After I determined to hike the Appalachian Path in 2015, I anxious—not concerning the bears, blisters or risks that awaited me alongside the best way, however about not accessing music. Music was my first language; I’ve all the time poured my ideas and emotions into the keys on a piano and the strings on my guitar when I discovered them troublesome to navigate. I nervously set off on my journey in early spring and began listening to the music of the woods, recording melodies in my thoughts. Then, a number of weeks after leaving Springer Mountain in Georgia, my path household (“tramily”) and I discovered our approach to a hostel in Tennessee. The property was lush inexperienced and coated in bushes. The host greeted us upon our arrival and mentioned that if any of us would entertain him on his porch piano for the night, they may keep the evening without spending a dime. A smile stretched throughout my face. I wanted that piano as a lot as he did.
We gathered our issues, took our showers, ate our fill of pizza after which walked as much as the porch. I sat on the piano, feeling immediately at residence on the weather-worn wood bench. My fingers moved throughout the keys with craving even after a comparatively brief deprivation. After the track ended, our host defined that the piano as soon as belonged to his spouse, who’d handed away too younger. She would’ve wished others to play for him, he advised us. I spotted that, on this random mountain on this property distant from residence, we’d managed to convey one another consolation with a bit of little bit of music.
This was path magic.
What precisely is path magic? It’s a particular phenomenon that occurs on long-haul hikes just like the Appalachian or Pacific Crest trails. When path neighborhood members and previous hikers search for methods to encourage hikers ahead even when path situations are lower than very best, the result’s one thing that appears virtually too great to be true. It may very well be a mirage within the desert, however it seems to be a type of path oasis. And it may be so impactful that those that present it are referred to as “path angels.”
Path magic is perhaps so simple as a small cookout on the aspect of the highway, or an invite into somebody’s residence for a bathe and entry to laundry machines. There’s nobody set definition, however the time period describes a spirit of giving with out expectation, or a serendipitous encounter with no matter you want at any given time on a trek.
Right here, REI Members and employees share some iconic path magic tales from their hikes and thru-hikes throughout the nation.
Sneakers to Be Sort
Lyla Harrod
Path identify: Sugar
REI Member: A number of years
Path: Florida Path, 2023
My pal Kelly Hays and I had been doing a freeway highway stroll on the Florida Path with our path household. There have been 9 of us. This girl drove by and stopped on the aspect of the freeway. She’d acknowledged Kelly from YouTube, and expressed her pleasure at randomly operating into her. She dug into her automotive and pulled out some apples and oranges, which had been arduous to seek out alongside the path.
Earlier than she pulled away, she was like, “Why don’t you come and stick with us tonight? Your complete tramily can come.” Afterward, she and her husband got here and picked us up in two pickup vans and drove us to their home. They put all 9 of us up in what was most likely a two-bedroom residence. We sat on the couches, flopping round with our soiled garments in all places. That evening, they took us all out to a Mexican restaurant and acquired our dinners, did our laundry—actually every part you’ll be able to think about.
The path angel’s husband was a observe coach for the native highschool, and typically will get sneakers despatched to him. He dropped us again off on the trailhead, however our trailmate Banana Man rapidly blew out one in all his sneakers after we began climbing, and there was nowhere to get sneakers as soon as we had been off. We referred to as our host to ask for assist, and he drove out once more with a pair of sneakers, and gave it to Banana Man without spending a dime. It was the proper instance of somebody going above and past in each approach to help us on our hike.
Associated studying: What’s In My Pack with Tremendous Through-Hiker Lyla Harrod
A+ Angel
Emily Schrick
Former senior operations specialist for REI Co-op
REI Member since: 2015
Path: Pacific Crest Path, 2018
In Northern California, at a spot referred to as the Hat Creek Rim that’s recognized for zero shade and blazing-hot temperatures, I noticed an indication hooked up to a PCT path marker, studying “Katie’s Senior Venture.” At first, I assumed the [student] was perhaps doing a science mission, however as soon as I obtained to the highway I noticed a giant shaded tarp and unmistakable coolers. It needed to be path magic! I ran down the highway to see what was happening, and nobody was there besides me. There was good camp furnishings, frozen towels for our faces and necks, ice-cold Gatorade and the true deal with: selfmade strawberry shortcake! Katie was out doing a number of rounds of path magic, interviewing PCT hikers about their experiences and doing upkeep initiatives on the PCT. It was so good assembly her, and superior of her to provide again in so some ways.
True Love Waits
Sarah Grothjan
Path Title: Squishy
Camp/Backpack editor for REI Co-op
REI member since: 2019
Path: Timberline Path, Mount Hood Nationwide Forest, 2019
Just a few years in the past, my pal Ashley and I tried to circumnavigate Mount Hood—however we severely overestimated our talents. We hoped to finish it in two nights, however I believe most individuals end in a minimal of three or 4. The forecast promised sunny, clear climate, however about two hours into our hike the skies opened up. Sudden lightning minimize that first day brief—since a bit of the path was in a meadow, we wanted to take cowl.
On the second evening, we determined to abort the mission solely. Nonetheless, we actually had no good possibility for getting again to our automotive—we had been equidistant on the loop from the trailhead, so we both needed to retrace our steps or end the trek. Neither possibility sounded good. We had been drained, and the chest strap on my pack broke, which exacerbated my already dangerous again ache. After a lot deliberation, my pal ended up calling her ex-boyfriend, Yousef. I’d suspected Ash nonetheless had emotions for Yousef, however she’d by no means come proper out and say it. Yousef dropped what he was doing and drove an hour to the trailhead to rescue us.
After touring all that means, Yousef needed to wait a number of extra hours for us to look. He was so anxious that he stored driving out and in of the parking zone to get cell service and textual content us for updates, however we might not often reply as a result of our personal service was so spotty. After we lastly obtained off the path and noticed him, he gave Ash a huge hug. He had blankets, meals and heat drinks ready for us. We had been soaked from the downpour, so this was very wanted. After that, Ashley and Yousef ended up getting again collectively, and I shared this story at their wedding ceremony final fall. That encounter was the primary time I ever met Yousef—discuss a terrific first impression.
Good Luck Bucks
Alexander Griswold
Path identify: Longsleeve Pants
REI member: “For a very long time”
Path: Appalachian Path, 2021
I hiked the primary half of the [Appalachian] path in 2021. On the final day of that hike, in Shenandoah Nationwide Park, Virginia, I randomly met a bit hiker. We struck up a dialog, and out of nowhere he handed me $40 money: “I like to provide folks cash.” Superior—OK, thanks!
Two years later, I used to be doing the second half of the path. Someplace in New England—New Hampshire or Vermont—I handed a random part hiker and we struck up a dialog. Seems it was the identical man! I mentioned thanks once more for the 40 bucks and he says, “I’ll do ya one higher,” and palms me a crisp $100 invoice!
Snack Saviors
Caitlin Hardee
Path identify: Break Rock
REI member since: 2021
Path: Pacific Crest Path, 2022
I all the time dialed my meals fairly exactly, by no means slicing it so wonderful that I’d have been in bother. However, have you learnt what it’s like whenever you’re in a bit and also you understand, considerably grimly, that you simply’re not going to have the ability to eat as a lot as you’d like and also you’ll should implement rations and strict consuming occasions? Properly, I skilled one such occasion within the desert someplace round mile 400 of the PCT. My meals bag was getting a bit unhappy after I crossed a highway and an angel in a truck pulled up. He handed contemporary fruit to a different hiker and me, and advised us there was a magic cooler with extra fruit, hard-boiled eggs and sweet a number of miles up. We flew these miles. I had egg tortilla with scorching sauce and cheese that evening—it was heaven.
I additionally recall city magic from sure havens and long-standing angel operations: Free pie in Julian. Mary’s Place (sadly now closed) and Mike’s Place. The legendary angel Devilfish and his munificent caches of candy, candy water, which actually make some stretches like Tehachapi to Walker Cross much more manageable. The angel giving grocery rides on the Warner Springs neighborhood middle, who let me do laundry and bathe at his home whereas he was on lunch break, then performed guitars and sang with me. The angels of the I-10 Oasis: Mama Bear, you weren’t on web site after I handed by means of, however what a queen you’re. Huge ups to you and all of your angelic mates. Lion’s Den up in Mazama, what an excellent place. Lion, you will have actually taken up the proud legacy from Ravensong’s Roost and made it your personal. The man making breakfast at Ebbetts Cross—apparently he’s been doing it for over a decade?! Legend. The volunteers doing magic on the Carson Cross Info Heart, such form girls. I didn’t go to Scout and Frodo’s, however clearly they’re additionally giants. [Editor’s note: Scout and Frodo retired from trail angel duties in 2024.]
Pizza Occasion
Michael Ross
Path identify: Rossi
REI member: “Because the late ‘90s”
Path: Appalachian Path, Nineteen Nineties
I’m a bit hiker. I began again firstly [of the AT] one early spring within the mid ’90s and met a bunch of that yr’s thru-hikers. I knowledgeable them that they need to be at Fontana [Dam Shelter] on Easter morning. When the day got here, I used to be there with 12 massive pizzas. Phrase had unfold, and I used to be capable of feed a giant crowd. I dropped again to the highway crossings previous to Fontana and waited. A pair was coming down the hill. The man yelled out, “Are you Rossi?!”
I grabbed the pizza field and opened it as a reply.
He was teary-eyed and advised me he had struggled to make Fontana on Easter as a result of he heard I’d be there. That was most likely my finest slice of serving out path magic.
An Angel in Scrubs
Jennifer Cenker
Path identify: Moo Bear
REI member: A number of years
Path: Appalachian Path, 2017
My teen son and I had been in Virginia on our via, and he was not feeling nicely in any respect. We managed to pay a hostel proprietor’s son to drive us to a walk-in clinic hooked up to a hospital. It wasn’t tremendous shut, a minimum of a 25-minute drive, and he needed to drop us off and go. We walked in and had been knowledgeable the walk-in clinic had closed a number of months prior. We couldn’t discover any taxi firms. There have been no Ubers or Lyfts anyplace within the space, and we had been nowhere close to the path to ask for assist. I used to be caught with a miserably sick kiddo in the midst of nowhere.
A receptionist behind the hospital assist desk watched the entire thing unfold; she noticed we had been in a pickle and the way sick my kiddo was. To my shock, she came to visit, advised us she was simply clocking out and that she knew of the closest walk-in clinic and would drive us there. I actually burst into tears and hugged her. As she drove us, she advised us her daughter had thru-hiked the path years in the past and he or she’d heard her daughter’s tales of how full strangers got here to her assist alongside the best way. This was her approach to pay it ahead for all of the kindness her daughter obtained on the path. My poor kiddo had bronchitis, and our path angel made certain we might get a experience again to the hostel earlier than she left us.
Do you will have path magic to share?
Tell us within the feedback.
The put up Our Finest Path Magic Tales appeared first on Unusual Path – An REI Co-op Publication.