Split: How long before meeting trail angels

[Ricky&Jack]

I'm not trying to hijack the thread, but for those did a thru or an attempt, about how long did you go before meeting trail angels? (Did you pretty much see them at least once a week, etc?)

[Busky2]

I'm not trying to hijack the thread, but for those did a thru or an attempt, about how long did you go before meeting trail angels? (Did you pretty much see them at least once a week, etc?)

My first this year was at Neels Gap and for a while it was almost every few days at the major gaps. Easter was very special at the gaps with candies and major feasts of all sorts and omelettes in the woods great big fluffy ones yummm. Beer in streams was here and there with notes tacked to trees and left mid trail. More than a few coolers were hauled into the woods with cold soda and fruit on occasion, made me crave oranges from there on. Gallon jugs of water were left in a few dry stretches, thanks Survivor Dave and others I sure enjoyed it. As I moved more north it seemed to be fewer and farther apart but that made it more special the less it was expected. It was still coming as of mid PA and will have to see what comes up ahead.

[Lone Wolf]

for those did a thru or an attempt, about how long did you go before meeting trail angels?

i've never met an angel

[rickb]

i've never met an angel

That you know of-- or remember.

[Lone Wolf]

That you know of-- or remember.in near-death i have. but gettin' a ride, coke or fed? no

[Okie Dokie]

I'm not trying to hijack the thread, but for those did a thru or an attempt, about how long did you go before meeting trail angels? (Did you pretty much see them at least once a week, etc?)

In '91 on my thru I saw none...what I did experience was the genuine kindness of people who lived and worked along the trail...the term "trail angel" hadn't been coined yet...a friendly store owner offered to let me sleep on his front porch overnight during a 12-hour downpour; a family shared the leftovers from their family reunion meal when I asked if they knew of a store nearby, as I was low on food; a family out camping to celebrate the 4th of July invited me over for breakfast donuts deep fried in a battered #10 can over a fire, a park employee offered to drive me to and from a local restaurant (again low on food), a retired Baxter State Park Ranger that I ran into in a Rangely grocery store invited me to spend the night in his hand-built chalet...these are but a few examples...none were forced encounters, they just came about naturally...as I met people, we sized each other up as people do, and they offered what they had to offer in exchange for conversation related to my thru experience and the good feeling that comes from helping another human being...

In short, all were impromptu meetings--good people, who had no plans to be kind to another human when they woke up that morning, ended up doing so...I appreciated them all, deeply...not what they had to give, but the fact that they were willing to give, just as I was...

I have mixed feelings about what might be called the "trail angel" phenomenon--people who make it their goal to assist hikers...I think, in one sense, it's great...the world needs kindness, and better a surplus than a deficit...on the other hand, I think a little can go a long way...on my thru I met fellow hikers who professed to be thru-hikers who were clearly dishonest, moochers, grifters, drunks, etc...some claimed to be thru-hiking but were yellow-blazing, hitchhiking ahead at every opportunity and living off whatever fat the land had to offer...they accepted every offer, just as if they were actually hiking the trail...trail angels beware...

I set out on the AT, which at that time was still billed as a "footpath through the wilderness", to rely on my abilities-- live a somewhat vagabond lifestyle, plan carefully, avoid injuries, receive pre-packed maildrops from home; re-supply in towns along the way as needed, etc...I never planned to seek the assistance of others...


To be honest if I were thru-hiking again, now, and met people at every gap offering me things I would be disappointed...it wouldn't be what I set out to experience...

That's just me...hike your hike...help others however you feel moved to help them...

[RED-DOG]

It Varies from year to year you might experience trail magic at every road crossing in GA,NC,TN but then go 3-4 states before you see anymore, on my 96 flip-flop i didn't have any trail magic the entire trip and then on my 06 thru it seemed like i had magic evey single time i turned around their was literally people bringing food and stuff to shelters and setting up hiker feeds there and then you get to the next road crossing and their be another hiker feed, and my 2012 thru i had trail magic at all the road crossings in GA and then nothing until i got to VA and no more the rest of the trip, Hostels are another very Hot spot for trail magic, I think i have gotten trail magic at every single hostel i have ever stayed at, Alot of people get to where they depend on trail magic they look for it at all the road crossings, the thing is if it's their i might except it and then again i might not, Don't depend on trail magic it might be their and again it might not, Don't become one of those hikers that expects trail magic or other free items out their.

[RED-DOG]

Every single time i excepted a ride to town, or when someone let me camp in their back yard cause it was after dark when i was ready to leave town i have met an trail angle, any body can be a trail angle it could be the 90 year old man sitting on his porch when he lets you fill up your water bottles, or it could be the guy you been hiking with the past month when he offers you a candy bar or a cold drink at a gas station or the girl scout that offers you a cookie when you walk through town, Trail Magic is the item and the Trail Angles are the people giving the item the item could be something big or something very small. what i am trying to say is ANY BODY can be a TRAIL ANGLE.

[linus72]

i dont think you can predict it. we did a scant 15 mile section hike a few weekends ago, and literally 1/4 mile in there was a cooler of trail magic, and as we waited for our shuttle out, trail angels were placing a cooler at the other end... there was also a liquor store half way that gives free beers to everyone who signs their registry. that's the only one we knew about!

[RED-DOG]

i dont think you can predict it. we did a scant 15 mile section hike a few weekends ago, and literally 1/4 mile in there was a cooler of trail magic, and as we waited for our shuttle out, trail angels were placing a cooler at the other end... there was also a liquor store half way that gives free beers to everyone who signs their registry. that's the only one we knew about!
Yep i have gotten the free beer at the Liquor store before, Pretty cool place.

[ChefATLTCT]

My first trail magic was at Wayah bald, My first trail angel was Miss Janet, Back when she would just drive around town and abduct, i mean pick up hikers , She never asked for money but did have a coffee can for donations in her car.

[Ricky&Jack]

are "trail magic" coolers usually marked as so?

I would hate to come up to a shelter/crossing and go through a cooler, thinking it was from a trail angel, when it fact it was someones personal stash.

[DLP]

are "trail magic" coolers usually marked as so?
I would hate to come up to a shelter/crossing and go through a cooler, thinking it was from a trail angel, when it fact it was someones personal stash. I believe that some some coolers or hiker feeds are specifically for thru hikers and it is considered bad form for section hikers or weekenders to partake. Don't know if they are marked, "Thru hikers ONLY".

I don't have personal experience with this... just here-say... or reading the somewhat controversial debates on who is deserving of Trail Magic.

Of course, as others have pointed out... we all get Trail Magic... be it a ride or use of of a wall plug or help contacting family or whatever.

[2015 Lady Thru-Hiker]

are "trail magic" coolers usually marked as so?

I would hate to come up to a shelter/crossing and go through a cooler, thinking it was from a trail angel, when it fact it was someones personal stash.

I had that happen to some friends of mine. They were staying at a cabin close to the trail and left their cooler full of beer on the front porch without thinking about the proximity to the trail. Went off for a hike and came back ready for a cold one only to find an empty cooler. Don't know that I would go up on a porch thinking it was "trail magic" though. And may not even been thru-hikers but the beer was sure gone she said :(


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[Lone Wolf]

I believe that some some coolers or hiker feeds are specifically for thru hikers and it is considered bad form for section hikers or weekenders to partake. Don't know if they are marked, "Thru hikers ONLY".


any so-called "angel" that would mark anything "for thru-hikers only" is an elitist, pompous azz. a walker is a walker. gonna feed one, feed 'em all. thru-hikers ain't special in no way, shape or form

[Sarcasm the elf]

any so-called "angel" that would mark anything "for thru-hikers only" is an elitist, pompous azz. a walker is a walker. This...

Don't call yourself an angel if part of your plan is to go into the woods to tell some hikers that they are worthy of your help and others that they aren't.

[linus72]

agreed. most of us section hikers are only that because of family and professional responsibilities that at the current time prevent us from just up and leaving everything behind for half a year, even if we dream about it. doesn't make us any less worthy than thru-hikers. backpacking for miles and miles, carrying the weight, living out of a bag for long distance is quite the same animal in my estimation whether its 100 miles or 2000 miles, once you're on the move.

[Ricky&Jack]

Plus If I understand it right, most trail angels are section hikers themselves, who hike and volunteer when able to. So it would be kinda biggoty to say section hikers can't partake.

[Ox97GaMe]

There are two or more classifications of trail angels:
a) random people, doing random things, at random times because an opportunity arose or they felt inclined to help (rides to town, sharing a picnic, taking a picture for you when your hiking buddy isnt there, etc)
b) planned events such as hiker feeds, people who go out looking for hikers to shuttle into town, etc.

I have participated in both of these categories, and they both have their rewards from the angel's perspective. One of my most memorable 'magic' opportunities was on a road trip in California when I picked up a hiker who was at a gas station, looking for a ride to Yosemite. Totally random, but very rewarding for both parties.

[Teacher & Snacktime]

How long? I took us about a year of hiking and travelling and posting to meet Ox!

[rafe]

In '91 on my thru I saw none...what I did experience was the genuine kindness of people who lived and worked along the trail...the term "trail angel" hadn't been coined yet...

I'm feeling lazy but I bet I could prove this statement wrong with a bit of effort. For sure the origin of the term "Trail Angel" had to do with chance encounters between hikers and caring strangers who somehow saved the day or provided safety, shelter, food, rides, comfort, etc.

Class of '90 had at least one full-time trail angel, Lagunatic, who had thru-hiked the year before. She didn't call herself that, but she certainly played the part. Trail Days dates back to the mid or late 1980s, and that's nothing if not highly organized "trail magic."

Organized large-scale hiker feeds were less common then than now, I think that's true. I remember one in Newfound Gap in '90 -- but that may have been the case of a more private party (intended for one or two hikers) that was crashed by a dozen or more of their thru-hiking friends. Lagunatic organized another one in Vermont that year. Maybe (probably) others took place that I wasn't aware of.

In the early '00s I started seeing cans of soda left in streams or the occasional cooler left near a trailhead. In '07 (a drought year) I was thankful for occasional gallon jugs of water left by trailheads in PA.

I agree, if you're gonna do magic, it should be for any hiker who shows up. I was at a trail-work party out of RPH shelter last weekend. I was happy to see that the organizers had planned to feed the hikers at the shelter (all three nights) as well as the volunteers. Nice touch. But frankly, it would have been rude to do otherwise.

[ELW]

I'm feeling lazy but I bet I could prove this statement wrong with a bit of effort. For sure the origin of the term "Trail Angel" had to do with chance encounters between hikers and caring strangers who somehow saved the day or provided safety, shelter, food, rides, comfort, etc.

Class of '90 had at least one full-time trail angel, Lagunatic, who had thru-hiked the year before. She didn't call herself that, but she certainly played the part. Trail Days dates back to the mid or late 1980s, and that's nothing if not highly organized "trail magic."

Organized large-scale hiker feeds were less common then than now, I think that's true. I remember one in Newfound Gap in '90 -- but that may have been the case of a more private party (intended for one or two hikers) that was crashed by a dozen or more of their thru-hiking friends. Lagunatic organized another one in Vermont that year. Maybe (probably) others took place that I wasn't aware of.

In the early '00s I started seeing cans of soda left in streams or the occasional cooler left near a trailhead. In '07 (a drought year) I was thankful for occasional gallon jugs of water left by trailheads in PA.

I agree, if you're gonna do magic, it should be for any hiker who shows up. I was at a trail-work party out of RPH shelter last weekend. I was happy to see that the organizers had planned to feed the hikers at the shelter (all three nights) as well as the volunteers. Nice touch. But frankly, it would have been rude to do otherwise.

If you're going to ACCEPT trail magic, you'd better be a thru hiker, or doing a pretty long section.
Weekend hikers should go prepared. As a weekender, if I came across someone doing trail magic, I would thank them, perhaps converse with them, but would not accept free food or beverages. In fact if I had extra stuff I would give it to them to distribute to others.

Please be gracious in accepting trail magic. It is better to give than to receive.

[rocketsocks]

If you're going to ACCEPT trail magic, you'd better be a thru hiker, or doing a pretty long section.
Weekend hikers should go prepared. As a weekender, if I came across someone doing trail magic, I would thank them, perhaps converse with them, but would not accept free food or beverages. In fact if I had extra stuff I would give it to them to distribute to others.

Please be gracious in accepting trail magic. It is better to give than to receive.while agree it is better to give than receive, what about allowing an Angel to give regardless, is that what it is really all about. What about the trail bum down on his luck, just lost job, or whatever. What about the weekend woopier who mis counted the trips meals and has come short. I'd give anyone 1/2 of what I had if I felt they needed it, and have.
You really can't put rules down when it comes to giving, most know right from wrong, and the spirit takes care of the rest. It really should be just that simple.

[rocketsocks]

while agree it is better to give than receive, what about allowing an Angel to give regardless, is that what it is really all about. What about the trail bum down on his luck, just lost job, or whatever. What about the weekend woopier who mis counted the trips meals and has come short. I'd give anyone 1/2 of what I had if I felt they needed it, and have.
You really can't put rules down when it comes to giving, most know right from wrong, and the spirit takes care of the rest. It really should be just that simple.should have read.
Isn't that what it's really all about?

[Lone Wolf]

If you're going to ACCEPT trail magic, you'd better be a thru hiker, or doing a pretty long section.
Weekend hikers should go prepared. As a weekender, if I came across someone doing trail magic, I would thank them, perhaps converse with them, but would not accept free food or beverages. In fact if I had extra stuff I would give it to them to distribute to others.

Please be gracious in accepting trail magic. It is better to give than to receive.there's nothing magical about a planned hiker feed. everyone gets fed. thru-hikers ain't special. they're just doing a bunch of small section hikes

[rickb]

In the early '00s I started seeing cans of soda left in streams or the occasional cooler left near a trailhead.

The Warren Doyle Memorial Bathtub was a well established feature on the Trail long before I came upon it in 1983. Unfortunately some trail um, er "devils" felt a need to remove it. Ostensible because some angels were leaving beer in it-- but more likely out of spite.

[Bronk]

If you're going to ACCEPT trail magic, you'd better be a thru hiker, or doing a pretty long section.
Weekend hikers should go prepared. As a weekender, if I came across someone doing trail magic, I would thank them, perhaps converse with them, but would not accept free food or beverages. In fact if I had extra stuff I would give it to them to distribute to others.

Please be gracious in accepting trail magic. It is better to give than to receive.This seems to be the same attitude that says hiker boxes are for the "needy." Not so. There is nothing inherently special about a thruhiker that makes them deserving of freebies...especially when you consider that most of them won't make it all the way and they aren't really thruhikers until they have completed the trail.

[Teacher & Snacktime]

If you're going to ACCEPT trail magic, you'd better be a thru hiker, or doing a pretty long section.

I'm sure you didn't mean this to be as threatening and offensive as it reads. It's up to the giver to decide whether or not to share that which he/she gives. When Snacktime and I came down from Blood Mtn. into the Hostel at Mtn Crossings there was a group there feeding the hikers. Now, I did let them know that we weren't staying at the hostel, and that we were only dayhiking. The response was a simple question: "Are you hungry?" Yes, we were! There was no discrimination here based on how much or little one hiked, and none were made to feel less-worthy of their kindness because they weren't thrus.

This was the very first trail magic Snacktime and I had received, and we fully enjoyed it!

[shelb]

I have never thru-hiked (nor attempted - my hikes have only been the one to two week variety), so please do not blast me for being on the receiving end! Anything I received did not take away from a thru-hiker.

My experiences:
- In SNP, a picnicking family gave us half a water mellon at a park we stopped at for lunch (instead of throwing it away). It was 99 degrees on the trail, 100 percent humidity. I have never tasted such a succulent treat since. (Actually, blueberries and rasberries have never tasted as good as they did on the SNP part of the trail neither!)
-Allentown, PA - ate breakfast at a local diner, went to pay, and the cashier said someone already paid for us on his way out (unknown who!).
-Maryland stream - a Mountain Dew. - Yes, I did allow my sons to take it. We were out for a week hike, and at 9 and 11, this was a good experience for them. We did buy TWO extra pops at the next machine we came from, which they excitedly put into a stream that day to give to someone else. (GREAT learning experience for them.)
-Maryland crossroad - a cooler with a case of water bottles in ice! (took one)
-PA - on June 22, found a 12 pack of summer Solstice Beer in a stream! (Only took one, leaving rest for other hikers...)
-PA - road sides - cooler with various food (PB, tuna, cracker snack packages, etc.) - (took nothing - actually, added some things we didn't need)
- There are more! While some are against this, I think it shows a "Pay it Forward" spirit in humanity.
It is MAGIC!

[Teacher & Snacktime]

I have never thru-hiked (nor attempted - my hikes have only been the one to two week variety), so please do not blast me for being on the receiving end! Anything I received did not take away from a thru-hiker.

My experiences:
- In SNP, a picnicking family gave us half a water mellon at a park we stopped at for lunch (instead of throwing it away). It was 99 degrees on the trail, 100 percent humidity. I have never tasted such a succulent treat since. (Actually, blueberries and rasberries have never tasted as good as they did on the SNP part of the trail neither!)
-Allentown, PA - ate breakfast at a local diner, went to pay, and the cashier said someone already paid for us on his way out (unknown who!).
-Maryland stream - a Mountain Dew. - Yes, I did allow my sons to take it. We were out for a week hike, and at 9 and 11, this was a good experience for them. We did buy TWO extra pops at the next machine we came from, which they excitedly put into a stream that day to give to someone else. (GREAT learning experience for them.)
-Maryland crossroad - a cooler with a case of water bottles in ice! (took one)
-PA - on June 22, found a 12 pack of summer Solstice Beer in a stream! (Only took one, leaving rest for other hikers...)
-PA - road sides - cooler with various food (PB, tuna, cracker snack packages, etc.) - (took nothing - actually, added some things we didn't need)
- There are more! While some are against this, I think it shows a "Pay it Forward" spirit in humanity.
It is MAGIC!

NO THRUHIKER WE'VE EVER MET ON THE TRAIL WOULD BLAST ANOTHER HIKER FOR ACCEPTING TRAILMAGIC THAT THEY THEMSELVES WOULD ACCEPT. The people on the trail are kind and generous. Don't worry about those that would "blast" you here...they're unimportant in the big picture.

Now, down to the good stuff.....I LOVE the soda lesson...the give and take....absolutely that is a wonderful lesson! How lucky for you to have stumbled into such a perfect circumstance! And your kids SHOULD partake of each and every trail magic they encounter if it adds joy to their journey and helps develop their love for the fun and adventure of hiking the AT.

I bet that none of the magic you found came with the "for thruhikers only" label attached. It's only those that have this delusion that thruhikers are somehow more deserving of kindness than others that think there's a need for such labels.

Take what you want/need.....that's what it's there for. You've already shown you understand the spirit of the giving.