Happy Halloween :-)
It was one of those days when it rained, and rained, and rained... and it looked to be raining all over the world. Zombie and fellow hikers were all hiking at a different pace, so it was as if they were all alone, in the constant cold rain...
As the afternoon progressed, a North Bound hiker was crossing paths with Zombie / Andrew and asks "Are you Zombie? Well there is something up ahead for you on the trail..." So four miles later, There is an unexpected surprise!!! Trail Kindness (I know... the AT hikers call it Trail Magic) decked out in holiday fashion :-)
Now how in the world did I find the trail way up in the North East Corner of Tennessee, where the trail keeps crossing into North Western corner of North Carolina??? I'd say it was by Providence! Like so many things that happen on the trail... Back in May, I was at Carolina Blinds in Hendersonville, purchasing blinds for our home. Some how it came up about Andrew hiking the AT... Wayne, the owner said to be sure to have Andrew call if he needed anything when he got into their town. The next time I was in the store, I asked if I brought a "surprise" would he be willing to put it on the trail that goes through his family property? He said he'd be happy to! I called the week before Halloween to see if it was still OK, and he assured me it was. Wayne and is wife, Sue, were both at the store the day I took a small cooler filled with two frozen dinners I had made and put up in the freezer... The dinners were stored in "boil-a-bags" because I thought it would be helpful after a long day of hiking. There were candy bars, packages of Nido dried whole milk, Slim Jims, an 8-pack of Gatorade, and a cute Halloween card tucked inside, along with a scare-a-crow mylar balloon, a bag labeled 'for Zombie', and another labeled 'for AT Thru-hikers' that might be coming by. I was aware of 4 hikers that may happen by, but one never knows, so I sent plenty for everybody!
Wayne and Sue had their nieces and nephews help make a sign for Zombie, and carefully loaded it all up on their 4 - wheeler, topped off the "surprise" with a cute scare-a-crow they had to go along with their sign and my Fall balloon motif. I had no idea they were going to help decorate the trail... but it was totally appreciated by all the hikers! A few hours after setting out "the Trail Magic", Wayne went back out in the rain to check on the first sign the kids had made, especially since it had been raining constantly all day. He decided to go make a second sign from plywood to insure it would still be holding up by the time Andrew came by... he noticed a few empty Gatorade bottles, so he knew the hikers were traveling through. Based on Andrew's SPOT location the evening before and knowing his usual hiking pace, I expected him to be by between 2 and 4 p.m.
When Andrew arrived, (at 4), he recognized our little cooler, and had fun checking out all of the goodies. He said when he saw the frozen dinners I'd made, he knew instantly what was inside (two of his favorites - enough for two people or one hungry thru-hiker!!) HOWEVER, unbeknown to me, he did no have enough fuel to boil water long enough to thaw them out and heat them up... and probably the most important reason, "the weight, Mom, do you know how heavy that is when you have to carry it 4 miles?" Of course I didn't realize that... The only time I have walked 4 miles, I wasn't carrying anything :-) We laughed when he was thanking me for the surprise. I was glad I had told Wayne and Sue before hand, "if for some reason Andrew doesn't take the food, y'all will have two home-made dinners that are our family favorites, Texas style Chili and Chicken and Dumplings, to enjoy if you want them..."
Once again, new friends are made by simply walking in the woods.... Many, many thanks to Wayne, Sue, and "their kids" for all they have done! Several hikers got to enjoy some Southern hospitality along with "TREATS" for Halloween!
May your trails be happy and filled with fun,
Mom/ Harriet
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