17-05-2025
‘You would have no idea that Helene had hit here.' Trail Days returns to Damascus
DAMASCUS, Va. (WJHL) — Trail Days this year looks a little different after Hurricane Helene left devastating flood damage.
Trail Days is a testament to all those who have worked tirelessly for the last seven months.
'I think it's remarkable,' Dakota Jackson with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy said. 'I think if you didn't know that Helene had hit Damascus' downtown, you would have no idea that it had hit here, which is pretty amazing to think about.'
Organizers stated that the event attracts approximately 25,000 people to the town each year, but they were uncertain if the hikers would participate this year.
'It's down to the work of the volunteers,' Jackson said. 'Clubs have put in over like tens of thousands of hours of trail maintenance time to get the trail cleared so that we can have the festival and a trail today.'
I spoke with one hiker who told me they've been on the trail since April 4 and that the damage to the sections in this area is unlike anything she's ever seen.
'It's just like destruction everywhere,' they said. 'And like, the cleanup people have done, like a really incredible job, like the volunteers and the Forest Service and all of them have done an incredible job, like maintaining the trail and making it so that us hikers can easily continue on. But when you're looking around, I mean, it's like the destruction becomes normal. Like, there's so much of it. Thousands. Like it's an uncountable number of trees.'
Hiking guide and outfitter Ryan Crawley said the town relies on the influx of people that Trail Days brings.
'So Damascus is an extremely small town here in Virginia, less than a thousand people,' Crawley said. 'So every year this event is their biggest event. And so it really means a lot for this to bring an economic boost, I'll say, to the town. So the fact that we're able to hold trail days this year is a huge benefit to these people.'
Everyone interviewed by News Channel 11 expressed gratitude to those who worked to make the trail accessible and ensure the town was ready for the festival, which holds great significance for the community.
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