As a section hiker who has more than 700 miles of the trail completed, I often read trail journals to see how others are doing. It seems in the past few years, the trail magic has exploded to the point that hikers are talking about it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I’m all in favor of supporting the folks on the trail, but it seems as if there is so much “support” that the experience of independence is fading. Comments?
Glenn Nesmith
I read a lot of TJs and I’ve been thinking the same thing esp this year. I have been an angel in NH some years ago on a regular basis. There is not that much magic in the north as the large groups thin out by then and folks do not want to wait for 3 or 4 hikers a day at that point. It does occur at easy trailheads. I think the unexpected magic in the middle of trails with water jugs planted etc by unnamed angels must exciting for the hikers. I sure do like to hear their stories tho in exchange for some lemonade and cookies. I am non hiker and never will be a hiker on the AT. When I ran into a TJ poster I felt like its a person Ive known for a long time. Thank goodness for TJ for the non hikers. I plan to be out on the MA trailheads a few times this summer while hubby and 2 granddaughters do day sections and I’ll bring my lemonade and cookies and he’ll carry apples to hand out to the hikers he meets along the trail. MH
Mother Hen
Reading this post is so coincidental because I was thinking of the “exact same thing” while I’m reading and enjoying everyones journal. I’m just a section hiker and have not encountered any trail magic (food/beverages) yet, but It might be because of my location and where I’ve been section hiking. I hope that thru-hikers don’t take advantage of our trail angels, especially the older, retired and on fixed income trail angels… I sense from reading journals that alot of trail magic is from the lower southern states and church groups. I don’t think we have that kind of support in my neck of the woods. (New york) If I lived closer to the trail, I would love to provide the necessary magic needed (water, energy bars, support) and maybe even bring one of my famouse Blueberry desserts to share. In the mean time, for me, I pack for me and hope for the best.
Brownie
Trail magic is not free food.
Trail Magic is an unplanned coincidence of auspicious events that benefit the hiker(s), often at just the right time to maximize the benefit.
I don’t know how trail magic and free food became synonymous and interchangeable, but unfortunately they have in many peoples’ minds.
Blackbird
If you ask a thru-hiker, there is no such thing as too much trail magic. Some of the clubs have tended to discourage it in the past for various reason. It’s like people railing against people who like to feed the ducks in the nearby golf community. You will get a much different opinion if you ask the ducks!
Francis
There’s no doubt that there’s a ridiculous amount of TM on the AT these days… but the real question is: Do the benefits (both to the Giver & Receiver) outweigh the detraction from the ‘wilderness experience’ & whether the TM is actually legal - within the NPS guidelines for the AT.
I personally think that limiting the TM to road crossings is probably a good thing, since you really can’t detract too much from the ‘wilderness’ experience @ a road.
freebird
I don’t see how random acts of kindness “detracts” from anyone’s “wilderness experience”.
Francis
When folks ask why we do trail magic this is my reply:
We Trail Angels feel honored to assist any hiker on their journey on the trail… whether they are section hikers or going the distance. Most people live in this world asleep…We go through our routines, have our habits, are seduced by the illusions of advertising and consumerism which create a life lacking in authenticity and integrity and sometimes real love…
You… You made a choice to leave this mundane world… You chose something so radically different that you have to view your life in a different way even if it is for a short time. Life gets simpler… You listen to your body when you are hungry, tired or sore… You are more aware of your surroundings… More connected to nature… you are in tune with the rhythms of the seasons and weather…The pace allows you to see details some never see in their lifetime…
You don’t need as much… Your world is on your back… Relationships with other people have a different meaning… You realize you are in a big community where everyone is connected by the trail… You are willing to talk to strangers… Ask for help and provide help… You also provide opportunities for us, the mundane folks, to show our best… to be helping and giving and compassionate…You allow us to resonate goodness in the world.
When the individual human spirit grows it impacts the world…The collective AT community helps to resonate an energy… a different way of being… and we can’t help think it has a ripple effect on the rest of the world. It is a chance for us to be roused from our sleep and see that we too can create a simpler, more compassionate, authentic life… And to realize the lie is that we are not separate but very interconnected to each other and all of life. We feel honored to assist you on your journey….
annroberts
Correction to the last piece-
And to realize the lie is that we are alone… Instead we realize that we are not separate but very interconnected to each other and all of life. We feel honored to assist you on your journey….
annroberts
Glenn, great question. My analogy on TM is similar to that of bike riding. A girl does a 75/100 mile ride to get away for the day and she must plan her route and pack accordingly for that ride. A boy chooses to do a Century Tour and does not have to plan a thing as the route is already marked and food stops are set up along way. It is my understanding that the AT is what the girl would choose.
That being said, it seems like TM is all over the place down south (hence the too much TM) when moral is high. Mother Hen said it perfectly… hikers who do stay on the trial find a lot less TM as they travel farther north.
That being said… I personally get great joy meeting thru hikers (in July) in NJ, where I live, at the top of the climb before Waywayanda Shelter. While chatting I offer my number and tell them when they get into Franconia and or Crawford Notch in NH (in Sept) to call me. I have a house there as well and offer to pick them up at the trail head give them a place to shower and launder, educate about the Whites if asked and then return them to the trail head the next morning. Here’s to hoping we meet
Hike safe.
PuttPutt
PuttPutt
Francis, Freebird is an experienced thru hiker and so am i. There IS such a thing as too much or inappropriate trail magic that ruins a wilderness experience. It’s surprising to me that this seems like a strange notion to you. Probably if you try you can think of someone deciding to hike to experience getting away from city life, crowds, amenities. If someone is in the middle of the Presis (extreme, unrealistic example, i know) with a boom box and a barbeque going, that means you just walked a long way to a remote area just to find more city life, crowds, and amenities. You can choose not to partake, but still you’ve just walked through city life and crowds, even if you get no amenities.
If you still don’t get it, imagine someplace special to you, and then imagine going to the biggest effort of your life to get there, only to find other people there doing something you really hate. I’m sure you can understand.
Keep the trail magic at the road crossings. :cheers
markv
If you were to poll “thru-hikers”. (Not, section, weekender or day hikers, who are not in the starvation mode) Ask them how they feel about Free Food TM on the AT? I have frequently ask that question to thru-hikers. I get a resounding positive response. They “get it” because they are hungry and will eat just about anything. They will gladly gobble down types of food they would never eat at home.
Those “crowd gathering” types of TM like hiker feeds usually require support equipment like chairs, grills etc. I have never seen them anywhere except near roads. Handing out snickers bars and cokes on the mountain top does not draw a crowd. I don’t see how it detracts from the wilderness experience of others.
Francis
Trail magic for me, is the random person sitting at the top of the mountain that shares their lunch and great conversation, after a long hard climb. It is usually random and unexpected.
I am also usually so hungry by the last 500 miles of my hikes that a hamburger at a road crossing is a wonderful experience.
There is a lot of TM down south, but it does not really take away from my hiking experience. I just nod and pass on by if not interested - not much different than passing through a town really.
All of these are just my opinions of course, but it often seems the joy in giving is equal to or greater than that of those receiving, and that is not a bad thing.
Lucy Lulu
Yes, handing out ANY food anywhere draws a crowd. Maybe you haven’t seen this in remote places, but i have many times. It detracts from the wilderness experience. I realize that many people don’t give a crap about that, but others of us do care.
If you want food you can get it a lot of places. But if you want the wilderness you can really only go into the wilderness. If you want to hike long distances and get anywhere you do it on a wilderness trail. Basically, if you take away trail magic hikers will still eat. But if you take away the wilderness, there is no alternative to it.
So even if 75% of thru-hikers would love to have trail magic on the top of Katahdin (extreme example), you have to protect that area for the 25% who don’t want trail magic there.
markv
The bottom line, unfortunately, is that it’s unenforcable and there are a lot of Francises in the trail world. One could make the argument that if said Francises are in a position to create controversy then it’s a sure sign that the wilderness in effect isn’t really wilderness at all. It isn’t wild enough to exclude their behavior, not by distance nor by difficulty nor paucity of attractions, in this case hungry hikers on parade. Sadly this is the way the world is going - more people in more places exerting more influence, and of course justifying their own behavior as appropriate and necessary. I’m convinced there’s a gene responsible for those who interpret an expanding human footprint as god’s will (or whatever) vs those who see humanity in a broader context in which we expand at the peril of other things that are also of value. The trail magic pro vs con discussion then breaks down along the same genetic lines.
TR
Is the problem too much trail magic or too many hikers that are spoiling your wilderness experience? Are you saying that trail magic is making it so easy to hike that it draws more hikers? I don’t know that the prospect of free moon pies at the top of the mountain has that ability. The USA at 300 million is the third largest country on earth and with an out of control growth rate we should be able to double that number rather quickly. As our population has grown, both living space and land usage have become issues. All those new hikers will be needing a place to hike so the future of a wilderness in your backyard like the AT is not possible. Your “wilderness experience” should be looked for elsewhere. Alaska maybe.
Francis
Hogwash. The U.S. population growth rate is in the vicinity of 1% annually. The thru-hiker growth rate, at least for the PCT (the trail i know numbers for) is at something more like 30% annually.
I didn’t say that trail magic draws more hikers or makes it easier. I’m only saying that we need to draw a boundary line at some point between city life (trail magic) and wilderness. Having more hikers only makes the issue more immediate. I don’t think that boundary line has to be in Alaska though.
Let me back up a sec. I’ve thru-hiked twice on the PCT, and done sections on the AT. In 2008 on the PCT i’d estimate i encountered on-trail trail magic 10-15 times. In 2013 i encountered it 60-70 times. Most of the time i was truly grateful. It made my day, made a very tough experience a little more manageable, and provided me with some of my best memories of the trail. I stumbled onto thru-hiking by giving trail magic and talking with the hikers, and then i got more interested.
I can count on my 2 hands the times when i think trail magic has been inappropriate. A couple times when the place was not at a road crossing, a few unattended coolers that had turned into garbage heaps, some obnoxious types. Usually it’s not like that.
But as more and more hikers flock to the trails, mainly because good blogging has taken away people’s fears and made them want to try it themselves, there’s a growing problem of the trails getting trashed and city-fied. Sorry if i hijacked the thread, but i think it’s worth thinking about and drawing some lines. We can still have a partial wilderness experience on the AT or PCT, but it may take a little more care and restraint than it did 20 years ago when the numbers were fewer.
Keep the magic at the road crossings. I think it’s an important first step.
:cheers
markv
The Colorado Trail has it right: trail magic may sometimes happen at road crossings. And this is OK. But the real trail magic is a cooler stashed by the side of the trail, five miles from anywhere, in the longest dry stretch you’ve ever hiked, stuffed full of PBR and Coke. Its not a handout. It doesn’t detract from your wilderness experience. But someone you’ll never meet took the effort to hike that PBR and Coke five miles, through the longest dry stretch, to leave them for your enjoyment and delight.
The giver of trail magic should experience some sacrifice as well.
That’s trail magic.
atbaritone
Sweet smelling to you maybe, but complete bullsh!t in reality. Totally utterly against LNT principles. That’s not magic, it’s tragic. Thru-hikers and their anonymous benefactors do not have a license to litter, no matter how airy fairy their self-justifications.
tal