How did Trust The Trail begin?
The idea for the Trust the Trail Podcast began way back in 2016 when we decided to share what we (Scott & Ariane) had learned from years of backpacking all over the Country. The term “trust the trail” was actually used for the first time during one of our backpacking bootcamp classes in 2010. This was a reference to Scott’s Appalachian Thru-Hike in 2003.
The story goes:
While Scott was on his Thru-Hike he ran into this mysterious individual who seem to come out of nowhere out from the fog. As Scott approached this slanky tall individual who was standing in the middle of the trail, in the fog, with no backpack on, Scott pondered on who this person might be. But alas, Scott had other priority concerns. One of those concerns was he was about to start a long climb up one of those infamous Appalachian Mountains that most hikers dread. Scott was out of snacks and was lagging a bit in energy. A few miles earlier Scott had said to himself (outloud, cause you kind of do that when hiking alone) “I would love a candy bar for some energy”. This nominal request into the Universe was about to come true. (Back to the slanky looking individual standing in the middle of the trail in the fog). When Scott finally approached the man, he noticed indeed the man had a small daypack on the ground. There were some introductions made back and forth, but not a lot of time for small talk, there was a mountain to climb. Of course the question had to be asked to the slanky looking man. “You wouldn’t happen to have a candy bar in that pack would you”? This slanky man standing in the middle of the trail in the fog, uttered “Yes”. He then pulled out the biggest 3 Musketeers bar Scott had ever seen. What were the odds? Scott ate that candy bar with delight as a slight tear ran down his cheek. As Scott started hiking again he soon realized that after 3 or so miles and the beginning of his ascent up over 3,000 feet, he was feeling a bit of a sugar rush. As Scott would say “I think I ran up the mountain with backpack and all”. Thus, in April of 2003 Scott reflected on his learning experience and said always trust the trail it always provides what you need, the first mention of the iconic sentence on top of Blood Mountain in the year of 2003.
Since then Scott and Ariane have experience this time and time again on the trail, on the road and in life. It is our favorite thing to say to people that take our backpacking bootcamp class. Especially those who are backpacking for the first time. Over the years, trust the trail has become a staple in how we look at tough times in our life also and have learned don’t always look around the corner. That’s not was life is about, but trusting that you will be given what you need, not always what you want.
So, in September of 2016 Ariane and Scott decided to share all their adventures from years of hiking the trail with our outdoor community. Have stories about how the trail provided YOU with something? We would love to share it on our podcast.
