Bear hug from a trail angel

By Timothy Johnston
Knoxville, Tennessee
Jan. 15, 1997

H ERE IS an amazing hiking story. Actually, it is a story about hitchhiking, which for me is often closely associated with hiking. I seem to frequently find myself sticking out my thumb to get to or from a trailhead.

I hiked about 12 miles of the Florida Trail in the Ocala National Forest in January this year. I hiked the level, sandy, well-maintained segment while enjoying balmy 80-degree sunny weather. The only hazard was from me running into a spider web spun across the trail. Florida spiders are the size of a small dog and they position their traps about 6 feet above the ground, which happens to be the height of the center of my face. Sometimes I would run into the web and be startled at the sight of a spider clinging to the tattered remains of the web, which scared me. A couple of times I ran into a web, and was startled at the sight of no spider—this really scared me. Overall it was a very pleasant tropical hike.

I emerged onto a paved road, and thinking that I was only a few hundred yards from my waiting ride and supper, I started walking along the road. I soon realized that I was not where I thought I was, and in fact I was about 5 miles from where I needed to be in 15 minutes. So I stuck out my thumb. I saw lots of big rig trucks, whose drivers don’t pick up riders. I saw lots of big American-made cars driven by senior citizens, whose occupants stared intently at me so as to memorize my features and thereby recognize me as the hitchhiker who was a horrible murderer (or horribly murdered) and mentioned on the news. I saw tourists with full cars, lone women drivers, and all manner of vehicles with a low probability of giving me a ride.

I got discouraged and started walking and occasionally hitching. Finally, a car pulled over and two Florida gentlemen picked me up and offered a ride half-way to my destination. We talked hiking, and to make a long story end I had met the driver at a Gathering of hikers in Carlisle, PA in October, 1996.

What are the odds that, on my first hiking trip to FL, the only man I have met from FL picks me up from hitching and saves me from an uncomfortable hike in the dark? I remembered the driver’s distinctive voice from our previous meeting. He led a sunrise worship service at the meeting of hikers. His name slips my mind, but I remember that his trail name is American Indian "something-bear" and he is famous as the man who has hugged (not mugged) the most hikers on the Appalachian Trail, a hobby with Karma if I ever heard one.

The Lord works in mysterious ways.
~ Timothy Johnston



POSTSCRIPT: The trail angel who helped out Timothy was ALDHA member Russell Shaw, also known as “Siyo Yonah” (Hello Bear), and he hails from St. Petersburg, Florida.


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