[pct-l] Trail Magic

[TBrokaw at montmush.com]

I agree that the magic is overdone although with the best of intensions.
The magic that Ive appreciated most are the rides hitched to town.
Roadwalks are no fun. I recall reaching Hwy 2 in the late afternoon hoping
to avoid walking the asphalt for miles around the closure area. I reached
the highway just as the last day hikers were leaving the trailhead parking.
When a red truck (the last vehicle) sped by me, I was grumbling to myself
not looking forward to miles of asphalt. About ten minutes later, it
returned. For a moment I thought I was going to get mugged. But was a
family that had no room for me when they first passed. They had driven to
their camp to unload to
make room for me & driven back! I was very touched by this generosity. Ive
since talked to 2 other hikers that were helped by this family.
I could have survived without the ride but it touched my heart. I could
tell of several more examples.
I started the PCT thinking it was about the wilderness, but have come to
believe it is most about the people Ive shared it with.
Happy hiking to my pct family!

Sent from my iPhone

> On Mar 11, 2018, at 9:53 AM, Barry Teschlog <tokencivilian at yahoo.com>
wrote:
>
> To those that feel like they might want to go and do the whole cooler
thing:
> Please, don't.  Untended coolers often times end up as trash heaps.  If
you must, don't unless you also have the time to go back and fetch the
remnants.  Even then, please, don't.  Too much of the trash will escape.
> If you must do the whole food / soda thing, make it attended.  That way,
no trash will escape.
> The down side of this is the time and cost involved.  If you're out to do
a real magic (unannounced, pop up for a brief time), it'll be for only one
day and cost will be minimal.  Many choose to make it multi day or longer -
time and cost goes up proportionally.
> Consider an alternate form of helping the hikers that doesn't involve
increasing their sense of entitlement or risking trash.  I've found being
on trail crew to be a wonderful way of giving back to or helping the
hikers.  Time is no different than someone who sticks around to tend a
magic, but the payoff helps so many more people.  On a soda magic, only
those that pass by when you happen to be there are benefited.  With trail
crew, EVERYONE does.  Sections I've maintained here in Washington have been
benefiting hikers since 2010, when I cleared them of brush.  I've given the
magic of a better trail to every hiker - day, section or thru, that passed
by that spot since August 2010.  Those 16 or so hours, in combination with
the other 4 people on that first crew, are a gift that has been given ever
since.  Talk about a return on time investment....Anyways, the cool part of
doing trail crew is that often times we're out during hiker season and get
to interact with the hikers as well.  Bringing some extra goodies in the
pack is a good way to dish some true magic.
> Ask anyone from 2016 who went through the mess of blow down south of
Crater Lake if they would have preferred a soda or more volunteers on the
crosscut saw teams.
> Anyways....for your consideration.
> Glad to see the PCT-L come back to life after so long being more or less
dormant.
>
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