Best Trail Magic
I think that "Trail Magic" is so amazing. What is the best trail magic that you have ever received?
define "trail magic"
1. On the AT, starting a long, arduous section hike from Gorham to Katahdin, I lost the tip of my trekking pole on the first day - got stuck in the muck. Like a needle in a haystack, but a young NOBO thruhiker coming by after me happened to spot it and carried it along until he caught up with me. "Is this your's?" That really made my day!
2. Last year on the Colorado Trail, facing an 8 mile walk down a 4WD road, a vacationing family took an interest in us and out of their way, gave us a ride all the way to town. That was one of numerous instances of Trail Magic we received in Colorado.
Delicious 1/2 pound cheeseburgers under a dining fly from "Grits" during a rain storm...
I would say a lucky coincidence, such as you are out of water and the only spring for 10 miles is dry. then a 1/2 mile later there's a cooler with water and sodas.Originally Posted by Lone Wolf
Mine would be last Feb I hiked Harper's Ferry to Waynesboro, PA and found 2 mismatched gloves on the trail. A definate help after my fleece ones got wet in sub-freezing temps.
I came off Unaka mtn. after getting drenched by a storm. At the gap there was a couple of hillbillies who had been camping just to get away from their annoying wives. They had a fire that had been going for days and was very hot. They also had some hamburgers with juicy tomatoes and mayo. They offered beer as well. I ate my burger and dried off and we had a grand time listening to this guy drunkenly tell us his life story.
It was Halloween in Tennessee when there was a small note on a tree inviting people 400 yds up a road for salad, apple pie and ice cream. Fantastic.
I hate that I live 1,800 from the AT. If I lived in Damascus, I would totally get off on doing Trail Magic. Like a little elf leaving presents. To me, the best Trail Magic would be icy cold Diet Dr. Pepper waiting in a stream! Since I live so far, next year when I hike, I'll try to do the little Elf thing myself.
Shame that so many people equate trail feeds with trail magic.
yep, way over used in the wrong situation.
please don't leave cans in streams. that is littering and there is only a slim chance someone will actually find it and not think it is trash.
It's my understanding that items like this are marked pretty well.
Another instance of Trail Majic, the hitch that I used the day before to get to the convenince store at Jarrard Gap found my cell phone on his back seat. They were kind enough to take it up the trail to Neels Gap for me to pick up.
hikers don't need to be fed or cared for. they're on vacation, have money and are self-sufficient.
Agreed! I'll honestly say I've had many instances where I've enjoyed cold beverages or food left or provided by others. Nothing hits the spot like a cold beverage on a steaming hot day! For me, however, the magic on the trail are those occassions where someone goes out of their way to meet you, get to know you, offer help, or do something out of the ordinary for you. I've often told others that if you begin to doubt the basic goodness of people, go for a long hike. Those acts of kindness and goodness should be what trail magic is.
GA - NJ 2001; GA - ME 2003; GA - ME 2005; GA - ME 2007; PCT 2006
A wise man changes his mind, a fool never will.
—SPANISH PROVERB
I was hiking in VA during a severe drought (2007 or 2008). I had a really bad case of heat exhaustion and I was forcing myself to eat and it was less than 1,000 calories a day. I knew I had to get off the trail and when I got to the James River the first vehicle coming down the road was an RV. I stuck out my thumb and the guy stopped and gave me a ride to my car in Daleville. Trail magic or trail karma from rescuing 2 hikers a few days before near The Priest.
Pain is a by-product of a good time.
Recieving random acts of kindness from total strangers is the best trail magic, but happening to find an organised hiker feed is always fun.
Best hiker feed:
Last year, Scribbles and I had just done one of the hardest streaches on the AT - Full Goose shelter to Grafton Notch - and found some guys cooking Hamburgers and LIVE LOBSTERS and corn on the cob at the notch parking lot! That's the first time I've had Lobsters for trail magic!
Best random act of kindness:
I once had a day hiker give me the keys to his car so I could go to town for supplies while he went on his hike.
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+1 you don't carry 5 days of food if you are going to get fed 2 out of those days. if you carry 3 days of food for 5 days expecting that 2 days of food will appear and it doesn't then you're screwed.
planned food stops is not magic. if you want a cheap buffet go to Vegas
The best magic was a ride in from Neel's Gap to a town with a working payphone so that I could call home and let them know I was alive and had survived a huge snowstorm. Plus a bonus trip to McDonalds for a quick meal, and to the grocery store for dinner fixings. And then, the driver took another trip, so that my partner could also call home (I had just left a message on the answering machine) and everyone else there could grab food.
Trail magic only really happens when you are in need. When times are good, it's not trail magic, it might just be a hiker feed or it it might be trash left for the bears.
Yup - that's why I offered the following reply to TJ/Teej's article re trail slang:
"Trail Magic - trying to get away from regarding organized hiker feeds as one-and-the-same with Trail Magic, I've come up with the following: When good things happen to hikers, usually spontaneous and unexpected. It might be a ride offer from a passing stranger, free food courtesy of tourists, having a lost piece of gear found by a fellow hiker, or any other acts of serendipity. "
Some might call this "Yogi-ing" but it was magic to me:
On a southbund thru many years ago I was on the AT in PenMar Park. As I was passing through I could see a large gathering of people in one of the pavilions and more food than you could imagine. The smell of barbq and burgers was intoxicating and, of course, I was starving. I was in the restroom washing up and getting water and dreaming of how I could get invited to partake of some of that food. When one of the party members (it was a family reunion) came in to use the restroom, I told him that I was running low on food and asked if I could purchase some bread from them. I have no idea where those words came from and I remember being surprised that I blurted it out. He insisted that they had more food than they could ever eat and that I had to have some. I ended up gorging myself and answering their many questions about the AT. They sent me on my way with a bag full of goodies. Looking back, maybe I should feel a little embarassment, but I remember leaving very thankful and feeling as if I had provided them some entertainment. I felt like it was a win-win.
Also, I was able to go to church 3 times during my thru-hike and each time the church was having some special event with food. That, my friends, is Divine intervention.
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