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Lemni Skate
06-14-2013, 09:55
I inadvertantly started a thread that degenerated into people bashing these things.

It sounds like hikers are just stumbling on these things all the time. I never do.

Are these things that hikers make a special trip to get to (like Trail Days), or are there really so many that a person doing 160 days from Springer to Katahadin is going to wander upon 10 or 12 of them in their hike? I honestly don't understand.

If you've got to make a special trip to get to them, I'd think they wouldn't be hard to avoid, but if there are really so many that people are just wandering up on a dozen or so in a typical thru-hike, then that's truly crazy.

MDSection12
06-14-2013, 09:59
I inadvertantly started a thread that degenerated into people bashing these things.

It sounds like hikers are just stumbling on these things all the time. I never do.

Are these things that hikers make a special trip to get to (like Trail Days), or are there really so many that a person doing 160 days from Springer to Katahadin is going to wander upon 10 or 12 of them in their hike? I honestly don't understand.

If you've got to make a special trip to get to them, I'd think they wouldn't be hard to avoid, but if there are really so many that people are just wandering up on a dozen or so in a typical thru-hike, then that's truly crazy.

I think you mean trail feeds? You title and post are not very clear.

RED-DOG
06-14-2013, 10:04
Hiker feeds are fine as long as theirs not one at every road crossing.

Slo-go'en
06-14-2013, 10:28
It really is hit or miss. Typically hiker feeds are at road crossings, so you don't have to go out of your way. Most of these "events" happen down in the south during the peak spring season when you can count on having a crowd. Depending on your timing, you may hit several events or none at all.

Once into Virginia, the best you can usually hope for is to find a few cans of soda in a stream, maybe a cooler with some snacks in it. By mid Virginia, the number and frequency of thru-hikers passing though a given spot on any given day or weekend is getting pretty small.

Cookerhiker
06-14-2013, 10:30
I'm not sure what you're talking about.

MDSection12
06-14-2013, 10:37
I've never seen a 'feed' here in MD. The only similar thing I've seen was a few cases of soda under a bridge near Harper's Ferry with a sign. The sign said 'thru hikers only, please' and the trash had all been tossed around there on the ground. :(

I was happy to pass it up, and if it weren't for the fact that I was under a noisy highway anyway it would have bothered me more... But I will admit that a hiker in our group who had been suffering through terrible blisters and was pushing to make Harper's Ferry did take one just for the caffeine rush. I would have preferred they not be there at all though.

MDSection12
06-14-2013, 10:38
I'm not sure what you're talking about.

Contextually, it seems that he's talking about 'hiker feeds.' I think that's pretty safe to assume.

Berserker
06-14-2013, 12:05
It sounds like hikers are just stumbling on these things all the time. I never do.
I haven't stumbled on a thru hike yet, but I'd like to.


Are these things that hikers make a special trip to get to (like Trail Days), or are there really so many that a person doing 160 days from Springer to Katahadin is going to wander upon 10 or 12 of them in their hike? I honestly don't understand.
Hmmm...wander onto 10 or 12 thru hikes during a thru hike :-?...that's quite a profound thought.


If you've got to make a special trip to get to them, I'd think they wouldn't be hard to avoid, but if there are really so many that people are just wandering up on a dozen or so in a typical thru-hike, then that's truly crazy.
Again, a special trip to a thru hike, but then wandering up on a dozen or so thru hikes during a thru hike :-?...dude, you're blowing my mind!

slbirdnerd
06-14-2013, 12:58
Somebody stumble upon some trail magic mushrooms? What is this even about?

I can't imagine trail magic being a bad thing, especially since the people offering it probably just enjoy meeting the thru hikers so much. I would. And "offering" being the "magic" word. You don't have to partake.

MDSection12
06-14-2013, 13:03
I can't imagine trail magic being a bad thing, especially since the people offering it probably just enjoy meeting the thru hikers so much. I would. And "offering" being the "magic" word. You don't have to partake.

It isn't a good thing, or a bad thing... It's a made up term (obviously) that has almost no concrete definition. I could give you examples of 'trail magic' that are excellent and I could give you examples of 'trail magic' that are terrible... Have you read the 'becoming a mobile trail angel' thread? If you sift through the BS I think we actually hashed it out quite well. :)

Cookerhiker
06-14-2013, 13:13
I've never seen a 'feed' here in MD....

I lived in MD for 37 years and one time, in June 2006, I did a solo hiker feed at Gathland State Park. It's a good setting because the trail goes right past the picnic pavilion. I asked the hikers to sign their trail name on a sheet. Fed 17 hikers. As I recall, only one thru declined to stop and partake. Had the usual - hot dogs, burgers, chips, potato salad, fresh fruit - plus I made some things like guacamole and brownies.

Mizirlou
06-14-2013, 13:38
Are these things that hikers make a special trip to get to . . . if there are really so many that people are just wandering up on a dozen or so in a typical thru-hike, then that's truly crazy.
LS, the issue isn’t confined to the subset of thru hikers you mentioned. Some events along the trail attract friends & relatives of thru hikers, former thru hikers, section hikers & their followers, Trail Angels & their friends and relatives, people who empty nearby cities on weekends to partake, and a fair number of curious onlookers. In your opinion, does the document below fairly explain the spirit of the thing? Please read, then comment:

http://www.atcmarpc.org/documents/Trail%20Magic%20Issue%20Paper%2010-12-06.pdf
Issue: “The evolution of ‘Trail Magic’ from small spontaneous acts of kindness to larger and
increasingly common planned social events, such as multi-day hiker ‘feeds,’ and the
appropriateness of leaving unattended food and drink along the A.T.”

Summary: “These recommendations are offered to help Trail Angels on the Trail, the plants and animals who call it home, and the people who enjoy it.”

LS, the issue isn’t confined to the subset of thru hikers. Some events along the trail attract friends & relatives of thru hikers, former thru hikers, section hikers & their followers, Trail Angels & their friends and relatives, people who empty nearby cities on weekends to partake, and a fair number of curious onlookers. In your opinion, does the document below fairly explain the spirit of the thing? Please read, then comment: http://www.atcmarpc.org/documents/Trail%20Magic%20Issue%20Paper%2010-12-06.pdf
Issue: “The evolution of ‘Trail Magic’ from small spontaneous acts of kindness to larger and
increasingly common planned social events, such as multi-day hiker ‘feeds,’ and the
appropriateness of leaving unattended food and drink along the A.T.”

Summary: “These recommendations are offered to help Trail Angels on the Trail, the plants and animals who call it home, and the people who enjoy it.”

Mizirlou
06-14-2013, 13:39
department of redundancy department. 'Scuse me.

Cookerhiker
06-14-2013, 14:01
LS, the issue isn’t confined to the subset of thru hikers you mentioned. Some events along the trail attract friends & relatives of thru hikers, former thru hikers, section hikers & their followers, Trail Angels & their friends and relatives, people who empty nearby cities on weekends to partake, and a fair number of curious onlookers. In your opinion, does the document below fairly explain the spirit of the thing? Please read, then comment:

http://www.atcmarpc.org/documents/Trail%20Magic%20Issue%20Paper%2010-12-06.pdf
Issue: “The evolution of ‘Trail Magic’ from small spontaneous acts of kindness to larger and
increasingly common planned social events, such as multi-day hiker ‘feeds,’ and the
appropriateness of leaving unattended food and drink along the A.T.”

Summary: “These recommendations are offered to help Trail Angels on the Trail, the plants and animals who call it home, and the people who enjoy it.”

LS, the issue isn’t confined to the subset of thru hikers. Some events along the trail attract friends & relatives of thru hikers, former thru hikers, section hikers & their followers, Trail Angels & their friends and relatives, people who empty nearby cities on weekends to partake, and a fair number of curious onlookers. In your opinion, does the document below fairly explain the spirit of the thing? Please read, then comment: http://www.atcmarpc.org/documents/Trail%20Magic%20Issue%20Paper%2010-12-06.pdf
Issue: “The evolution of ‘Trail Magic’ from small spontaneous acts of kindness to larger and
increasingly common planned social events, such as multi-day hiker ‘feeds,’ and the
appropriateness of leaving unattended food and drink along the A.T.”

Summary: “These recommendations are offered to help Trail Angels on the Trail, the plants and animals who call it home, and the people who enjoy it.”

In the book I'm writing about my Colorado Trail hike, here's what I said about Trail Magic:



"Here it was only our third day and twice in less than a one-hour period, we were recipients of Trail Magic provided by Trail Angels. What? When people do good things for hikers, especially when the acts are unexpected, unplanned, spontaneous, arising from circumstances, from being at the right place at the right time - the givers are Trail Angels and the act is Trail Magic. The homeless guy didn’t go out looking to do good deeds. He met us, we talked, and the offer of his act was generated. We all know this kind of serendipity occurs in life as well and is not limited to hikers on trails.

In recent years, the term “Trail Magic” has been misused in a reductionist way to be regarded as one-and-the-same with well-organized and publicized “hiker feeds” and with leaving coolers of food and drinks in the woods where, if not tended to every day, they inevitably cause litter. But the best Trail Magic I’ve received is real “magic” like the time I lost the tip of my hiking pole and a hiker behind me a half-hour later happened to see it sticking in the mud. Or back in 1980 when I lost a camera hiking in Vermont, convinced myself it was gone for good, and celebrated my good fortune when it was returned after posting a lost-and-found notice. So on this day, we had received the first of what turned out to be many instances of bona fide Trail Magic."

hikerboy57
06-14-2013, 14:03
In the book I'm writing about my Colorado Trail hike, here's what I said about Trail Magic:


"Here it was only our third day and twice in less than a one-hour period, we were recipients of Trail Magic provided by Trail Angels. What? When people do good things for hikers, especially when the acts are unexpected, unplanned, spontaneous, arising from circumstances, from being at the right place at the right time - the givers are Trail Angels and the act is Trail Magic. The homeless guy didn’t go out looking to do good deeds. He met us, we talked, and the offer of his act was generated. We all know this kind of serendipity occurs in life as well and is not limited to hikers on trails.

In recent years, the term “Trail Magic” has been misused in a reductionist way to be regarded as one-and-the-same with well-organized and publicized “hiker feeds” and with leaving coolers of food and drinks in the woods where, if not tended to every day, they inevitably cause litter. But the best Trail Magic I’ve received is real “magic” like the time I lost the tip of my hiking pole and a hiker behind me a half-hour later happened to see it sticking in the mud. Or back in 1980 when I lost a camera hiking in Vermont, convinced myself it was gone for good, and celebrated my good fortune when it was returned after posting a lost-and-found notice. So on this day, we had received the first of what turned out to be many instances of bona fide Trail Magic."


this........+1

Mizirlou
06-14-2013, 14:11
In the book I'm writing about my Colorado Trail hike, here's what I said about Trail Magic: . . .
the best Trail Magic I’ve received is real “magic” like the time I lost the tip of my hiking pole and a hiker behind me a half-hour later happened to see it sticking in the mud. . .

Ding, ding, ding! Winner!

kidchill
06-14-2013, 18:12
I...am...so...confused...

atmilkman
06-14-2013, 18:19
I...am...so...confused...

Don't worry. It gets worse.

TD55
06-14-2013, 18:20
You can't rollerskate in a buffalo herd, but you can be happy if you've a mind to.

Datto
06-14-2013, 20:17
There's something about this thread that makes sense.

To explain thru-hiking, I offer the following from my PCT journal:

May 5, 2004
Palms to Pines Highway - Idyllwild
Milepoint: 153.7

A few days ago several of us thru-hikers were sitting outside a store waiting for the afternoon desert heat to subside.

An SUV pulls up and a woman and a man get out. The woman walks up to us thru-hikers carrying her Pomeranian lap dog.

She asks, "Where did you all start your hike?"

Crow answers, "Mexico. We all started at Mexico."

The lady looks us over, admittedly a motley crew, and asks, "so where are you hiking to?"

Crow responds, "Canada."

The lady quickly says, "Yeah. Right.", ties up her dog to a post and goes inside the store.

Us thru-hikers outside are rolling in laughter.


- Datto

PS: Crow fell and broke her arm several days later. Crow kept hiking until she could take time out to get her arm set in a cast up the trail. One day she hiked past me and gave me an earfull for taking a nap in the middle of the trail. The nerve I have some days.

Lone Wolf
06-14-2013, 20:22
it's just walkin'

Bronk
06-15-2013, 02:47
How often it occurs really depends upon how you define trail magic.

I only remember having to walk from the trail to town one time...and that was at Fontana Dam early in the season when the store had just opened...every other time either there was someone waiting at the road to give hikers a ride or somebody stopped when they saw me. I only remember having to stick my thumb out a couple of times...the vast majority of the time people saw me with my pack and stopped and offered. This is probably why some hikers stiff shuttle drivers...they are used to getting a free ride.

I remember finding individual bottles of orange juice in the spring at Rock Gap. A bottle of Jack Daniels in the shelter right before there that we passed around the fire that night. A cooler of sodas and a box of cupcakes at Max Patch. A couple times finding a cooler at a road crossing filled with soda, fruit and snacks. Somebody brought a cooler of sandwiches and soda to the Fontana Hilton. I started walking down the road at Big Bald because the databook said there was a restaurant there...I saw a couple outside in their yard and asked how much further the restaurant was...turned out to be a seasonal restaurant at a ski resort (or so I was told)...when they saw the look of disappointment on my face the woman went in the house and made me a roast beef sandwich.

The only actual hiker feed I remember was a picnic at a road crossing near Montebello. There were sandwiches, beer and wine. A church in Troutdale was having a BBQ and invited hikers to attend, but it wasn't an event put on specifically for hikers.

A case of soda was left in a shelter near Daleville because the cistern was dry due to lack of rain. Twice on the Blue Ridge Parkway outside of Waynesboro I was offered beer from a cooler someone had in their car or truck parked at a scenic overlook. At NOC myself and two other hikers were given a 12 pack of beer that someone had left in their cooler after a weekend of camping. A bag of snickers bars left hanging on a tree at the road to 4 Pines Hostel.

This all happened over the course of a 4 month hike from Springer to Waynesboro. So if you add it all up it appears that in addition to transportation to and from town SOMETHING was being offered on about a weekly basis. So its pretty easy to understand why hikers would almost expect something every time they cross a roadway.

moytoy
06-15-2013, 07:07
Your a little young to be having a senior moment LS. But whatever it is your asking you got some good answers. :)

Rain Man
06-15-2013, 09:31
I think you mean trail feeds? You title and post are not very clear.

Likewise, I have little idea what the OP is trying to say. I'm talented, but not a mind reader.

HINT: Always read and then re-read your posts BEFORE clicking on "Post." Then read it again AFTER posting it.

Rain:sunMan

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