by Ann Cipperly
After learning he was in poor physical shape, Jack Layfield decided to improve his health and began walking. As he took interest in places to hike, he set a goal to walk the Appalachian Trail. In pursuing his dream, he discovered a program for serving as a chaplain on the trail, which led to writing a devotional book recording his adventures on hiking 2,192 miles at 67 years of age.
Growing up in Phenix City, Jack developed a love of the outdoors at an early age. He enjoyed fishing in the streams near his home and later hunting. After graduating from Auburn University, he worked in sales for Hallmark Cards in Atlanta, Ga. Five years later, he was transferred to Pensacola, Fla., where he received a master’s degree in counseling.
Jack changed careers and worked in the mental health field, becoming head of rehabilitation for patients and staff training. Later, he served as director at a facility for children with emotional problems.
In 2010, Jack attended a health fair and was told his blood pressure was very high and that he was in terrible shape. He was 60 years old and began going to the gym, walking and running.
As he was looking for places to hike, he saw an article on the Appalachian Trail that interested him. Years earlier, when he was camping and hiking with his parents in the Smoky Mountains, he heard about hikers walking the entire Appalachian Trail. At the time, he dreamed of doing it, but thought it would never happen. However, as he neared retirement it seemed possible.
After Jack and his wife Marty retired, they moved to Opelika. He continued to plan his dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail and was walking 10 miles a day. “When I told Marty about my dream,” Jack says, “she thought it was a crazy idea.”
Jack felt guilty about taking on the project. His parents were older and needed help, and it meant leaving Marty for six months to handle everything on her own. He had always paid the bills, and she would be taking over that as well as seeing about his parents. They had grandkids, and he had responsibilities at his church.
While praying about hiking the trail, he had a memory of reading about the Methodist church program for chaplains while researching the trail. “I really think God put that in my heart,” he says. “I went to the computer and searched for information on the program. I called the co-founder of the Appalachian Trail Chaplaincy, Rev. Alan Ashworth, who lives in Bland, Va.”
Jack learned that the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church selected a chaplain to hike the trail as a ministry every year. He interviewed and became the 2019 Appalachian Trail Chaplain. Even though Marty had many fears, and she thought Jack was “crazy,” she fully supported his dream. While on the trail, he would help hikers with their spiritual and emotional needs, especially with problems associated with anxiety, depression and addiction.
Jack prepared for three years before taking on the project. He hiked trails and learned how to backpack. It cost $1,500 to $2,000 to purchase the correct gear. His fully loaded pack weighed 32 pounds. It contained a sleeping bag, tent, raingear, extra set of clothes, extra shoes, a cook stove with a gas canister, cooking utensils, headlamp, a GPS, food, knife and personal supplies.
“People think the trail is nothing but wilderness for over 2,000 miles,” he says, “but actually it winds through small towns and crosses roads and interstates, so it is not total wilderness. Marty was concerned about snakes and bears.”
Finally, the day arrived for Jack to begin hiking the Appalachian Trail. Co-founder Alan Ashworth became his “trail boss.” Jack would update him weekly, and they would work through problems as they arose.
The adventure began at Springer Mountain, Ga, the southern terminus of the trail, on March 3, 2019. There was ice on the mountain, and that night the temperature fell to 12 degrees. His gear kept him warm, and his faith increased the following days.
Jack wore a badge stating he was a chaplain. “When I introduced myself on the trail as ‘Chappy Jack,’ hikers would ask how I got that name. Some would ask for prayer, and others wanted to sit and talk. I would encourage other hikers.”
Jack had a cell phone and called Marty every day. If he couldn’t get a good connection, he would wait until being on the top of a mountain or in a town.
Since Jack was carrying his food on the trail, he would go into towns to replenish his supplies. Some small towns had hostels where hikers could stay, or they would stay in an inexpensive motel. Along with replenishing his food, he washed his clothes, took showers and enjoyed hot meals in a restaurant. He would look for ones that offered an all you can eat buffet.
“When hikers go into a town and take the entire day off,” Jack says, “that is called ‘a zero.’ I thought that would be a day of rest, but by the time I shopped and did laundry there was not much time to rest.”
Shoes are important for hiking. When he needed a new pair, Marty would mail them to a town on the trail. Post offices at towns along the trail will keep packages for hikers, and some hostels would hold them. Towns along the trail are hiker friendly. Some hikers would have their food shipped on the trail.
Jack started his day with a cup of coffee and a package of instant oatmeal. He had a small filter to pour water through for heating on a camp stove. He felt coffee was his luxury item.
For lunch and supper, he would rotate either peanut butter, a tuna or chicken packet. At lunch, he put one of the fillings in a flour tortilla, while for supper he served it with ramen noodles. “I love good food,” he says, “but now I can eat the same thing over and over.”
The weather varied from freezing rain, snow and ice to extreme heat. The worst weather he experienced was in New York in a two-week heat wave, and he felt like quitting. He would hike all day carrying the backpack and then was so hot in the sleeping bag.
At places where the trail crossed a road, there would be “Trail Angels,” who set up food and beverages. In the heat wave in New York, a lady on the side of the road was serving iced beverages. She had a chair, which was wonderful for Jack to sit and sip the cold beverage. “As I sat on the side of the highway,” Jack remembers, “I thought about sticking out my thumb and catching a ride to town, but I didn’t.”
“You have to keep telling yourself to never quit on a bad day. If you are going to quit, do it on a good day looking at a beautiful view. So, I hiked on and was struggling to hike a mountain when I saw hiker Sarasota Scott. He was older, and I always hiked past him, but on this day, he walked past me. I decided then I was not going to quit.”
Marty visited Jack at one of the towns halfway through the journey and met other hikers.
While on the trail Jack had not thought of writing a book. He had started a blog before he left home and had planned to continue it on the trail, but it was too difficult to write on his phone. As he was getting nearer to finishing the trail, he began to think about a book.
Jack completed his adventure on Sept. 23 at Baxter Park, Maine, the northern ter- minus of the trail. His trail boss picked him up and took him to Viriginia, then Jack flew home to Opelika.
Once he was home, Jack began writing the book about his experiences on the trail. While he had never considered himself a writer, he had taken a writing class from David Housel when he attended Auburn University. Jack held a zoom meeting with his trail boss and a consultant every week. It took about eight months to finish, “On the Trail with Chappy Jack, Devotions for the Path You’re On.”
The book is interesting whether one is a hiker or not. It is especially helpful to anyone who enjoys hiking and camping or is interested in starting.
“When I first heard about the trail,” Jack says, “I kept it in the back of my mind and over time it became a desire. I still can’t believe I did it. There are so many younger people in better shape who give up. I can’t believe I had the opportunity.”
Every year, about five million people visit some part of the trail. Some people just want to walk a short distance, while others have weekend hikes. About five thousand people attempt to walk the entire trail every year, but only 20 percent succeed.
Jack Layfield’s book. “On the Trail with Chappy Jack, Devotions for The Path You’re On” is available at Amazon.com.
