Important Trail Magic for Author Cindy Ross

In 1995, I worked in Yellowstone National Park over the summer. I hold fast to my memories in the land of geysers and grizzlies. One of my favorite experiences was climbing Electric Peak. At the summit, my friend and coworker, Keith Koepsel, removed the summit register from a small metal box for me to sign.

I quoted a passage from A Woman’s Journey in the register. The book was published in 1982 by Cindy Ross, and it’s my favorite trail memoir of all time. Keith looked at what I wrote and said, “Hey, I know Cindy Ross!” Keith met Cindy, Todd (her husband) and their children when they were thru hiking the Continental Divide Trail. He set up a trail magic station near his home in Colorado, offering cold sodas to thru hikers.

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Keith shared Cindy’s address with me, and I wrote her a letter expressing how much her book inspired me to start backpacking with less trepidation. I was shocked to open my mail a few weeks later and find a thoughtful hand-written letter from Cindy waiting for me. It found a permanent home in the shoe box of my most sacred correspondence.

Cindy has published many books over the years. I’m currently reading Walking Toward Peace: Veterans Healing on America’s Trails, her most recent work. It chronicles the stories of veterans with PTSD and how nature has helped them heal. Her (now adult) son, Bryce, beautifully illustrated it. The style reminds me of Cindy’s illustrations in A Woman’s Journey, and it makes me smile.

Cindy and her husband, Todd Gladfelter (both Triple Crowners who thru hiked the CDT with their two young children in tow) have been important figures in my life. I have sought words of wisdom within the pages of Cindy’s books on topics like marriage, motherhood, homeschooling, and how to be a thoughtful trail angel and steward of the trails. If someone were to ask me to come up with a top 10 list of inspirational people, Cindy would undoubtedly make the cut.

Cindy and Todd have spent decades going above and beyond for people in need, especially veterans who are woefully underserved when faced with life-threatening emotional wounds after serving our country. Cindy even started a nonprofit, Riverhouse PA, tailored to this cause. If you’re familiar with Tom Gathman, better known as The Real Hiking Viking, Cindy and Todd befriended him before his A.T. thru hike. There’s a chapter in Walking Toward Peace dedicated to Tom’s inspiring story. In fact, it was his Instagram account where I heard the news about Todd’s accident.

The day after Thanksgiving, Todd fell from the roof of their home (which he built). This home is the topic of one of Cindy’s books—The Log Cabin Years. He suffered a spinal injury and is now paralyzed over the vast majority of his body. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you this is a life-altering event of epic proportions. Todd is an award-winning professional chainsaw carving artist and blacksmith, so this will also affect Cindy and Todd’s income significantly.

The Hiking Viking shared a Go Fund Me fundraising campaign set up for Cindy and Todd by their niece, and I felt inspired to write this post after reading his. Cindy and Todd face significant expenses that insurance won’t cover (an adaptive vehicle, ongoing rehabilitation costs, modifications to their home, etc.). I hope you’ll join me in providing a little trail magic to these pillars of the hiking community in one of these ways:

1. Donate to the Go Fund Me

2. Purchase Cindy’s books through the following distributors:

• Bookshop
• Amazon
• Mountaineers Books

3. For a limited time, Catharine Bec is donating 100% of her proceeds from a selection of beautiful trail charms to support Cindy and Todd. This would make a fantastic gift for a hiker friend while supporting two of the most supportive trail angels you’ll find along the Appalachian Trail.

4. There is an address on the Go Fund Me page where you can send letters of support and encouragement to Todd.

I hope you’ll join me in supporting two of the brightest lights in the trail community, even if this is your first introduction to them. We all know how much thru hikers appreciate traditional forms of trail magic. But this is where the concept of trail magic is truly transformative (much like the type Cindy and Todd provide to veterans), and I can’t think of two more deserving people to benefit from it.