'Trail Magic': Spring Break Trip with OWU (GH) As a thru-hiker, what sounds better than hot pizza, cajun wings and fresh donuts after ten days of backpacking? According to our taste-testers - nothing, really! Overview This past week during spring break, 7 undergraduates from Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) decided to spend their break living and learning about community and hospitality - while backpacking the Appalachian Trail. For those not familiar with the Appalachian Trail (AT), it is a 2,181 mile long (approximately) footpath that runs from Georgia to Maine. Various reasons bring people from all over to hike the route for several months, many of them beginning in Georgia. Starting in the South and heading North-bound, thru-hikers (those who hike the entire distance in one go) will begin their journey somewhere around the beginning of March. Averaging around 10 miles a day to begin, they were around 100 miles (10 days) into their adventure - which is where our story mets theirs. Trail Days and Discussions After our drive down, we stayed the night at Rock Gap shelter. Tuesday morning brought our first day of backpacking. But our spirits were high, playing word games and stopping at lunch to talk through some of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's "Life Together". That evening, we delved into what "community" meant - to us, to others, in the broader scope of our faith - around a flickering campfire. The steady sound of rain against the tent woke us the next morning, lingering with us well into the afternoon. Fog and colder temperatures followed, but not before some hilarious rounds of 'ninja'. With hot nalgenes filled (except the melted model of KB's), we hunkered down on the broken floorboards of the old Carter Gap shelter and talked about our understanding of true hospitality. Not only where it comes from, but how we cannot give unless we are first given to; we cannot know love unless we were first loved by Christ. Beginning the day with even colder temperatures and the promise of snow, we decided to make up some of the miles we had forgone the day before and head back to our original campsite of Rock Gap. Hiking at a decent pace, we covered quite a bit of ground in the morning, eventually coming to a stream crossing, where we met and were able to help across Norse Woman.* After heading off down our connector trail, two of us headed in front of the group to hike an extra mile and bring the van back to pick the others up once they hit the campground. After loading everything and everyone in, the two of us who hiked ahead got dropped off with dinner bags at the campsite; everyone else went into town to dry their clothes, our tents, and take some time to get warm. We (the ones left behind) chatted it up with some thru-hikers, brushed the snow off our packs, and cooked some (and I might add here, delicious!) macaroni and cheese. Giving...and being given. On the last day of our trip, after experiencing a taste of what thru-hikers go through during their week, we had the privilege to sharing some not-so-traditional trail food with them. One of the things about hiking the trail is you come to find out the meaning of "trail magic". It's a term dubbed for acts of hospitality and generosity that hikers experience along the way. So, it was my delight to watch these amazing people I had just hiked with lay out a FEAST of goodness for a handful of more than appreciative thru-hikers. Not only did they have the privilege of sharing, but they were sharing what they themselves had spent time raising in funds to buy. I couldn't help thinking the whole time of the verse, "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" (Mt 7:11) If we could bring so much laughter and smiles to these folks, how much more could we receive it from God! And even more, how could we have given it without first receiving a taste of it, somewhere in our lives? Something that would push us towards giving even more than we were given? Moreover, it brought laughter and hope to us to hear their stories. They shared the hard times they'd already faced, but also the people they'd met along the way and places they'd stopped. After only a few days of being on the trail, they were filled with jokes and optimism about what the rest would hold. Heading Back Up North It was, for me, a privilege to hike and talk and share with this community of folks. They came together because they wanted to know more about themselves. About what it means to live in community, to share, to give gifts to others. Like any trip, there are things and moments that sparked my thinking and that I am still processing through. Even as a co-leader, with a slightly different perspective on life, I feel as if I'm overwhelmed with the learning of the past few weeks. I am glad for a break...but even more glad for the students who keep stretching me to look beyond myself...to glance beyond my ledge. *Part of the culture of hiking the AT is getting your "trail name". It's a name that other hikers give to you, somewhere along the way. It holds a special meaning for those who receive it because it comes from a community that cares for you along your 2,000+ mile walk.
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