Trail Magic: The Church Provides

Before starting this thru-hike, trail magic was a mysterious phenomenon to me. I had spent lots of time on the AT in Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, so I’d heard lots of talk about trail magic from thru-hikers that I encountered, but had never shared in the experience.

So a few weeks ago, the first time that a fellow hiker told us that there was trail magic up ahead, I didn’t know what to expect. I was in Georgia about 40-50 miles into my thru-hike. As I descended towards the gap I could see a large gathering of people in the open grassy area on the other side of the highway. I waited for my mom (who I’m hiking with) at the bottom, and we crossed the road and approached the gathering. There were several tables with all kinds of food laid out. Fresh fruit, pitchers of lemonade, candy, junk food, and more. 

We dropped our packs and went in for a closer look. We were welcomed by a big man named Bobby, who asked if we wanted any soup. “Yes!” was our eager response, and Bobby ladled out soup with black beans, pork and vegetables into our bowls. We took bread, and salad as well, poured some lemonade, and were invited to sit down in one of the provided camp chairs.

There were about a dozen thru-hikers already present, and as we sat and ate our food, we watched as several more hikers showed up and were graciously welcomed by Bobby. All the hikers thanked Bobby, his wife and his friends profusely for sharing all of this amazing food.

As my hunger subsided, I started to wonder about Bobby’s motivations for spending so much of his time preparing and serving food to hungry hikers. Other hikers were clearly curious as well, and one of the hikers sitting next to me posed this question to Bobby. 

Bobby explained that for the past several years he has been coming out to this gap every weekend in March and April with his wife and a few friends. It’s a lot of work – every day they prepare enough food for dozens of ravenous hikers, bringing it all out to the trail, then breaking it down, and cleaning everything up.

So why all the work? Bobby explained that a number of years back, after recovering from cancer, God had spoken to him and told him to, “take care of hikers.” He is quite literally on a mission from God to feed hungry thru-hikers.

As each hiker prepared to continue hiking, Bobby asked if he could perform a blessing. Some hikers graciously accepted, while others were clearly confused about what he was asking, but nobody refused. I listened to several of Bobby’s blessings – they were short and simple – basically asking God to bless each person’s thru-hike.

As I prepared to leave I realized that I was a bit anxious about receiving Bobby’s blessing. I’m Jewish, and although my family celebrated Christmas and Easter when I was growing up, most of the fundamental tenets of Christianity are foreign to me. Should I tell Bobby that I’m a non-believer?

When it came time for us to leave, Bobby refrained from asking if he could perform a blessing of my hike. I was a bit relieved, but it also made me wonder if he could sense my anxiety.

As I continued along the trail, it became clear that trail magic in the South is synonymous with the church. Trail magic in this region is quite common, and almost every group that I’ve encountered handing food out to hikers has been affiliated with a local church.

Just like every hungry thru-hiker, I’m always extraordinarily grateful to receive a bonus snack or impromptu meal along the trail. I express my gratitude profusely whenever I encounter trail magic, regardless of the source. But a small part of me is always wondering about the motivation behind this generosity. Are church groups doing this because they’re hoping to gain converts?

Don’t get me wrong, none of the church groups that I’ve encountered have tried to push their religious beliefs onto me. Many of them hand out flyers with bible quotes and information about their church alongside the snacks that they’re sharing, but nobody has asked me about my own religious beliefs. So if gaining converts is their goal, I can’t imagine that they have a very high success rate.

I knew that I was missing something, so I decided to have a chat with the organizer of a long-established source of trail magic. The First Baptist Church in Franklin, NC has been serving free all-you-can-eat breakfasts for thru-hikers for the past 15 years. Every single day for two months they invite hikers into their church to feast on bacon and pancakes.

The organizer of these pancake breakfasts is Patsy Parker, a former home economics teacher and lifelong member of the church. I spoke with Patsy in the church’s cafeteria while about two dozen thru-hikers scarfed down pancakes (be sure to listen to the embedded podcast episode where you’ll hear some snippets from my conversation with Patsy). Patsy was incredibly kind and charming. She gushed with stories about her interactions with thru-hikers over the years. As she shared story after story, the motivation behind the church’s generosity towards hikers began to reveal itself.

After many of Patsy’s heartwarming stories about the church’s interactions with thru-hikers, she would mention the positive reactions that she received from the church’s congregation. I understand enough about religion to know that storytelling is always at the center. At the First Baptist Church in Franklin, NC, the congregation hears lots of stories about AT thru-hikers, and according to Patsy, they eat these stories up.

As an AT thru-hiker, I’m in no great need for a free pancake breakfast. Sure, I’m always ravenous, and will eat just about anything that’s put in front of me, but I can afford to pay for my own food. I feel incredibly privileged to have the opportunity to attempt a thru-hike of the AT – and this is in part why I always feel a bit uncomfortable receiving trail magic. I can’t shake the feeling that there are other people out there who are truly in need, and therefore more deserving of a free meal.

But giving free food to AT thru-hikers creates the opportunity for great storytelling. Hikers are extraordinarily gracious, and when prompted will often follow up with the church groups who’ve provided that little extra boost for their hike. The First Baptist Church in Franklin is full of photos of thru-hikers posing atop Katahdin, and they have huge poster boards full of signatures from all the hikers that have passed through (and received their free pancake breakfast). It’s a limitless supply of feel-good stories that folks like Patsy can share with their members. 

As someone who makes my living crafting stories in one format or another, I understand that storytelling is king. I will certainly continue to graciously receive trail magic from church groups along the AT, and I certainly don’t bemoan churches for using us hikers to convey compelling stories to their members.

That said – if any church is actually interested in swaying this particular hiker over to their cause, they need more than a flyer with a few bible quotes. They would need to utilize some of that good storytelling to show what they’re doing to provide for people who are truly in need within the communities that they serve. 

Just one example of Trail Magic along the AT.

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Comments 15

  • Kelli : May 10th

    Matthew,
    My name is Kelli. Native of Georgia, but have lived many places and moved back. Honestly have not hiked the Ga or other southern part of the AT.

    I am almost 61. I have followed several AT NOBO thru hikers last year and this year on their Trek blogs. Respectfully, I do hate stereotypes about the south. I believe a lot of trail angels and dispensors of trail magic have other motives or none….past hikers, people lovers, hiker lovers, frustrated chefs….

    I am a big fat pagan. Again, respectfully, any blessing is a blessing. Jesus was a Jew, born and raised. A Christian who does not know that is not much of a Christian. Maybe there are worse things to fear than trail magic from someone different. Many of the bloggers I follow are vegan. They stop and gratefully eat what they can when trail magic is offered.

    There are Jews in my community in an Atl suburb. And in the small town where my weekend cabin is. I hope you&your mom can feel included and loved.
    Not all, maybe not many of us are as narrow as expected.
    Happy Safe Trails

    Reply
  • Kelli : May 10th

    PS: I am super in awe of your work with condors.

    Reply
  • Scott : May 11th

    Christians are tasked by Jesus to love their god. Lovr their neighbor and share the good news, not to sway. God will work to sway.

    Reply
  • Scott : May 11th

    Christians are tasked by Jesus to love their god. Love their neighbor and share the good news, not to sway. God will work to sway.

    Reply
  • Chainsaw08 : May 12th

    Sorry, but this comes off as really petty and arrogant.

    These people are going out of their way to nice things for hikers. By your own account, they’re nice friendly folks who do nothing more “aggressive” than giving you a flyer about some things that are important to them, in hopes you might read it. No pressure.

    And yet, you’re treating them like weird aliens instead of fellow humans, wondering what sinister motives must be lurking in their minds … this after you wandered into their town, not vice versa. And then after you allow yourself to conclude that they might be acceptable, you turn around and start lecturing them on what form their charity really should take if it’s going to measure up to *your* standards.

    The trail has a way of teaching humility. Hope it finds you.

    Reply
    • Matthew Podolsky : May 12th

      Thank you for sharing this thoughtful comment. I honestly did not mean for any of this to come off as arrogant or disrespectful, but many of the tenets of Christianity are truly alien to me. I’ve been listening and asking questions as I encounter folks from the church along my journey, and thought that it might be helpful and/or interesting for some folks to hear about my perspective. I know that it’s really easy to discredit other people’s views and beliefs, especially in impersonal forums such as this one, but please know that I’m trying my best to be respectful. My religious and philosophical beliefs are very different from those of the church members that I’ve encountered handing out trail magic along the AT, but I’m honestly trying to embrace those differences and learn from the experience. So anyways – let’s try and keep this comment forum respectful and free of insults. Everyone has different views, beliefs and perspectives on the trail, and in life. I’m trying hard to understand and respect everyone that I encounter – both in person and online.

      Reply
      • Denise kivette : May 22nd

        I think you were teetering on the edge of showing your sense of superiority from the beginning of your piece. The comment about what the churches do for those in their communities who are truly in need came across as judgmental and arrogant. They are not accountable to you but to God for their actions and their reasons. I hope you finish your thru hike with clarification and a sense of humbleness.

        Reply
    • Stephanie Guthrie : May 17th

      Very well put Chainsaw08.
      I was very upset after reading the post from Matthew, and I am not into religion, but I am a caring human being and really was taken a back.
      I doubt this will be posted, but if it is, I hope your opinion is one of VERY few on the Trail

      Reply
  • RED WILL DANAHER : May 12th

    Hi Matthew. I have to agree with the preceding commenter that your post questions the motives and priorities of Christians who are providing encouragement, hospitality, and refreshments to hikers. You want evidence that they show the same to the truly needy in their communities. Why do you ask this? Did these Christians ask you to prove your worthiness for their “charity”? No? They simply wanted to share a blessing with you and others. This kind of loving service is extended to everyone, without regard to one’s race, creed, or class. May you reflect on your suspicion of those souls who do good and may they set an example for all of us to show kindness to all.

    Reply
    • Matthew Podolsky : May 12th

      It’s in my nature to question people’s motives. I think we all do this to an extent. I’m just trying to share my honest thoughts and feelings without being disrespectful to the genuinely wonderful people that I’ve met along the trail thus far.

      That said – you should keep in mind that there are a LOT of non-Christian folks out there who have suffered deep generational harm and trauma that stems from the historic actions of various incarnations of the Christian church. There are a lot of folks out there that question the motives of the church for VERY good reasons. That’s not the same thing as questioning the genuine kindness of an individual – it’s just a product of each person’s personal experience and their reluctance to blindly trust someone who is serving as a representative for an institution that has caused great harm in the past.

      Reply
  • TJ : May 18th

    Sorry, Matthew. I have to agree with others that your take on this post feels pretty odd and unfortunate to me. Some folks like dong what they do, with no anticipation of reward other than their satisfaction in seeing others smile. It’s your blog, you get to post what you like. You get to question the motives of whomever you like, and others get to question your motives in return. It doesn’t make them disrespectful. There’s enough in this world to challenge and question before you need to query a bunch of church folks who feed a lot of hungry hikers on their own time and with their own money.

    Reply
  • Janet Richey : May 18th

    As a Christian accustomed to being treated with a leary eye, I thought this piece was respectfully written. Your curiosities are valid. Naturally Christians want to share their faith, but also believe in serving the community in a Christ-like love. Most varities of Christians believe that God can handle the rest. It’s given me the idea for my own church to do the same. Maybe we will both be blessed by it.

    Reply
  • Donna : Jun 11th

    These wonderful Christians are doing what God says to do in the Bible… love others right where they are at in their lives. To tell the good news of how God sent his son to die on the cross for our sins. To go to heaven, all one needs to do is believe that , admit your sin, ask forgiveness and ask God to come into your life. That simple ! He will give you peace. I am sure that the churches do a lot of wonderful things for others you probably will never know about. If you want to know what, it is ok to ask! Hope this clarifies some of your questions. May God bless you !

    Reply
  • Aaron : Jun 23rd

    I’m so glad you kept this post up despite the negative comments. As a believer in Jesus, I found your words to be insightful and challenging. In fact, I can’t speak for that specific one, but I know a lot of churches who do “outreaches” like this, hoping that people will ask, “why are you doing this?” So it’s not surprising at all to me that you would ask that question.

    I actually love the last paragraph because the Church is in fact called to tell God’s story and invite others into it. As a Jew you understand the redemption story that is told through the Scriptures, and continues unfolding today, although Christians and Jews obviously diverge at a certain point.

    Thanks for sharing your perspective.

    Reply
  • Ramdino : Feb 15th

    I’m gonna agree with others here. If you want to better understand the basic tenets of Christianity you can probably receive the handbook free of charge form any church and perhaps mist Christians. It’s called the Bible. Read it amd it will explain what you search for. I didn’t say read it and accept Christ as you Lord and Savior. If you truly seek its real easy to find. The basic tenet is exhibited by what those who have fed you have done and that’s service to others with no expectation of anything in return. Sure those of us who serve in Christ name would like you to accept him but it’s not a requirement for our service to you. And it’s not your place to define how we serve you or others. That is God’s place. There are many whom he calls to serve in a certain way. Some to the trail, some off trail, some both. I’m sure if you ask enough of one who has served you in trail, they would tell you of thier off trail servitude. But that shouldnt be a test you have designed for them to pass. Read the Bible, the answers yiu seek about Christians are there.

    Reply

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