Celebrity and Altruism



I actually have to get going soon, and I didn't want to make this such a short entry, but let's try it here.



Hiking on the trail, most of the people you meet are actually thru-hikers or at least Lashs' (Long-Ass Section Hikers).  Some people are day hikers, and some people you meet in the towns and such.  A lot of these people are attracted to us hikers, coming up to us in awe, asking how far we're hiking with those things on our backs.  I'm not embellishing either, some people have had their pictures taken with hikers, a lot ask a great many questions, and follow up all of our answers with "wow" and "I could never do that."  It's kind of cool, and very surprising how there is a bit of a celebrity status for thru-hikers.

That said, a lot of people want to give, or otherwise help us.  They imagine that we're in a rough state of despiration and we need anything we can get.  It's true, giving an orange to some thru-hiker you see at a road crossing is really really appreciated, and the appreciation gained by the hiker is far greater than the cost of the effort by the giver.  These people are called "trail angels" and their help is called "trail magic".  Some trail magic is organized, like a cooler full of cupcakes and hard boiled eggs and salt.  Some is more random, like people running to their cars in a parking lot to give a soda or banana.  It is difficult to accept kindness at first, but then you learn to be gracious towards it.  It is a very strange feeling, but you can feel satisfied knowing that the giver knows how much of an impact he or she is making with how little of an effort. 

A week ago in Hot Springs, some man who gave Coldy and I a quick hitch saw us again in the diner at lunch.  We thanked him again, and talked to him and his family.  He had a wife and young child, and he was probably at least 30, just starting out as a family.  After we were finishing up eating, he came over to our table and dropped his bill on our table and made a joking reference that we should pick up his bill.  He took his off the table, and then said, while snatching our bill, "But I am taking yours."  Coldy and I stared at each other in disbelief.  A long second or two later I ran over to persuade him to give me our bill back.  "Look, I know you two are on a long trip, and my family has been blessed - I want to do this for you," he said.  I shook his hand and thanked him again - added a "God bless" in a moment of quick thinking - and went back to the table.  I know everyone gets something back after completing some act of kindness - there is no such thing as selflessness - but this trip will have me really weighing the amazing worth of kindness in the world.

Today I was jogging over to the Erwin post office and I stupidly tripped on a curb and tumbled onto the parking lot.  I tucked my arm and rolled so that I wouldn't hurt myself too badly, but I still got skin torn off my right hand and was also bleeding from my knee.  I didn't want to bother going all the way back to the hostel, so I figured I would just go in, ship some letters quickly, and get out.  As I was walking up, bleeding and embarrassed, an old woman was approaching the door.  I jogged over and pulled it open for her, waited for her to slowly enter, and then pushed the next door open and held it for her.  We all went through the line, and she was waiting around for me to finish mailing my package apparently because she came up to me and offered me a couple bills  (~$2 maybe?) for my kindness, saying "Go buy yourself something nice for dinner."  I politely declined, saying I couldn't, and she seemed to accept that answer without insisting.  It was a little awkward then, and I came up with an explanation that she has a wonderful town, and everyone has just been so nice, I feel like I have to give back to the town...  she was so quiet, slow, and soft-spoken - I wasn't sure if I upset her that I didn't accept her gift.  I was prepared to accept it when she insisted... I feel so stupid now though.  $2 means nothing to her probably - she's old, what will she spend money on?  That she could brighten up my day with a gift would've been the high point of her day.  Oh well... as I've said: you learn to accept kindness, and I should be ready to be on the receiving end of a lot of help for the rest of this trip.  After this trip, I'm planning on giving it back - and I expect people to graciously accept so that I can feel good about myself!