How Our Love for the Outdoors Sparked Trail Magic Co

Ever since I was little, I loved sleeping outside. There was something about camping that I just couldn't get enough of. In fact, I only stayed in Boy Scouts as long as I did because I loved the camping trips. It was in Boy Scouts that I went on my first backpacking trip. At the time, I was maybe 10-12 years old and shorter than 5’. I had to be held up at times to prevent my pack from toppling me over. Even though I didn’t go backpacking for a good 12 years after this trip, it became the spark that ignited my wife and my passion for backpacking. 

 

After 12 years off the trail, what drew me back in? Unbeknownst to each other, my wife and I were both following a couple named Renee and Tim. They are what you would call ‘thru-hikers’ (hikers who hike an established long-distance trail end-to-end). I was rekindling memories from a decade ago, and my wife was beginning to love the idea of backpacking, all without knowing we were following the same couple. 

 

We had always loved plants, animals, and taking walks through nature. Adding a backpack, a little cooking, and sleeping outside wasn’t that far outside our comfort zone. One cool summer night around the campfire, we discovered our shared love for the same content creators. One conversation led to another, and it was that night we decided we wanted to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. 

 

 

Mind you, my wife had never backpacked, and I had only done one trip in the last 10 years. Being the logical engineers we were, we knew we had to at least get out and practice. So, returning from the camping trip, we started collecting gear and planning our first trip. 

We decided on the Jordan River Pathway trail in Michigan for our first hike; it's a 20-mile loop trail. With plans to hike in one day and hike out the next, we gathered our gear and headed out. It went completely as expected—horribly, hahaha. Boy, did we have an absolute blast, though. At least, I did. Carly not so much. By the end of day one, she had horrible blisters on both feet. To give us the greatest chance of finishing before dark the next day, we opted to take a road walk to cut three miles off the hike. At one point, we were ‘hiking’ at a one mile per hour pace. But eventually, we made it back to our car and celebrated the completion of our first backpacking trip. 

 

The more trips we went on, the easier things got, and the more fun we were having. We started to see little surprises along the trail—food, pop, Gatorade, or really anything you usually wouldn't have in your backpack that would make your day. We later learned that this was called Trail Magic. We thought it was so cool—a community of hikers helping other hikers. 

 

 One thing we noticed early on was the lack of protein options for backpacking. This prompted us to get a dehydrator so that we could bring some meat and beans with us. With a history of sugar regulation issues in both our families, we do our best to limit processed carbs, or at least balance them out with healthy proteins. This really changed things, as adding protein to our hikes allowed us to start cranking out the miles, and we felt much stronger with some proper fuel.

 

 

 

Shortly after, we realized the superiority of freeze-dried foods over dehydrated. Dehydrated food struggles to rehydrate sometimes and can be quite crunchy. Freeze-dried food, on the other hand, rehydrates great and can last years if stored right. There really is no comparison. So, we did what any crazy backpacker couple would do—we bought a freeze dryer. We started using it to freeze-dry lots of meat and other protein sources, and that became the start of Trail Magic Co. 

 

Our journey into backpacking has been one of the most rewarding experiences of our lives. It has brought us closer together, introduced us to incredible people, and led to the creation of a company that we are truly passionate about. We hope that through Trail Magic Co, we can share a bit of the magic we’ve experienced on the trail and support others in their adventures. Whether you’re a seasoned thru-hiker or just starting out, we invite you to join us on this incredible journey. Happy hiking!