Ran into a trail angel on the PCT near Lake Tahoe who changed my whole hiking style

I was about 3 days out of South Lake Tahoe last summer when my water filter broke. I ran into an older guy named Dave at a trail crossing who just handed me his spare filter and said "keep moving, you'll figure the rest out later." He told me he'd been doing trail magic for 12 years and never asked for anything back. That little act of trust made me slow down and actually talk to other hikers instead of just rushing. Has anyone else had a random gear rescue from a stranger on trail?

3 comments

3 Comments

caseythompson1mo ago

That story about Dave handing you a spare filter and trusting you to pass it on rings true, same thing happened to me with a broken stove near Mount Whitney.

baker.holly1mo ago

Actually read an interview with Dave once where he said he's lost three stoves himself to other hikers borrowing them and never bringing them back. Wild that he still keeps doing it. He said it's just part of the trail code, you build trust or you don't make it far. Guess that spare filter thing is just how he operates. Good to hear it's not just stories, people really do pass that stuff on.

leehall1mo ago

Hang on Holly, I think Dave's actually said in that same interview he lost four stoves, not three. The fourth one walked off somewhere in the Smokies if I'm remembering right.