Trail Angel-ing on the Appalachian Trail

When my hiking partner and good friend Shayla told me she was planning on thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail (for the 2nd time) this year I was immediately excited to see her and hike with her. I met her ten years ago on the AT when we were hiking the trail, then starting in Damascus we officially started hiking as a group with our other hiking partner Stephen. Since that first long distance trail she has gone on to hike the PCT, CDT, and the Te Araroa in New Zealand. I hadn’t seen her since 2017 and I was looking forward to a reunion with her.

I picked her up in Atlanta where she was visiting with her cousin Jess. We drove up to Dahlonega and stayed with the parents of a woman Shayla met on the Te Araroa. They were gracious hosts and we had a pleasant evening drinking wine on the lake while Shayla played the guitar and sang. The next morning I dropped Shayla off at the approach trail start at Amicalola Falls. She was going to run the 8 miles to Springer Mtn (the southern terminus of the AT) and I’d drive there and hike to the top to meet her. While at the park a fellow hiker asked if they could get a ride to Springer since his ride canceled. So I then shuttled him and his two dogs up to Springer. Such is life on trail. A few hours later I met Shayla up on Springer and we hiked down together back to the parking lot where we had lunch while chatting with other hikers. I hiked with her to Long Creek Falls where I had camped back in November when I was hiking southbound on the Benton MacKaye Trail. We made tentative plans to try to meet up in Gatlinburg in a couple weeks. Then we parted ways, her northbound on the AT and me southbound back to the parking lot.

Springer mountain

I drove these 2 pups & their dad to Springer Mtn.

Springer Mountain, Southern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail

Then after at least 4 different changes in plan I drove up to Newfound Gap in the Smokies and reunited once more with Shayla. I had snacks galore awaiting her and then we drove to Clingman’s Dome where we planned to pick up her cousin Jess who had been hiking with Shayla. We walked the half mile to the dome and were greeted with a rare, clear view of the surrounding mountains. Clingman’s Dome is the highest point on the AT and when I was there 10 years ago it was socked in and I couldn’t see a thing. We hiked back down to the car where we snacked and chatted while we waited for Jess. Once Jess got there we headed down the mountain to the bustling tourist town of Gatlinburg. We got a great hikers rate at a hotel in town and after cleaning up we found a restaurant where we could sit outside. The next morning I dropped Shayla off at Newfound Gap with a daypack as she was going to do the 30+ miles to Davenport Gap, the next road crossing at the end of the park. I went back to Gatlinburg and walked the strip with Jess and in the afternoon shuttled her back up to Clingman’s Dome. On the way back down I stopped at a trailhead and hiked up to check out Arch Rock. I was surprised to see a small black bear near the parking lot as well as some kind of small mouse with big back feet on the trail. After the hike I drove to Standing Bear Farm and booked a private room for the night and then went up to nearby Davenport Gap. I slowly hiked up the trail and ran into Shayla about a mile in. Once back at the car we had a beer and snack break before she ran the remaining three miles to Standing Bear. That night we joined other hikers around the fire where Shayla and two others regaled us with their guitar playing and singing. It was nice to find community with others around a fire once more.

Great smoky Mountains National Park

Clingman’s Dome-highest point on the Appalachian Trail

Dropping Jess off after a night in Gatlinburg

standing bear farm

The next morning Shayla slackpacked one last time for about 12 miles to where I met her on a forest service road. After a quick lunch we hiked up to Max Patch, a popular bald mountain, where we celebrated with a beer and chatted while laying down on the meadowy summit. We parted ways after adding on to a signature handshake that we started at Springer. I hope to hike with her again in the Shenanadoah’s. She is absolutely in her element on trail and is doing great. You can follow her on atkiddo.com

max patch