The day will come soon when AT Service Providers will require payment in advance, or some may stop hiker services all together. It's awful and infuriating what happened to Birchy, but it shouldn't shock anyone who has spent any length of time on the Appalachian Trail. Why should we be shocked when a low life like Papa Smurf doesn't pay his tab when we can't even get self-entitled thru-hikers to leave $4 at Kincora or "The Place" in Damascus.