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  1. #1

    Default Trail Magic workshop - Photos and input sought

    In a few weeks I'll be giving a workshop to discuss trail magic at the A.T. Festival in Castleton, Vermont.

    I'm going to be showing photos that illustrate the spectrum of trail magic, provide a few quotes I've gathered, review the trail magic suggestions that were developed a couple of years ago by ATC (with input and feedback from folks here at WhiteBlaze, ALDHA and elsewhere), and invite discussion from the audience.

    I'd like to include more photos that illustrate trail magic or quotes that explain what it means to you today, and what role it has played in your A.T. experience. I expect most of this to be positive, but if hikers, trail maintainers, trail managers, or trail angels themselves have problems or concerns, I want to include that too.

    Please send any high-resolution digital photos (for use in a PowerPoint) you'd be willing to have shown or comments you'd like shared to:

    Laurie Potteiger
    [email protected]
    ATC Information Services Manager

    If you have comments about the trail magic suggestions themselves, please send those along too. Looking forward to seeing you in Vermont!

  2. #2
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    all so-called "trail magic" should only be done in trail towns. never at road crossings or shelters

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lauriep View Post
    In a few weeks I'll be giving a workshop to discuss trail magic at the A.T. Festival in Castleton, Vermont.

    I'm going to be showing photos that illustrate the spectrum of trail magic, provide a few quotes I've gathered, review the trail magic suggestions that were developed a couple of years ago by ATC (with input and feedback from folks here at WhiteBlaze, ALDHA and elsewhere), and invite discussion from the audience.

    I'd like to include more photos that illustrate trail magic or quotes that explain what it means to you today, and what role it has played in your A.T. experience. I expect most of this to be positive, but if hikers, trail maintainers, trail managers, or trail angels themselves have problems or concerns, I want to include that too.

    Please send any high-resolution digital photos (for use in a PowerPoint) you'd be willing to have shown or comments you'd like shared to:

    Laurie Potteiger
    [email protected]
    ATC Information Services Manager

    If you have comments about the trail magic suggestions themselves, please send those along too. Looking forward to seeing you in Vermont!
    Can of worms just opened

  4. #4
    Section Hiking Knucklehead Hooch's Avatar
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    "If you play a Nicleback song backwards, you'll hear messages from the devil. Even worse, if you play it forward, you'll hear Nickleback." - Dave Grohl

  5. #5

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    No, this is not a can of worms.

    LaurieP is a great friend of the Trail; a former thru-hiker; and has also worked tirelessly for the ATC for many years.

    Read her post. All she's asking for is your photos and comments, period. Anyone who wants to do this, great. Anyone with another agenda, i.e pro or anti Trail Magic, etc, well do it somewhere else. All Laurie asked is for photos. Serious comments about Trail Magic or raves about how awful today's hikers are, well send then somewhere else, or better yet, write Laurie a real letter with your real name on it if you're that concerned.

    But there's no "can of worms" here. Laurie made a simple request.....send her your pictures and remarks.

    And that's all, folks.

  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by Lone Wolf View Post
    all so-called "trail magic" should only be done in trail towns. never at road crossings or shelters
    Wolf, you have a very narrow sense of what "trail magic" is. Meals, hiker feeds, etc. are but one small slice of the various kinds of trail magic. The best trail magic I received was when I was hiking NH, I lost a trekking pole tip in the mud; by the time I realized my loss and went back looking for it, it was like a needle in a haystack. An hour later, a thruhiker caught up to me and produced it: "Did you lose this?" It made my day.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cookerhiker View Post
    Wolf, you have a very narrow sense of what "trail magic" is. Meals, hiker feeds, etc. are but one small slice of the various kinds of trail magic. The best trail magic I received was when I was hiking NH, I lost a trekking pole tip in the mud; by the time I realized my loss and went back looking for it, it was like a needle in a haystack. An hour later, a thruhiker caught up to me and produced it: "Did you lose this?" It made my day.
    i know what real trail magic is but i think laurie is referring to planned feeds and coolers left at roadsides and the like which isn't magic at all

  8. #8
    AT 4000+, LT, FHT, ALT Blissful's Avatar
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    We loved doing our hiker picnic in Shenandoah this year, it was very rewarding to say the least, meeting the hikers from around the world and getting to know them, and we can't wait to do it again next year. Had a blast with them.







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  9. #9

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    Laurie: I`ll send ya a pic or two of the Brown Gap Hikers Feast which is by far the largest trail magic ever in one spot ;-)

    Jack Tarlin: Please contact me asap.

    Wolf: I expect to see you at Brown Gap 20 yr. reunion.

    RAT

  10. #10
    •Completed A.T. Section Hike GA to ME 1996 thru 2003 •Donating Member Skyline's Avatar
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    Laurie's presentation on Trail Magic can only be a good thing. I hope it is well attended and received. Maybe some year it can be repeated in the South.

  11. #11

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    Rat:

    My mailbox here is not working.

    You can always reach me at baltimorejack at hotmail dot com

  12. #12

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    Thanks much Jack, you`ve got mail !

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jack Tarlin View Post
    Rat:

    My mailbox here is not working.

    You can always reach me at baltimorejack at hotmail dot com
    it ain't workin' cuz you gotta clear it out of old messages. very easy to do

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by RAT View Post
    Laurie: I`ll send ya a pic or two of the Brown Gap Hikers Feast which is by far the largest trail magic ever in one spot ;-)

    Jack Tarlin: Please contact me asap.

    Wolf: I expect to see you at Brown Gap 20 yr. reunion.

    RAT
    pretty unlikely that i'll be there

  15. #15
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    Laurie asked Wolf and others on this list who have comments about the trail magic suggestions themselves, to "please send those along too".

    I don't see why they need only be presented in a private e-mail.

    Wolf's observations seem to be more pointed than the Trail Magic suggestions provided in the link.

    The recommendations presented under the ATC and ALDHA logos are interesting. I am curious about how they came to be, however. And why.

  16. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by Lone Wolf View Post
    i know what real trail magic is but i think laurie is referring to planned feeds and coolers left at roadsides and the like which isn't magic at all
    I agree with you on that - whatever the virtues of organized hiker feeds, it ain't "magic" when it's so well-publicized and planned.

    I did an unpublicized one-day, one-man feed myself in MD 3 years ago and had a good time. Served 17 thruhikers, none of whom were expecting it.

  17. #17

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    The more I think about it the more I think trail magic is getting a little out of hand. New young hikers hear about it at Springer or prior and it turns em' into expectant, entitled, demanding, unappreciative jerks or at the very least attracts more of their ilk. I'd like to see trail magic limited to spontaneous acts of kindness on a small scale rather than these large advertised "trail magic" events.

  18. #18
    Registered User Lyle's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cookerhiker View Post
    I agree with you on that - whatever the virtues of organized hiker feeds, it ain't "magic" when it's so well-publicized and planned.

    I did an unpublicized one-day, one-man feed myself in MD 3 years ago and had a good time. Served 17 thruhikers, none of whom were expecting it.
    I kinda agree. While I'm not opposed to "event" type feeds and parties if they are done near but not on the trail, I don't think they qualify as "trail magic". Maybe that could be a qualification going forward to what is considered "magic" - that it's impromptu, unplanned, unadvertised - see a need and fill it for an individual or small group. Kinda like the fishermen summoning the loggers and their logging skip to help a group of hikers across a low-water bridge during the PA flooding. Not planned, definitely not organized, but very beneficial to a group of us, and it came out of nowhere.

    In my opinion, lets just call an event an event and keep "trail magic" to describe the spontaneous acts of kindness like it originally did - that's what makes it magic.

  19. #19

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    I applaud Laurie for keeping a conversation going.
    'All my lies are always wishes" ~Jeff Tweedy~

  20. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by Lauriep View Post

    I'd like to include more photos that illustrate trail magic
    To me, "Trail Magic" should be unexpected, a true surprise.
    A few years back I was camping at Abol Pines while working on the Companion and four GAMErs who were getting ready to enter Baxter the next day. A family camping nearby us came over and started asking about their hike, and later came by with a surprise:

    http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/...&imageuser=314

    That right there, that was "Magic"!
    Teej

    "[ATers] represent three percent of our use and about twenty percent of our effort," retired Baxter Park Director Jensen Bissell.

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