This past weekend my dad and his friend packed a car full of cold water, snacks, supplies and more and headed to the Appalachian Trail.

An avid hiker, my dad has crossed paths with many thru-hikers while hiking the Appalachian Trail. He hikes southbound, and most thru-hikers hike northbound, so he passes many. Seeing their journeys inspired and motivated him to do something to help.

Thru-hiking is an extremely challenging feat requiring hikers to complete the entire Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine (more than 2,100 miles). My dad had the idea to create a small pit stop along the way with snacks and supplies thru-hikers might need. He posted it on his hiking Facebook group, Timber, asking if anyone wanted to join him, and Lisa did.

They set up tables and a tent for shade and laid out everything from tomato pie, donuts and cold drinks to beef jerky and Cliff Bars. They also had other supplies, like toilet paper, ziplock bags, batteries, sunscreen and portable chargers, to use. One of the struggles thru-hikers face is having nowhere to put trash, so they’re forced to carry it, which takes up a lot of space and adds weight to their backpacks. Here, thru-hikers were able to lighten their loads and throw away all their trash without having to litter.

He and Lisa stayed there for about eight hours talking with all the thru-hikers. Acts like this are known as “trail magic” in the hiking community — acts of generosity and kindness. My dad met a lot of interesting people, each with a different story and a different journey, but everyone was happy and grateful to sit down, eat, chat and rest for a while.

— Zoey Joseph, intern