Had a convo with a thru-hiker who said trail angels are overrated

Met this guy at a campsite near Ashland who said he never takes food from trail angels because it creates a crutch. I thought he was crazy but he pointed out how many hikers just rely on handouts instead of learning to resupply properly. Has anyone else seen hikers get too dependent on town support?

3 comments

3 Comments

brookerobinson7d ago

Yeah I feel that @brookep62, too much reliance can kill the whole point of hiking your own hike.

brookep627d ago

Did you end up taking fewer zeros after that?

elizabeth_king7d ago

Took way fewer zeros after my second thru, and honestly @brookep62, it made the whole trip feel way more solid. I used to fall into that trap of thinking I needed a full rest day just because my feet hurt or the weather was meh. Most of the time pushing through and just taking a shorter day or a long lunch break worked way better than sitting around town for 24 hours. Once I got into that groove of hiking every day even if it was only 8 or 10 miles, I felt stronger and way less like I was just killing time in some random hostel. Really made the trail feel like a continuous push instead of a bunch of stops and starts.