Trail Days Tent City
Following the noise and stream of meandering hikers, we quickly encountered a lot of familiar faces who directed us to tent city, a makeshift camground on some town property adjacent to the old abandoned mill and dam. Like anywhere else, waterfront property is the first to go in a tent city, but there was plenty of space left for a groundcloth, cheap poly sleeping pad and a thin camo blanket. I found where Keith, Babbles, Tired Dogs and some other familiar folk were tented, and dropped my pack to go explore.
In most situations, one might not be too inclined to literally leave their whole world's worth of gear just in the middle of some field filled with tents. However, hikers are an odd bunch -- despite their appearances, long distance hikers know just how important a person's gear is. That is their survival. And we have a sense of honor and honesty that might not be obvious. No matter what, you just don't mess with another hiker's kit. It simply isn't done.
This doesn't mean you can't paperclip zippers closed in the middle of the night as a practical joke, but we looked out for each other. Dropping pack meant it was as safe here as in my home. I needed to hit the P.O for my town drop, find the best restaurant for the buck, and explore. A shower wouldn't suck, either.