There are many articles and blogs about Leave No Trace Ethics with respect to Thru-Hiking. They all have important information, but I often feel like they miss an important point. Don’t worry, I’m not going to turn this into a debate about how to wipe your butt. If that is really what you are looking for, just go to any of the PCT Facebook groups and ask about how people dig a hole. It will surely start a lively debate.
What I feel is missing from most Leave No Trace articles is a mention of what a hiker should do when they encounter trail magic. Many of the articles I have seen place the burden of responsibility on the trail angels. Many articles ask individuals not to leave trail magic, but to personally hand someone their little piece of heaven. This is fair and I fully support this opinion. Unattended food can be eaten by wildlife, which can cause problem animals that will expect food from humans.
Still trail magic is left along the long distance trails. So, what’s a hiker to do? The answer is obvious, consume something tasty. What happens then? This is where I used to stop thinking and continue on, satisfied having just eaten a honey bun or pop tart. Free calories. LIFE. IS. GOOD. But it doesn’t end there. What happens with the trash you just accumulated? You know, the empty can of soda or candy bar wrapper.
Here are possibilities and let us imagine the magic is in a ice chest so that small animals do not get into the food: I have put these in order of worst Leave No Trace practices to best.
6. Walk away with the whole cooler and deposit all the magic into a hiker box in town so that animals don’t get into it.
Trail Magic Gone Wrong (PCTA.org)
The first scenario is terrible, as cases like this can easily get out of control and just turn into something that resembles a garbage heap. The second can result in an overflowing ice chest with garbage winding up far from the source. The third, I believe, is the most common practice. The fourth through sixth are what I would like people to consider standard practice to reduce impact. These behaviors will also eventually lead to a cleaner trail! Obviously walking away with the whole cooler is a bit extreme, but in some circumstances, I have been motivated to given the snowball effect of some trail magic.
While thru-hiking, you look to other hikers to see what is socially acceptable. Just because something is common practice does not mean it is the right thing to do. Not much thought goes into these small choices because hikers are tired, hungry, dirty, smelly, and trying to make X more miles before the end of the day. We are so grateful to get calories that we didn’t carry 20 or more miles. Little thought is put into these fleeting but impactful decisions of what to do with the trash.
Just look at Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. In order to think critically of how to handle the situation, you need to be quite high on this theoretical pyramid, probably around the level of self-actualization. All your other needs have to be met before you can think on that level.
A pyramid representing Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
You might think, “But disposing of that trash is not my responsibility! The trail angel who left the trail magic should come back and pick it up!”
This is not necessarily what happens. You cannot be sure that someone will take the remains of trail magic. Sometimes people are only by the trail for the weekend and really want to help thru-hikers, and so they leave something without the intention of taking the trash away later on. Trail angels might see “drive-by trail magic” as helping hikers, when in fact they are also creating a situation where trash is left in the woods. This is especially true if thru-hikers do not take responsibility for the trash that they have willingly generated by eating the food.
I hope this article will help hikers think about how to handle different situations with regards to trail magic. Just remember, you are directly involved in how the wilderness is perceived by everyone who visits after you. It is your responsibility to make sure someone visiting nature for the first time sees the world for its beauty and not as a garbage can. On many city streets, people are paid to pick up trash. In the wilderness, we are all responsible.
Wherever you are on the Leave No Trace spectrum, please help inform other hikers who might be too hungry or tired to make the best decision.
How do you handle encounters with trail magic? What have you done when you encounter a large amount of trash possibly from old trail magic? Please share your ideas so that we can all discuss how to practically tackle this problem.
Just Two Hikers 
Very good post. My husband (currently thru-hiking) and I did a day of trail-angeling outside Big Bear a couple weeks ago during a 3-day hookup. Our cabin happened to be about 20 yards above the trail, so we were able to constantly monitor our cache–we could see hikers stopping from our deck. We collected trash a couple dozen times throughout the day and restocked the treats and beverages. We also left a trash can next to the magic for empty chip bags and cans. Jeremy also grilled some chicken, but we left a sign near the treats box and iced beverages directing hikers to our cabin if they wanted that. After trail-angeling for about 8 hours that day, I strongly believe that anything except water needs to be constantly monitored by the angel, and yes, the hiker should haul out their trash from the trail magic if the angel doesn’t leave a good way to do that. Happy Trails! 🌲
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