Church Mouse and I have been craving burgers, almost from the beginning of hiking. That thick, juicy flavor, the mayonnaise and sauces, the bun, the veggie toppings, hot off a grill with a side of french fries… you get the picture.
However, burgers have been surprisingly hard for us to get.
In Hiawassee, we thought there was a Hardee’s, but there ended up not being one and we got Taco Bell instead. (Thank you, fellow Taco Bell eaters for giving us some encouragement and Dan for handing us $20 at Ingles that we used for that fantastic fast food lunch.)
In Franklin, we got there late enough on Sunday that we just got pizza close by. On Monday, almost everything was closed. The Hiker Kitchen was open, though, but when we headed there for our burger, it had closed almost two hours early. We met Frank there, also forlornly staring at the closed trailer, and we all headed a quarter mile down the hill to more (delicious) pizza.
At NOC, by the time we were done with our resupply, the wait time for the restaurant was too long considering the climb we knew we had to do, and so we headed up after a chocolate milk lunch instead of waiting. (Blues Clues and Stealth got burgers there, though, and described them to us as we all sat freezing in the leaking Cable Gap Shelter, stirring our Mountain House meals.)
By the time we reached Fontana Dam, I was beginning to wonder if we’d ever get a burger. Surely at some point, there comes a time when you realize some things are just out of your reach.
However, someone left a comment on FarOut (a map service we use for the trail) saying that the Taco family in conjunction with their church was going to be grilling burgers, hot dogs, and quesadillas at the Fontana Hilton (aka, the large Fontana Shelter that had running water, actual restrooms, and charging stations).
Grilling burgers.
I was so excited. It had been a cold night there at Cable Gap. It had rained on us all Friday and that night, the temperature dropped to 27. Anything that had been wet was now frozen: our rain coats, rain pants, hats, sleeves of the shirts we wore, gloves, boots, socks, tent rain flys. Everything was “crispy solid,” as Stealth said.
Burgers hot off the grill.
Nothing gets you moving in the morning quite like that thought, even if the morning involved shoving feet into frozen boots. There was only seven cold (but thankfully dry!) miles between us and fresh, hot burgers.
We booked it.
Everything was quiet at the Fontana Hilton. A couple sleeping bags had been spread out on the bunks, but no hikers, no food, no trail magic.
We missed it. I could feel my heart sinking. Fresh hot burgers, straight off a grill, and we missed it again.
Then I read the sign closer. There was a parking lot for the shelter up top, where the shuttle could pick you up and take you into town.
Hope fluttered in stomach. Maybe the burgers are up there.
I walked over a crest in a hill to three tables set out, full of food, pop, warm drinks, and yes, burgers. Backpacks were scattered around the grass, Pink was there playing his harmonica, someone was dancing, and as soon as they saw I was a hiker, a cheer went up. “Do you want a burger? Do you want some hot chocolate? Come eat!”
It’s called trail magic for a reason. Walking into a scene like that, it feels like you stepped out of the cold, snowy woods of Narnia and into the rejoicing, thawed valley where Aslan is. It feels like sunshine after a long rain, like flowers blooming, like someone wrapping you in a hug you didn’t know you needed, like strength and community. It feels like magic.
We piled our plates full of food and sprawled out on the ground. Chips, pop, burgers, hot chocolate, fresh fruits. Everything you could want. More hikers we knew came, and more food was handed out. The Taco family kept walking around, making sure everyone was eating to their fill and had everything they needed.
Their church, it turns out, donated all the food and supplies. The Taco family and some of the church members then drove over two hours to bring us that food, for no reason other than to bless some cold, hungry hikers.
And blessed we were.
It was a simple burger, but I think it tops any burger we would have had in Hiawassee, Franklin, or NOC. It was a gift, flipped and grilled on a random parking lot, and handed to us without strings, only love. It was the body of Christ, fully loving and serving those God brought into their life that day.
It was incredible.
We’re taking a zero over Sunday at the Fontana Lodge, thawing and drying all our frozen clothes and restocking for the next week. Monday morning, we’ll head into 70 miles of hiking through the Great Smokies National Park. We’re hiking along the Tennessee border, meaning we’ll be bouncing in and out of NC and Tennessee. The trail will also take us up to Clingsman Dome, the highest point of the AT. It’s going to be an incredible week.
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