YOUR AVERAGE AMERICAN
Camel cccthru-hiker
Coming from a western country closely affiliated to the United States of America, Australians consume a lot of film, TV, products and in more recent times social media with American origins. Having never been to the US personally I had definitely developed a perception of your average American. Bold, brash, loud and all aspiring celebrities. Was this really the case or just a result of “The Simpsons” being a huge part of my childhood? Although I’m sure they exist, this stereotype couldn’t be further from the truth when it come to the locals I have met on trail.
Trail Angels, as they are known, are dotted all along the Pacific Crest Trail. These people spend their time, energy and money making a thru-hike in this part of the world possible. Whether it be a pick up at a trailhead which is hard to hitchhike from, a place to stay to shower and wash your clothes or even an unexpected cold drink when you need it most, these people certainly typify what it means to be an angel.
My first experience of trail magic was when Becky, a local of the tourist town of Julian, picked up a group of us to spend a night at her place. The feeling of washing the thick desert dirt off my body and clothes and sleeping in a homely environment allowed me to fully reset for the upcoming sections. These trail angels usually accept donations but the real ones will not expect it. The PCT attracts people from all walks of life. I’ve met retired surgeons and I’ve met college students. I assume each of these groups have starkly different budgets yet all are out here making it happen. America has a tip culture with many service based professions relying almost solely on tips. This was confusing to navigate at first but essentially the Trail Angels work on the same system. They are volunteers but like many such organisations they have overheads. Donations big and small go toward petrol money, power bills and sometimes even food and drink that is provided on trail or in their homes.
Other Trail Angels who are in a comfortable position and usually retired will refuse money altogether, often sighting the pure enjoyment they get from helping people from all over the world make their PCT journey easier. I think this is super interesting given what I have seen and read about lonliness in our older population. Imagine if your town back home had a thru-hike passing through allowing for these organic interactions between the often young hiker and older trail angel.
Jim was another trail angel from Idyllwild who picked James (told you he would get quicker and catch up) and I from the trailhead and ran us back into town before taking us back the next day. The first thing he said after our intial greetings was, “I wont accept any money, I do this for fun.” Further down the trail Footlooze, another Oliver (from Sweden) and I stayed with Dale and Carol in the desert ski town (work that one out) of Wrightwood. Dale was a mountain bike rider who had been hitting the downhill runs since before suspension and good brakes existed. Dale had such a beautiful home and spent hours talking to us around a fire despite having hosted 170 hikers already this season alone.
Where there is money to be made though, people will always exploit it to an extent. Some ‘trail angels’ had set fees for accomodation, lifts and could often be very misleading. Emma, a member of my trail family which has developed in the latter stages of the desert experienced this first hand. Just outside of Palm Springs the PCT descends down from Mount San Jacinto to a brutally hot flat section. She seeked refuge with a trail angel charging hikers $20 a night to sleep in her garage. A set fee yes but something that could be considered a reasonable donation. The owner of the home however had suggested that it would be too hot in the garage that night and Emma should relocate to a spare bedroom which was free that night. Emma graciously accepted the kind offer before being told by the individual the following day that she now owed her $60 (roughly $100 AUD). These stories are few and far between however and the trail acts as a big telephone line so people are aware of these shady individuals fronting as proper trail angels. Other times signs are left at trail heads with cars to avoid with people charging exorbitant fees for lifts to town.
So is one form of trail angel right and the other wrong? In my opinion the PCT is so big with so many hikers heading through each year that both systems are required to meet the demand. This keeps the pure trail angels from getting overloaded and a lot of people are happy to use the more business based individuals various services. I keep to the true trail angels as best I can and try to tip fairly within my budget.
So that leaves the question, what is your average American? Well from my experience over the past month hiking over 700 miles they are some of the nicest people you will ever meet.