My mom lives near the halfway mark on the PCT. When I did my first PCT hike, she had no idea how close to the trail she was. She got all excited about the trail and started wondering if she could help out the hikers in some way.
The first year I hiked, she would drive through the little town she lives near and if she saw people who looked like hikers, she'd offer them a ride to the trailhead.
The second year I hiked she did the same thing, but she also left a cooler on the trail with drinks. Sometimes she would leave her phone number offering a ride to people who called. People would call her and once she got up the nerve, she invited a few to stay at her house, which is considerably far from the little town and the trail.
At first she didn't want them in the house. She offered the back yard to pitch tents and sleep. She saw all the tents out there and felt bad so so invited them in. They played cribbage, ate tons of food and she invited them to sleep on the couch. She learned that the PCT hikers are wonderful people. She started taking their pictures and had them sign a little register in her house. She never specifically asked for donations, but she would find money hidden around the house for her. She really had a lot of fun.
She decided to do it again this year. She removes her phone number from the trail when she doesn't want to be bothered. She only has people come over to her house that she invites. But she seems to invite everybody.
Today she sent me a link to pictures she has taken of the hikers she's met so far. Some of them she's only driven to and from the trailhead and others stayed over at her house. Looking at all the pictures fills me with melancholy for a world I'm not a part of right now. The trail is a whole little community, a special world. I miss it!
Here are her pictures.
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