“It’s 8:30 in the morning and you’ve…

already made my day.” Enthused Lydia, a Colorado Trail through hiker on a drizzly day in August 2020. 

So what did I do to deserve such an “Atta-Jeffy”? 

I handed this young, hungry backpacker a spare PB&Peach sandwich. That’s all, not a thousand shares of Amazon stock or health insurance for life, just a whole wheat sandwich. I walked away thinking, “Wow! That was an easy mitzvah.” (Good deed)

This episode got me thinking. I’m going to be a Trail Angel. 

From Appalachiantrail.org

A Trail Angel' is a term of endearment given to people who have provided Trail magic in the form of direct kindness and generosity to hikers.

Perfect! But I wasn’t going to settle for being a basic Wonder Bread Trail Angel. I was determined to be the one and best Jewish Mother in a male’s body Trail Angel. I decided to confine my efforts to the Colorado Trail/Continental Divide Trails in the above tree-line regions of the San Juan Mountains. 

As usual my summer has been racing by at Warp Eleven speed. “ He canna take anymore, Captain. He’s gonna blow!” June. Poof! July Poof Squared! 

It wasn’t until late July, I finally got my chance to don my yarmulke and wings. I chose Molas Pass for a shake down Trail Angel run. With a loaf of Multi-Grain Whole Wheat’s worth of PB&Boysenberry sandwiches, I set off towards the general direction of Durango. My bag of goodies didn’t last more than five miles on my outbound hike. It’s quite clear there are A LOT of hikers on the Colorado Trail!

My next gig was on Kennebec Pass in the La Plata range. I wasn’t  planning on being there, but the biting bugs chased me out of a nearby campout. I only had one loaf of bread. Sigh! I wasn’t prepared. Luckily for the hikers, I had enough ingredients to make the loaf into sandwiches. That bag of nourishment and calories didn’t last long either. When the sandwiches ran out, I offered up Clif Bars. (Definitely not as enticing as a PB&Blueberry sandwich.)

My next Trail Angel venue was on top of 12,650’ Stoney Pass. I was camped on the Continental Divide but by now those CDT hikers were long gone. Fortunately, I was on the home stretch for the Durango bound Colorado Trail hikers. My supply of sandwiches, oranges, Clif Bars and candy became depleted in a 12 RT hike. At least my pack became lighter.

So Jeffy, what’s it all about? I’m glad you asked. 

Here’s the demographics of the hikers. They are overwhelming white, young, educated, enthusiastic and incredibly polite. A few had the distinct smell of sweat and pot wafting off their soiled clothes. (Those Stoners really thought my sandwiches were AWESOME!) There was not one red MAGA hat among them.

They all have trail names. After introducing myself, (since it’s not cool to accept food from a stranger.) I asked a 6’12” hiker what his nickname was. He answered “BFG”In which I replied, “Big F—-ing Guy?” He turned away and laughed, “No. Big Friendly Guy!” Now that’s polite! And yes, he was friendly. 

I met Gazelle, Four Wheel Drive, Tea Bag, Long Fish, Cato, Moxie, Lazy Bear and others I can’t recall.

This is what I receive from those brief encounters.

As a jaded senior,  I score a twinge of hope. These youngsters will never look at an old growth forest and think, “I wonder how many board feet of lumber a clear cut would yield? OR gaze at a seemingly endless mountain vista and ponder, “maybe there’s mining opportunities out there.” No. They are now strong advocates for public lands, wild places, fighting climate change and Leave No Trace ethics. They are our future. 

On today’s mitzvah mission, I handed a sandwich to a young, fit woman hiker. She smiled, I smiled back. Then she said this to me. “You are so sweet!” It was 8:30 in the morning and THAT made my day.

Seriously, become a Trail Angel. You don’t even have to be a Jewish Mother in a male’s body to do it. I guarantee you will reap more than you sow.

Cheers,

Jeff

Last photos: I do provide pizza delivery too. For this I received a bearhug from Amy H. Her boyfriend Doug M (whom I once worked with) was OK with that.