How to Be A Trail Angel Without Leaving Home (Again)

It’s that time of year- again. The holy grail of holidays for hiker trash. The chief celebration for Appalachian enthusiasts. You guessed it, we are rapidly approaching Trail Days!!!

And once again, not only will I be heading east to partake in the festivities, but I’ll be departing early to host another series of trail magic sessions.  Because of this, my excitement is precisely 23 times that of this puppy.

As a thru-hiker, I assumed that there was no better feeling than stumbling into trail magic.  Although receiving this rare phenomenon undoubtedly ranks high on the list of euphoric experiences, I’m now of the belief that being on the giving end is even more satisfying.  To make someone’s day with nothing more than a few slices of pizza, plate of cookies, small mountain of Wendy’s, and a place to dump a small ziplock bag of trash is heartwarming.  Add to this the slew of incredible stories and wonderful conversation, and you’ve got all the makings for a special occasion.

Simply put, there are few highs like being a trail angel- and I want to give you the opportunity to get your wings too!

Because there’s only so much magic this angel can give, I want to extend this opportunity to the Appalachian Trials Nation to get in on the fun too.  Even if you’re not close to the trail and/or don’t have the time, you can still make a hiker’s day!

Here’s how:

Step 1) Donate to the Trail Magic fund through PayPal (at the bottom of this post). Any amount you donate will go towards a Trail Magic session, whether it’s $1 or $1,000.

Step 2) In the message area (or by emailing me), indicate exactly what you’d like me to include in your Trail Magic session (food / beverage specifics). Also include any messages, well wishes, pieces of advice, poems, etc. you’d like me to pass along to our hikers. I will be documenting each Trail Magic session and posting them on AppalachianTrials.com for you (and the rest of the Internet) to enjoy. I will also include your message in an online recap, complete with with photos, videos, and stories.

Step 3) (Optional) If you’d like to include any gratuity for our Trail Angel Liaison (i.e. me), please indicate so in the message area of your PayPal donation. It’s a ~3,000 mile RT drive :/  If no tip is indicated, 100% of your donation will go towards the Trail Magic. Again, this is very optional. I will be keeping copies of all receipts if you do have any question.





If interested, check out the recaps from last year’s trail magic sessions.  They were borderline too fun.  Expect more of the same this year, plus some exclusive content via email directly to our trail angels.  Personalized thank you’s, funny stories and pictures, etc.  If you’d like to get in on the fun, please feel free to donate above.

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