A Ministry of the Holston Conference of The United Methodist Church
Welcome to the website for the unique ministry of the Holston Conference of The United Methodist Church.
Join us on a trek across approximately 2,200 miles as the Appalachian Trail Chaplain seeks to make new friends, help those met along the way and show the love of God to all encountered.
The 2021 AT Chaplain, Chris “Bone Spur” Estus, is set to set out on his thru-hike in mid-2021. Watch this site to follow along on his journey.
December 3, 2020 – United Methodist News
Appalachian Trail chaplain shares his faith journey in devotional book
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W47Tg4Ef5Q&feature=youtu.be
March 26, 2018 – The Call
Appalachian Trail ministry expands with first ‘circuit hiker’
http://holston.org/about/communications/the-call/volE18/num7/at-circuit-hiker/
March 31, 2017 – The Tennessean (Nashville, Tennessee)
Why a Methodist chaplain is hiking the Appalachian Trail
https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/religion/2017/03/31/why-methodist-chaplain-hiking-appalachian-trail/99714742/
March 28, 2017 – WDBJ Channel 7 (Hillsville, Virginia)
New Appalachian Trail chaplain prepares for long journey
http://www.wdbj7.com/content/news/New-Appalachian-Trail-Chaplain-prepares-for-long-journey-417385433.html
May 2016 – Interpreter Magazine
Appalachian Trail chaplain engaged in ups and downs of journey
http://www.interpretermagazine.org/topics/appalachian-trail-chaplain-engaged-in-ups-and-downs-of-journeys
January 4, 2013 – The Call
United Methodists send first chaplain to hike 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail
http://holston.org/about/communications/the-call/volE13/num1/appalachian-trail-chaplain/
The Appalachian Trail Chaplaincy is a unique ministry of the Holston Conference of The United Methodist Church. Each year, the Appalachian Trail Chaplain embarks on a thru-hike of the 2,190-mile footpath that winds its way from Georgia to Maine with the sole purpose of listening, helping and showing God’s love to those he or she meet along the way.
It almost doesn’t feel real that my hike is just a few months away. It feels too good to be true, like I am waiting for the other shoe to drop. I haven’t trained like I should, because, well, part of me is scared I will have this hike taken out from under me just …
Bone spur, I don’t even know where to begin. It has been a whirlwind of a year and I don’t know that I ever thought we’d make it this far. I don’t feel like the best person to be writing this letter because I don’t know what you’ll experience out there. I don’t know what …
These last few months have changed so many of our worlds so quickly. When I left the call that said our hikes would be canceled, my heart broke. I wanted to crumble, I wanted to fall apart. So much of what I have lived for, so much of what I felt was right, what I …
Continue reading “Steadiness – A blog from Rachel “Dragonfly” Ahrens”
You may contact the Appalachian Trail Chaplain ministry at:
P.O. Box 343
Walland, Tennessee 37886
or on Facebook