I am not a thru-hiker, but I have been hiking different sections of the AT for the last three years. My cousin hurt her knee while going down hills, and we found a bag of iced/frozen water bottles with a sign saying trail magic. It was our first experience and was just perfect. We were about two miles to the shelter, and the frozen bottle helped my cousin as she rested her leg and used the ied bottle to reduce her swollen knee. She was ready to hike the next day... then we had cold water to drink. This happened in Virginia summer of 2021. ☕🍪🌭🍌🍎🍏🍳🥪🍕
I am a 70 year old dinosaur and don't know how to use emojis but, I did watch to the end. This past Sunday I did Trail Magic on the AT at the first parking lot into CT from NY. It is late in the season so these last hikers aren't seeing much magic. We have been in a drought so, I was worried about water for the hikers. I started to set up and a 2018 Flip Flop thru hiker showed up. We had communicated before. I ended up with 3 NOBOs, 4 SOBOs, and 5 day hikers. It was very hot and one of the local hikers was on the verge of heat exhaustion so the semi frozen Power Ade and ice water helped him a lot. One hiker had broken his poles so, I gave him another pair. I provided snacks, hiker food, cold beverages, canned meats, and repair sets. For the SOBOs it was only 2 miles to the next shelter. One girl wanted to take a can of SPAM but was afraid of the weight so, I gave her Vienna Sausages. I was able to give plants to some of the locals. I never even got fully set up. I considered it successful and fun but, I slept a good part of the next two days. We also got a lot of rain so the water sources should be okay. I would like to do trail magic again maybe next May but, not in the bubble. I think that water and sports drinks are the most important, especially in hot weather. Have fun. Good Luck, Rick
Hey Rick! That sounds like a super successful trail magic! You made the difference for a lot of hikers that day. You are also so right.. a good sport drink on a hot day can make a huge difference. Thank you for being an amazing and kind trail angel!
I did a flip-flop last year and you are right about late season trail magic. Whenever I came upon it the magic felt so real. A fresh PB&J one day kept my spirits high enough to make it over at least two mountains. 🙂It was so very much appreciated. It would have been nice to see it going from CT to NY so you were in a good spot for slow/late hikers like I was. Thank you for looking out for others. 🙂
9:22pm EST. Watched the video while training on the stair stepper at the gym for my 2023 AT NOBO Thru hike. Appreciated the tips. I’m going to bring my own personalized thank you cards for the Trail Angels that I meet along the way. Thanks for the info! Trail name Buzzsaw 🍔🌭🍔🌭🍎
Glad I came across this vid. Last year I had a friend on the AT. I've done a couple spontaneous trail mag things in the past since I live close enough to section hike in VA and learned the beauty of TM first hand! I decided to host a TM feed for my friend and her hiking partner at a gravel road crossing where hikers camp near a creek and tend to stop for the evening. So I learned a few tips myself...bring enough to feed 15-20 people in these kind of areas. I was so amazed that the spaghetti, salad, fruits and snacks that I brought for six or seven (just in case), ended up feeding about 12 or 14! I was telling the hikers it reminded me of Jesus feeding the five thousand with a few loaves of bread and some fish. EVERYONE got something to eat that evening- even a vegan who had some salad. I packed out every bit of garbage etc. I plan to do it a couple times this spring during peak season.
I have done Trail Magic at Gooch Gap and Low Gap shelter every year since my last thru hike in 2002 and always on St. Patrick's day. (the anniversary of my 2002 thru hike) It is not a hiker feed and hiker feeds are not trail magic, they are hiker feeds. If you have a choice of more than one food, it is a feed. I give out got dogs, beer or soft drink, nothing more. Unfortunately 2022 will be my last time. I have thru hiked the A.T. twice and both times TM was neither expected or taken for granted. It was incredible to come to a road crossing and someone give you an orange, an apple or cold drink but the current state of media and the thru hikers themselves have caused the problem. This year at Gooch Gap the hikers not only were happy to have TM but they expected it. I was told that this was the fourth TM they had since Springer.....thats 4 times in 18 miles. I also fund it interesting that around 50% said that it really helped with pack weight since they only had to pack 1 meal IN CASE they didn't find TM. I asked them where they learned of such a stupid idea and most said from the internet. Although I only had hot dogs and drinks it was by no means small. I stopped doing it at Low Gap because hiker populations were increasing so I moved to Gooch Gap because it was a road crossing and would be less impact to the area. We always picked up after ourselves and for the most part the hikers did too. When we left you could not tell that we were there. One year that St. Patrick's Day was on a Saturday we went through 750 Hot dogs and buns, 300 sodas and 1100 cans of beer and left no garbage but the hikers and media along with the TM sponsors have stopped it. This year I tried something different and went to Gooch Gap with 11 large pizza's. For the most part the hikers were surprised and liked it but about 10% said " is that all you got?" geek, A.T. '90 & '02, PCT '08
Man, that's so discouraging to hear (not at all complaining that you said it, though). I have found my love of hiking late in life, and do have dreams of doing a thru hike, probably the PCT because it's closer to home and it's an area that I love and want to explore more of. But life circumstances just won't permit it right now, and I fear that by the time I can attempt it, either I will be too old/physically unable to do it, or it will be so overrun that it wouldn't be the experience I'm wanting it to be. It almost feels like it's becoming a giant outdoor party, and while that can be a fun and cool party, it's not the kind of experience I want. I had even started thinking that if I physically can't, perhaps I'd doing some TM. I'm not so sure that would be the kind of experience that I'd enjoy. I can see that it's fun and good for some people, but it's just not for me. Seems that it's getting more and more difficult to find solitude only minimally interspersed with a few people. Sorry for the wall of text. This is just a topic that's been on my mind of late. If you made it this far, thanks for listening.
This will be my fourth TM season in Massachusetts. The first year I was following one thru hiker and setup a meet place. This ended up feeding four in his tramily. The second season I feed sixteen hikers, but half these were either day or section hikers. The third season I feed 6 thru hikers. With all these places I left the parking lot cleaner than I found it. I like to cook food and try my best to hand it off to the hiker. This cuts down on the amount of cross handling. Never has a hiker gave me grief for doing TM. Most of the time there is a turnover of hikers; hikers leave, more come by! My takeaway is the being able to meet people, and learn about their stories, and giving to humanity! My suggestion is to have trash containers for you and the hikers.
100% agree with your take and even those who aren’t huge fans….it has to be done right. As for the coolers stashed in the wilderness….man, those coolers were almost always empty and yes, trash around it. I know the trail angles hearts were in the right place, but just not well thought out. Since my thru-hike, I’ve gone back to NC/TN and VA to give trail magic (hot food, snacks, dessert, drinks, trash unloading and shuttles). It’s just special I think, being an AT thru-hiker giving magic, because we know where it’s needed the most. Great job as usual Candy Mama!
Thank you for sharing your experiences and thoughts! I loved my years backpacing and volunteering with pct trail gorillas crews. Alas, I am now unable to hike more than half a mile, and often wonder how can I show respect and support in a more personal way. I never left food or water out, because LNT, and pandemic quashed my giving rides. Your insight on the Yellow House People was illuminating. They have a community here in SoCal, but I never heard of them on PCT. Keep up the good work!
I’m Mun. I leave water in northern pa. Have since 78. I cleanup trash at the cashes and also hike our sections and haul trash. I usually find a few hikers on Instagram or RUclips and offer them a meal on their way through. Then feed any hikers too. I know plenty of other trail angels who do have hand washing stations too. Helped suck hikers, and know the danger signs as the bobble gets here mid June ish and I see many malnourished and heat stroke hikers. I wish you could do a hiker food sign to teach sustainable excersize needs. I won’t take money. I have no religion. I just love hikers. My dad started me by leaving water at wind gap pa. Wishing everyone enjoys rocksylvannia!
I'd do an emoji if I knew how! My experience with TM is on the PCT especially Nor Cal and Oregon. We have been doing trail magic for about 10 years at three different locations. We provide cold drinks, fresh fruit and pastries, sometimes coffee but no cooked food. We also bring extra mosquito repellent (Oregon mosquitoes are notorious), wet wipes and offer to haul out trash. We also give occasional rides especially in "emergency" situations. We have never announced on Farout but on occasion hikers have posted about us. The biggest problem we have encountered in recent years is the proliferation of fee-based services such as shuttles masquerading as "trail magic". Otherwise it is all good - we enjoy meeting the hikers and hope we've made their journey a bit better.
Great points Tara. I dont know if you would consider it Trail Magic but over the years I have left encouraging notes for hikers on Trail Journals & Social Media.
🌮Thanks for this video, as a chef I will be doing some magic in New Jersey next spring. The list you provided is a huge help. I just got into backpacking this past summer and will be doing the 100 mile wilderness next summer.
Thanks for the great advice on how to host LNT trail magic. As a hiker from grizzly country, I always appreciate hearing "please don't leave food unattended on the trail." ☕🥩🌮🥓🍓🍒🥦
Very good topic!! I just got trail magic doing a section of all of CT and I loved it but being a member of a trail club, GATC, and picking up after some of these trail magic opportunities I have mixed emotions. You bring up some great cons that I am glad you shared. When you are getting trail magic life is AWESOME! But there are ways to be respectful and less impactful on the land. Thanks so much for the video it needs to be heard and discussed by all of us who love the AT or any trail. God bless! Thanks for sharing!! 🌮🌮🌮🍦🍪🥛
As a trail angle,I practice T R A I L take only picture, respect the trail, always leave it better than you found it ,invite inspection,and leave only memory's
Great video. I'm currently working in Kuwait and Im a former Marine and police officer. I am totally burned out by this crazy world. I am grateful for EVERYTHING I have. I saw a video on the A.T. and they talked about trail angels and T.M.I was very inspired. I plan to return to the states in a couple of years and want to be apart of this community of giving. I enjoyed your video, as it was one of the first ones I've watched that had tips for trail angels. I'm trying to find locations that would be good...and not as popular. I also learned the from your video that from VA up to the north, it is not as popular...wrong word but you know what I mean. I have time to save and plan. I am excited about doing this and would love to get any more advice you have. I am also wanting to possibly host a hostel in a location where it might be needed and/or wanted. Any tips on that one? Thanks for the advice and info.
just don't reveal that you're police, a lot of hiker and backpacker types are leftist antifa and instead of receiving trail magic you will receive trail sabotage. yes, they really are that ignorant.
🍕. Like all things in this world, trail magic can be both good and bad. I’ve only dreamed of hiking the AT or the two other long trails in the US but I’m making the assumption the people hosting the trail magic have good intentions. They should know about LNT. I do not like the idea of randomly leaving food/snacks in the woods - it will just attract animals. Water is okay but must be done correctly. Good options given for alternative trail magic. And hikers should NEVER rely on trail magic for meals. Don’t announce it. It would be more special if it was truly a surprise. I’d love to offer any help to thru hikers but live too far off trail. Great video!
My initial reaction: For those of you who provide trail magic - thanks. As I've seen in the past few years in other "social" issues, 7% say it is bad - so a whole video is made to talk about examples of bad trail magic. I wouldn't be surprised if the ATC doesn't take this subject and promote its own "policy" on helping hikers. Another example of letting a small percentage of views affect what benefits a large majority. Again - for those of you who provide trail magic - thanks, God Bless, and don't let the "yes" numbers deter you from your good work. I watched the entire video by the way, and since I bring all the food I need (or resupply via mail drops), I don't have any particular food (is there a chocolate eemoji?). Have a blessed holiday time ahead...
I like to operate ham radio along the trail were I can safely park the truck I don't do a full blown feed stop but always take some bottled water and or Propel, some kind of fruit and maybe individual packs of nuts. Oh, and a trash bag. 🍕
I've sectioned hiked over 800 miles of the AT and have always seen LNT from all trail angels, I see how it may effect the bubble but the bubble is the bubble, that may be a town, trail magic, a hostel and even weather can make the bubble larger. Agree food & drinks cooler with no one around is not a good idea.
Very good information, thanks for sharing.....What about payment? Are people who set-up to feed hikers expecting hikers to pay a fee to eat? If so, How much do they charge? Thanks. 🍓🍉
Considering doing trail magic on AT in Virginia. If I was hiking in the summer an ice cold drink would be appreciated. People should eat and drink there to limit carrying potential trash on the trail.I am concerned about the number of people on the trails. Maybe a prerequisite should be trail maintenance.
#1 Fruit, #2 Pickles. Shouldn't be pounding calories at TM, rather craving items difficult to carry. Craving in the sense of nutrients body needs regularly or due to hiking's added demands, not sugar. Wet-weight items. For example, one can carry freeze-dried fruit, but will still crave fresh-fruit. That's where trail-magic shines. Sry, no emojis. : (
@@kmat7163 i was also in desolation in aug. we did wrights lake to horsetail falls via rockbound pass to mosquito pass. going again this year but delaying till late aug./sept. cause of snow and high water. i do not think we can even get in until July this year and the bugs will be horrific. cheers! i have some vids of our 2021 trip from meeks bay to echo lake on my channel aswell.
🍕The few trail magic’s I’ve done have been targeted at specific hikers. I found the most welcome items (besides showers, a home cooked meal, and a real bed) were fuel canisters & toilet paper..!
I got m and ms from a ranger on the. In states forest park in aplachanian , I felt he was magical, like how he got to our spot as fast and we didn't see him at all, he said I went on the ridge , I'm like shit why dont I, but did I'm hiking lol lmaoooO anyways I enjoyed the candy lol I had kids with me , I didn't think he was weird I felt his heart . I felt he was just checking on us and see if we leave a trace and we don't! Lol and he just needs to protect kids on property idk . But this is my thought when I saw this , lol
🍌 Trail magic isn’t the problem on the A.T. It’s the amount of hikers beating on it each year. I think they should start a lottery to limit the amount of hikers. Just my opinion.
I expect someone, somewhere, is trying to find a way to limit the amount of people on the AT. I would guess they are engineering some sort of way to incorporate revenue while accomplishing this. My guess is that very soon there will be huge fees to hike the trail. Already the Smokies are going from $20 to $40 in 2023. More government intrusion in the name of conservation.
Who doesn’t like kindness if LNT principles are followed. I agree that the trail has definitely become overcrowded which is another topic altogether. As a vegan myself there is usually very little trail magic I can enjoy so this year I reached to a few vegetarians and vegan I knew were thru hiking and took them special treats to trail heads. It was great for them and I enjoyed being able to do something special. Kindness is so necessary these days. I always offer to take trash 🗑. Happy trails. 🤘🏻🥾🏕🥦🍎
Agriculture, livestock, industrial runoffs are devastating. If you live next to clean water sources, count yourself lucky. Between pipelines, industrial fishing & terrible waterways, I'm not as concerned with a couple soda cans, but love conversation efforts for our beautiful public resources, even if these organizations take money from these industries to campaign conservation blame on people rather than corporate.🍕💺🔥🌲💨🤙
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
Comment the emoji of what food/drink you’d love to see at trail magic 🍔🥞🍻
🍉🟠🍌🍎🍕🍔
🌽
I am not a thru-hiker, but I have been hiking different sections of the AT for the last three years. My cousin hurt her knee while going down hills, and we found a bag of iced/frozen water bottles with a sign saying trail magic. It was our first experience and was just perfect. We were about two miles to the shelter, and the frozen bottle helped my cousin as she rested her leg and used the ied bottle to reduce her swollen knee. She was ready to hike the next day... then we had cold water to drink. This happened in Virginia summer of 2021. ☕🍪🌭🍌🍎🍏🍳🥪🍕
I am a 70 year old dinosaur and don't know how to use emojis but, I did watch to the end. This past Sunday I did Trail Magic on the AT at the first parking lot into CT from NY. It is late in the season so these last hikers aren't seeing much magic. We have been in a drought so, I was worried about water for the hikers. I started to set up and a 2018 Flip Flop thru hiker showed up. We had communicated before. I ended up with 3 NOBOs, 4 SOBOs, and 5 day hikers. It was very hot and one of the local hikers was on the verge of heat exhaustion so the semi frozen Power Ade and ice water helped him a lot. One hiker had broken his poles so, I gave him another pair. I provided snacks, hiker food, cold beverages, canned meats, and repair sets. For the SOBOs it was only 2 miles to the next shelter. One girl wanted to take a can of SPAM but was afraid of the weight so, I gave her Vienna Sausages. I was able to give plants to some of the locals. I never even got fully set up. I considered it successful and fun but, I slept a good part of the next two days. We also got a lot of rain so the water sources should be okay. I would like to do trail magic again maybe next May but, not in the bubble. I think that water and sports drinks are the most important, especially in hot weather. Have fun. Good Luck, Rick
Hey Rick! That sounds like a super successful trail magic! You made the difference for a lot of hikers that day. You are also so right.. a good sport drink on a hot day can make a huge difference. Thank you for being an amazing and kind trail angel!
I did a flip-flop last year and you are right about late season trail magic. Whenever I came upon it the magic felt so real. A fresh PB&J one day kept my spirits high enough to make it over at least two mountains. 🙂It was so very much appreciated. It would have been nice to see it going from CT to NY so you were in a good spot for slow/late hikers like I was. Thank you for looking out for others. 🙂
thanks for the info....my husband and I are creating our 1st trail magic this weekend so very helpful tips.
🍺 I carry plenty of supplies but a cold beer and a moment to relax is always appreciated. Great topic. Thanks. 👍
9:22pm EST. Watched the video while training on the stair stepper at the gym for my 2023 AT NOBO Thru hike. Appreciated the tips. I’m going to bring my own personalized thank you cards for the Trail Angels that I meet along the way. Thanks for the info! Trail name Buzzsaw 🍔🌭🍔🌭🍎
Glad I came across this vid. Last year I had a friend on the AT. I've done a couple spontaneous trail mag things in the past since I live close enough to section hike in VA and learned the beauty of TM first hand! I decided to host a TM feed for my friend and her hiking partner at a gravel road crossing where hikers camp near a creek and tend to stop for the evening. So I learned a few tips myself...bring enough to feed 15-20 people in these kind of areas. I was so amazed that the spaghetti, salad, fruits and snacks that I brought for six or seven (just in case), ended up feeding about 12 or 14! I was telling the hikers it reminded me of Jesus feeding the five thousand with a few loaves of bread and some fish. EVERYONE got something to eat that evening- even a vegan who had some salad. I packed out every bit of garbage etc. I plan to do it a couple times this spring during peak season.
I have done Trail Magic at Gooch Gap and Low Gap shelter every year since my last thru hike in 2002 and always on St. Patrick's day. (the anniversary of my 2002 thru hike) It is not a hiker feed and hiker feeds are not trail magic, they are hiker feeds. If you have a choice of more than one food, it is a feed. I give out got dogs, beer or soft drink, nothing more. Unfortunately 2022 will be my last time. I have thru hiked the A.T. twice and both times TM was neither expected or taken for granted. It was incredible to come to a road crossing and someone give you an orange, an apple or cold drink but the current state of media and the thru hikers themselves have caused the problem. This year at Gooch Gap the hikers not only were happy to have TM but they expected it. I was told that this was the fourth TM they had since Springer.....thats 4 times in 18 miles. I also fund it interesting that around 50% said that it really helped with pack weight since they only had to pack 1 meal IN CASE they didn't find TM. I asked them where they learned of such a stupid idea and most said from the internet.
Although I only had hot dogs and drinks it was by no means small. I stopped doing it at Low Gap because hiker populations were increasing so I moved to Gooch Gap because it was a road crossing and would be less impact to the area. We always picked up after ourselves and for the most part the hikers did too. When we left you could not tell that we were there. One year that St. Patrick's Day was on a Saturday we went through 750 Hot dogs and buns, 300 sodas and 1100 cans of beer and left no garbage but the hikers and media along with the TM sponsors have stopped it. This year I tried something different and went to Gooch Gap with 11 large pizza's. For the most part the hikers were surprised and liked it but about 10% said " is that all you got?"
geek, A.T. '90 & '02, PCT '08
Man, that's so discouraging to hear (not at all complaining that you said it, though). I have found my love of hiking late in life, and do have dreams of doing a thru hike, probably the PCT because it's closer to home and it's an area that I love and want to explore more of. But life circumstances just won't permit it right now, and I fear that by the time I can attempt it, either I will be too old/physically unable to do it, or it will be so overrun that it wouldn't be the experience I'm wanting it to be. It almost feels like it's becoming a giant outdoor party, and while that can be a fun and cool party, it's not the kind of experience I want. I had even started thinking that if I physically can't, perhaps I'd doing some TM. I'm not so sure that would be the kind of experience that I'd enjoy. I can see that it's fun and good for some people, but it's just not for me. Seems that it's getting more and more difficult to find solitude only minimally interspersed with a few people.
Sorry for the wall of text. This is just a topic that's been on my mind of late. If you made it this far, thanks for listening.
Pretty informative Tara. Thank you. I've never hiked long distance before but always enjoy a good hiker story and info from folks like you
Thanks for watching 😊
I can't hike, so I've been thinking about trail magic on some obscure trail close to me. 🥞
This will be my fourth TM season in Massachusetts.
The first year I was following one thru hiker and setup a meet place. This ended up feeding four in his tramily.
The second season I feed sixteen hikers, but half these were either day or section hikers.
The third season I feed 6 thru hikers.
With all these places I left the parking lot cleaner than I found it.
I like to cook food and try my best to hand it off to the hiker. This cuts down on the amount of cross handling.
Never has a hiker gave me grief for doing TM.
Most of the time there is a turnover of hikers; hikers leave, more come by!
My takeaway is the being able to meet people, and learn about their stories, and giving to humanity!
My suggestion is to have trash containers for you and the hikers.
Loved seeing familiar faces! All the way to the end! Handstands & 🥯
🥓 Very informative and well put together exposition as always. Great content Tara. Thank you.
You are so welcome! Thank you for watching.
Thanks again for a wonderful video. Gave me a different perspective on something I didn't think could have negative sides.
Thank you for watching 😊
100% agree with your take and even those who aren’t huge fans….it has to be done right. As for the coolers stashed in the wilderness….man, those coolers were almost always empty and yes, trash around it. I know the trail angles hearts were in the right place, but just not well thought out.
Since my thru-hike, I’ve gone back to NC/TN and VA to give trail magic (hot food, snacks, dessert, drinks, trash unloading and shuttles). It’s just special I think, being an AT thru-hiker giving magic, because we know where it’s needed the most. Great job as usual Candy Mama!
Thank you for sharing your experiences and thoughts! I loved my years backpacing and volunteering with pct trail gorillas crews. Alas, I am now unable to hike more than half a mile, and often wonder how can I show respect and support in a more personal way. I never left food or water out, because LNT, and pandemic quashed my giving rides. Your insight on the Yellow House People was illuminating. They have a community here in SoCal, but I never heard of them on PCT. Keep up the good work!
Thanks!
Welcome!
I’m Mun. I leave water in northern pa. Have since 78. I cleanup trash at the cashes and also hike our sections and haul trash. I usually find a few hikers on Instagram or RUclips and offer them a meal on their way through. Then feed any hikers too. I know plenty of other trail angels who do have hand washing stations too. Helped suck hikers, and know the danger signs as the bobble gets here mid June ish and I see many malnourished and heat stroke hikers. I wish you could do a hiker food sign to teach sustainable excersize needs. I won’t take money. I have no religion. I just love hikers. My dad started me by leaving water at wind gap pa.
Wishing everyone enjoys rocksylvannia!
🍄
I'd do an emoji if I knew how! My experience with TM is on the PCT especially Nor Cal and Oregon. We have been doing trail magic for about 10 years at three different locations. We provide cold drinks, fresh fruit and pastries, sometimes coffee but no cooked food. We also bring extra mosquito repellent (Oregon mosquitoes are notorious), wet wipes and offer to haul out trash. We also give occasional rides especially in "emergency" situations. We have never announced on Farout but on occasion hikers have posted about us. The biggest problem we have encountered in recent years is the proliferation of fee-based services such as shuttles masquerading as "trail magic". Otherwise it is all good - we enjoy meeting the hikers and hope we've made their journey a bit better.
Great points Tara. I dont know if you would consider it Trail Magic but over the years I have left encouraging notes for hikers on Trail Journals & Social Media.
That’s definitely t-mag!! Thanks
I am always thrilled to see ☕️offered at TM
🌮Thanks for this video, as a chef I will be doing some magic in New Jersey next spring. The list you provided is a huge help. I just got into backpacking this past summer and will be doing the 100 mile wilderness next summer.
New Jersey is a great state for trail magic
@@taratreks it should be, looking forward to it ..
@@taratreksNew jersey stinks
@@nymph40 like literally? I grew up there. Northern NJ is gorgeous.
Thanks for the great advice on how to host LNT trail magic. As a hiker from grizzly country, I always appreciate hearing "please don't leave food unattended on the trail." ☕🥩🌮🥓🍓🍒🥦
There a lot of smaller lesser known trails other than the AT that needs volunteers to help do maintenance🍎
For sure! What are some of your favorites?
Very good topic!! I just got trail magic doing a section of all of CT and I loved it but being a member of a trail club, GATC, and picking up after some of these trail magic opportunities I have mixed emotions. You bring up some great cons that I am glad you shared. When you are getting trail magic life is AWESOME! But there are ways to be respectful and less impactful on the land. Thanks so much for the video it needs to be heard and discussed by all of us who love the AT or any trail. God bless! Thanks for sharing!! 🌮🌮🌮🍦🍪🥛
I love your hot take on this topic... on point and factual...
.
I love to see 🥩🥓🍚🍦
As a trail angle,I practice T R A I L take only picture, respect the trail, always leave it better than you found it ,invite inspection,and leave only memory's
I love this!
I will be watch Gabby Love your videos Tara ☕️
Great video. I'm currently working in Kuwait and Im a former Marine and police officer. I am totally burned out by this crazy world. I am grateful for EVERYTHING I have. I saw a video on the A.T. and they talked about trail angels and T.M.I was very inspired.
I plan to return to the states in a couple of years and want to be apart of this community of giving. I enjoyed your video, as it was one of the first ones I've watched that had tips for trail angels. I'm trying to find locations that would be good...and not as popular. I also learned the from your video that from VA up to the north, it is not as popular...wrong word but you know what I mean.
I have time to save and plan. I am excited about doing this and would love to get any more advice you have. I am also wanting to possibly host a hostel in a location where it might be needed and/or wanted. Any tips on that one? Thanks for the advice and info.
just don't reveal that you're police, a lot of hiker and backpacker types are leftist antifa and instead of receiving trail magic you will receive trail sabotage. yes, they really are that ignorant.
Great info Tera!
🍕. Like all things in this world, trail magic can be both good and bad. I’ve only dreamed of hiking the AT or the two other long trails in the US but I’m making the assumption the people hosting the trail magic have good intentions. They should know about LNT. I do not like the idea of randomly leaving food/snacks in the woods - it will just attract animals. Water is okay but must be done correctly. Good options given for alternative trail magic. And hikers should NEVER rely on trail magic for meals. Don’t announce it. It would be more special if it was truly a surprise. I’d love to offer any help to thru hikers but live too far off trail. Great video!
Thank you for your comment and for watching the entire video :) Pizza sounds nice on trail
My initial reaction:
For those of you who provide trail magic - thanks.
As I've seen in the past few years in other "social" issues, 7% say it is bad - so a whole video is made to talk about examples of bad trail magic.
I wouldn't be surprised if the ATC doesn't take this subject and promote its own "policy" on helping hikers.
Another example of letting a small percentage of views affect what benefits a large majority.
Again - for those of you who provide trail magic - thanks, God Bless, and don't let the "yes" numbers deter you from your good work.
I watched the entire video by the way, and since I bring all the food I need (or resupply via mail drops), I don't have any particular food (is there a chocolate eemoji?).
Have a blessed holiday time ahead...
I like to operate ham radio along the trail were I can safely park the truck I don't do a full blown feed stop but always take some bottled water and or Propel, some kind of fruit and maybe individual packs of nuts. Oh, and a trash bag. 🍕
I've sectioned hiked over 800 miles of the AT and have always seen LNT from all trail angels, I see how it may effect the bubble but the bubble is the bubble, that may be a town, trail magic, a hostel and even weather can make the bubble larger. Agree food & drinks cooler with no one around is not a good idea.
Very good information, thanks for sharing.....What about payment? Are people who set-up to feed hikers expecting hikers to pay a fee to eat? If so, How much do they charge? Thanks. 🍓🍉
Most do not expect to be paid. I feel "paid" by the commaraderie, appreciation and overall good feel we get by doing this
Considering doing trail magic on AT in Virginia. If I was hiking in the summer an ice cold drink would be appreciated. People should eat and drink there to limit carrying potential trash on the trail.I am concerned about the number of people on the trails. Maybe a prerequisite should be trail maintenance.
❤ thanks.
You're welcome
#1 Fruit, #2 Pickles. Shouldn't be pounding calories at TM, rather craving items difficult to carry. Craving in the sense of nutrients body needs regularly or due to hiking's added demands, not sugar. Wet-weight items. For example, one can carry freeze-dried fruit, but will still crave fresh-fruit. That's where trail-magic shines. Sry, no emojis. : (
🍕 great video and tips 👍
Hi thanks 😊 pizza would be amazing at TM🤩🍕
nobody does the AT anymore it's too crowded.🍎🍎
That's why you start end of February/ first week of March lol
@@HuggyBearHikes still too crowded. my first thru hike 450 of us started, 226 finished.
@@jamesadams2334 is that bad that more people are hiking the AT now? at least they are outdoors
Love your pic from desolation wilderness and was there in August 2022
@@kmat7163 i was also in desolation in aug. we did wrights lake to horsetail falls via rockbound pass to mosquito pass. going again this year but delaying till late aug./sept. cause of snow and high water. i do not think we can even get in until July this year and the bugs will be horrific. cheers! i have some vids of our 2021 trip from meeks bay to echo lake on my channel aswell.
🍕The few trail magic’s I’ve done have been targeted at specific hikers. I found the most welcome items (besides showers, a home cooked meal, and a real bed) were fuel canisters & toilet paper..!
YES! great points. Fuel canisters were so nice! once we got hot dogs and new Darn Tough Socks. that was the absolute best.
Rare acts of kindness is bad? The world is upside down these days.
New sub ! Liked 😉🤩👍🤘
Happy to have you as a sub 😊
Duh pack enough food lmaooo u can eat extra or save ur food if u run into the magic lol .... And can alway share later with a hungry person .
Not alot of input but your vid is dead on. Trail majic is great but when it's somewhat under control. Love the vids 🤘🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮
🍄🐟✌️
I got m and ms from a ranger on the. In states forest park in aplachanian , I felt he was magical, like how he got to our spot as fast and we didn't see him at all, he said I went on the ridge , I'm like shit why dont I, but did I'm hiking lol lmaoooO anyways I enjoyed the candy lol I had kids with me , I didn't think he was weird I felt his heart . I felt he was just checking on us and see if we leave a trace and we don't! Lol and he just needs to protect kids on property idk . But this is my thought when I saw this , lol
Is solo hiking a bad idea?
No! It’s amazing!
thanks 🍉🍔🍔🍩🍊🍍
🥗🍩🍔I'm def going to host. Thanks for this video.
Have fun and thanks for watching:)
🍻
🍌 Trail magic isn’t the problem on the A.T. It’s the amount of hikers beating on it each year. I think they should start a lottery to limit the amount of hikers. Just my opinion.
RE: Lottery
VERY BAD IDEA... (but you have a right to your opinion as well)
🥑
🍕🍓🍒🍎🍌🫑🥕
🍎- you can eat the whole thing.
my husband eats the whole apple and it always amazes me.
🍺
🍉
😁 🍔
🥞
pancakes and good coffee for sure!
🍣
🍕
🥞 🍔
🍺🍻🍕
🍦👍❤
Yum ice cream! 😊
🧀🍟
🍓🍎🍊🍌
🍕🍺
🍩
Thanks for watching!
🍩🍩🍩
🍔
Yum!
🍓🍒🍫
YUM!
🥚🍳
YUM!
☕️🌮🥭🍍
yum coffee:)
🌮🍔🍕
Thanks for watching :)
Oh I think you really did was pull a very small tiny percent of reality and made a video out of it. I don’t think that’s very accurate
I do!....actually a like light for this year. Hikers are becoming entitled so much.
Agreed Jeff - perhaps it could be called "trail woke"?
So Beautiful 😍🍺
I expect someone, somewhere, is trying to find a way to limit the amount of people on the AT. I would guess they are engineering some sort of way to incorporate revenue while accomplishing this. My guess is that very soon there will be huge fees to hike the trail. Already the Smokies are going from $20 to $40 in 2023.
More government intrusion in the name of conservation.
Let them try, and see how effective and ignored it would be...
Trail tragic
Who doesn’t like kindness if LNT principles are followed. I agree that the trail has definitely become overcrowded which is another topic altogether. As a vegan myself there is usually very little trail magic I can enjoy so this year I reached to a few vegetarians and vegan I knew were thru hiking and took them special treats to trail heads. It was great for them and I enjoyed being able to do something special. Kindness is so necessary these days. I always offer to take trash 🗑. Happy trails. 🤘🏻🥾🏕🥦🍎
Happy Trails and thank you for being an amazing trail angel!
Another very insightful video...if done right trail magic especially h20 or gatorade can make your day on trail... thank you...🦞😉
agreed!
🥑🥯🍟🥗 I would have love love loved to have seen more vegan options 💚
I’m with the Happy Go Londons, trail magic is a gift! 🍔🌭🍕🥞🍩🍪🍦🍓🍌🍎🍉🥯🥨
yes! I love t-mag
I think water is the best magic. I usually help specific hikers and I take care of campsites. 🍑🍎🍓🍌🥑🫐
thanks for being a great trail angel!
🦞This can only happen in Maine
Well thought out and presented. How about 🍑🍉🍌🧁🥩 for trail magic!
FRESH FRUIT is the best on trail. Never had steaks out there though.
Agriculture, livestock, industrial runoffs are devastating. If you live next to clean water sources, count yourself lucky. Between pipelines, industrial fishing & terrible waterways, I'm not as concerned with a couple soda cans, but love conversation efforts for our beautiful public resources, even if these organizations take money from these industries to campaign conservation blame on people rather than corporate.🍕💺🔥🌲💨🤙
🍻
🍉
🍔
🍩
Thank you for watching!
🍉
🍉
🍉