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turtlex
02-21-2007, 19:22
Greetings All -

I've been a lurker for a while and thought I'd post a question I've wondered about but not specifically addressed yet. Please pardon me if it has.

What is the best Trail Magic you've PERSONALLY experienced? Where were you and what made it so special?

Thanks in advance.
Best Regards,
Happy Hiking,
turtlex

RAT
02-21-2007, 19:47
Was on a southbound hike in Oct/Nov `91 after spending a zero degree night on Chehoa we were met by hiker/helper(stalker?) "NightStalker" who offered to slackpack us for the rest of our journey to Rainbow Springs. we stayed at the hostel in Wesser then he took our gear and we slacked to the next place where he met us and took us to his home where we ate big, slept warm then put us back on the trail the next morning where we went all the way to our destination. It never got above 18 degrees those days so it was some very welcome magic :). Other than that it would have to be the time when a very nice couple gave us a ride from Gatlinburg back to Newfound Gap. God Bless the trail angels.

RAT

TJ aka Teej
02-21-2007, 19:52
And this was 'real' magic, spontaneous kindness from a family camping nearby.
:sun
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=1331&catid=member&imageuser=314

Footslogger
02-21-2007, 19:55
I'd call it more a "Random Act of Kindness" ...but for me it was up in New Jersey. It all started in back in NC actually. I was on Rocky Top taking a break and met a family who was on vacation. Had a great conversation with them. Wished them well and was about to hike off when the man reached out and handed me a business card. He said that he was the mainainter of the first section of the trail in NJ. Anyway, he said that he knew it would be a while until I reached that part of the trail but suggested that I call him when I got there. Months later, when I got to the Mohican Center I was fumbling through my journal and the business card dropped out. The next day I hit the highway (?? route #) where the Worthington Bakery is/was. The building next to the Bakery was a cocktail lounge ...and I was thirsty. Walked in and found several hikers knocking down some beer and joined in. Decided to call the number on the card. He (Steve) not only remembered me but he insisted that I wait right there and he would come and pick me up. I naturally asked if some other hikers could come along and he said sure.

Long story short ...about 30 mintues later Steve showed up and 4 of us loaded into his car and off we went to his lake house. His whole family was there and they were great. Let us use their canoes/kayaks to paddle in the lake and then fed us an absolutely out of this world salmon dinner.

This is getting long but I think I got the gist of the story across. Needless to say that is one day in the life of this thru hiker that will never be forgotten !! Pretty sure the other hikers who joined us would agree ...

'Slogger

mnof1000v
02-21-2007, 21:09
I had one heck of string of magic when I arrived in Waynesboro, VA hobbled by a bad foot. I thought I'd hang out in the YMCA camping area for a few days to heal up before hitting the trail again. On my second day in town, I was greeted by a hiker I had met earlier in the trail. She had a friend in town who hooked me up with a place to stay. (Her friend's wife was an excellent cook who kept me fat and happy...) She also had doctor friend who owed her a favor. That favor turned out to be an examination of my foot, which turned out to be infected. After a couple days, knowing I'd have to leave the trail to heal, I was busy finding a way back home. During that time, my friend with the connections hit the trail and ran into another section hiker who was headed back to Massachusetts later that day. The section hiker gave me a ride home.;)

(Coincidentally, my well-connected friend helped me find a ride to Trail Days, and back to the trail thereafter as well...)

Lyle
02-21-2007, 21:22
Well, since you said personally:
Friends and I were eating in a restaurant and discussing wanting to take a side trip the next day to a destination about 50 miles from where we were backpacking. A few minutes later, a man and his family stopped at our table, appologized for listening in to our conversation, then offered us the use of his pick-up. Said his family would be away, but they would leave the keys under the mat, asked us only to bring it back, and leave some fuel in it so he could get to work on Monday morning. Make a long story short - we used it, had a great day, and left his truck at his house full of gas. This was in 1980 while hiking with Hikanation in Kansas.

Last summer, Thru hikers I was hiking with had a very similar experience when they were given the use of an Olds 98 with leather interior to use for a trip to Gettysburg. They were trying to hitch a ride there from Pine Grove Furnace State Park. A woman on a bicycle stopped, told them to wait there, and returned with the car.

People are AMAZING!!!!! :sun


Lyle

Spirit Walker
02-21-2007, 21:50
I've been very lucky with trail magic. True trail magic is spontaneous, unexpected and fills a real need. Best ones were on the CDT: I was injured and we had a long walk out to a dirt road where we ran into a family out looking for a lake to go fishing. They took one look at our faces and immediately offered help. They drove us to a hospital 150 miles away, waited for me to be x-rayed and stitched, bought us dinner, then took us home with them. He was a church pastor, and they were building a new sanctuary with volunteer help. We stayed there for six days, sleeping in the Sunday school classroom, while I healed. Jim helped build the church, I just ate and rested.

Another time we were out of water, it was after 5:00 and it was four miles to the next possible (but not certain) water source. A BLM ranger drove up to us, gave us a gallon of water and some fresh blueberries she had bought at the store. They were delicious! It made such a difference in my attitude, getting help right when I needed it.

Over the years we've gotten trail magic in the form of food, hospitality, water and rides from many unexpected sources, all very welcome. We've met a lot of really good people who shared food and drink with us, and it was always welcome, but it didn't come near the blessing level of those people who showed up when we really needed help. We've tried to give trail magic - coolers of sodas and beer and fruit, slackpacking, even occasional hospitality. Most of the time it wasn't really appreciated, because the hikers all had run into so much of the same kind of trail magic. But at least once, we've been in the right place at the right time and were able to provide some real assistance to someone who needed it -- and that did a lot more good than all the coolers of drinks.

Sly
02-21-2007, 22:43
Ironically the best "trail magic" I received was on the CDT also. Once, the six of us walked into Rawlins, WY when I ask a of couple old timers sitting on a bench where the best place to get a good burger and beer was. They pointed us to a bar not far away and we walked in, dropped our packs and ordered a beer. A guy sitting on the corner stool asked what we were up to. "Walking from Mexico to Canada on the CDT!" "CDT? Get them all a beer on me!"

A few minutes later he offered to take us all to dinner and a place to stay for the night. After that he brought us to the grocery store to resupply and bought food for breakfast the following morning, and the next before we left back for the trail, and a cookout in the afternoon.

We had other instances of TM, water and maps in the desert also by a BLM employee, places to stay, rides to and from the trail....

Jim Adams
02-21-2007, 23:26
1990 was sitting on the wall at Newfound Gap when a retired magian from Wisconsin saw me rolling a cig and ask me if I would like a real cig. I said yes. He ask me if I was hiking the whole trail. I said yes. He handed me a carton of Kool cigs and told me to keep it. Then he ask me if I liked whiskey. I said yes. He poured me a FULL tumbler of Jack with ice and toasted my trip. His wife made me a sandwich and we talked about the trail while he kept filling my glass. When it was time to go he wished me luck and pushed a full bottle of Jack into my pack and waved goodbye. I litterally staggered up to Icewater Shelter where my thru hiking buddies were out of cigs. We ate supper and drank Jack and smoked cigs and totally enjoyed the sunset!.
geek

Jim Adams
02-21-2007, 23:37
4 days later, leaving Davenport Gap and out of food. I decided to hitch to Hot Springs to get my food drop from the Post Office. I told Mule that I would be back with food ASAP and meet him at the next shelter. I began to hitch on the interstate. The second car to pass me slammed on its breaks and litterally slid to a stop on the side of the road. I figured that I was getting robbed!. The driver popped out and yelled "Jim"---it was the magician. His wife made me another sandwich and gave me a soda. He handed me another "new" bottle of Jack from under the seat and then gave me the pack of cigs out of his shirt pocket. They rode me to the P.O. in Hot Springs, got my food, rode me back to Davenport Gap and put me back on the trail with another bottle and carton. I walked into the shelter a couple of hours after Mule and he thought that I couldn't get a ride---till I threw a pack of Kools to him and handed him the Jack!. Neither of us could believe that lightening had struck twice.
I stayed in touch with them for a years after my hike and I always got a Christmas card from them. He passed away in 1997----I hope HE is hiking now.

geek

Jim Adams
02-21-2007, 23:58
2002
Walked out of the woods onto Rt 30 @ Caladonia and put my thumb out for a ride----yes, still needed cigarettes! A van stopped with two guys (contractors) on they're way home from work. They ask me where I was going and I told them I didn't know, I needed a MAC machine and cigarettes. They handed me a cold beer and turned around and headed back the direction that they were coming from. About 10 minutes later we were at a Sheetz convinience store. I told them thanks. They said that they would wait for me and ride me back to the trail. The driver then handed me a fifty dollar bill and asked me to get him 2 packs of Marlboros. I told him that I would buy them for him and he said NO! He stated that I needed my money for the hike and that he always wanted to hike the trail but will never be able to do so because of work.
I used the MAC, bought my cigs and then his. I got back into the van and the passenger handed me another cold beer and we headed back to the trail. I handed the driver his cigs and change and he just smiled and told me that he didn't smoke--"put the cigs and the change in MY pack". I told him that I couldn't accept that and he then said " then get out!" He WAS smiling and stated that he made that much money the first 2 hours today, take it and write him when I finished. He retired last year and thinks that he is too old to hike but still rides hikers to Sheetz!

geek

rafe
02-22-2007, 00:05
Carol Moore, aka Lagunatic, performed countless acts of random kindness for the class of '90. Too many to recount... rides, beers, phone calls made on my behalf... I'm so happy to have the memories of her selfless, cheerful support on so many occasions. And I was just one of many.

Jim Adams
02-22-2007, 00:08
Carol Moore, aka Lagunatic, performed countless acts of random kindness for the class of '90. Too many to recount... rides, beers, phone calls made on my behalf... I'm so happy to have the memories of her selfless, cheerful support on so many occasions. And I was just one of many.

Yes, yes! Kudos to Carol! She was there so often that she was more like family than magic.:sun
THANK YOU CAROL!!!!!
geek

Sly
02-22-2007, 00:26
hey geek, do you need a hiking partner? ;) :) nevermind I'm trying to quit! :D

Jim Adams
02-22-2007, 00:29
hey geek, do you need a hiking partner? ;) :) nevermind I'm trying to quit! :D
:D Sorry Sly, I quit in April of 2005 but I smoked a pack a day the whole way on both of my thrus.

geek

Sly
02-22-2007, 00:34
Although I never met her, Lagunatic, reminds me of Dizzy B.

rafe
02-22-2007, 00:39
:D Sorry Sly, I quit in April of 2005 but I smoked a pack a day the whole way on both of my thrus.

Hahaha. I had gone cold turkey for a year prior to April '90. Three weeks on the trail and I was back into it. Didn't help that smokes were dirt cheap down south, or that Wingfoot smoked like a chimney. Everyone needs a vice, and cigs don't weigh much.

Nowadays I smoke one or two hand-rolled (terbakky) cigarettes a day. A pack of Drum keeps me for a couple of weeks -- on or off the trail.

Jim Adams
02-22-2007, 00:54
Hahaha. I had gone cold turkey for a year prior to April '90. Three weeks on the trail and I was back into it. Didn't help that smokes were dirt cheap down south, or that Wingfoot smoked like a chimney. Everyone needs a vice, and cigs don't weigh much.

Nowadays I smoke one or two hand-rolled (terbakky) cigarettes a day. A pack of Drum keeps me for a couple of weeks -- on or off the trail.

T-Too,
:eek: I haven't been on a long hike since I quit. I LOVED smoking while hiking! I hope that I don't start back this year.:mad:
:banana I used to love hearing all of the weekend warriors in the Whites bitch about me smoking and then the next day clean their clocks climbing the mountain. I used to sit at the top waiting for them to show up wheezing and half dead. They would ask me how I could climb so fast and smoke. I would tell them that I wouldn't let myself have a cig until I got to the top! The thought of them sitting at a desk all week and me walking 1500 miles to get there never crossed their mind.:rolleyes:

geek

Sly
02-22-2007, 01:10
T-Too,
:eek: I haven't been on a long hike since I quit. I LOVED smoking while hiking! I hope that I don't start back this year.:mad:


Cigarettes last longer at 12,000' :D

Marta
02-22-2007, 07:21
So much Trail Magic happened to me that it was truly freaky. I mean absolutely every time I had a real problem, someone showed up to help me out. I took the name Five-Leafed Clover because I found one as I was putting on my hiking shoes about a week before I left for Maine. I was sort of joking about being Lucky, and having The Luck of the Clover, but so many just plain freaky-lucky things happened that it stopped seeming like a joke.

People can be amazingly nice, and generous.

Marta/Five-Leafed Clover

Jaybird
02-22-2007, 07:30
Greetings All - .........................What is the best Trail Magic you've PERSONALLY experienced? Where were you and what made it so special?Happy Hiking,turtlex



i've experienced the usual candy bars, little Debbie cakes & sodas or juice in the cooler or mountain stream....but, the best was....i wuz totally outta water & an elderly couple out for a day-hike....gave me 2 bottles of H2O....sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!:D

hillsidedigger
02-22-2007, 08:16
The week of Thanksgiving, 1977, I solo walked from western shores of Hood Canal up a gated road into Olympic National Park, reached an elevation of 3,000 some feet and a fresh snow depth of about 5', hung out a couple of days because I couldn't make it any further and on Wednesday night of all things an intense rain and wind storm struck, being camped under large trees between the avalanche chutes my tent was pummeled by all the snow falling out of the trees and everything got soaked. Not bad.

On Thursday morning, I headed out with what felt like a "200 pound" rain soaked pack. It was gently downhill across very swollen creeks that had been easy to cross going in.

Anyhow, by early afternoon, I reached the end of the gated road, still about 9 miles from my car. The end of the road was a summertime NP campground with a ranger's cabin with propane gas light and cooking.

Unbelievably, there were 2 guys and three young women there (park service temps the previous summer) with turkey, dressing, butternut squash and eggnog. Magic.

mrc237
02-22-2007, 08:18
On the PCT I walked into Walker Pass just as two ''horsepackers'' that I'd had known were being re-supplied by one of their many support groups. A cold one was offered upon arrival and an invitation for dinner. I humbly accepted both;). Dinner included salad, inch thick steaks, potato and veggies with Bananas Foster for dessert. The beers continued into the night. Breakfast was also served the next AM. Stuff like that don't happen to guys from Brooklyn!

LIhikers
02-22-2007, 08:56
My wife and I are section hikers and our best trail magic happened in Barrington, MA. We needed a element for our water filter and walked about 3 miles to an outfitter. He was all out of the one we needed and told us the name of a store right in town that would probably have it. We set off and were almost to town when a car, driven by a young guy in his 20s, pulls up and asks if we need a place to stay for the night. I explained that what we really needed was a ride to the store and he said jump in . A short drive later we had the water filter and he explained that his parents would let hikers stay at their home and asked if we were interested. I said sure, figuring we could always wallk away if we didn't like the situation. It turns out that the family were great people. Not only did they let us shower and do laundry but they also had us join them at the dinner table that evening and fed us breakfast the next morning. Then, to top all of that off, they drove us back to the trail. We were one happy, clean, well fed, couple as we hiked that day.......Thanks Cathy, Jon and Matt!

adh24
02-22-2007, 09:09
Best trail magic for me would had to have been this past November in the Catskills. A buddy and me were hiking the Wittenburg, Cornell, Slide Mountain loop and after hiking all day we were dead tiered but just couldn't find a place to pitch our tents and crash. Then finally out of no where a camp site just appeared with a fire pit and two of the most perfect spots to just fit two tents.

Our knees were just about done and it was nice to have a fire after that long day to relax by. It turned out to be a chilly night. We sat and had a feast till almost midnight. Smoked some nice cigars and sipped some whisky.

Tabasco
02-22-2007, 11:09
Best trail mahic I ever got was a cool, clear stream of water pouring out of the mountain on my climb up to Cheoah from the NOC. Sept 2003, hotter than 9 shades of hell, water bottles running dry, bust a switchback corner and there it was. Cool, clear, unfiltered water. Best drink I have ever had I do believe.

THAT is trail magic.

rafe
02-22-2007, 11:25
Best trail mahic I ever got was a cool, clear stream of water pouring out of the mountain on my climb up to Cheoah from the NOC. Sept 2003, hotter than 9 shades of hell, water bottles running dry, bust a switchback corner and there it was. Cool, clear, unfiltered water. Best drink I have ever had I do believe.

In that vein... the best magic is having wandered for thirty-odd years in beautiful mountains and peaceful country lanes, in relative safety and comfort, in chosen solitude or in the company of good friends and kind strangers. Enough goodness to make me wanna kiss a white blaze once a day. :D

Lone Wolf
02-22-2007, 12:17
What is the best Trail Magic you've PERSONALLY experienced? Where were you and what made it so special?


none yet. in over 20 years i haven't seen one magician.

Jack Tarlin
02-22-2007, 12:18
Best trail magic?

Probably it was the first time I met Bob Peoples. When we got to Dennis Cove in '97, there was this little sign at the crossroads, saying "Hiker Hostel" and an arrow. We didn't know anything about it, as Kincora wasn't in any of the books. (Bob didn't know if the place would be ready on time, and he didn't want to disappoint anyone, so he deliberately didn't tell anyone about the place ahead of time). We were kind of afraid the place would be really sketchy, and were definitely on "Deliverance Dude" alert. Turned out he'd only been open for a few days, so we ended up being some of the first people to stay at Kincora. It was a magical place ten years ago. Still is.

Mags
02-22-2007, 14:31
From my 1998 journal:

Mile Post 255.9 ~ Roaring Fork Shelter
March 22 ~ Today did not start off well for me. Normally I am an early riser, getting out of my bag at sun-up. Today was different, did not crawl out of my bag until 8:30, and did not get on the trail until 10:00, not at all like me. The cold weather and the gray skies just seem to take the spark out of me.

I was frustrated. When the hike was started I did not expect all
sunny days with an inspiring view every minute. On the other hand, I feel cheated. The days when there are views number in the single digits. Yes, depression was starting to set in. This trip was beginning to seem more like a chore. Get up in the morning. hike my miles, eat dinner, go to bed, repeat. I was missing my friends. I kept on thinking of how they were doing, missing watching some movie with them while having a few cold ones.

The snow was stinging in my face, and my mind kept on wandering. How much I hate this weather, that this does not seem like a hike, but an ordeal to put up with.

It was not a good day in AT land. But something happened. On Max Patch Bald the clouds lifted just long enough to show peaks in the distance. On the way down the bald, the sun came out, making skies that seem to be only that blue after a snowstorm. It is funny how such little things can lift the spirit.

Today reminded me of why I am hiking the AT: whatever setbacks I might face, and whatever good things happen, all will make up a journey I will not forget. Each day is a thread in the tapestry that is my hike.
The best trail magic came not from a cooler of soda or a hamburger on the trail (though I've enjoyed that instance of trail magic as well!), but from the trail itself.

I was disillussioned. 1998 was an El Nino year and the weather was often snowy, rainy and cold.

Then I received the view described above. I knew from that moment I'd reach Katahdin.

No matter what may happen on the trail, it will get better.

I was living a life few people really experience. Where everyday was my own.

Walking the AT really did change my life.

Walking the trail and the gifts it provided was the best, and most true, trail magic of all.

Views from that day:
http://www.pmags.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_gallery2&Itemid=36&g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=1986
http://www.pmags.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_gallery2&Itemid=36&g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=1988

Sly
02-22-2007, 14:58
Yup, gotta agree with Jack. What's ironic is that the guides and Mala told me all about Sutton and the Braemor Castle and how good it/he was. Well, a day or so before Hampton, I met Sutton on the trail and he told me about Bob and the new Kincora Hostel, how it had laundry, that Bob shuttled into town and that it was only $4 and that hikers would probably be better off staying there.

Sutton is a class act. I highly recommend shopping for some things at Brown's store in Hampton and spreading the wealth.



Best trail magic?

Probably it was the first time I met Bob Peoples. When we got to Dennis Cove in '97, there was this little sign at the crossroads, saying "Hiker Hostel" and an arrow. We didn't know anything about it, as Kincora wasn't in any of the books. (Bob didn't know if the place would be ready on time, and he didn't want to disappoint anyone, so he deliberately didn't tell anyone about the place ahead of time). We were kind of afraid the place would be really sketchy, and were definitely on "Deliverance Dude" alert. Turned out he'd only been open for a few days, so we ended up being some of the first people to stay at Kincora. It was a magical place ten years ago. Still is.

Sly
02-22-2007, 15:09
On the PCT I walked into Walker Pass just as two ''horsepackers'' that I'd had known were being re-supplied by one of their many support groups. A cold one was offered upon arrival and an invitation for dinner. I humbly accepted both;). Dinner included salad, inch thick steaks, potato and veggies with Bananas Foster for dessert. The beers continued into the night. Breakfast was also served the next AM. Stuff like that don't happen to guys from Brooklyn!

What's with Walker Pass? There was no one at the campground the day I passed through, but upon crossing the road to hitch into Onyx, the very first car pulled over and picked us up. He brought us into Isabella to a super market where he bought ribs and beer, that he cooked for us that night and paid for the campsite at the BLM or FS campground right on the lake. The following day we took the $1 bus from Isabella to Onyx where we picked up our food drops (breaking up a 150 mile stretch) and bought a few things in the gas station store. Before we had tome to repacked, a lady offered a ride back to the trailhead. Prior to my half hitch, immediate ride both ways, it was said Walker Pass was a difficult hitch.

Pennsylvania Rose
02-22-2007, 16:53
1990 was sitting on the wall at Newfound Gap when a retired magian from Wisconsin saw me rolling a cig and ask me if I would like a real cig. I said yes. He ask me if I was hiking the whole trail. I said yes. He handed me a carton of Kool cigs and told me to keep it. Then he ask me if I liked whiskey. I said yes. He poured me a FULL tumbler of Jack with ice and toasted my trip. His wife made me a sandwich and we talked about the trail while he kept filling my glass. When it was time to go he wished me luck and pushed a full bottle of Jack into my pack and waved goodbye. I litterally staggered up to Icewater Shelter where my thru hiking buddies were out of cigs. We ate supper and drank Jack and smoked cigs and totally enjoyed the sunset!.
geek

geek -
As I remember we were at the Fontana Hilton at the same time, and we were probably less than a day apart at Newfound Gap. All I got offered there was a bologna sandwich - and I was a vegetarian at the time!!! I was hungry and ate it.

Pennsylvania Rose
02-22-2007, 16:57
Carol Moore, aka Lagunatic, performed countless acts of random kindness for the class of '90. Too many to recount... rides, beers, phone calls made on my behalf... I'm so happy to have the memories of her selfless, cheerful support on so many occasions. And I was just one of many.

I'll never forget her mini gormet cheeses and pop in Georgia, and the rides in the back of her truck, crammed in with as many hikers as could fit.

Tipper
02-22-2007, 19:11
I arrived in Rangeley, ME to resupply fuel and a bit of food. I really wanted to stay, but was unsure where. At the store where I got my fuel, I was asking the clerk about possible overnight options. A patron overheard me and offered a room in her and her husband's brand-new cabin time-share on the outskirts of town. They fed me dinner and breakfast and got me out to the trail the next day. Wonderful and trusting folks. Best trail magic of the entire trip!

rafe
02-22-2007, 20:11
I'm surely not the only one to have visited the home of the mayor of Unioinville, NY? Quick shower, laundry, chat, and a couple of smokes... back on the trail in time to make HighPoint shelter by dusk. Thank you, Richard!

skeeterfeeder
02-22-2007, 20:26
It is really hard to say just what was the best trail magic I experienced.
Not counting folks like Winton (?) at Neel's Gap taking us to his B-Day party, or Miss Janet in Erwin who would take you anywhere you needed, or the owner of the Hike-Inn in Franklin who would pick you up on the trail and take you back and haul you around to resupply, or the steak dinner cooked for us by the college students at one shelter, or the breakfast provided by the church in PA, or Bob Bird at the Birdhouse opening up his house for free, or Bob Peebles' wife who hauled us 15 miles into town to resupply, or Trailangel Mary who cooked a huge ham dinner for fifteen starving souls in Duncannon, and on... and on... and on...

But the one time I really needed a little magic was just before I started up McAfee Knob, which is noted for being some of the best views (and photo ops) on the trail, and since I was in the process of taking many of the 3,000 photos that I finished with, I discovered that my camera batteries were dying and I didn't have any backups. I didn't want to go on without my camera, so I started to hitch up to a little store about a mile down the road.
A trail maintainer with the trail name Left Field picked me up and took me to the store, but since they didn't have the batteries I needed, he drove me 20 miles to the nearest town and to three different stores until I found them. He then drove me back to the trail head and refused to take any payment.

I'm sorry that some haven't experienced trail magic on the trail. I must have gotten yours and my share.

iafte
02-26-2007, 16:21
Hiking the North Country trail, had finished the woods part of the hike, still had 17 miles of road to walk to get back to our car. There was a bar near the campsite we were at and decided to go get a good meal and have a few, ok, lots of drinks. Few hours into the night, I ask the waitress if they sold cigaretts. She stated "Nope, but there is a store 2 miles up the road" Took 3 steps, turned around and said "That's right, you don't have a car. Mine is outback, the keys are in it. You are more than welcome to take it." Yes, my friend went to the store. She also told us to come up to the store in the morning and she would have a ride waiting for us. She did enough for us that night and hitched back to our truck. An elderly couple picked us up, drove us out of thier way, waited for the truck to start, and wouldn't take any money. 2 times in 2 days.

__________________________________________________ _________

Last trip I blew my knee out going down a short steep hill, both feet came out from underneath me and I heard that dreaded POP. I rest it for a few while waiting for my friends to catch up, then fill my water and make the last 1/2 mile trek to the road that cuts across the loop. While we are sitting there 2 locals come out of the woods, decked out in fishing gear. So, being a fisherman myself, I strike up a conversation with them that lasted about 45 minutes until my friends states we need to go if we plan on getting to the car by dark. I start to put the pack on and they say, drop the pack, get your keys. They wouldn't take any money for the ride and said that the group ahead of us didn't even nod or wave hi, that us just spending the time to talk to them was worth the time of the drive.


Then there was that time the bartender kept the bar open on a sunday about 3 hours because we were still drinking. :banana

DMA, 2000
02-27-2007, 16:43
For me it happened one day around Ceres, VA. 8 of us were trying to hitch, which is pointless, except that an Econoline van stopped with a woman and her teenage son. In we pile, on to Dairy Queen, where the ATM didn't work. Those of us with cash stayed there, those without headed elsewhere in the van for one that did. First one they came too was also out of order, and the woman asked, "How much money do y'all need?" Money was strenuously refused, so she drove to the next town which had a working ATM.

Back to the DQ, and then on to a grocery store. As everyone was piling into a van, I said I'd find another ride as I had some calls to make. After confirming that I had a calling card, the woman suggested I could make them from her place (while waiting for the others @ DQ, I hadn't realized that they had received an invitation to dinner). 3 of us were driven back to the trail, the remainder to her place. This woman lived on a small farm with a gorgeous big log house, all sorts of animals running around, and 8 children. 3 were hers and her husbands, the others were adoptees/foster kids of various ages. After phone calls and showers all around, and some time enjoying the afternoon on their balcony, we had a great dinner. I sat next to a young Russian girl who had had some horrible background. She was telling me how when she got to the house, she (like all the children) had been taken to the barn and told to choose a horse to be her own. She named her "Fancy." It was odd, because it wasn't a windy day or anything, and the house was clean, but all of a sudden there seemed to be a lot of pollen and dust in the air. Can't quite explain it.

As dinner was winding up, her husband got up to go to work...he was an ER doctor at the local hospital. I asked, almost embarrassed to ask for more, if he could take a look at a little problem I was having. For a few days, some sort of bite or pimple on my leg had started to get pretty infected...to the point that laying face down or walking was getting pretty painful. He confirmed my diagnosis and started writing something on a piece of paper. He handed it to me and I saw that it was a prescription for some sort of antibiotic.

The other members of my little crew had, again unbeknownst to me, negotiated a ride to Pearisburg. Two had to meet a friend, the other two were serious yellow-blazers. Knowing that I'd better get to a pharmacy to deal with my leg, I also took the ride to the big city instead of to the trail. There I was able to hit the WalMart to start working on my leg, and was able to spend 5 lovely days convalescing at the Catholic Church hostel. By the time I left town, my leg was starting to seem almost normal, so I was glad I didn't wait for the infection to get worse.

moxie
02-28-2007, 09:45
One day north of Harpers Ferry was a good day and a very bad day, I was hiking with my good friend Pat From Maine and when we were on the canal path a young man on a bike came upon us and asked if we had seen Snow White and Grumpy. He worked for the outfitter and was trying to reach them with an importent message. They were about an hour ahead of us and had left the path and were on the trail and a bike couldn't reach them. As Pat and I hiked we met a dayhiker with a beautiful dog and we made friends with the dog, When we got to The War Correspondents Memorial the dayhiker and his friend were there. We found out that a Ranger had met Snow White and Grumpy, she called home, started screaming, broke down. A family having a picnic saw her situation, found their son had died in a tragic accident, stopped what they were doing, folded up their lunch and blanket, and put Snow White and Grumpy in their car and got them to the Washington Airport. The family called ahead and when Snow White and Grumpy got to the airport they had a flight home to Ct. in 15 minutes. That family preformed a very different but amazing traail magic. It was a good day for magic because the man with the dog was waiting for Pat and I when we emerged from the woods an hour later. He knew we were thru hikers and asked us if we would like to come to his house for dinner. We went with him. We did our laundry, showered, his wife prepared a wonderful dinner, and we slept in clean beds. He let us use his phone to call home and wouldn't even let us use our phone cards to pay for the calls. In the morning we had breakfast and he took us on a tour of where "The Blair Witch Project" was filmed, woods and town. He then gave us a ride back to the trail, gave us snacks and wished us a great hike. Between the family that came to Snow White and Grumpy's aid and the family that took Pat and I in, very few days of trail magic can rival that day.