The Pacific Crest Trail: A hike by Patrick J Griffith: Trail Magic and Trail Angels

This page is dedicated to Trail Magic and the Trail Angels that provide it. For many years, people known as Trail Angels have been going out of their way volunteering their services to help out PCT hikers by providing them with help along the way which is known as Trail Magic. Trail Angels and Trail Magic come in all manners of different guises:Trail Magic might be a cold beer that someone has left in a coolbox at the side of the trail, or it might be someone offering you a place to stay for the night sleeping in a bed instead of on the cold hard ground. The best known Trail Magic and Trail Angel event is the Annual Day Zero Pacific Crest Trail Kick Off party, or ADZPCTKO (http://pct77.org/adz/) for short. As far as I know the Kick Off event started as a way for former hikers to get together and reminisce about the trail and from there it snowballed into something much bigger. It is now a generally accepted vital stop for any prospective thru-hiker and is now a 2 day event where there are seminars with former PCTers giving lectures about what to expect on the trail, reports on the snow levels in the Sierra Nevada,and the water levels in Southern California, vendors displaying the latest lightweight gear, advice on how to stay safe out on the trail and much, much more. And unbelievably all this is free to a thru-hiker like me! How incredible is that? I have heard that some hikers start to believe they are entitled to Trail Magic, expecting it round every corner and expecting people to be waiting to greet them with a cold beer and a hot shower whenever they stroll into a trail town but the vast majority of hikers understand and appreciate this generosity for what it is, and I hope to be one of them.

So in honour of all those Trail Angels out there providing Trail Magic to needy PCT hikers, I'm going to attempt to list anyone and everyone who helps me achieve my goal of walking from Mexico to Canada up the Pacific Crest Trail.

Kathryn and Nick, San Diego. I was introduced to Kate and Nick through a mutual friend and they very graciously agreed to put me up when I arrive in San Diego. I am incredibly grateful for them agreeing to put me up as I'll be turning up in San Diego late at night after a loooong flight and was dreading that I'd have to spend that first night in a hostel. I don't generally have anything against hostels, but I had an irrational fear that my bag would be nicked on that first night, as can happen in more disreputable hostelling establishments, so am glad I get to spend the first couple nights with some real San Diego locals.

Scout and Frodo, San Diego. Scout and Frodo are former PCT hikers who, every year, host tens of hikers (and I think this year maybe more than 100!) needing a place to stay before starting the trail in a small hamlet called Campo an hour outside of San Diego. They pick people up from airports, train stations and bus stations, welcome them into their home where they feed and water them, and then take them to the border ready to start the adventure. Scout and Frodo have also agreed to take delivery of my Contrail Tarptent which seemly is too much of a challenge for Chronoposte to deliver to me here in France.

Laura, Julian. Laura gave Ron and I a ride to Julian from scissors crossing after only 45mins of waiting by the side of the road. Laura lives in a little community neaar to scissors crossing, at mile 78, and is used to helping hikers out. She has also agreed to pick me back up this afternoon for the planned night hike up to barrel springs. Unfortunately I will be going back on my own as Ron has decided the PCT is not for him which is a shame as I enjoyed hiking with him.

Mom's Pies. Mom was kind enough to give free pie and a sandwich to PCT hikers, many thanks Mom!

Mom's Pies

Roz and Nicole, Julian. Roz and Nicole picked me up from Julian and took me back down to the trail at Scissors Crossings in preparation for my first night hike. They, like Laura live in the small community near Scissors and are part of the PCT Angel group in the area.

Roz and Nicole.

Frank. Frank picked me from Warner Springs and took me down to the Kick Off back at Lake Morena. Frank is retired from the automotive industry and is going to be hiking the PCT with a friend of his Domingo (not sure I got this right so let me know and I'll change it gents!)

Frank And Domingo

Paul and Dee. Paul and Dee live on the coast between San Diego and Los Angeles, are planning a through hike next year and were at Kick Off to learn more about the trail in preparation for next year. They very kindly gave me a lift back to Warner Springs after KickOff.

Paul and Dee

Laurence the Spring Guy. This guy has been maintaining the springs in Section B of the PCT for more than 25 years. I met him for the first time near Lost Valley Spring and although I didn't need water then, I did when I hit Fobes spring in the San Jacintos a few days later.

Laurence the Spring Guy

Scott and Scott picked me up at Humber Park just under Saddle junction for a well deserved zero day in Idyllwild

Scott and Scott

Into Big Bear there were two hitches, the first from a guy called Johnny whose picture I didn't get, and the second from a cop whose name I didn't get!

Grayson, the hostel owner gave us a ride back to the trail

Donna and Keith were angeling just prior to Deep Creek.

And so were the local indian temple who were having their monthly get together and had too much food, so we hikers generously helped lighten their cars for the return journey. Definitely the best Magic so far!

Marlene and Greg were providing coke floats just after the Deep Creek spillway, after this we lost all motivation to move and sat under a tree for most of the day waiting for the cool of the evening.