the race starts. Sounded like fun so i took off my boots and got in the river with a few other guys, all lined up by a big net stretched across the river, meant to catch the ducks. The race began and the ducks floated down the river. I caught the ducks that floated to far to the side to be caught by the net and flung em to the net as they passed. My ducks didnt win, but it was still a fun experience. I got some free food being given out by a local church, then joined miss janet, dah wah he, and pilgrim back at the bar. We ate and drank some more, and pilgrims friend bright eyes joined us. while waiting for the bathroom i met julian. And i invited her and the rest of her band to come to the camgrounds later in the night after they performed. She plays the washboard, thats right, the washboard, in a band calleed tar and rosin. They play appalachian string music, guitar, banjo, violin, and washboard. Its like bluegrass, but a less commercialized style. They were providing the live music at the bar that night. I wnet to the campgrounds with miss janet, it was almost 7pm already, and i needed to set up my tent. After i got it set up, i went back to the bar to watch the band. I got a pitcher o beer, and gave some to other hikers who were there. I also gave some to julian after the bands first set. Shes cute, and seemed to liked me, so i figured i might as well try. The trail has been very dry and its getting frustrating. Also spoke to the rest of the band and told them about the campfire chill later at the campground. Towards the end, miss janet showed up, she had been by the campfire chill and drum circle up by the laughing heart hostel on the other side of town. I had stayed at the laughing heart two weeks ago when i was first in hot springs. Miss janet gave me a ride back to the campgrounds, i picked up some beer and snack for the night and headed to the fire. There were alot of hikers there, alot of beer, alot of smoking, everything youd expect in a crowd of hikers havin a party. I introduced myself to a few people. They got a kick out of my trail name, and i was asked tto repeat it multiple times. As of now its The Almighty Boss Scorch Pipes Wilson Chef Pack Sherpa Mule Boyar Darko D. I might be adding phaedrus into it.but that idea is still up in the air. Around the campfire, one hiker put the perceived unfriendliness in perspective for me. He told me i should announce to everyone that im from up ahead. He said that everyone assumes that im there with my friends, or that i have friends there, but im just not talkative. He said iif i tell them im from ahead, they will know that the reason im not talking is because i dont know anyone, and they will open up to me to make me feel more welcome. I never saw it that way, i just assumed that people further back were just assholes. The band eventually showwed up. And they played until 130am, when the security guard of the campgrounds came and told us to be quiet. So we chilled for a few more hours but many people went to sleep, and the band stopped playing. I spoke to kyle, the violinist for the band, turns out we have the same birthday. He was telling me about HP Lovecraft, a horror writer from the early 1900's and that they share a birthday, which happens to be the same as mine. Also chilled with julian a bit. Though sadly, nothing ended up happening. I had been too shy all night to appraoch her again. And another hiker had already took the opportunity when he saw it. I realized, after the fact, how easy it would have been for me had i not been such a wuss. Around 430am i finally went to bed. It was a good night. And had been a good day. Definitely one of the most fun days ive had so far. Trail days in damascus is gonna be even better. I have heard that its a few thousand people. With the camping area nicknamed tent city. Its only in a month too. May 18-19. In miss janets car theres a bumper sticker that says "the AT is the most fun youll ever have, interrupted by long walks in the woods."