There are really not words that can fully express how cool this was, but I’ll try…
“Trail Magic” is a thing of lore among long trail hikers. It’s when you find yourself feeling desperate and out of strength or resources and then suddenly – there it is – that cache of badly needed water, food or other kindness on the trail. There is a quiet posse of folks in the world who often dedicate a good deal of their time to committing these good acts. They’re known as “Trail Angels”, and their work is both subtle and amazing.
Before he left, Kyle talked to our next door neighbors in Boulder City, Tom and Tina, about doing some trail magic on this first leg of his journey. I’m pretty sure alcohol was involved, but even the next day in the cold light of sobriety, the idea stuck and they volunteered to feed a bunch of hikers and do some trail magic of their own.
And they went above and beyond in ways that we cannot express. They set up with their motor home on the Sunrise Hwy. at a known trail head that is a short distance from the PCT and also has a water stop. The weather the previous two nights had been harsh – high winds and near freezing temps guaranteed to make anyone sleeping in a tent suffer.
They fed some 50-60 hikers that morning starting around 9am and didn’t stop until the sun had fully set. I never saw them sit down once. They served hot dogs, hamburgers, home-made potato salad, fruit, cold beers, water, Gatorades and even ice-cream sandwiches and popsicles! They thought of everything, and did this completely on their own.
But the best part was to get to participate in this. Hikers streamed through all day, depending upon where they were on the trail. But many had come from Mt. Laguna, some 18 miles down the trail. To get to walk up to those guys and gals of all ages, greet them, and then offer them this incredible assortment of treats – that was the best part – to see the faces of these hikers. It was like explaining to them that nirvana was real, and they had arrived….
Then we got to sit and talk with these folks from all over the world. Hear their stories and have them get to know us. It was an amazing experience and makes one greedy to do more.
