Trail Magic

As I continue to read on and on about the Appalachian Trail, I've realized I have both given and received trail magic. Trail magic is something that happens to you while you are out hiking or backpacking that is unexpected. It can be someone welcoming you into their home for lunch, people who place coolers along the trail and fill them with ice cold beer, and my favorite is someone who took the capri sun juice drinks and filled a river full of them so that hikers could enjoy a nice cold drink. It always happens when you least expect it. When I took a trip to the UP a couple of years ago, I "rescued" two backpackers that wanted desperately to get off the trail and stay in a nice warm hotel room. I am the one who provided their trail magic and gave them a ride to their car. When I was out hiking last summer, some strangers that I helped lug all of their camping equipment to their site fed me lunch on my way back to my car. Only 3 more months and I will be out on the trail for a couple of weeks. I can't wait to find out what kind of trail magic is out there!

In the mean time, I will be headed to Chicago tomorrow. No real reason other than to just get away. The science museum, the aquarium and the Sears Tower are all on my list of things to do. The rest of the time I will spend searching for free things to see. I'll be picking up my kid sister and my cousin to keep me company. Should be fun!