The thru-hiker/trail angel relationship has been put under strain with the increasing popularity of thru-hiking. And it's not just because thru-hikers are hitting the trail with zero money (but that's not helping).
For this article, we're going to define trail angels as being anyone who regularly makes themselves available to hikers or who self-identifies as a “trail angel”. No, this is not necessarily what a trail angel is, nor is it how we should interpret the term (for more on the ambiguity of trail angels, check out this post on trail pirates). However, for the sake of simplicity, in what follows, “trail angel” describes anyone offering assistance to hikers.
We've reached a point where many thru-hikers (or worse, thru-hiker parents/partners/relatives), instead of paying for lodging when weather rolls in or taking advantage of public transportation options (or hitchhiking) now immediately turn to Facebook groups, locals known to the trail community, or other social media channels to solicit help. Thru-hiking requires that you navigate challenging times both on and off the trail.
But how did we get here? To this point where thru-hikers have become embarrassingly dependent on trail angels? To this point where thru-hikers have come to rely so heavily on trail angels that many trail angels now (mistakenly) believe themselves to be a prerequisite to a hiker completing a thru-hike?
Let's take a step back to see where things went wrong.
Imagine a relatively unknown, long-distance hiking trail with a few hundred thru-hikers per year. Someone living near the trail picks up a hiker hitchhiking into town one day. They chat with the hiker, learn about the trail, decide this thru-hiking thing is neato, and invite the hiker to stay at their home. Whether or not they knew it, this person is now a trail angel (technically, they could be considered a trail angel as soon as they picked up the hiker).
A year passes. During our trail angel's daily commute, they begin to see more hikers hitchhiking. They decide that in addition to picking up hikers, they'll leave their phone number at the trailhead so that hikers can call for a ride as well. They soon find themselves making multiple trips per day to the trailhead.
The next year there are even more hikers on the trail and in addition to rides, hikers begin soliciting a place to stay from this trail angel – who now is somewhat well-known. Yes, they love helping hikers and being a part of a community, but the increasing number of hikers paired with growing demands soon overwhelm our trail angel.
To continue to be able to support hikers, they begin charging for rides and a place to stay. This now removes them from the category of “trail angel” in the truest sense of the word and puts them into a gray area of “off-the-books business operator”. But we won't go any further down this rabbit hole here; we're focused on the hikers.
Now, imagine this same thing happening up and down the entire trail. What begins as well-intentioned people wanting to help hikers turns into a tangled mess of altruism, profiteering, and people “just trying to cover costs”. Meanwhile, thru-hikers, after being repeatedly offered food, assistance, and/or help from strangers, come to expect it (which leads to its own issues). If you're a thru-hiker, I have something to tell you that you may not like but that you need to hear.
You're not special and nobody owes you anything.
Thru-hiking is not easy. If you're struggling, suffering, or otherwise not enjoying the entirety of your hike, chances are you're doing something right. You're going to get tired, you're going to get rained on, you're going to be cold, you're going to get bit by insects, you're going to have bad days; this is what you are signing up for when you begin a thru-hike.
Fortunately, for you, many people unfamiliar with the trail that you encounter will not immediately recognize this and instead of giving you a dose of reality, they'll probably try to help you. Don't misinterpret their ignorance; being a thru-hiker does not somehow make you more deserving of unsolicited kindness from strangers.
One of the things I strive to do for would-be thru-hikers – more than help with gear choices or logistics – is to temper expectations. Yes, thru-hiking is glorious, but with great glory (oftentimes) comes, as previously mentioned, great suffering.
Sometimes that means having to wait 6+ hours on the side of the road in the blistering desert sun trying to get a ride into town. Sometimes it means getting giardia, shitting your pants, and holing up in a hotel for a few days (remember to wash/sanitize your hands regularly and not reach into bags of food – especially other people's bags). Sometimes it means having to watch happy families escape the rain at a trailhead in their dry and heated vehicles while you, wet and borderline hypothermic, hike another three hours and set up your shelter that's still wet from last night.
“Oh no, an unexpected storm rolled in! I just came off the trail and myself, along with all my gear, is soaked. Do any trail angels have room to put up a hiker tonight?”
Cringeworthy, I know. Let's unpack what's wrong with the far-too-common occurrence.
Sure, some trail angels would happily help you out in this situation, but (justifiably) not all. The term trail angel is rooted in the above example of the passing motorist picking up our thru-hiker. This motorist, or trail angel, simply appeared when the hiker needed them. Now, I don't believe in angels for the same reason I don't believe in vampires or merfolk (RIP Aquaman), but I'm pretty sure that angels don't serve at the beck and call of us humans.
Trail angels appear unsolicited – when you need them most. And sometimes they don't appear and you're just left to get your life together on your own. It's the same with trail magic. You can't ask for trail magic. If you approach a day hiker and ask them for a beer, even if they give you one, that's not trail magic. That's just you bumming a beer off someone.
So thru-hiker, do yourself a favor and stop begging for charity from strangers. If someone takes time out of their life to help improve the quality of your hike – whether that means offering you a much-needed beverage or a place to stay – be grateful, say thank you, and recognize that you are now in this person's debt. You signed up for a thru-hike and the challenges that come with it, the world owes you nothing.
Don't get me wrong, anonymous thru-hiker, you're doing an impressive thing, but you're also kinda on vacation. You got yourself into whatever mess you're in; you need to get yourself out.
For an additional consideration, replace the term “trail angel” with “water cache.”
I think you’ll find this post of interest 🙂
https://www.halfwayanywhere.com/trails/pacific-crest-trail/why-water-caches-are-bad-for-thru-hikers/
Since I have been section hiking the CDT after thru hiking the PCT, I have become alarmed at how many hikers recently ask for help solving issues on the CDT facebook page when these issues could be easily solved by themselves with a small amount of research. Also there is a current tendency to expecting “trail angels” to rescue them. If you cannot solve your situation on your own you shouldn’t be thru hiking. Plan your hike carefully and enjoy the unexpected “Trail Angel” but do not go on trail expecting to depend on others for help.
It’s bad. Especially the people who are asking questions that would be easily answered using a search engine instead of a Facebook group.
After hiking the PCT in 2019, I had a certain experience when crossing a road/campground, where a person, without thinking, decided to became a Trail Angle, in every sense of the word. I was determined to repay that unsolicited kindness in 2020, and I did. Thank you to the nameless Angel who blessed me that day, and to all the surprised Hikers who stopped at my Angel station. It is so sad to read these accounts of Hikers coming to expect such gratuities. Incidentally, I discovered afterward, I hiked the PCT with full blown stage IV cancer. Life is precious, cherish every moment, especially on the trail.
I really like this post and after hiking both PCT & At i am appalled at the current group of hikers who seem to expect every thing, as you say Rides and accommodation, They seem incapable of doing anything them selves. I always hitched never got rides unless it was a free bus. always paid my way and always offered money if i was offered a place to stay . It amazes me that so many are contanly asking for help on FB. and then their own packs !!
I’m glad that you can see this angle and aren’t just yelling about how I am “spreading negativity”. What I’m trying to do is bring existing negativity to people’s attention so that we can work on eliminating it.
Would you like cheese with that whine? Hikers don’t whine; they walk.
Water is basic to life. So water caches are a necessity along certain parts of the PCT.
So the empty pocketbook hiker doesn’t have money to pay? Are they so unprepared and therefore a danger to themselves as well as others? Piss poor planning.
On certain parts of the trail, the massive amount of people coming through has turned friendly towns into a hiker-tourist traps. With peak numbers last year running 100 per day, somebody’s gonna walk. Sierra City is a fine example.
When hikers try to game the system and see how far you can get on nothing, at some point the angels have to look at their costs and time. Trucking folks around at $5 a gallon in gas plus insurance plus wear and tear on the car/truck can wear down angels patience.
It boils down to three choices: plan to pay the driver, plan to pay the taxi service even if it is just Lyft, or plan to walk to town and back. In any case, be grateful that anyone will give you a ride even if it’s not free.
Not really sure that what you’re saying here is entirely relevant to the above article, but the one thing I would like to point out is that water caches are in no way a necessity on the PCT. If there’s a long dry stretch, hikers should be carrying more water.
I think you may have put it best, “Are they so unprepared and therefore a danger to themselves as well as others? Piss poor planning.”
Absolutely agree and it’s not just on USA long trails either. I’m sure some people are actually factoring it in when they plan their walk.
That’s why I feel the need to put these posts out there and make sure people are having these discussions.
As a PCT section-hiker, I never count on Trail Angels, especially when it’s not thru-hiking season. Trail angels are great when the timing is right, but I always have a plan B. Even if that plan B is ‘road walk for 20 miles,’ (thankfully I’ve never needed to carry out that specific plan B, though I’ve sometimes roadwalked the first few miles until I got a hitch).
Sounds like you have it figured out. Trail angels should be regarded like water caches – as if they didn’t exist.
Hello there! I notice a photo of me and my husband is used in this article which I didn’t give permission! It irks me mainly because the caption portrays us as naive dumbshits who don’t know what trail angels are. I hiked the AT in 99 and was not one of those moocher hikers your article is about. And obviously I know what a trail Angel is. I actually know when this pic was taken. We met two hikers while on an RV trip in Washington state and were crossing the PCT in the Cascades. Yes we gave them some
treats (including moonshine) and a ride to town but we were going that way. Is the author of this article one of you? Or was this photo just snatched off the internet?! I’m a bit creeped out about this (although I must say, it’s a good pic of us)!
Moonshine 99
Monica McManus Woll
I am indeed one of the two hikers you picked up! I didn’t mean to portray you as a “naive dumbshit” at all, rather as a person who came upon us by pure happenstance and not while “working as a trail angel”. Happy to replace the photo with another if you would like (or to send you a high-resolution version).
Thank you again for the amazing hitch!
Thanks for responding! You can leave the pic – it was the caption I didn’t like. Another hiker friend just saw the pic and messaged me. The article is getting around! No thanks, I don’t need another pic of us! If you ever get to the Florida Keys, let me know – you can buy us drinks!