Trail Magic? Can I Get a Witness?
So, there's this thing people do on the trail called trail Magic. I first encountered this phenomenon at Hogpen Gap in Georgia. It goes like this:
Hikers are always hungry, so people who are friends of the trail (ie. people who've hiked before and know the hunger) will pull up to a gap or some place with a cooler full of goodies like sodas, beers, various little debbie snacks, snickers, etc. etc. The really creative folk might bring a little grill and cook some hotdogs or some such. Here's a picture of an older couple doing trail magic. Notice the guy holding the bananas. I ate three of them.
Here's another example. Today, on the trail somebody left a cooler full of goodies. Here's me next to them.
So, three days ago (sunday) I'm all walking down the trail, about 915 in the AM, when lo and behold there's a sign on the trail. It reads something like "turn right at the gap, walk past the 'welcome to North Carolina' sign and go up the driveway on the right for trail magic." Of course I follow these instructions. Of course. So I walk up to this house, open the door and there's a fucking Schmorgasbord (sp? who knows?) This couple is making all sorts of food. I proceed to eat a home made pecan waffle, a banana split and a pulled pork sandwich, in that order. So after eating all this, and chatting it up with the other kids who've come through in the morning, I sit down in a rocking chair and notice a bible sitting there, so I pick it up and thumb to Luke. I like Luke, it's my favorite gospel.
At some point I start glancing around and noticing that this place is Christian. Like really really Christian. Like all the books on the bookshelf are the Purpose Driven Life and How to Talk to Skeptics. I had been sitting at the table minutes before talking to this kid Novocaine about keeping Kosher on the trail (this was as I was eating the pulled pork sandwich) and then onto other topics relating to our mutual Judaism. Anyway, I think this guy thought I was thinking about converting (no, I just think Luke is a good gospel and for the record Romans is my favorite epistle) and started witnessing to me, and generally to all the kids sitting around the table. It wasn't that big a deal or anything, but it was sort of an intense witness session. A lot more 'fire and brimstone' than 'eternal salvation.' At that point I was really to full to care. Anyway, it was awkward, but seriously, that sandwich was super good.
Hikers are always hungry, so people who are friends of the trail (ie. people who've hiked before and know the hunger) will pull up to a gap or some place with a cooler full of goodies like sodas, beers, various little debbie snacks, snickers, etc. etc. The really creative folk might bring a little grill and cook some hotdogs or some such. Here's a picture of an older couple doing trail magic. Notice the guy holding the bananas. I ate three of them.
Here's another example. Today, on the trail somebody left a cooler full of goodies. Here's me next to them.
So, three days ago (sunday) I'm all walking down the trail, about 915 in the AM, when lo and behold there's a sign on the trail. It reads something like "turn right at the gap, walk past the 'welcome to North Carolina' sign and go up the driveway on the right for trail magic." Of course I follow these instructions. Of course. So I walk up to this house, open the door and there's a fucking Schmorgasbord (sp? who knows?) This couple is making all sorts of food. I proceed to eat a home made pecan waffle, a banana split and a pulled pork sandwich, in that order. So after eating all this, and chatting it up with the other kids who've come through in the morning, I sit down in a rocking chair and notice a bible sitting there, so I pick it up and thumb to Luke. I like Luke, it's my favorite gospel.
At some point I start glancing around and noticing that this place is Christian. Like really really Christian. Like all the books on the bookshelf are the Purpose Driven Life and How to Talk to Skeptics. I had been sitting at the table minutes before talking to this kid Novocaine about keeping Kosher on the trail (this was as I was eating the pulled pork sandwich) and then onto other topics relating to our mutual Judaism. Anyway, I think this guy thought I was thinking about converting (no, I just think Luke is a good gospel and for the record Romans is my favorite epistle) and started witnessing to me, and generally to all the kids sitting around the table. It wasn't that big a deal or anything, but it was sort of an intense witness session. A lot more 'fire and brimstone' than 'eternal salvation.' At that point I was really to full to care. Anyway, it was awkward, but seriously, that sandwich was super good.
posted by John G at 5:38 PM
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