As Ralph and I continued backpacking more often, including traveling to Europe, South America, and Africa, I was heartened to experience trail magic or help from trail angels in one way or another on every major hike we took.
It has been a wonderful surprise to meet so many people who would help me reach my goals—and not be expecting anything in return. It has been wonderful to find that being outdoors doing what I like to do—hiking—would often lead to experiences reminding me of the basic goodness of people.
I love being part of this community. I like being reminded of how we can help and support each other. Isn’t this the way life should be?
As you read the stories of the thirty-two hikers who share their stories, you’re going to find how they have found inspiration and comfort from trail angels and trail magic. In Inga Aksamit’s Angels at Hell Hole you’ll learn how she was rescued by eight-year-old Natalie.
In Brandon Wilson’s Not All Angels Have Wings, you’ll find that he and his wife, Cheryl, found lodging in remote parts of Tibet by knocking on strangers’ doors and by using sign language and a ridiculous, “kuchi, kuchi” or “please” when begging for a place to sleep.
You’ll also discover numerous instances of trail magic—perhaps even life-saving encounters—such as what Bill Collins and his backpacking buddy experienced one night while backpacking in the high Sierra, or how Sym Blanchard and his companions, while hiking in Madagascar, were protected from a threatening group of teenage boys. Perhaps you can identify with some of these stories because you have encountered some of these valuable gifts.
Further, you will notice another common theme in the collection of stories in this book—being helped by a trail angel can be both helpful and inspirational. It can make you want to join a community where sharing, or paying forward, is prevalent.
Order online or ask your favorite local bookseller to order it from Ingram ISBN 9780936934096 or 9780936034089 hardback. Ask for it at your favorite local bookstore or find it online.
Available on Kindle as well as hardcopy.
Editorial Reviews
Rick Hanson
I love this book! The writing is funny, inspiring, sweet, and compelling. Each short chapter is like another interesting adventurous turn on the long trail of life, full of heart. At a time when it’s easy to feel helpless and hopeless, this beautiful book reminds us of the power and the opportunity in simply taking the next step ahead, again and again.
—Rick Hanson, Ph.D., author of Buddha’s Brain, Hardwiring Happiness, Resilient, and Neurodharma
It’s really a great book!
Dave Whitson
So many narratives written about outdoor adventure take on the flavor of the hero’s journey, highlighting the individual’s many personal triumphs–overcoming adversity, battling demons, pushing their body to the limit, and making it successfully to the finish line. What that can obscure, though, is the community that makes those triumphs possible, the many strong shoulders carrying us through our most challenging moments.
Susan Alcorn’s Miles of Kindness: Tales from the Trail shifts the narrative lens towards those trail angels. A collection of experienced hikers reflect upon a small selection of the countless altruists who have come through for them at pivotal moments in their respective journeys–providing a meal or a ride or a roof, a pivotal medical intervention, cherished camaraderie, a word of advice that made all the difference. In so doing, Miles is a reminder that, as hard-earned and well-earned as our varied hiking accomplishments might be, they are rightly shared with the scores of kind-hearted folks along the way who made them all possible.—Dave Whitson, author of The Camino del Norte and Camino Primitivo and The Camino Compendium
Marcia Powers —Praise for Miles of Kindness: Tales from the Trail
“Susan Alcorn’s anthology is a collection of wonderfully diverse stories relating acts of warmheartedness and graciousness, which are meaningful for both the giver and the recipient. These life-affirming stories are worth reading over and over again.” —Marcia Powers “Gotta Walk.” First recipient of the Grand Slam: completion of the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail, and American Discovery Trail.