Thoughts on Magic...

[ATSeamstress]

I just got back from a two-week stint on the AT and had a wonderful experience from someone providing "trail magic". I had hiked my longest day of the trip, in 93* heat. I was pretty beat when I showed up at Bear's Den Hostel. After a shower and changing into some clean clothes, I laid down on the bed to relax, when someone stuck their head into the women's dorm and announced, "It's dinner time!" Dinner? As it turned out, a thru-hiker named Cycle Hiker was staying there and his family had come in for a visit. They put on a huge feast for him and whoever was staying there that night. It consisted of steak, sausage, asparagus, green beans, mashed potatoes, fried potatoes, lemonade, mint tea, magic bars, Rice Krispie sandwiches, and three different kinds of cookies. There were mostly thru-hikers there and I believe all of them thoroughly enjoyed that meal. For me, as a shy person, it was a wonderful way for me to meet the other people staying there. In the morning, the family provided breakfast as well.

I had come prepared, with plenty of food. I didn't expect anything but a shower and a soft bed. But that stay at Bear's Den turned out to be one of the highlights of my trip.

I had two other TM experiences on that same trip. Both were near road crossings where I expected to see civilization anyway, and both provided a trash bag for the trash. I participated, and it didn't bother me in the least. Whether I will have a different opinion as a thru-hiker (in 2009) remains to be seen.

[weary]

How about this:

Treat the thru-hikers that over-yogi like fed bears. Tranquilize them and re-locate them to the PCT. When they wake up they will have to figure out where they are and how to survive like wild hikers of the past

Bump and Margaret Smith, partime Maine farmers, were pioneer southbounders in 1970.

His slide show at the University of Maine in Orono after he came home was one of the most unconventional and fascinating I've ever seen dealing with the AT.

Anyway, Bump referred to everyone he met on the trail during his walk to Georgia as "out of staters" or tourists. But he added, "they were all nice people. They would give you anything, candy bars, food, anything. They treated us just like we were bears!"

Weary

[Ridge]

The times me or my husband have experienced TM was usually planned by other hikers friends/family who was meeting them at a trailhead. Weekend hikers will usually carry too much food and will leave it with other long distance hikers, creating a type of magic. I don't believe any thruhiker will ever expect magic on the trail. The only exception of expectations has been brought on by TrailDays in Damascus. Thru hikers have gotten to expect repairs/gifts/food/drink from vendors during this time. I know my husband expects it. This is sort of like feeding the bears for one week out of the year. Or is it xmas that comes in May and Damascus is the North Pole? Hope Trail Days continues.

[rocket04]

I like what A-Train said (as is often the case) and share his position on the issue, at least as far as my personal preference goes. The best magic I got was the non-planned, spontaneous kind. Like a man giving me some KFC by Watauga Lake as I was getting ready to cook some ramen. Awesome memories...

[wacocelt]

I've heard Thru-attepters moaning and groaning about wanting for some trail magic in thier first and second day. That's a load of crap.

[Jester2000]

Parties on the trail itself destroy the sense of remoteness that some hikers, at least, are seeking.

Weary

Oh, I don't know, Weary. I f their sense of remoteness wasn't destroyed by the railroad tracks in the Hundred Mile Wilderness, or the buildings and cars on Mt. Washington, or the ski lifts and warming huts in Vermont, or the tower on Greylock in Mass., or the manhole cover that was (briefly) on the trail in New York or . . .should I go on? Yes? The water truck that used to be in that field in New Jersey, the radio towers on the ridgelines in PA, the milk bottle Washington Monument in Maryland. . .I'll stop now and let a Southerner take over. . .

My point, if I have one, is that if you're trying to sense remoteness, you should probably give a thought to going somewhere remote. NONE of the places I mentioned are in towns.

If you can bend your willing suspension of disbelief into thinking you're out in the middle of nowhere after seeing all that, I think a cooler in the middle of the trail (where you might not expect it -- wouldn't that be "magical?") shouldn't be too hard to erase from your mind, after you pass it on a 95 degree day near Lehigh Gap without taking an ice cold drink from it (yeah, right).

(Note to all: I nobo'd, but put the sights in that order in honor of Bust Ace, SOBO extraordinaire from '73)

[Jester2000]

By the by, I don't consider Feeds "magic." I consider them nice, and fun, but not particularly magical. On Monday Jack and I decided to take the truck to the trailhead parking lot north of Rauch Gap Shelter with a cooler of soda, as it was hot and that section seems kinda dry. The folks we met that day thought it was sorta magical.

And a final note: I don't know of any hikers who hitched forward to come to our feed who did not get a ride back from whence they came on Sunday. I could be wrong, but we lined up an awful lot of shuttles for folks. So for you nervous nellies that fear that Feeds encourage people to skip, know that the kind of people who skip don't actually need any encouragement.

[Sly]

Any one know if Rat still does the Brown Gap feed? It's around Trailfest. I haven't heard anything since Hobocentral went kaput.

Maybe Billville can pick up the slack!

I went one year and had a lot of fun. A few trail legends were there including a couple here on Whiteblaze.

[Sly]

Yo Jester, Don't let anyone spoil your party! Billville's cool (bumpersticker), and anyone that's been there knows that.

Don't like the Monday morning armchair generals get to you!

[weary]

Oh, I don't know, Weary. I f their sense of remoteness wasn't destroyed by the railroad tracks in the Hundred Mile Wilderness, or the buildings and cars on Mt. Washington, or the ski lifts and warming huts in Vermont, or the tower on Greylock in Mass., or the manhole cover that was (briefly) on the trail in New York or . . .should I go on? Yes? The water truck that used to be in that field in New Jersey, the radio towers on the ridgelines in PA, the milk bottle Washington Monument in Maryland. . .I'll stop now and let a Southerner take over. . .

My point, if I have one, is that if you're trying to sense remoteness, you should probably give a thought to going somewhere remote. NONE of the places I mentioned are in towns....

My point, and I have one, is that the trail is the trail. The fact that few if any sections of the trail qualify as wilderness is not a logical reason to further reduce the sense of remoteness by adding parties at the shelters to mix.

I spend much of my time these days working to protect the sense of wildness that the trail -- especially in Maine -- provides. That's why we founded the Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust -- to provide buffers around a narrow trail corridor now that most of the big landowner trail neighbors have sold their holdings to developers.

Are you saying that because a railroad crosses the trail, trains and a road summits Washington and a tower exists on Greylock that this is a wasted effort?

Weary www.matlt.org

[dougmeredith]

My point, and I have one, is that the trail is the trail. The fact that few if any sections of the trail qualify as wilderness is not a logical reason to further reduce the sense of remoteness by adding parties at the shelters to mix.

Obnoxious behavior is obnoxious in the woods or in the city. I think you should object to it as such. It is disingenuous to claim that this somehow reduces the remoteness of the trail.

Doug

[Nean]

There are parties at shelters? Well I missed that part (y)....or did I? Anyways, I love the sense of remoteness the lack of roads in Maine provide. I lived off one those roads a couple of years ago, LOVE Maine. As an AT9 sobo I credit Maine with hooking me on LDH. Your efforts are not wasted Weary! BTW, last fall during our Katahdin to H.F. attempt we came upon a "party" for "thru-hikers" in the 100m wilderness. We wern't allowed at the SITE, much less a soda I'll join you, LW, and Dan if this is what yall talkin bout. Also, what are your veiws on White House Landing?

As far as rucks, feeds, reunions, gatherings, shelters, kindness, magic, towns and other little reminders of civilization along the way, this is the AT, stardate 2005
I'm told its time to go, more later ?!?!

[rickb]

It is disingenuous to claim that this somehow reduces the remoteness of the trail.

Not at all.

Would a hotdog stand at every road crossing somehow reduce the remoteness of the Trail?

If you think it would, then the discussion over the impact of magic is one of degree.

If you don't think so, then we think very much differently.

To my way of thinking the best way an individual can increase the feeling of remotness of the trail would be to resupply a bit less often. Of course there would be a price to be paid for doing that. That price is easy to see, the benefits not so obvious.

Rick B

[dougmeredith]

I view it this way:

If someone is doing something illegal or rude, I have a right to complain. Otherwise they are simply using the trail too. If their legitimate use of the trail reduces my enjoyment then it is up to me to put up with it or find a new trail.

Extreme example: If too many people on the trial ruins it for me, it doesn't make sense for me to demand that others stay away.

There will always be people who have their hiking enjoyment decreased because of the presence/action/physical appearance/race of others. My concern is that some people tend to classify anything that reduces their enjoyment as rude or inappropriate. Take shelter parties as an example. A party is a group of people. Do we object to the presence of these people or is it their actions? If you don't like their presence, too bad. If their actions are truly inappropriate, then you have a legitimate complaint.

Doug

[Cookerhiker]

I've both given and received Trail Magic. When planning some TM last year, I expressed my thoughts in my Trail Journal reprinted below:

“ '...It is more blessed to give than receive.' Acts 20:35
Trail Angel. Trail Magic. An angel is a messenger of God. At first glance, a serious notion like this may seem preposterous (and presumptuous) when applied to helping people hiking the Appalachian Trail. But is it really? When the Gospels tell us that God will provide, isn’t He doing so by using us ordinary people to do His work? So isn't it possible that we as Angels are God's instruments in providing for those on the Trail by dispensing Trail Magic. Trail Magic is the synthesis created by the complementary meshing of two needs: the hiker’s need to receive and the angel’s need to give. The hiker receives something tangible, practical and useful while the angel receives something perhaps more pleasing: the gratitude, the warmth, the appreciation, indeed even the love bestowed by the recipient. And both are comforted and invigorated by knowing that - in a chaotic, confusing, conflict-ridden world - people can perform caring acts for their fellow beings, even when they are complete strangers or have only known each other for a few months. "

I generally agree that the more unexpected and anonymous the TM, the more "magical" it is. The TM I dispensed last year was semi-expected by the recipients who were friends of mine. But this year, I provided home-cooked meals in Shenandoah NP to 3 strangers picked out at random and found the experience quite rewarding.

[weary]

I've both given and received Trail Magic. When planning some TM last year, I expressed my thoughts in my Trail Journal reprinted below:

“ '...It is more blessed to give than receive.' Acts 20:35
Trail Angel. Trail Magic. An angel is a messenger of God. At first glance, a serious notion like this may seem preposterous (and presumptuous) when applied to helping people hiking the Appalachian Trail. But is it really? When the Gospels tell us that God will provide, isn’t He doing so by using us ordinary people to do His work? So isn't it possible that we as Angels are God's instruments in providing for those on the Trail by dispensing Trail Magic....".

give me just a smidgeon of evidence that God interferes in important things -- like maybe the millions slaughtered by the Germans in WW II, or the millions slaughtered in religious, genosiadal, and philosophical wars since -- and I might be persuaded that your argument is other than silly -- or perhaps, simply, ignorant, or misguided.

Weary

[Jester2000]

. . .by adding parties at the shelters to mix.


. . .Are you saying that because a railroad crosses the trail, trains and a road summits Washington and a tower exists on Greylock that this is a wasted effort?

Weary www.matlt.org

Hmmm. Well, I don't recall saying or writing anywhere that it would be a good idea to have parties at a shelter. I could be wrong. In fact, I shy away from shelters close to road crossings on the off chance that locals might choose that spot to do so, particularly if it's a weekend.

Similarly, I have never suggested that working on the development of a wide corridor for the trail is a wasted effort. But you know I wasn't suggesting that, just as you know that I didn't mention having parties at a shelter in my posts.

What I did suggest was that a cooler on the trail is a miniscule blight on the wilderness experience compared to those other things, that unlike those other things it might just benefit a hiker in need, and that you can ignore a cooler if you want. But if you don't feel there's any way to argue against what I've actually suggested, I guess we could talk about other things that have no relation to my statements. You know, if that's what you want to do.

[Cookerhiker]

give me just a smidgeon of evidence that God interferes in important things -- like maybe the millions slaughtered by the Germans in WW II, or the millions slaughtered in religious, genosiadal, and philosophical wars since -- and I might be persuaded that your argument is other than silly -- or perhaps, simply, ignorant, or misguided.

Weary

Weary thanks for reading my post. No, I certainly can't give you the type of "evidence" you're seeking and I certainly can't explain why terrible evil things happen in the world - that's an age-old question. It's particularly outrageous that many such tragedies - the Crusades, Inquisition, slaughter of Western Hemisphere natives to name a few examples and we could come up with more modern examples as well - have been perpetrated by villains who considered themselves as doing God's will.

Your points are at the macro level and I'm at the micro level. I'm merely trying to point out that faith motivates many individuals to perform acts of service and kindness (such as Trail Magic) as their way of living and practicing their faith. Of course not all Trail Angels are motivated this way - perhaps the overwhelming majority are not.

But some of us are.

I'm hiking Maine next month. Maybe I'll see you on the Trail.

[bfitz]

Um...some of my funnest parties ever have been at shelters near road crossings, and, come to think of it, you were typically there, Jester! Running in to locals partying there usually either adds to the party or the drama, either is entertaining...My sense of remoteness (from the beer store) was alleviated one night when Bag o' tricks and jester showed up at Allentown shelter huffin and puffin having just carried up a (very large) cooler, full of beer and other goodies, and a rockin time was had by all! Now, I had had trail magic earlier that day, and the day before, and the day before that, and several times on the preceeding days before even that day! I got trail magic on a slackpack and got so drunk I had to yellow blaze back to town only to party my ass off and get even more trail magic the next day! I'm a trail magic junkie! It started with just a ride, or some cookies at a road crossing every now and then, but you know, unlike crack, its not just the first one thats free. TM takes so many forms that it has like that natural chaotic evolving beauty, its not just food or unexpected luxuries in the wild, untamed wilderness (ha) its like community affirming and a way to connect the new members of the community to the past and future of the community. If I had a point (and I don't) It would be that fun and people is what its all about and I feel like its a great way for me to hang out with and meet new hikers and relive a little bit o the good times of my own, and mabye make a little mischeif in the hikes of others. A lot of the beauty of the trail for me comes from the Red Mages of PA! They do magic right.

[bfitz]

Oh, yeah, and God has definitely sent trail magic my way. Who knows how or if God has interfered in the horrible wars or disasters of history, or how they might have turned out if (he) had not interfered, certainly many of the people who experienced things during those times feel like he was at work in their lives, but I know that when Im flowing along the right way something puts the right stuff in my path. Call it harmony with the tao or whatever you want, the great spirit is on the trail...and in trail magic!