Partying on the Trail
Meet Riff-Raff the self-reported party guides of the Appalachian Trail, a gaggle of 80 or so hikers who participate in Trail Days in Damascus, Virginia. The leader of the group Charles Chestnutt aka Disney leads the debauchery as a 4-day festival akin to Woodstock. The rowdiness of the fellow hikers has led to numerous hostels and hotels to remove their listings from the A.T. Guide as they cannot keep up with rampant alcohol and drug use. The Riff-Raff conduct drinking games all day long and into the early morning disrupting many of the townspeople of Damascus who, are left with little choice as the hikers provide a substantial income to the town. The camaraderie is based upon liquor and an exclusivity shown through a plastic bracelet emblazed with "“Peace, Love, Trail Magic ♠ Riff-Raff!”. The annual bonfire at Miss Janet's brings together the attendees of Trail Days to an all-night party without regard to how noisy or destructive they may cause. This alcohol and drug infested party demonstrate that the party culture on the Appalachian Trail still lives on without concern to those that aren't even apart of the trail.