A cooler full of empty beer cans that I find 5 miles deep in the backcountry isn’t just litter, isn’t just anti-LNT principles, it’s also illegal on America’s public lands. I blame the purveyors of the trail magic epidemic for cloaking their self-created problem in pious garb.
tal
Backcountry litter is caused be the same people who provide the backcountry graffiti. Humans who don’t care. It’s a faulty “cause and effect” connection to say that Trail Magic causes crowds or litter. Do you think that if trail magic was outlawed, then you would not find beer cans on the mountain?
Francis
Actually the faulty cause-and-effect is the idea that a cooler full of empty beer cans 5 miles from a trailhead causes “magic” rather than litter, or that the litter isn’t really litter because it’s magic. Francis may be defending more the mountaintop Snickers bar handout, but ATBaritone goes much further with his scenario. And you’re both using trail magic as your excuse here, so how can we trust either of you, or really anyone defending “magic” with an almost religious zeal, to do the right thing?
Trail magic is not the angelic version of a roadside DUI checkpoint, with officers embedded in the field and eager to pounce on each and every car that comes along, but the lone cop off the beat, heading the other way, who turns around just to help you fix a flat tire. It’s not a premeditated thing, but entirely impulsive, circumstantial, serendipitous. Please try to understand the distinction.
tal
silliest post ever, day hikers leave the most trash, Trail Angels like myself come back and get trash and actually clean said area if they have left a cooler and leave a bag for trash, we also go to trail heads just to offer to take trash. Thru hikers in most cases care more about the trail then those who day hike. I often find trash from locals, kids and others who use the trail as a means to party or to hang with friends.
I will continue to be a hiker and do trail magic. Cheer up Tal! Instead of complaining how about cleaning up 
Angel
Acknowledge his point - what you’re doing is not trail magic in the pure sense, but rather MCing a hiker rave flash mob at the parking lot, or in the case of the other guy’s fetish, letting your Coleman cooler 5 miles into the otherwise pristine backcountry do the MCing for you. But phooey on all that, just smile pretty while you’re actively discouraging use of the trail by folks who preferred it the way it was originally envisioned by MacKaye, as a respite from the trappings of civilization.
smokey
Sorry to bring the topic back up, but the PCTA has now officially asked for no unattended caches to be left on the trail. Not saying the ATC has, but just some food for thought.
markv