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Pekbagger says: "So the invitation is out there again to all members to provide suggestions as to what I should do for those weary hikers coming off the trail. Thanks everybody!!" What wonderful service has a trail angel provided you, or what service would you appreciate from a trail angel?

Editor's Comments: This was a heartwarming exercise. I delighted in receiving all these emails with such wonderful stories. Pekbagger, it looks like the best gift you can offer is transportation. After that, it's food, water, and a place to sleep. A couple of people stated it, but it's obvious in many of the answers that the real gift is the simple act of giving.

Monte Dodge: Paul and Pat at Camp Anza were Great!!!! (Along the PCT) They let everyone sleep in the yard and feed us all 3 meals a day for only a $5 donation. They were awesome. They were even kind enough to name a rose bush after me (Mad Monte).

Ensminger & Spirek: The most wonderful service that a trail angle can provide is transportation. This might come in the form of a hitch, a shuttle service, or a loaned vehicle. Whatever way, this service is a godsend to any hiker. Let's face it; few towns in this country are laid out for pedestrians. Most public transportation is poor or nonexistent. This seems especially true for trail towns. When a hiker drops down into a town, the real work begins. He or she must go shopping, pick up mail, do the laundry, find lodging, and dig into some serious calories. Occasionally, special problems arise such as gear repair or purchases. Nothing can be more appreciated than a set of wheels. Think about the famous trail angles -- Milt Kenney, Sue Lockwood, and Gordon Smith. What was the most important thing that they provided? Transportation!

Tim Wilson: Of course, the shower (with skin moisturizer) and laundry are huge. Beyond that, it's food - Bavarian cream donuts, pizzas, etc. Then beer. Juice is also great. And then there are the little things you might want to have on hand just in case: Camera battery, glasses repair kit, Epsom salts and a large soaking pan, cortisone, Johnson and Johnson waterproof athletic tape, duct tape, needle and thread for gear repair, new Aquafina bottles, ibuprofen, etc. But the most important thing of all is just a loving place to crash and relax. My favorite trail angel spots were never elaborate. They were just occupied by gentle loving people who let me share their lives for a night. That is never forgotten. If anything else comes to mind, I'll send it along.

Brian "Charlie Manson" Booth: The #1 thing I usually need is transportation. A ride to or from the trailhead, and if a ways from town, a ride (or use of a bicycle) to the grocery & post office.

Skylark: I have been fortunate to receive a great deal of much appreciated trail magic on many of my hikes. However, the greatest gifts were the gallons of water left in various parts of the desert on the PCT. Thank you so much to all trail angels... You are amazing!!!! Skylark A.T. '96 L.T. '99 CoT'99 PCT 2000

Flyin' Brian: I've received more trail magic than I can relate here: water caches, rides, places to sleep, the return of stuff I lost on the trail, care packages, a cooler with my name on it, and surprise visits from friends and even strangers. All of it was deeply appreciated because it was given from the heart, spontaneous, and unexpected. I believe it would spoil the spirit of the act if thru hikers came to expect trail magic, thus I don't encourage trail angels to advertise their services.
The most amazing act of trail magic I ever experienced was being loaned an entire set of ultra light thru hiking gear when mine was lost by Greyhound. I was 6,800 miles into my Calendar Triple Crown hike with the threat of winter bearing down on me. Cindy "Mrs. Gorp" Miller met me at the Bennington, Vermont bus station and three hours later I was back on the trail with everything I needed to complete my trip! It was sublime.

Hal "Green Hornet" Margolis: As I was walking northeast bound along the L.A. Aqueduct, I saw up ahead, roadside, a car approaching. As it got closer, I saw the driver had his hand out of the window. In it was a cold can of beer. Water was condensing in big droplets all over it. He volunteered information about the next water source (from a home whose owner will give permission). It was too dark to find the house, but I drank that beer that night as I settled down in the moonless night for a few hours of sleep, a substitute for the hassle of preparing a meal. What was important to me was not really the beer, nor the information about the water, but how the good will of people can be simply expressed.

Scott Bischke: Tough to be too original here--a hot shower, laundry, and some decidedly "front" country food probably top everybody's list. One thing I don't need, oddly, is sleeping in a bed. I often find a bed too soft after months on a sleeping pad and have even been known to toss myself on the floor in the middle of the night because of mattress-derived sleeplessness.

Kimo: Rides to town, shower, cold drinks, a meal, a grassy spot to set up camp. Fresh food you cannot preserve on the trail. Of course the best thing that happened to me was when I had my dental problems in the desert. I am at the end of a brutally hot, dry stretch. My jaw is swollen, and dentist says via cell phone that I need to get to a pharmacy for a prescription. How in the world am I going to do that? I don't even know what towns are nearby, and no help is in sight. We get to a dirt road, and a gentleman with a pickup camper drives up and stops. He offers us a Gatorade, and says he is waiting for his son Eric, so we stop and chat in the shade of the camper. I finally get around to mentioning my dilemma, and he turns out to be a dentist, from Portland! He looks at my jaw and agrees that I need to get to town for a prescription. We retrieve Eric, and then he drives us to the Rite Aid 20 miles away in Banning. The drugs give me a reprieve, and we are hiking again the next day. Believe it or not, the scenario repeats itself a few days later. I am sick again, and need to get to town to recover. The same gentleman, Jerry, in what becomes known as the "Mercy Wagon" is waiting on Rt. 2 north of Wrightwood. He looks at my jaw, and gives us a ride to Wrightwood. There, I regain enough strength to hike several days to Agua Dulce where I can return home for medical attention.
Jerry is a real "Trail Angel" who literally kept me on the trail to "Hiker's Heaven."

Jeff n Andy: Seeing a little yellow Volkswagen coming towards us in the wavering heat of the Mojave trek and having Jerry pop out with fresh fruit and cold drinks-- nothing was better. Perhaps nothing except Martin stopping and giving us a ride in his new truck after waiting for 2 hours in a torrential downpour trying to hitchhike to Lake City...or maybe it was Lyle offering to mail our ice axes home for us after no success finding a box to fit them in for 3 resupply stops.
I think that more important than what is the spirit of the thing. It never ceases to amaze us at people's generosity of spirit and more. People who go out of their way to not just help us but restore our faith in humanity. So in that spirit - water, hot drinks, cold drinks, fresh fruit or just a different trail mix, a ride, listening to our story, mailing some stuff...does it matter? Just do what you can and ask them to do the same someday for some weary hiker.

coyote1: I guess I qualify as a trail angel, since I live on the trail and folks drop by here for water and whatever. Mostly, I feel like the water is most important, since the spring at Sheet's Pass often is dried up pretty early in the season. Next, I feel it's important to get names and hiking plans because the hikers who come later always want to know who's been here before and where they're stopping for the night. If it's afternoon, I try to recommend good stopping places for the night and if it's evening (and I think the company will be interesting) I offer the camping spot here. If the weather's nasty, I invite the hikers in for a cup of tea and a warm up before they crawl into their tents. If I've baked something interesting that day, I might offer that too. If the weather's really nasty, I've been known to offer late arrivals a hot shower and a place to sleep indoors. From time to time, I've had hikers show up with some emergency situations. I've had people stay here who have injured themselves somehow - until help arrives. I've guided emergency vehicles to the spot where an injured hiker is waiting as well. If someone shows up with an injury, I let them shower and clean up the affected area and if it's something that antiseptic salve and a bandage will help, they get that too.
Generally, I act on instinct and/or try to respond to whatever the hiker tells me she or he needs, fresh fruit, conversation, tea, antiseptic, bandages, solitude, whatever.

Lights Out Larry: In May 2002, on the PCT, I stopped in Tehachapi for a mail drop. As I limped up to the Post Office, I was offered a ride back to my motel, and also a ride back to the trail later that day. I answered that my knee injury was caused by unevenly worn shoe heels and foot pronation, and that I wasn't able to find any decent hiking shoes in Tehachapi. When I was later given the offered ride back to the PCT, Don and Winifred gave me a pair of worn out Avia basketball shoes, just my size, and at least with evenly worn heels. They had taken the time to note my size, and later visited a church thrift store to buy the shoes for 50 cents. A terrific surprise! I put them on right away, tied my old pair on my backpack, and stepped out on the trail. Sure enough, with no pronation, my ailing right knee improved. But a painful new blister developed on my left heel. My solution, hiking the next several days with a worn New Balance 805 on my left foot, and a worn out white Avia shoe on my right, led me to become the most photographed guy on the trail. As I posed for a photograph for Chuckie V at MacGyver Spring, he asked "Why?" then I told a great story. Walking up to a Post Office, he saw an older man who looked terrible. Worn out clothing, dirty, matted hair, scraggly beard, hanging, baggy clothes, skinny, emaciated, and looking as if he hadn't eaten for a month. He wore one shoe, had one bare foot. Chuckie V said to him, "I'm sorry, you've lost one of your shoes." The man turned to him with a blinding smile and said, "No man, I found one!" Lights Out Larry PCT 2002

Canyon Jester: Rides to PO, store, etc.

Joe Moon: I immediately think of Phyllis Davies when the subject of trail angels comes up. In her case, the term trail angel is somewhat limiting since once I got to know her I realized she is an angel to many people around the world. Cruising down to White Pass, WA with a ravenous hunger, my hiking partner and I were having an in-depth discussion about the attributes of steak and cake. Our fatigued and delirious minds assumed that within an hour our chosen foods would soon be at the business end of a fork. Then reality set in. We were quickly informed that the store was closed and the nearest steak and cake was a long hitch into Packwood. But it was then and there that we met thru hiker Bill Davies' wife Phyllis, who had her camper parked at the trailhead. Within minutes, a salad, a huge pot roast, beer and desert were served to the 10 hikers hanging around a picnic table. Phyllis made a meal that not only looked pretty and tasted delicious, but also was proportionally huge! Later, she gave us a ride to town and back where I had the great fortune getting to know these two kind-hearted people.

George and Fumiko Copeland "F Troop": The very best thing that has happened to us as we have come off a trail is to have someone give us a RIDE!

John Hussey: That's an easy answer. Coming off the trail I'd be sore, tired, hungry, thirsty, etc., and more than anything else, I'd wish for just a simple ride to eliminate the boring road walk to where I can find what I needed the most - shower, hotel, fresh food, beer or maybe just to where I left my car if the trip were short enough. A few years ago an unusually heavy snowfall forced my son and me off the CDT in southern Colorado. It took two and a half days to hike down to a gravel road where we still had a long walk along it to the highway, then up to Wolf Creek Pass, then up another gravel road to the top of the mountain where we left the car. Our feet were sore, tired, aching and only a few cars passed but none stopped. Then, along came the trail angels in the guise of a young couple in an older sedan who stopped and let us cram ourselves and packs into their back seat then drove us not just to the highway but then on to the pass and even up that steep gravel road to where our car was. For that simple act of charity on their part, we shall remain forever in their debt, wherever they are. I have thought about them so many times since then and I really regret not haven gotten their names or addresses so that I could thank them more for what they did. Those 30 minutes or so out of their way certainly saved us a hard day's march, mostly all uphill. For their generous, selfless kindness, we both wish them a sincere, heartfelt, Thank you!

Marmot: Every person who stopped and gave me a ride to town was an angel to me. In Encampment Wy the really nice people who owned the motel gave me an old pair of hiking boots so I could make it to the next town. The soles of mine were completely broken through and eating up my feet. In the same town the wonderful "Sugar Bowl" lady found me a ride to the trail. I would have to write a book to include all the magical moments that happened to me on the trail. Each town had someone on every trail and there was usually more than one person. I've learned to expect magic around every corner. As long as I don't let myself get too overloaded by living in town that's a trail reality I was able to take home with me.

Bob Wirth "Pekbagger": Trail Magic! Trail Magic! Trail Magic! It's everywhere, but appears out of nowhere in all shapes, sizes, and forms, and from all walks of life. I've been blessed by it many times over since I started backpacking in 1987. Here is just a sample: On the PCT, a family at Bucks Lake in northern CA, gave me all their leftover BBQ chicken and steak. Then the son gave me a ride on their jet ski. In Yosemite, while camped on the beach at Benson Lake, a father and son offered me some fresh caught trout, grilled over a fire. In gratitude, I shared my on the trail baked banana bread. At Cajon Pass, while taking a break under the freeway, a truck drove up. A husband and wife got out and offered my buddies and I a handful of huge oranges. Then they told us we were invited to stay at their place that was just up the trail. I was stuck in Ridgecrest after having my boots resoled. I spent several hours hitching for a ride to the road back to Kennedy Meadows. I finally gave up, approached a home and not only did the owner give me a ride, but he also gave me a few pounds of bear meat to fry up back at the campground. At Old Station, I met a woman that gave me a lift to the campground, then helped me set up my tent, and then took me all the way to Burney to run all of my errands. On the CDT, I hiked around Quemado Lake, and met a large group of rangers having a reunion. When I asked for some water, they invited me to eat with them, an AYCE affair with wine and beer. The next day after a long dry stretch, the owner of a home along HWY 60 let me stay at his place and then gave me a ride to my motel the next morning. In Creede, CO, I stopped at a B&B for directions to the divide and the owners let me camp on their property. While hiking thru the Black Range in NM, I met up with a forest ranger in the middle of a particularly dry stretch. He gave me some much needed directions and several bottles of ice cold Gatorade. A picnicking family at El Morro Nat'l Mon asked me what I was doing. Forty-five min later, I walked away with a heavier pack. They had given me peaches, oranges, candy bars, and a resounding Good Luck! On the AT, Trail Magic was abundant and still is. Within the first week of walking a trail maintenance crew offered to bring down my water bag that I had left atop Blood Mt. At Addis Gap a wonderful couple from Atlanta shared a huge AYCE feast of seafood gumbo, bagels, cheese, all kinds of fruit, fire baked potatoes, wine, apple cider and a keg of beer with several thru hikers. This was one of the best occasions of Trail Magic and I still had 2000 miles to go. A bad blizzard blew the Smokies that year. Many hikers were snowbound, including myself and 10 others at Tri Corner Knob Shelter. Those that left early for the valleys exhibited the "Magic" over and over. They heard we were staying and emptied their packs of whatever they didn't require. Soon we had a pile of crackers, cookies, noodle mixes, soups, pasta, and candy. There was even one guy that gave me his windshield to replace the one I'd left in Wesser. In Vermont I walked up to a shelter where a kind soul had left more than 2 dozen New York style bagels. Then in the next shelter was 2 large buckets of fresh veggies left by the local farmer. The best on my thru hike was in Cheshire, Massachusetts. A woman in her yard spotted me as I was coming into town. She said hello and I returned her greeting. But it didn't end there. She invited me to camp in her yard, have dinner with the family, take a shower, make long distance phone calls, wash my clothes and clean my pack. She said she had been doing this kind of thing for years. But the VERY BEST TRAIL MAGIC I ever experienced was on a 9-day hike thru northern Virginia in October 2001. I had just met a SOBO on the deck at Skyland Lodge. We went in to have a few beers before parting ways. By the end of the 2nd beer, the sky was darkening and we began to discuss the possibility of renting a cabin for the night. A man approached our table and told us he couldn't help overhearing. "Were we hiking the trail? Were we just talking about renting a cabin?" Yes, on both counts, we told him. We then got the biggest shock of our lives. The man and his wife invited us to stay the night at their timeshare with them down in the valley! Our eyes popped out and our jaws dropped. An hour later the 4 of us were at a grocery store where they told us not to bother buying anything for dinner, it was on them. Once at the 2 story condo, the other hiker and I discovered to our utter amazement that we had the whole 2nd floor to ourselves. We each had one bedroom, one shower, and a Jacuzzi, plus a living room and a deck! While we cleaned up, the couple prepared dinner of salad, baked potatoes, hot French bread and grilled steak. It was all so utterly amazing and awesome. The next morning, they let us make anything we wanted for breakfast and then drove us back up to the trail. That by far was the BEST Trail Magic I have ever experienced.

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