[at-l] Cooler at Trailside, Was Bear stuff

[sloetoe@yahoo.com (Sloetoe)]

--- rick boudrie <rickboudrie@hotmail.com> wrote:
> I find it comforting to question everything about the concept 
> about pre-planned trail magic.  Which is really, really
> confusing since people like the Ice Cream Lady meant so dang
much to us all.

### Sloetoe offers:
P'rhaps the confusion is in the answer to the question
"Preplanned to Whom?" If you were the throughhiker, happened
upon a road crossing, with a running car stopped with lights
glowing brightly and windshield wipers slapping time, to have
the window drop down and a voice from within cry "Hey! I need to
make a run back into town for a toothbrush! Need a ride?"
Certainly unexpected by you, and hence the magic greatly
increased but, ..., what if that was just a story that the
driver made up to make it all seem more spontaneous? I have
twice stopped into DWG on the way through, just to give a lift
to any hikers who might need it.

But even if it's *not* spontaneous? Think of Roger Brinkner:
sending little handpainted wood signs for the "Appalachia
Cottage, Greenwood Lake, NY: Just 674 more miles, hikers!" south
to be nailed to trees on specific *nasty* uphills (hence the
specific mileage mentioned). Boy, THAT would be one tradition
killed by bureaucracy on 2002, eh?

No, I don't feel I have any sharp-line answers, just an added
perspective based upon the LT (as a hiker) and upon those times
when *I've* been able to lighten someone else's trail burden.
It's cool. Have faith in that.

Sew, two thoughts:

If it's unplanned (and not so regular as to be *expected*) than
it's maaaaaaagic.

If it's planned, if may *still* be magic, but it's certainly
handicapped by neighbors.

Sloetoe
(btw, I missed both the Ice Cream Lady ('79 was too early) and
Roger's Appalachia Cottage (off to attend a funeral). But I met
Roger later, in Gorham, in (of all places) a Burger King. He
insisted on buying my dinner, commenting on how embarrassed he
was that it wasn't the home-grilled steak he was famous for. I
said "No prob." [What a gracious guy.])

=====
Spatior! Nitor! Nitor! Tempero!
   Pro Pondera Et Meliora.

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