Some people along the trail are simply magnificent. They welcome hikers into their homes, not for money or because they have to, but because they want to. Inherently, people are good. (so what goes wrong?)
In the past two days, I have been caught in pouring rain and hail storms. Everything is soaked!! When it's pouring rain, all I mainly do is keep moving forward and not stopping unless it is absolutely necessary. Sometimes, there are shelters along the trail that you can take cover in to be out of the rain for a snack break or whatever, but not always.
Naturally, I was on a stretch where shelters were sparse and the rain was coming down hard. I needed to take a break and eat lunch, but unless I wanted to sit in the rain and get the inside of my pack soaked when I open it to dig out my food bag, it was hopeless. I came to a road crossing and saw a house with a covered front porch. I knocked on the door and the woman that answered was all too happy to let me sit on her porch and eat my lunch while I told her about my hike. She even gave me a Coke and put my wet and cold clothes in the dryer!!
I encountered the same hospitality when I came to Dalton, MA. Myself and a couple of other hikers got caught in a hail storm for about an hour or two and were soaked and miserable. We walked up to a gas station and the attendant asks "you guys looking for the Bird Cage?" Umm, sure... (he must know hikers when he sees them...). A middle-aged man (Rob) rolls up in a van and takes us to his house where he let us shower, did our laundry, took us to resupply, and dropped us off at an all-you-can-eat buffet. AND we can spend the night? WOW...
It's people like Rob --the ones with the big hearts-- that make the world a better place. Furthermore, it's experiences like this that shape a thru hike into something that you just have to do to "get". When I try to explain my hike to people and how it changes you, most of the time I sense they don't fully understand just what it is that I am trying to convey.
The AT harbors a wonderful community. And that is all.
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