Thoughts on trail magic

I remember the first time we encountered trail magic while hiking. At a road crossing just before entering Caledonia State Park in Pennsylvania we found a row of organic Gala apples and a couple of 12 packs of generic soda. The trail angel also left a log for hikers to sign. It was full of effusive thanks, as well it should have been. It takes something special to give an anonymous gift. 

Trail magic is loosely defined as any useful thing provided to hikers free of charge and free of obligation. We received food ranging from granola bars, to restaurant meals, to home cooked goodness. We got rides that put our benefactors as much as 50 miles out of their way, rides for emergency medical care, rides to buy food, rides in the rain. We spent the night with people we knew only through the Internet, people we met through our journal, with family and with friends. If you believe in Karma, then you know what a debt we owe to somebody who will one day need some unexpected kindness. 

Most hikers are relatively privileged people. Not only do they go months without income but they also use costly gear. What is it that makes people want to help us?

A giver will seldom find someone more appreciative than a hiker. Undertaking a thruhike requires a dependance on the goodness of mankind. There are places where trail heads are many miles from towns. When good old Mountain Goat or Chief or Isis or any other of our tribe show up out of food and their thumb out, they need a ride. It's not a casual desire. We will be dirty, possibly wet and always hungry. Most of us have cars - back home. We aren't dangerous or crazy, although the sanity of anyone who walks 2000 miles may be debatable. 

Hikers have great stories, stories about the weather, about other hikers, about all facets of trail life. Offer us a ride or some food and you stand to be entertained if you want to be. Want to know in your heart that you made the completion of an insanely difficult trek just a little easier for someone? All it takes is a cold soda and some Oreos. 

Anyone who takes trail magic for granted, who feels entitled to anything on their hike is to be pitied. Unfortunately those people do exist, so I'm told, but we didn't meet any of them. The hikers in my bubble appreciated trail magic and loved to talk about it. We carried away the accumulated goodness of so many people. Should I ever feel like giving up on mankind, all I need to think about are the people who approached us asking "Are you a thruhiker? Do you need anything?"

Recovering from the Appalachian Trail

When we were preparing to hike the Appalachian Trail one of the books I read was Appalachian Trials by Zach Davis. The book addresses the mental aspects of preparing for, completing and recovering from a successful through hike. I used many of the tools in the book and give it a lot of credit for our accomplishment. While we hiked, I gave a lot of thought to the books post-hike suggestions. 

Some common problems hikers encounter after they complete the trail include weight gain, depression and malaise. None of those sound too fun to me so I wanted to avoid them at all costs.

Although I took a six-month leave from work, we planned to complete the trail in five months, a goal we came within three days of hitting right on the nose. That was definitely the right choice. My yard needs mucho work, the house too. Just remembering where things are located has challenged us. I went to see my friends from work the day after we got home. That felt good but the thought of immediately being tugged at by the people I support (who I like) while being directed by my boss (who I also like) was overwhelming. Taking the time off before returning gives me a chance to talk to people. At work, to catch up on the changes that occurred while I was gone and to come up with a plan to make things happen smoothly. 

I've been fat. I'm talking three-hundred pounds of wheezing red-faced stair climbing fat. I didn't like it. Five years ago I made some pretty big changes in my life, lost the weight and kept it off, mostly. Still, inactivity during the winters and undisciplined eating during the holidays caused some problems.  Returning hikers tend to bring their appetites home with them while leaving the 10-12 hours of mountain climbing with a backpack on the trail. I never tried to eat healthy while we were out there. Even the otherwise nutritious salads I had were covered in fatty salad dressings. The 30 lbs. I lost on the trail brought me down to an almost perfect BMI score. I resolved to go straight into healthy eating habits and after two weeks I've stuck to that. 

No stranger to depression, I really wanted to avoid that unpleasant after effect. While we hiked we always had a series of goals, where we'd eat, where we'd sleep and always Katahdin and Springer. I knew we had to have something after the hike as a goal. We talked about it at lengths, settling on getting back on our bikes and getting in the gym. I suppose keeping our weight in check is a goal as well. I had no idea how tired I was going to be when I got home. Wow. I'm still sore and stiff after a night's rest. I have no problem sleeping past 7:00 A.M., something I haven't done in years. It feels good to lay on the couch with a book and just read. Additionally I was sick for a few days, nothing major but enough to keep me inside. Carol's not enabling me though. In the past two days we've been on a 20-mile bike ride and also to the gym. 

So far, I'm OK with the way things have gone since we came home. I wish I had more energy but it will come in time.