trail names, trail magic, and trail companions

Matthew and I knew that we were taking our daughters out of school and away from their peers for 5 months. That reality was not lost on us and we seriously considered the repercussions of our choice. But we so wanted our girls to have the experience of the trail and the community that hikes it.

And I will say that in the first 4 days, my prayers for my daughters have been answered in abundance.

Charlotte was so excited to experience “trail magic”. For anyone not familiar with the long-distance hiking community, trail magic is an act of kindness given to hikers by a generous individual. This magic can take many forms. Our first day on trail, after summiting Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, we found water bottles placed in a parking lot. Our first trail magic. We drank, filled our bottles (with water that didn’t need to be filtered!), and found a driver in the parking lot willing to take our bottles. Small blessings. Trail magic.

Our second day we walked out of camp after a miserable night of trying to and failing miserably at sleeping through raging thunderstorms. We came upon a small parking lot where a truck was sitting. Tied to the front bumper was a large trash bag. The driver was waiting for a friend who he was helping to slackpack for the day and he was taking hiker’s trash while he waited. When you are carrying your trash (food containers, toilet paper, and gum wrappers) the opportunity to be freed from that load is a gift. A small blessing. Trail magic.

Now that second day brought us our first experience of a true Trail Angel. For anyone not familiar with the long-distance hiking community, Trail Angels are individuals who specifically come out to the trail to bring magic to hikers as they pass.

Max Forrester, as we called him, was out to bring joy, and candy, to hikers. We met him as we came upon a small road crossing. “God forgave my sins 40 years ago and I can live a free life. I love the A.T. and I want to show that love to those that hike it.” Max Forrester had airheads and tootsie pops. We each took a Tootsie pop. He then gave an extra to the girls. We shared a bottle of water, talked about all the stickers on his car, and got on our way. A small blessing in the form of kindness and sugar. Trail magic.

Now Amelia has been consumed with and anxious to receive her Trail Name. For anyone not familiar with the long-distance hiking community, Trail Names are nicknames that hikers go by exclusively while on the trail. So far we have hiked with Fish (a British man catching up to his wife aptly named “and Chips”), Why Not, Shamrock, Sweet Pea, Tennessee, Baggins, and Tigger, to name a few. Luscious picked us up yesterday to bring us to town to wait out some winter weather. Bunny was a Ridgerunner who we met our second morning. Tradition says that you must wait to be given a trail name by another hiker. It could come from your appearance (like Luscious’ flowing beard) or something you do (like Bunny’s effervescent spirit). Your trail name replaces your God-given name while on trail.

Amelia has been desperate to receive her trail name, even before we left for the trail. “Mom, will you buy me this Blue Bunny hat so my trail name can be Blue Bunny?” And this conversation consumed her on the trail. “Mom, what if my Trail Name was Hedgehog Girl because I’m carrying this hedgehog squishmallow?”

She has also obsessed with trying to give her family their trail names. “Charlotte, I think your Trail Name should be Blaze because we are following blazes and your hair is red.” Charlotte wanted none of that. She wanted to receive her name from someone else on trail.

Amelia has started to collect signatures of everyone she meets in her Rocketbook, a reusable notebook we bought her for the trail. She especially wants to record everyone’s trail names.

On our second morning, as we were hiking, I looked ahead at Amelia, hiking in her galactic gaiters, trekking ahead of the pack, and said “hey, I think your trail name is Rocket. You love space, your gaiters are galactic, you are collecting signatures in your Rocketbook… And you’re fast.” So, Rocket was born.

Fast forward to the next morning. Sweet Pea, a hiker we had met briefly on our first wet, miserable night, said to Charlotte, “I’ve been thinking. I think your trail name should be Red. Do you want that?” Charlotte’s quick reply was an enthusiastic “yes!” So Red, or possibly Lil Red, was born.

Matthew and I don’t have trail names yet. I heard someone call Matthew Preacher. We’ll see if that sticks. I don’t want any name that includes the word Mama. Sometimes it takes weeks to get a name.

But, along the way, the girls have met incredible companions. Amelia runs to greet Shamrock everytime we encounter her. Shamrock and her daughter are staying in the room next to us at the hotel. Sweet Pea descended Blood Mountain with the girls yesterday, spending more than an hour talking with them and making them feel so special.

Other adults, whose names (Trail or otherwise) aren’t officially known to us, are also showing unbelievable kindness to our girls. The couple from Ohio whose Goldendoodle, Bohdy, is so sweet. The man who camped 2 tents away from us last night who then gave us packets of food on top of Blood Mountain (chicken and tuna!) and then a slice of pizza to Amelia at Mountain Crossings because he “couldn’t eat the entire pizza by himself”. The kindness and companionship of others. This was my prayer for the girls. That this experience would be filled with meeting the best of people. Those who stop to talk, to ask questions, and to share a mile or two with us.

Rocket and Lil Red are already so grateful.