Best Trail Magic

[Mountain Mike]

While on PCT my resupply person mailed my replacement boots to Crater Lake. Only problem was that was where I called from to get them shipped to my next resup. As I was talking with my hiking partner trying to figure out what to do one of the summer residents of the canmpground overheard. He said once he was finished with his morning fishing he would drive me there to pick them up. This included a stop at his breakfast hangout, then he wouldn't even take money for gas. That night he came over to our campsite with some foil & fresh trout for us to cook!

[WIAPilot]

Some might call this "Yogi-ing" but it was magic to me:
On a southbund thru many years ago I was on the AT in PenMar Park. As I was passing through I could see a large gathering of people in one of the pavilions and more food than you could imagine. The smell of barbq and burgers was intoxicating and, of course, I was starving. I was in the restroom washing up and getting water and dreaming of how I could get invited to partake of some of that food. When one of the party members (it was a family reunion) came in to use the restroom, I told him that I was running low on food and asked if I could purchase some bread from them. I have no idea where those words came from and I remember being surprised that I blurted it out. He insisted that they had more food than they could ever eat and that I had to have some. I ended up gorging myself and answering their many questions about the AT. They sent me on my way with a bag full of goodies. Looking back, maybe I should feel a little embarassment, but I remember leaving very thankful and feeling as if I had provided them some entertainment. I felt like it was a win-win.
Also, I was able to go to church 3 times during my thru-hike and each time the church was having some special event with food. That, my friends, is Divine intervention.

I loved this story. LOL. Is Yogi-ing when you ask for food? You know, if I had smelled that food, I probably would have done the same thing! My new trail name would have been Boo-Boo!

[flemdawg1]

I loved this story. LOL. Is Yogi-ing when you ask for food? You know, if I had smelled that food, I probably would have done the same thing! My new trail name would have been Boo-Boo!

Nope, if you ask its called begging.

[Pedaling Fool]

I loved this story. LOL. Is Yogi-ing when you ask for food? You know, if I had smelled that food, I probably would have done the same thing! My new trail name would have been Boo-Boo!

Yogging has nothing to do with asking for food. It's all about reducing the food weight of over-burden weekenders. There's a fine line between yogging and begging, but there is a difference.

[Feral Bill]

hikers don't need to be fed or cared for. they're on vacation, have money and are self-sufficient.

Well, they should be.

[rickb]

hikers don't need to be fed or cared for. they're on vacation, have money and are self-sufficient.

The Place provides a bed for them. Why?

Certainly there are people with greater need.

[rjjones]

Wow,all news to me.Last year i loaded my backpack with frozen bottles of water and frozen snickers bars,carried them up the trail and handed them out to the thru hikers{made a day hike of it}.Late june in Pa,pretty hot.The hikers seemed to really like it.I thought it was some trail magic but i guess i was just being nice?

[WIAPilot]

Wow,all news to me.Last year i loaded my backpack with frozen bottles of water and frozen snickers bars,carried them up the trail and handed them out to the thru hikers{made a day hike of it}.Late june in Pa,pretty hot.The hikers seemed to really like it.I thought it was some trail magic but i guess i was just being nice?

That was incredibly nice of you. And for the record, most of the definitions I can find on "Trail Magic" refer to it as,
" A random act of kindness uniquely provided to long distance hikers (mostly on the AT) whereby an individual delivers a good deed to a hiker in need, most commonly in the form of food, beverage, and/or transportation." Thank you for what you do!

[Lone Wolf]

Wow,all news to me.Last year i loaded my backpack with frozen bottles of water and frozen snickers bars,carried them up the trail and handed them out to the thru hikers{made a day hike of it}.Late june in Pa,pretty hot.The hikers seemed to really like it.I thought it was some trail magic but i guess i was just being nice?

yup. very nice thing to do but nobody was in danger of dying. bein' hot, thirsty, hungry and wet is part of walkin' long distance. they all got cell phones to call for help if'n they get in real trouble like for a blister or somethin'

[WIAPilot]

yup. very nice thing to do but nobody was in danger of dying. bein' hot, thirsty, hungry and wet is part of walkin' long distance. they all got cell phones to call for help if'n they get in real trouble like for a blister or somethin'

And don't tell me: You walked to school for 10 miles in the snow each day...

[Lone Wolf]

That was incredibly most of the definitions I can find on "Trail Magic" refer to it as,
[I]" A random act of kindness uniquely provided to long distance hikers (mostly on the AT) whereby an individual delivers a good deed to a hiker in need, most commonly in the form of food, beverage, and/or transportation."

nope. back in the day "trail magic" was given by folks that didn't know the AT existed and just happened to be at a crossing or town and offered you something

[Lone Wolf]

And don't tell me: You walked to school for 10 miles in the snow each day...

no but i never suffered on the AT back when there were no feeds, cell phones, shuttle services, internet, etc. walkin' the AT today is really easy

[ScottP]

Saw a thru-hiker helping an old lady rake her yard once--right where the trail crossed a residential neighborhood up in New England. Good trail magic.

Water when you're is fantastic.

[rickb]

nope. back in the day "trail magic" was given by folks that didn't know the AT existed and just happened to be at a crossing or town and offered you something

That was the random part. And in those few cases where t was more "established" it flowed from a natural connection-- like the trail passing directly in front of a Trrail angel's home.

When you have grown men traveling hundred of miles to meet hikers up and down the trail at road crossings with the express purpose of dispensing "magic" from the back of thier pickup you got to wonder. Not saying those who do this are not good people but geesh.

[WIAPilot]

Well there go my Diet Dr. Peppers waiting in some stream for me...

[actionpocket]

Ha, yes that is a bit suspect. On a similar note, I was invited to a weenie roast on a recent hike. Good thing too, I was actually low on food.

[kayak karl]

Tennessee Viking left me water (really needed it too) and cheddar cheese crackers on trail. mountain squid met me at a road crossing and gave me some snacks. a lady gave me an orange.
it wasn't the food, but the time they spent talking and shooting the breeze with me that i remember.

[rickb]

By the time I hiked the trail in 1983, the Ice-cream Lady was famous. Bonnie Shipe and her family lived in the middle of the Cumberland Valley road walk. That road walk was by far the longest on the AT at the time and extended about 20 miles. Anyway, her house was somewhere in the middle of it and every hiker knew for weeks and month in advance that if you stopped at her house you would be given an ice-cream cone. This was significant.
That said, I wasn't going to stop as my schedule had me walking by her house around dinner time and I remember telling myself that it would be uncool to knock on anyone's door and impose at that hour. Oh well.
But well before I passed her house, her husband Steve drove by spoke to me out out the window of his car. He assured me that Bonnie would be very disappointed if I didn't stop. He meant it, and drove off. I couldn't not stop. When I got to their house, the welcome was warm and genuine. To be honest, I really needed that. As a late starting southbounder I had never met up with anyone going in my direction, and was a bit disconnected as a result.
Bonnie and Steve invited me to a Ponderosa with thier kids for that dinner I wasn't going to interrupt. It was wonderful. Not talking about the food. I don't remember the food. Afterwards I was invited to sleep in their finished basement in front of the wood stove.
That was magic. Everything about it was magic. How it unfolded that day and when I came during my hike. Magic.
I met my wife on the AT on a weekend hike about 22years ago. That was magic too, but in a differnt way. Funny thing was, one thing that got me back to the AT was that I really wanted to meet some thru hikers on the AT-- I had not been back to the Trail for about 7 years at that time. I did find a couple right at the trail head on my way in, and I was proud of myself for packing a bunch of Suaalito cookies for them. Big deal.
They got a snack, but not much more. Certainly not magic as I define it -- largely because in truth my "generosity" was more about/for me than for the hikers I met.
I know there is real magic on the Trail, and I hope everyone finds it.

[Mountain Mike]

nope. back in the day "trail magic" was given by folks that didn't know the AT existed and just happened to be at a crossing or town and offered you something

So if you were "Just Walking" and somebody that didn't know about the AT gave you water or food it was OK. But because people know more these days due to the net & want to do something nice to AT backpackers it's no longer magic?

[Lone Wolf]

So if you were "Just Walking" and somebody that didn't know about the AT gave you water or food it was OK. But because people know more these days due to the net & want to do something nice to AT backpackers it's no longer magic?

it ain't magic either way. what's your point?