[pct-l] Selective criticism of trail help

[Douglas Tow]

A number of kind contributors have perhaps implied that the more trail
angels serve road crossings, the more it might encourage people to hike the
PCT, or that it might help make a successful hiker out of an otherwise
unsuccessful one, as if that were a bad thing.

That is a bit like saying that a thru hike would be more honest if all
blowdowns were left in place - after all, clearing them just encourages
people to hike, and increases their chances of a successful hike!

I would wager that I could take the hike details of any of these critics,
and find that they employed dozens of ways to get them up the trail that
others might find "impure" hiking.  A GPS app, perhaps, or a zero day, or
slackpacking from Campo to Lake Morena.

If you consider trail angels just another optional activity along the
trail, it would help.  No one forces a PCT hiker to walk over to trail
magic and sit, or eat, or peruse a register to see where their compadres
are, any more that a hiker is forced to do any of the following:

Get in a family member's car at Echo Lake to spend some time with them in
Lake Tahoe.

Accept a free ice cream just for signing the register at Hyatt Lake Resort.

Accept a free beer at VVR.

Enjoy the free wifi at Starbucks.

Take some Vitamin I for a sore shoulder.

Take water from the pipe at Sheep Camp Springs.

Use a Halfmile map.

Check the weather report.

Pick up a resupply box in Seiad Valley.

Hikers are out there making the choices they think are best in their quest
to walk from Mexico to Canada.  Leaving a trail of trash is something to
criticize, taking an apple from a cooler not so much.

Chipmunk