View Full Version : Sharing Food
JohnWayne
08-05-2012, 08:59
Homeless thread got me thinking. I travel pretty light and generally pack only enough food for myself and don't have a heap leftover if any. Now I would give a few bucks to anyone, but having a hard time wrapping my head around sharing my food if asked by homeless staying in shelter when I'm on my thru in 2014. I don't have a problem with homeless with the thought that it could be any one of us. How do the rest of you with limited supplies handle it?
WingedMonkey
08-05-2012, 09:15
I have shared food with other hikers, more of a trade kinda thing of a "here try this, OK you try this". I've never given the food I've carried away...I eat it.
Hairbear
08-05-2012, 10:06
ive watered down a rice meal and made soup to share, but i wouldnt want to do this often on a long journey for fear of becoming weak ,and possibly sick.
Lone Wolf
08-05-2012, 10:18
hell no. i do not share food
Pedaling Fool
08-05-2012, 10:21
I'll share food with anyone that removes all the rocks from the AT.
I don't understand Lone Wolf. Why wouldn't you share food (especially if you had something extra)? I thought you were affiliated with a church in Damascus for God's sake - - I'm not a church-goer but don't you think that Jesus would have given his last Cliff Bar away?
Maybe you were just being funny.
I always enjoy sharing. A couple of weeks ago, a man, his son and their dog got caught out on Moosilauke without any supplies and had to bivy at Beaver Brook. I was on a long hike with limited re-supply but I gave the dog half a block of cheese and made these people a pot full of two pasta sides to get them through the night. Glad they didn't run into a stingy old know it all too set in his ways to help others.
Lone Wolf
08-05-2012, 11:24
I don't understand Lone Wolf. Why wouldn't you share food (especially if you had something extra)? I thought you were affiliated with a church in Damascus for God's sake - - I'm not a church-goer but don't you think that Jesus would have given his last Cliff Bar away?
Maybe you were just being funny.
I always enjoy sharing. A couple of weeks ago, a man, his son and their dog got caught out on Moosilauke without any supplies and had to bivy at Beaver Brook. I was on a long hike with limited re-supply but I gave the dog half a block of cheese and made these people a pot full of two pasta sides to get them through the night. Glad they didn't run into a stingy old know it all too set in his ways to help others.
oh puh-leese :rolleyes:
hell no. i do not share food
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6GsjLPvW5I
Whether you share food or not is the last thing that should be on your mind as you prepare for your trip. There are a thousand more important things.....
I will gladly share any food that I don't want to et or carry, that's generally not that common but it has happened. I would also donate food to someone that is in "trouble" such as injury etc. but giving food to someone so they don't have to get off the trail to buy it or due to piss poor planning, highly unlikely.
Whether you share food or not is the last thing that should be on your mind as you prepare for your trip. There are a thousand more important things.....
I will gladly share any food that I don't want to et or carry, that's generally not that common but it has happened. I would also donate food to someone that is in "trouble" such as injury etc. but giving food to someone so they don't have to get off the trail to buy it or due to piss poor planning, highly unlikely.
Ditto. I'll share what I can, when I can, and I"ll go way out of my way to help an injured hiker, but I'm not going to screw up my plans because someone else screwed up their plans... or their life.
MuddyWaters
08-05-2012, 13:12
Helping others isnt always so simple a decision.
When I pull up to a traffic light and someones holding a sign, begging for money, I am conflicted.
Part of me would give every one of them $20 if I knew it would make a difference to them. The other part wont give them a dime as many of them would just spend it on booze.
Some have chosen to make it their lifestyle, and arent neccessarilly there by chance.
There are services (missions, etc) to help homeless people. Many require no drinking, no smoking, limited stays, and that you look for work actively. A lot of homeless would rather be on the street than put up with their rules.
To me the bottom line is that any homeless person out in the woods is there by choice, not by chance.
Hard to convince myself to encourage them to stay by giving handouts. Kind of like feeding a stray cat, they will stay near the source. If you want them to go away, you cannot do it.
If someone was starving, sure I would give them food, even though I carry just enough to get to my destination myself.
If they are within walking distance of a road to town, etc, Nope. They need to be elsewhere where they can get assistance to get their lives on track. Staying on the trail isnt doing them any good.
Helping others isnt always so simple a decision.
When I pull up to a traffic light and someones holding a sign, begging for money, I am conflicted.
I give food. I keep sack lunches in my car for such situations.
Some people are genuinely down on their luck, some may be lazy. Many likely have substance abuse problems. There are as many stories as there are people. I figure money is best given to agencies that can pool it with other monies to offer more meaningful help. But one on one, I feel compelled to give a meal to satisfy the immediate need. I am not looking for kudos and I am not suggesting anyone else do the same. I only offer it as a suggestion for those wanting to do something but are not sure what to do.
Helping others isnt always so simple a decision.
When I pull up to a traffic light and someones holding a sign, begging for money, I am conflicted.
Part of me would give every one of them $20 if I knew it would make a difference to them. The other part wont give them a dime as many of them would just spend it on booze.
Some have chosen to make it their lifestyle, and arent neccessarilly there by chance.
There are services (missions, etc) to help homeless people. Many require no drinking, no smoking, limited stays, and that you look for work actively. A lot of homeless would rather be on the street than put up with their rules.
To me the bottom line is that any homeless person out in the woods is there by choice, not by chance.
Hard to convince myself to encourage them to stay by giving handouts. Kind of like feeding a stray cat, they will stay near the source. If you want them to go away, you cannot do it.
If someone was starving, sure I would give them food, even though I carry just enough to get to my destination myself.
If they are within walking distance of a road to town, etc, Nope. They need to be elsewhere where they can get assistance to get their lives on track. Staying on the trail isnt doing them any good.
I hear what you are saying but I think all of this is "judging" - - if I can, I just give - - yep, the "will work for food guy" is probably scamming me and the homeless guy on the trail might be too. Sorry, it makes me feel good to give a little - - if I'm a sucker, so be it.
Pioneer Spirit
08-05-2012, 15:10
Here is the answer: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=sam+kinison+move+to+where+the+food+is&mid=EAE14993C9F26E63E34EEAE14993C9F26E63E34E&view=detail&FORM=VIRE2
Old Boots
08-05-2012, 15:53
Hikers are usually generous people --- check out the hiker boxes all along the trail. To panhandle food while on the trail is rude because we generally carry only what we need. Trading is certainly acceptable and if someone shares with you be very grateful.
jakedatc
08-05-2012, 16:03
trading can be fun and/or useful. a kid i was hiking the LT with had a ton of dinners but not much lunch food and an AT nobo had lots of snacks and not many dinners left so they worked out a trade so they would both be set for a few days. plus it is fun to try other things you didn't think to pack and can remember for next trip/resupply.
have given and recieved stuff this trip too
Hikes in Rain
08-05-2012, 16:41
As a section hiker who doesn't get to hike near as much as I'd like, I inevitably overpack food, even when I take into account my tendancy to lose my appitite the first few days due to the unaccustomed excersize and such. I've given meals to folks who don't even ask, to save them a little on the next resupply, or maybe I noticed they seem short, or just announce I have extra so I don't have to carry the darned stuff. Some clearly needed it, others just as clearly really didn't, but all were welcome to it.
kayak karl
08-05-2012, 16:53
i don't share food. if an individual begs, i move on. this also goes for begging hikers that want to use my map, phone, lighter, guide, TP, water treatment, compass... etc.
Lone Wolf
08-05-2012, 17:02
hell no. i do not share food
meaning i don't share food that i'm fixin' to cook or already eating. i don't share beers either that i pack into camp. i used to make jiffy pop a lot and hikers were always tryin' to mooch it.
Lone Wolf
08-05-2012, 17:09
I don't understand Lone Wolf. Why wouldn't you share food (especially if you had something extra)? I thought you were affiliated with a church in Damascus for God's sake - - I'm not a church-goer but don't you think that Jesus would have given his last Cliff Bar away?
i help the caretaker of "The Place" hostel. i do the dirty work of enforcing rules. i never said i was a christian. never met jesus so i have no clue if he woulda given up his last bit of chow. if someone were truly hungry of course i would feed them. don't be so pompous
Sarcasm the elf
08-05-2012, 17:13
Whether you share food or not is the last thing that should be on your mind as you prepare for your trip. There are a thousand more important things.....
I will gladly share any food that I don't want to et or carry, that's generally not that common but it has happened. I would also donate food to someone that is in "trouble" such as injury etc. but giving food to someone so they don't have to get off the trail to buy it or due to piss poor planning, highly unlikely.
I know what your saying and I don't mean to split hairs, but if the piss poor planning is obviously due to lack of experience, then I am more than glad to help. I don't consider inexperience to be a character flaw and enjoy helping people who are new to backpacking. If in the other hand the poor planning is obviously due to an experienced hiker's laziness or expectation tht others will help them, then thats a different story.
WingedMonkey
08-05-2012, 17:24
Hiker feeds are the entry drug to food beggars.
:p
Wise Old Owl
08-05-2012, 19:20
hell no. i do not share food
Yea but I would still buy you a beer.
To answer the question I am not a big fan of yogi-ing, Yes I split sandwiches on the trail - I generally carry too much on the trail.. i keep extra Hershey kisses for the girls to sweeten them up for a good conversation.
Lone Wolf
08-05-2012, 19:31
one year i carried a buttload of peppermint patties out of NOC on easter eve. early the next mornin' on cheoah bald i put a couple in front of each tent. there were about 8 of us i think. easter wolf came through
coach lou
08-05-2012, 19:35
one year i carried a buttload of peppermint patties out of NOC on easter eve. early the next mornin' on cheoah bald i put a couple in front of each tent. there were about 8 of us i think. easter wolf came through
awe...that's sweet..................you're not as mean and gruff as people make you out to be:rolleyes:
Supreme Being
08-05-2012, 20:05
awe...that's sweet..................you're not as mean and gruff as people make you out to be:rolleyes:
How heavy are Peppermint Patties? A really good Easter Wolf would have brought them each their own Jiffy Pop. :D
i help the caretaker of "The Place" hostel. i do the dirty work of enforcing rules. i never said i was a christian. never met jesus so i have no clue if he woulda given up his last bit of chow. if someone were truly hungry of course i would feed them. don't be so pompous
OK - I know you're a good egg - - and I'll have a hand full of that Jiffy Pop - thanks.
Hiker feeds are the entry drug to food beggars.
:p
Nah but I'm about over the hiker feeds. Trail magic is much less magical if it becomes routine.
Blissful
08-05-2012, 21:46
Hiker feeds are the entry drug to food beggars.
:p
I never would have believed this statement a few months ago. But after becomming a ridge runner I see how hikers now expect it. Some hikers last night were treated to extra pizza out of the blue. They didn't even blink an eye at it. Sad.
Blissful
08-05-2012, 21:48
Nah but I'm about over the hiker feeds. Trail magic is much less magical if it becomes routine.
That's all it is now. It's one big food bash northbound. Ridiculous
Go SOBO and go on a real hike where the miracles and the magic to be found are REAL (and unexpected and mean oh so much more) ! :)
WingedMonkey
08-05-2012, 21:54
But after becomming a ridge runner I see how hikers now expect it.
Actually I've been waiting to ask you if any thing changed that since your became one. Now I don't have to.
;)
I give food. I keep sack lunches in my car for such situations.
Some people are genuinely down on their luck, some may be lazy. Many likely have substance abuse problems. There are as many stories as there are people. I figure money is best given to agencies that can pool it with other monies to offer more meaningful help. But one on one, I feel compelled to give a meal to satisfy the immediate need. I am not looking for kudos and I am not suggesting anyone else do the same. I only offer it as a suggestion for those wanting to do something but are not sure what to do.
I've occasionally given them a beer. And I'm not kidding either. They will surely appreciate it more, and that's exactly what they would buy if you gave them your money. And those that give them food, well, that's just less money they have to spend on food and more money they can spend on booze.
I used to live in an uppity apartment complex in Florida that had a wooded area nearby where 30-50 homeless people camped over the winter. This was just a few blocks from a busy intersection and you'd almost always see one of them holding up a sign asking for money. They only stayed long enough to collect enough money to buy the cheapest 12 pack of beer at the nearest convenience store and then they'd go back to the camp in the woods. Back in the woods there were piles of beer cans and beer bottles 12 to 15 feet high. Somebody could have made a small fortune hauling off those cans, but come spring the camp would disperse and the mess would be left behind. I have no idea who owned that property or how they got away with camping there as this was within the city limits of a pretty nice area.
I'll share food with anyone that removes all the rocks from the AT.
There ain't enough food for that epic achievement.
I know what your saying and I don't mean to split hairs, but if the piss poor planning is obviously due to lack of experience, then I am more than glad to help. I don't consider inexperience to be a character flaw and enjoy helping people who are new to backpacking. If in the other hand the poor planning is obviously due to an experienced hiker's laziness or expectation tht others will help them, then thats a different story.
There's also a huge difference between poor planning and arriving on the AT with no plan at all other than beg and borrow your way up the trail. Someone begging for food on the trail will still be begging for food tomorrow if they don't have a plan to change their situation.
I rolled up to Cosby Knob shelter in April of 2002 in the pouring rain and of course the shelter was full. We all crammed in there and some guys had a fire going with some wet wood. We were all soaked to the bone and pretty miserable. For most of us it was our last nite in the smokies, and when we had come through Fontana Dam the store shelves were almost bare, so by the time we got to Cosby Knob most of us that hadn't gone into Gatlinburg had very low food stores (I had chosen not to because I just couldn't deal with the crowds at Newfound Gap after having been in the woods for a few weeks). We all just wanted some warm food after a long and miserable day.
Everybody was cooking in the shelter due to the weather, and it was pretty crowded. One lady accidentally knocked her pot off her stove and spilled her soup all over the dirt floor. It was the last food she had in her pack and she had been looking forward to it all day. This lady received several offers to share dinner.
But "I left town knowing I wouldn't have enough food because I didn't have any money and I was hoping to sponge some food off of other hikers along the way" just doesn't cut it in my opinion. You do not belong on the trail in that situation.
brian039
08-05-2012, 23:10
Homeless thread got me thinking. I travel pretty light and generally pack only enough food for myself and don't have a heap leftover if any. Now I would give a few bucks to anyone, but having a hard time wrapping my head around sharing my food if asked by homeless staying in shelter when I'm on my thru in 2014. I don't have a problem with homeless with the thought that it could be any one of us. How do the rest of you with limited supplies handle it?
I came across a homeless guy on my thru-hike at Stover Creek Shelter. He had heartburn so I gave him some Rolaids that I had. That was the only homeless person that I came across in those 180 days.
Sarcasm the elf
08-05-2012, 23:13
There's also a huge difference between poor planning and arriving on the AT with no plan at all other than beg and borrow your way up the trail. Someone begging for food on the trail will still be begging for food tomorrow if they don't have a plan to change their situation.
I rolled up to Cosby Knob shelter in April of 2002 in the pouring rain and of course the shelter was full. We all crammed in there and some guys had a fire going with some wet wood. We were all soaked to the bone and pretty miserable. For most of us it was our last nite in the smokies, and when we had come through Fontana Dam the store shelves were almost bare, so by the time we got to Cosby Knob most of us that hadn't gone into Gatlinburg had very low food stores (I had chosen not to because I just couldn't deal with the crowds at Newfound Gap after having been in the woods for a few weeks). We all just wanted some warm food after a long and miserable day.
Everybody was cooking in the shelter due to the weather, and it was pretty crowded. One lady accidentally knocked her pot off her stove and spilled her soup all over the dirt floor. It was the last food she had in her pack and she had been looking forward to it all day. This lady received several offers to share dinner.
But "I left town knowing I wouldn't have enough food because I didn't have any money and I was hoping to sponge some food off of other hikers along the way" just doesn't cut it in my opinion. You do not belong on the trail in that situation.
Agreed, I'm a section hiker and was thinking of it from my perspective. Hiking in CT/MA/NY I bump into a lot of novice weekenders and sectioners which is what I was referring to.
The nice thing about the northeast is that most of the mooching segment of the thru hiker class drops out long before getting to where I usually hike. I've occasionally thought of hiking in GA or TN during the spring just to get a feel for how crazy it really is in the middle of the NOBO bubble, but then I think better of it.
I've occasionally given them a beer. And I'm not kidding either. They will surely appreciate it more, and that's exactly what they would buy if you gave them your money.
I agree many will buy beer with the money they save and I can't change that. At least I feel he/she will get one meal that day. One person actually said to me he didn't want alcohol so if there was any he didn't want the sack meal.
I came across a homeless guy on my thru-hike at Stover Creek Shelter. He had heartburn so I gave him some Rolaids that I had. That was the only homeless person that I came across in those 180 days.
I run into the most of the homeless guys in the South in the Winter so I'm not surprised. There are exceptions though (like the guy I saw at Velvet Rocks 3 weeks ago).
Ladytrekker
08-06-2012, 08:32
I rarely carry excess food so sharing can be a bit tricky. I did have long distance hiker friend of mine tell me never let anyone stick their hands in your bag of food and if someone offers you food that is an open product that their hands have been in say no. If you give anyone something pour it into their hands. She said that is a sure fire way to get sick on the trail by trading food with dirty hands. So, I have always followed this advice.
Pedaling Fool
08-06-2012, 08:42
I've occasionally given them a beer.
San Fran gives them all the beer they want; they say it saves the city millions. I guess that's why Cali is doing so well, financially speaking :D http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/15/wet-houses-san-francisco_n_1279755.html
I have given FOOD to Homeless atleast 3 times on each of my Thru's, Their just trying to survive thats all.
kayak karl
08-06-2012, 13:43
(like the guy I saw at Velvet Rocks 3 weeks ago). did he have a lawn chair in his back?
Creek Dancer
08-06-2012, 16:23
I rarely carry excess food so sharing can be a bit tricky. I did have long distance hiker friend of mine tell me never let anyone stick their hands in your bag of food and if someone offers you food that is an open product that their hands have been in say no. If you give anyone something pour it into their hands. She said that is a sure fire way to get sick on the trail by trading food with dirty hands. So, I have always followed this advice.
At Trail Days a few years ago I had a couple of thru hikers offer me a huge bag of GORP that they were tired of eating. Nope, no way. Wow.
Like you, I typically don't have much extra food. I plan my food very carefully, including only one extra meal just in case the hike takes longer than I expect.
rocketsocks
08-06-2012, 16:38
I'm pretty finicky about food prep, but if I were hungry, that all goes out the window. But I'd bring an extra candy bar to give away, one of them king size ones, and if someone was really in need, I'd share food, and then just restock in the next town. Most everyone on the trail could get by for a few days with a little less food, we eat what we want and don't mind carrying, not what is the minimal to sustain life. Well maybe some real weenies do...but then there weenies, I'm not interested in eating like a bird.