Daniel Thompson: Appalacian Trail Documentary

In class we watched a documentary filmed by some students who hiked the Appalachian Trail in winter. They often found themselves cold and hungry as the temperatures were abnormally low and they could only bring small amounts of food so as not to weigh them down. Though they met few people on the trail, the trail culture so often talked about in class was clear to see. Many volunteers and inhabitants near the trail offered food, shelter and transportation to students they had never met. They called this culture 'Trail Magic' as this kindness among strangers was mostly unique to long distance trails. The documentary made me wonder: why are these strangers so kind to each other? Meanwhile in everyday life even people who do know each other display less kindness than these strangers. I think the fact that trail hikers have little else to do makes them more inclined to help others. Maybe this kindness is why people chose to take on these long, isolated, and sometimes unforgiving trails.