Trail magic is the wonderful serendipity of an act of generosity given by strangers to long-distance backpackers. Trail magic can include a hot meal, a cold drink, some candy, a ride into town from the trail, or even a shower and warm bed for the night.
I enjoy wilderness backpacking. There’s nothing like getting out beyond cell coverage range with everything I need for 4 or 5 days on my back. Finding a place to sleep, a stream to filter water, eating freeze-dried food, and living by my wits are all part of the fun.
But it’s a tough existence. If you’ve been hiking for days, the cravings for a hamburger or a cold beer can get intense!
Trail magic is when you reach a trailhead and there is a family there with a cooler of drinks and hotdogs on the grill and offers you some. Trail magic is when you’re tired and hungry and you’ve got your thumb out to hitch a ride into town for a resupply, and somebody pulls over and offers to take you directly to the store of your choice.
The Long Trail
Two years ago, for the first time since graduating from university, I took a month off. For my sabbatical during the month of September, I thru-hiked (and climbed) the entire 273-mile Long Trail in Vermont, the oldest long distance hiking trail in the US and widely considered the most difficult with 68,000 feet of elevation gain (twice Mt. Everest)! I finished in 26 days.
The best trail magic I received on the Long Trail was at the top of the Bromley Mountain lookout tower. At dawn, a group showed up and climbed the tower. Since it's highly unusual to climb up a mountain in the dark, I investigated. Turns out it was a wedding party event. They gifted me half of a homemade coffee cake, and we took some photos!
Oh, wow, the excitement of being part of their wedding celebration was awesome! I quickly ate a piece of the wonderful coffee cake, and and told the kind souls that I would save the rest for later. Trail magic! Once I was out of sight down by my tent, I ate the entire thing in seconds.
Generosity
And that’s what trail magic is, sharing something that boosts the morale of a hiker with no expectation of anything in return.
Last weekend I went out for a few days on the Appalachian Trail. Upon my return, dirty and hungry, I encountered awesome trail magic! I met a group of guys who, months into their thru hike of the entire 2,000+ mile AT, enjoying a hot meal, cold drinks, and chairs(!), all because of the kindness of a woman who loves to make people happy.
The next morning when I was driving home, I saw the same guys hitchhiking. I pulled over and they said they wanted to go to a town ten miles away. It was the opposite direction from where I was going, but of course I had to take them there. It was an extra hour for me to get home. But my trail magic made life better for others.
Fandom is like trail magic
When you care about people and make them feel good, they are drawn to you. They want to do business with you. They put your sticker on their laptop or wear your t-shirt.
What kind of trail magic can your organization provide?
