Trail Angel

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Trail Angel Training Packet Updated 2 May 2004
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What is the Appalchian Trail?

• A 2,174-mile wilderness footpath through the
  Appalachian Mountains

• It stretches from Springer Mountain, GA to Mount
  Katahdin, ME.

• Every year 2,000 hikers leave Springer Mountain
  with the intention of hiking the entire
  Appalachian Trail.

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Who hikes the A.T.?
Who Hikes on the AT? About 3-4 million people
hike parts of the AT each year! There are three
types of people that hike the ATday hikers,
section hikers, and thru-hikers. Day hikers Day
hikers are hikers that hike part of one day. A
day-hike is usually around a looped section of
the trail or it is a point-to-point hike where
cars are parked at the beginning and end of the
hike. Because they only hike for one day, day
hikers only have to carry the food and water that
they will need for that day.  
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Who hikes the A.T.? (contd)

• Section hikers
• Section hikers are hikers that spend at least one
  night on the AT. Because they spend more time on
  the trail, section hikers typically cover more
  distance. While staying on the trail, they sleep
  in tents, hammocks, and three-sided shelters
  along the trail. They have to carry everything
  they need on their back. This means that they
  will have to carry a tent, food, water, etc. with
  them the entire time they are walking.

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Who hikes on the A.T.?

• Thru-hikers
• Thru-hikers are people that set out to hike the
  entire Appalachian Trail in about six months.
  Every spring about 2,000 people set out to
  attempt this feat. Most of these thru-hikers
  have either recently graduated from college or
  have recently retired.
• Following the white, painted markings as their
  guide on the trail, thru-hikers walk an average
  of 12-15 miles per day while on this 6-month
  adventure. Like section hikers, they have to
  carry everything they need in their backpack and
  sleep in tents, hammocks, and shelters while on
  the trail. About every 10 days or so, hikers
  hitchhike into town to resupply and rest. During
  this time, they stay in either a hotel or hostel
  (i.e. a communal home for hikers) and they gorge
  themselves with the luxuries that cannot be found
  on the trail. To endure a thru-hike is a painful
  commitment. During this difficult trek,
  thru-hikers will experience trials that are never
  even considered in every day life.
•  
• While AT Servants purpose is to serve all types
  of hikers, our efforts are geared to the
  thru-hiker. For this reason, the next page is a
  summary of statistics about thru-hikers.

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An Inside Look at Thru-hikers
If you are not used to being on the AT or around
thru-hikers, you may not know what to expect when
you talk to them. This page gives you this
information.  What type of person thru-hikes the
AT? Most are at a major turning point in their
life. This means that they have either recently
graduated from college or recently retired. They
are taking this time to contemplate this
transition. Many are searching for purpose in
their lives. Because they are at a turning point
in their life, they want to live out the new
section of their life with a purpose that has
alluded them to this point. Many believe in a
personal spirituality. Many of these hikers have
been to church and have been presented the
gospel, but have rejected the idea of a major
religion with corporate worship. They believe
personal religion with personal worship and are
often offended upon the encroachment of that
personal religion. After 6 months of hiking and
searching, many hikers are left feeling empty and
without purpose. These hikers hike for six months
expecting a point of inspiration at end of the
trail. They climb Mount Katahdin (the northern
terminus) with anticipation but are left feeling
empty when they dont receive the knowledge they
are looking for. After this they have a
difficult time fitting back into society. Many
even hike the A.T. again and again looking for
the purpose that continuously alludes them.
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An Inside look at Thru-hikers (contd)

• Do many thru-hikers finish the AT?
• Trail life is not easy. While nearly 2,000
  people start to hike the entire AT each year, an
  estimated 20 percent of the hikers drop out
  before they get to mile 30.7Neels Gap, Georgia.
  By the time the thru-hikers reach Fontana Dam
  (mile 163.5), 50 percent have left the trail.
  When the remaining thru-hikers reach Harpers
  Ferry, West Virginia, the psychological halfway
  point (mile 1006.4), nearly 70 percent have
  dropped out. Only about 15 of these hikers
  actually complete this six-month adventure.

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An Inside look at Thru-hikers (contd)

• Why would anyone want to hike the entire AT?
•  
• The AT poses physical, mental, and even spiritual
  challenges to the thru-hiker. The physical
  challenge is obvious. Blisters and muscle
  soreness often weed out hikers in the first 30.7
  miles at Neels Gap. After this point, the mental
  and emotional challenges start. It takes sheer
  will power to make yourself walk mile-after-mile,
  day-after-day. As a hiker continues to walk
  North on the AT, the mental challenge can change
  into a spiritual challenge. Although it is not
  always obvious from the start, this spiritual
  challenge becomes one of the primary quests for
  some.

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What is Appalachian Trail Servants?

• Appalachian Trail Servants is a mission
  organization dedicated to serving the needs of
  hikers so that they will be able to take the next
  step towards Christ. Founded in 2003 by Craig
  and Suzy Miles, AT Servants depends on churches,
  Christian organizations, and individuals both for
  financial support and volunteer work.
• AT Servants is divided into two groupsTrail
  Angels and Trail Chaplains. The figure below
  shows that both Trail Chaplains and Trail Angels
  are AT Servants.
•  
• AT Servants
•  
•  
•  
•  
• Trail Angels Trail Chaplains

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What is Appalachian Trail Servants? (contd)

• Trail Angels
• The Trail Angels part of AT Servants mainly
  serves hikers physical needs. These people
  create kiosks where the road crosses the AT.
  They give hikers food, bottled water, books, and
  offer rides to town. Because they dont spend
  extended amounts of time with thru-hikers, Trail
  Angels are not prepared to completely serve their
  mental and spiritual needs. They can, however,
  share items that hikers need and give a smile of
  encouragement that, in conjunction the entire
  network of Trail Angels, will have a major
  positive impact on the hikers.
•  
• Through a network of churches and Christian
  organizations, Trail Angels have the ability to
  make a major positive impact on hikers. It is
  our prayer that through this synergy, a hiker
  that may have started the A.T. skeptical about
  the Church and Christians will end the trail with
  a newfound faith in the Church and a believe in
  its usefulness and relevancy to his or her life.

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What is Appalachian Trail Servants? (contd)

• Trail Chaplains
• Instead of ministering on the roadside, Trail
  Chaplains actually endure a thru-hike along with
  thru-hikers (this will take about 3-6 months).
  Because Trail Chaplains carry everything they
  need on their back, they are not able to serve
  hikers physical needs as well as Trail Angels
  can. Trail Chaplains can, however, serve hikers
  emotional and spiritual needs. As Trail
  Chaplains walk on the AT, they can build
  relationships with the thru-hikers that they
  meet. Trail Chaplains can then assess the
  thru-hikers spiritual temperature and
  eventually share Christ with them.
• The Cumulative effect of both Trail Angels and
  Trail Chaplains
• Trail Angels and Trail Chaplains work together
  under AT Servants to care for all of the needs of
  thru-hikers physical needs, mental/emotional
  needs, and spiritual needs. They both are
  equally important to introduce hikers to Christ.

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Getting Started

• There are two basic ways to be involved as a
  Trail Angel
• 1) By sponsoring a gap
• 2) By Trail Angeling one time.
• Here are the steps to get started in each.

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Sponsoring a Gap

• We are looking for 2-3 Churches or organizations
  to sponsor each major road crossing along the
  A.T. These churches will work together to have a
  Trail Angel group at the road crossing every
  weekend during the main hiking season (about 8-10
  weeks)
•  
• 1. Get together other people in your
  organization that are interested in Trail
  Angeling. Discuss which gap you would like to
  sponsor. Look at our webpage http//www.atservant
  s.org to see which road crossings have been
  sponsored.
• 2.  Contact us. Write us an email at
  info_at_atservants.org or call us at
• [phone]and let us know of your decision.
  If you have any problems or questions, please let
  us know of those.
• 3.  Find a leader in your group that will
  communicate between your group and the other
  organization(s) that sponsors your road
  crossing.
• 4.  Decide how each group will share the
  load.
• 5. Set up a calendar of the peak weeks that
  shows who will be at the gap at which time.
• 6.  Post this calendar on the A.T. Servants
  website.
• 7. Read this Trail Angel Training in its
  entirety
• 8. Begin planning your Trail Angel station
  and/or shuttle service. (Gather supplies, print
  out the forms in the back of this packet, learn
  necessary shuttle routes, etc.)
• 9. Show up and have fun!

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Trail Angeling one time

• We also need groups to fill in the gaps that the
  sponsoring groups cannot fill. This may be
  during a weekend or a weekday.
•  
• 1. Contact us to find empty dates or road
  crossings that are free on the date that you
  would like to Trail Angel. Write us an email at
  info_at_atservants.org or call us at [phone].
  
• 2. Get together other people in your
  organization that are interested in Trail
  Angeling. Decide on a date and begin to plan.
• 3. Contact us again to confirm your Trail
  Angel date.
• 4.  Read this Trail Angel Training in its
  entirety.
• 5. Begin planning your Trail Angel station
  and/or shuttle service. (Gather supplies, print
  out the forms in the back of this packet, learn
  necessary shuttle routes, etc.)
• 5.      Show up and have fun!

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Tips for Being an Effective Trail Angel

• The best way to be an effective Trail Angel is to
  take on a servant-like attitude.
• Realize who your audience is when you are serving
  them introverted people who have been alone in
  the woods.
• Remember your purpose for being out there. You
  are are serving their physical needs so that they
  will see Christ in you. Allow them to take as
  much or as little as they want, YOU ARE THERE TO
  SERVE THEIR PHYSICAL NEEDS. They are not there
  to meet your need for self fulfillment.
• Remember the big picture. Other people just like
  you will be serving this same individual. You
  want to make the hiker look forward to seeing the
  Church again so that they will be more open to
  speaking about Christ at that point.
• To better illustrate this point, please consider
  the following 3 scenarios.

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Tips for Being an Effective Trail Angel

• SCENARIO 1 A hiker walks up to a group of
  people at a spot where the AT crosses a road.
  The group never identifies itself as from any
  particular organization, but they are very
  helpful and encouraging. What nice people, the
  hiker may think. One purpose of AT Servants is
  that the hikers faith might be restored in the
  church and Christ. So,Trail Angels must overtly
  identify themselves with a church or as
  Christians. Undercover Christians do not help
  the hiker associate assistance with the church.

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Tips for Being an Effective Trail Angel

• SCENARIO 2 Conversely, now consider the case of
  a Trail Angel being too pushy about Christ and
  the church. Imaging a hiker that sees Trail
  Angels at a road who identify themselves as from
  the local church. Trying to help the hiker, the
  Trail Angels tell her all about Jesus, saying
  that if she does not repent her sins she will end
  up in Hell. Remember, most hikers are introverts
  that believe that spirituality is very personal.
  This hiker may be offended and begin to avoid
  Trail Angels that are clearly from the church.
  Thus, it is important to remember that the main
  duty of Trail Angels is to serve the physical
  needs of hikers.

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Tips for Being an Effective Trail Angel

• SCENARIO 3 The hiker sees Trail Angels that
  through normal conversation identify themselves
  as from the local church. They tell her that all
  the food that they were giving out is provided
  through donations by the church. The Trail
  Angels offer her food and other provisions and
  she notices that the Trail Angels have a very
  positive attitude. They even cheer her on. The
  hiker takes a Little Debbie and some duct tape
  and she walks away pumped for the next section of
  trail. She thinks, What a nice church. Even
  though the Trail Angels never overtly shared the
  gospel with her, this hiker walked away feeling
  cared for by the church. With ten to twenty
  repeated instances just like this one, the hiker
  that may have started with a negative or
  skeptical view of the church may begin to have
  faith in the same church that she once scoffed
  at.
•  

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Tips for Being an Effective Trail Angel

• Why is Scenario 3 better?
•  
• First, the group in this scenario clearly
  identified itself as a Christian group. Thus,
  the hiker was able to identify the good deed with
  Christ.
•  
• Second, the group was very positive and
  encouraging without being overly forward. You
  may be wondering, Arent we supposed to tell
  everyone we meet about Christ? In this case,
  witnessing by deed and association works far
  better than overtly telling the gospel. If you
  absolutely feel God pounding on you to do so, by
  all means go ahead. However, many hikers see
  this type of non-relational evangelism that Trail
  Angels can do as love em and leaveem. That
  is, they view spirituality as a very personal and
  intimate part of themselves. To have a complete
  stranger tell them how they ought to believe
  really infringes on their sense of personal
  spirituality.

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Trail Angel StationThe Specifics

• It doesnt take much to have a successful Trail
  Angel station. Just follow these guidelines.
• 1.The time of year Trail Angeling is best done
  when the most thru-hikers are in your area. The
  further north you are, the later this peak time
  is. For Georgia and North Carolina, this peak
  time is from March-May. For Tennessee, the peak
  time is April-June.
• 2. The place Later in this packet there is a
  list of reachable road crossings in Georgia. We
  list the road and the distance from the nearest
  town. If you need more help finding the road
  crossing, you can give us a call and wed be
  happy to help you. We are currently working on a
  similar list for North Carolina, Tennesse, and
  Virginia.
•  
• 3. The volunteers You should have any where
  from 2 - 5 volunteers. If you have more than
  this on any given outing, we suggest that you
  consider covering more than one road crossing or
  taking part in a shuttling service. Another
  option that we have found to work for bigger
  groups is to have some of the group hike part of
  the trail while about 4-5 stay at the road
  crossing.

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Trail Angel StationThe Specifics

• 4. What to give away Below is a list of the
  type of items that should be found on a Trail
  Angel table. These items are all items that the
  hiker may find need or desire for while on the
  trail. They are also all items that are safe for
  AT Servants to give out. While we highly
  recommend that every category on the chart is
  represented, a Trail Angel station need not have
  all of the items. Instead you might offer things
  that are suitable for the hikers in your area.

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Trail Angel StationThe Specifics

• 5. Where Trail Angels get these items At this
  time, Trail Angels are responsible for providing
  all of the items given away. AT Servants does
  get a number of material donations, so check with
  us to see if we have anything that your group
  might be able to use.
• 6. Documentation One of the goals of AT
  Servants is to effectively evaluate its progress
  as the ministry grows. Also, we can better train
  Trail Angels if we better know what hikers want.
  So, we would like Trail Angels to keep a tally of
  what hikers take. Click here to download a Trail
  Angel Station Form.
• 7. How and what to document when you Trail
  Angel Included in this packet are forms that
  can be used to document what occurs while you
  Trail Angel. Please fill out the forms as best
  as you can and send them to the following
  address
•  
• AT Servants
• P.O. Box 2116
• Cleveland, GA 30528.
•  
• 8. Let hikers know that you are from the church!
  Above all, by word and by deed, let hikers know
  that you are from the church. Without this our
  efforts would only glorify people as a whole and
  not Christ.
•  
• 9. How to talk to a Thru-hiker Talk to a hiker
  first about their physical needs. Ask about their
  feet, their muscles, and if possible tell them
  what to expect in the next section of trail.
  Tell them what you have (such as postcards, pens,
  and duct tape) that they might not have noticed.
  Make sure that they know that everything that
  they take advantage of has been given to them
  from the church. Let them know that you are
  cheering them on and that you care about them.
  

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Trail Angel StationThe Specifics

• 8. Let hikers know that you are from the church!
  Above all, by word and by deed, let hikers know
  that you are from the church. Without this our
  efforts would only glorify people as a whole and
  not Christ.
•  
• 9. How to talk to a Thru-hiker Talk to a hiker
  first about their physical needs. Ask about their
  feet, their muscles, and if possible tell them
  what to expect in the next section of trail.
  Tell them what you have (such as postcards, pens,
  and duct tape) that they might not have noticed.
  Make sure that they know that everything that
  they take advantage of has been given to them
  from the church. Let them know that you are
  cheering them on and that you care about them.
  

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Shuttle Servicethe Specifics

• Providing shuttle services to hikers is an easy
  way to provide lots of help where it is needed.
• To provide shuttle services with AT Servants, all
  you need is a vehicle (preferably a truck),
  knowledge of road crossings and how to get to the
  closest town, and a ride release form.
• The vehicle A truck with a bed is ideal to
  shuttle hikers because it can easily transport
  several smelly hikers and their smelly gear.
• Know how to get to the nearest town If you are
  not from the area that you will be shuttling in,
  study maps beforehand and know how to get to the
  nearest town so that you will not get lost and
  that you will be free to converse with the
  hikers, if desired.
• Ride release forms Ride release forms exist to
  protect both you and AT Servants. Having every
  hiker that you shuttle sign this form will both
  protect you and provide adequate documentation of
  how many hikers take advantage of AT Servants
  shuttle services at particular road crossings.
  After you Trail Angel, just send the forms to us
  at AT Servants PO BOX 2116 Cleveland, GA 30528.
  Click here to download a Ride Release Form
• Use common sense Take care of yourself. If
  you dont feel comfortable letting someone in
  your car, dont shuttle them. Always have a
  partner with you that you feel comfortable riding
  with. Do not shuttle someone alone.

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Map of the Appalachian Trail in Georgia
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Recommended Trail Angel Sites in Georgia.
There are basically 4 recommended Trail Angel
sites in Georgia Woody Gap, Hogpen Gap, Unicoi
Gap, and Dicks Creek Gap. Below are directions
to and information about each.
WOODY GAP Miles from Springer Mountain
20.0 Nearest town Suches, GA is 3 miles from
the AT on 60 North. There is a gas
station/country store and a post
office. Directions From Dahlonega, take 19/60
North for approx. 10 miles. At the 19/60 split
(you will see a huge pile of rocks in the middle
of the road). At this point continue straight on
60 North for about 4 more miles. You will
recognize the AT by hiker crossing signs and by a
sign that says Woody Gap. From Cleveland, take
129 North toward Blairsville. Turn left onto 19
S (at Turners Corner). Follow 19 S for 5 miles.
At the stop sign turn right onto 60 N (you will
see a huge pile of rocks in the middle of the
road). Follow this road for about 4 miles. You
will recognize the AT by hiker crossing signs and
by a sign that says Woody Gap. For more
information, refer to the GA AT Map.
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Recommended Trail Angel Sites in Georgia.
HOGPEN GAP Miles from Springer Mountain
37.1 Nearest Town Helen, GA is on Hwy. 75 with
alpine tourist theme, post office, stores, fast
food, small hiking shop, expensive hotels,
laundry, and restaurants. Directions From
Cleveland, GA take 75 N through Helen. Turn left
onto hwy 350/ ALT 75. Turn left onto Richard B
Russell Parkway/hwy 348. The trail crossing will
be on the right. Look for hiker crossing
signs. From Helen, take 75 N. Turn left onto hwy
350/ ALT 75. Turn left onto Richard B Russell
Parkway/hwy 348. The trail crossing will be on
the right. Look for hiker crossing signs. For
more detail refer to the GA AT map.
UNICOI GAP Miles from Springer Mountain
50.7 Nearest Town Helen, Georgia is 10 miles
south on Hwy. 75 with alpine tourist theme, post
office, stores, fast food, small hiking shop,
expensive hotels, laundry, restaurants.
Directions From Cleveland, take 75 N through
Helen. The Appalachian Trail is 10 miles north of
Helen. The trail crossing is on the right. Look
for hiker crossing signs. For more detail, refer
to the GA AT map.
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Recommended Trail Angel Sites in Georgia.
DICKS CREEK GAP Miles from Springer Mountain
66.8 Nearest town(s) Clayton, Georgia is 18
miles to the east with stores, motels, laundry,
restaurants, theater, fast food, post
office. Hiawassee, Georgia is 11 miles to the
west with post office, Mull's Motel, Waffle
Shack, Georgia Mountain Restaurant, good grocery
store, laundry. Everything is centralized for
easy walking. Directions to the Trail Crossing
From Helen, take 75 N. Turn right onto 76. Look
for hiker crossing signs to recognize the
AT. From Hiawassee, take 75 S toward Helen. Turn
LEFT onto 76. Look for hiker crossing signs to
recognize the AT. For more information, refer to
the GA AT map.
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FAQ
1. What time is best to Trail Angel?  The
answer to this question depends on where you are
Trail Angeling at.. The best way to determine
this is to determine where the closest shelter to
the south is. You can get this information from
an Appalachian Trail map by looking at the
elevation guide at the bottom. Because hikers
typically stay at shelters, you can estimate when
they will walk by your Trail Angel Station
(Beware there is a little math involved). You
can calculate the amount of time that it will
take to get from the shelter to where you are
with a simple equation. 1. Divide the number
of miles from the shelter to where you are by
two. This will give you the number of hours it
will take provided the land is flat.  2. Add 30
minutes to this time for every 1000 feet of
elevation gain.  This is a bit difficult to
explain, so please observe the following example.
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FAQ
1. What time is best to Trail Angel?
(contd)   Example  The distance from the
closest shelter is 6 miles. Throughout these
miles there is an overall 2,000 feet of elevation
gain.  1.      6 miles/2mph 3hours.
Therefore, if the land was flat or downhill, it
would take approximately 3 hours to get to the
Trail Angel Station.  2.      There is
approximately 2000 feet of elevation gain, so we
add 30 minutes for each 1,000 feet. 2(30min)60
minutes1 hour.  So, in total it will take 4
hours (3 hours from step 1 and 1 hour from step
2) to get from the shelter to the Trail Angel
Station.  Now that we know that it will take
approximately 4 hours, we count 4 hours from 800
(this the normal start time for hikers). So,
hikers will most likely be at your Trail Angel
Station around 1200.  We realize that not
everyone will be able to get the information
required to execute this equation, so if this is
a question that you have, please contact us and
wed be happy to help you.
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FAQ
2. Is it best to Trail Angel during a weekend or
weekday?  Because thru-hikers walk 7 days a week,
it does not matter which day you Trail Angel.
Both weekends and weekdays are equally effective
in reaching them.  3. Can we cook hotdogs or
hamburgers to serve to hikers?  Simply put, no.
There are several reasons for this. As much as
we know that you are a wonderful cook, we cannot
take the risk of giving hikers bad food. Giving
out prepackaged food is more cost efficient,
easier to execute, and hikers will be just as
thankful.  4. How long during the day should we
plan to Trail Angel?  You can usually see most of
the hikers in your area in about 2-3 hours. This
time should, however, be flexible. If no one
comes and you have been standing there for an
hour and a half, by all means pack up and go.
Conversely, if you have been there for three
hours and you continue to see hikers, stay as
long as your schedule allows. Be willing to be
flexible.