Trail Magic

Over the past several months I have been reading memoirs of individuals who have completed a thru-hike, which is what is it called when someone hikes the entire length of the Pacific Crest Trail, the Continental Divide Trail or the Appalachian Trail. Each trail is a couple thousand miles long, give or take a few hundred. These journeys take months.  I've only day hiked, so this is not something I know about first hand.

Probably the most well known of these books is Wild, written by Cheryl Stayed.  It was turned into movie starring Reese Witherspoon.

I've read more and more of these as my level of activity has gradually decreased.

The irony is not lost on me.

I'd blame Kindle Unlimited for suggesting books similar to ones I've already read but I started reading them in the first place.  It is not like Kindle is holding me hostage until I've read a certain number of trail books.

A day hike in May 2010, it ended up being uphill.  We carried
our then 3 year old daughter most of our way.

I'm probably living vicariously through their ability to walk 20 or more miles a day.

All the authors describe their joy at the discovery of Trail Magic.

Trail Magic happens when something good is bestowed upon a thru-hiker, such as a cooler of soda and candy bars sitting by a stretch of dry trail miles from civilization.

At the top of the 3 mile uphill hike!

Or when a day hiker gives all their left over snacks to a hiker who has been subsisting on ramen noodles for weeks on end.

Or someone offering a ride to the nearest grocery store to get resupplied.

Most Trail Magic focuses on food, water and shelter because thru-hiking strips life down to those bare essentials.

Trail Magic is really the result of simple human kindness but the boost of morale and energy it gives thru-hikers is magical.  Those bestowing Trail Magic are known as Trail Angels.

All thru-hikers believe that Trail Magic is vitial to completing a thru-hike.

Here's the thing though, I think Trail Magic happens in everyday life too.

When the person a head of you in the grocery store line, with approximately 500 items, lets you and your 5 items go ahead?

That is Trail Magic.

When you thought you had 8 loads of laundry to wash, dry and fold but it turns out there is only two because your insomniac husband did laundry while you were sleeping?

That's Trail Magic.

When someone lets you go through a 4 way stop first, even though it is clearly their right away?

That is Trail Magic, too.

I think that it is harder to see, though, because life off a trail isn't stripped down.  It is complicated and busy and full of other humans.

Humans preoccupied with their complicated and busy lives.  Humans who are hurting, who in turn do hurtful things.

It doesn't mean the magic isn't there.  It just means that you have to be looking for it.  It is not going to be as obvious as a red Coleman cooler in the middle of a desolate trail.

My husband and daughter on a day hike in
August 2009

And, the more you look for it, the more you see it.  The more you see it, the more you keep looking for it.

It becomes a great positive feedback loop.

There are still hurt humans out there hurting more humans.

But I have a nice cushion of Trail Magic to buffer me from the negative that happening in the world.  It keeps me from becoming cynical and negative.

Cushions are good.

We all need cushions because life, like walking a 2,000+ mile trail, is tough.

And it encourages me to put good out in the world. When I go through life with positive energy, people respond to me in a much more positive way as well.

That encourages me to put out more good.

It is another one of those positive feedback loops.

I supposed we could call it Life Magic.

I prefer Trail Magic, though.

Life is a journey, after all.

My daughter and I during the same day hike, August 2009.