24 April 2021
Zero in Wrightwood
No PCT Miles hiked!
My sleep was so-so after all the revelry last night so it was great to wake up and find that Goose had already gotten coffee for all 3 of us. Yay!
That woke us up a little, so Half Cookie and I went to the market for breakfast stuff and then we baked sheet pan bacon and eggs to go with the homemade biscuits she brought from home. Yum!
After breakfast Half Cookie and I took a nice walk in town, taking pictures of all the yard art. It’s a very sweet little community.
We passed a little league game full of kids and their parents and then came back to the center of town where we got some lunch from the market for Half Cookie and from the Mexican place for me. We took it back to the AirBnB and sat on the porch with a beer, munching and listening to Arciopelados.
I was able to resupply food for my next section from all the leftover stuff Goose and I sent home with Half Cookie from Big Bear, so I didn’t need to buy anything more.
When Goose got back we just hung out for a while and then watched half a bad Kristen Wiig movie before putting on the amazing documentary “Dirtbag” about Fred Beckey, a prolific and eccentric climber. His philosophy of living reminded me a lot of thru-hiking. Thanks for the suggestion Goose!
So, since this was a slow day, let me bring up another question from Elbow Maven. She writes: “so this trail angel stuff (the ride, the ice cream, the water etc). Is this just random people who do nice stuff for free? Is it an organized network? Who funds them? Just curious.”
I think most trail angels are just people who like helping hikers. They or someone they love may have hiked themselves, or they may simply be fascinated with what thru-hikers are trying to do.
Usually it’s just random acts of kindness, but some people take it to a higher level and try to systematically help many hikers. The most famous examples are people like Scout and Frodo in San Diego, who have hosted thousands of hikers and helped them get rides to the start of the trail in Campo (I signed up to help them one year — they are incredibly organized!). But there are also groups who work together, especially for the water caches since it’s a lot of time and money to buy and transport all that water.
So angels are everywhere and organized in many different ways!
Today’s Hike-U:
Maybe the Best Trail Town
So nice to linger
On a walk or with a beer
On quaint Wrightwood streets
The JimmyJam Hiking Club 
Hey, Elbow and JJ!
Thanks for the question and answer re trail angels. Our family and friends are lesser angels than many of those that JJ describes. For the last 10-15 years each season for a couple days, we’ve been intercepting thru hikers as they near the PCT’s halfway point. We ply them with food and drink, listen to their amazing stories, and meet the remarkable folks that hike the trail. They leave our way station, with full bellies and celebratory drinks in hand, headed toward the halfway marker about 10 miles away.
Elbow: if you’re anywhere in Nor Cal, we’d love to have you join our toast us this summer.
JJ: as you approach the midway point, keep us posted. We’ll be there with food, drink, and admiration.
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Yay! Will do!
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I think you nailed it about Trail Angels. Some of us (like me) are previous hikers who just go out randomly to provide things we know hikers would love (i.e., food, beer, fresh fruit, water, take the trash), and other Angels are super dedicated all year long with whatever they do (water cache, a place to stay).
Personally, I like my “magic” to be totally unexpected. I certainly don’t want anyone to rely on it! I think it’s better that way.
And look out. I’ve been known to try and intercept hikers that I know are out there! But of course, I can’t disclose when or where, because then it wouldn’t be a magical surprise!
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I hope to be surprised! 🙂
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