Three Reasons to Spread Trail Magic at Work
by Anthony Demangone
My wife and I love the mountains, our National Parks, and the fresh air. In the past, my wife volunteered to help maintain trails along the Appalachian Trail. And we cross the “AT” every time we visit Old Stony Man in Shenandoah National Park.
Why all this talk of the AT? To set up an idea: trail magic.
The AT is more than 2,100 miles long. From what I’ve read, it tests the mettle of the most seasoned hikers. What seemed fantastic in Georgia in April (when most hikers start the trek), may not seem so great hiking up a hill in West Virginia in July. That’s a lot of blisters.
Enter Trail Angels, who are the people that distribute “trail magic.” I read a number of stories, and here’s the best description I’ve seen so far:
continue reading »When I hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2000, I was the lucky recipient of something commonly referred to in the hiking community as “trail magic.” Trail magic can manifest itself in many ways. In early March barely 50 miles into my trip, I met a woman named “Coosa” at a place known as Unicoi Gap in north Georgia. She was handing out cookies and candy to hikers – including me! People like “Coosa” are commonly referred to as “Trail Angels.” Trail Angels are the folks who dispense trail magic. Needless to say, I was thrilled and delighted at her generosity. Two days later a group of elderly men from Toccoa, Georgia who were out on a day hike found me sitting despondently on the side of the trail just north of Kelly Knob. (Don’t get me started about Kelly Knob!) I was trying unsuccessfully to dress some deep heel blisters that had formed days earlier. They asked me how I was and I said, “not very good.” With that, two medical doctors stepped forward and offered me advice, bandages, and some ibuprofen. They also loaned me a cell phone to call a family member to fetch me so my blisters could heal properly. It was the tonic that I needed at just the right moment.