Appalachian Trail Continues to Shatter Myths about Safety while Preaching Community
The Reoccurrence of One Dangerous Man and His Actions
Amongst the pines where most people retreat for refuge, quickly became a sanctuary for malice and evil intent for James Louis Jordan, 30, also known as “Sovereign” as he began his journey as a thru-hiker on the Appalachian Trail.
His long straggly hair, wiry beard and unclean look did not set off an alarm for the community on the trail. This seemed to be a normal look for people within that community. Though, Jordan’s strange behavior was noticed from the start.
The Appalachian Trail is a community that is 3-feet wide and 2,189.2-miles long. It’s an insulated community that typically shares common thoughts on survival and ownership. When that thread of thinking is broken, and someone acts out of rage and threatens endangerment upon other hikers, the community stands strong against such forces.
Jordan’s behavior on the trail was not accepted by most people. The man was arrested on April 22, after Unicoi County deputies responded to a suspicious person call in Flag Pond. It was known that Jordan had been harassing hikers along the Appalachian Trail for quite some time. He was arrested, fined, and sentenced to probation for criminal impersonation and drug and paraphernalia charges but was released from jail because hikers chose not press charges and wait around to testify against him in court.
There were multiple attempts to steer Jordan off the trail, because his presence was concerning for people who interacted with him. In every attempt, he found his way back to the trail. His actions during the night of May 10 were tragically unforgettable.
Jordan creeped amongst the pines on the night of May 10 as he spouted off threats to hikers, who had settled into their tents for the night. After the disturbance, the group of hikers decided to relocate to different campsites. Two of the hikers headed northbound and the other two had planned to head southbound. Jordan trekked north behind two of the hikers, but they were skillfully able to escape the hunt and report the incident to the sheriff’s office.
The south bounders became Jordan’s next prey. He caught up with the other two hikers near the initial campsite and aimed to kill them. Jordan attacked the two with a 20 in. blade that he carried by his side.
The first victim was 43-year-old Richard S. Sanchez Jr. of Oklahoma, also known as, “Stronghold” on the trail. Sanchez was able to ping an emergency SOS signal before Jordan violently stabbed his upper body multiple times. Sanchez was murdered on the trail in Wythe county, TN during the early hours of the night.
The second victim, a female hiker sustained serious injuries to the point where she played dead until Jordan left the scene to seek his dog that ran off. The severely injured female ran until she found two hikers camping just off the trail, who gratefully volunteered to help her hike the remaining 6-miles to the trailhead to receive medical attention and call the authorities for the madman still loose on the trail.
A tactical team deployed early Saturday morning in hunt for the SOS location ping set off by Sanchez before his murder. The team ran into Jordan’s dog, which led them straight to the suspect. Jordan was arrested without incident and taken into custody early Saturday morning.
Monday, July 13, Jordan was brought to Virginia Federal Court where he was detained for a psychological or psychiatric examination. He faced federal charges on one count of murder and one count of assault with the intent to murder. Wednesday, July 3, a federal magistrate judge ordered Jordan to be detained indefinitely until he is competent enough to understand the charges that are being brought against him.
A community grounded by minimalistic living and the serene wilderness of the Appalachian Mountains hurts for their fellow thru-hikers that was murdered and attacked on the trail. Emotions reach their peak for some and for others, the only thing they know to do is to carry on. They carry on for Sanchez and the legacy that he has left behind. This was a time for growth and learning on the narrow footpath, between the pines from Georgia to Maine.
Building a Community to Rise
The talk was different after this event, but everyone’s goal remained the same. The tight knit community held together for the 33rd Annual Trail Days festival in Damascus, Virginia just one short week after the tragic homicide and stabbing attack. The hikers united with one another and mourned the loss of their friend as they rested and refueled for the coming weeks, in the trail town of Damascus.
Coming off the trail after the incident, was never an option for Jim Street, a thru-hiker known as “Marrow” on the trail. His journey was far from over and his trail legs had just settled in. The constant motion of one foot in front of the other had brought him all the way from Springer Mountain Approach Trail in Ellijay, Georgia to Kinkora Hiking Hostel in Hampton, Tennessee in only 36 days. Hiking the Appalachian Trail was not a lifelong dream of his, but rather a new bullet point on his bucket list. His career as a professor at Appalachian State University was coming to an end, as he retired from his position at the University on April 30. His wife drove him to Springer Mountain trail head on May 1. His boots sunk into the rooted ground and his mission was to complete his journey to Maine during this transition phase in his life.
“There are people who are lost and maybe they will find themselves on the Appalachian trail and there are plenty of people who are in pain in their lives. We do a lot of things when we are in pain. Some of us might turn to drugs or alcohol and some of us may decide to go get lost. Maybe there is more pain on this trail than in real life, but I don’t know, probably not. They’re all really good people. So, if you want to be safe, go on the Appalachian Trail,” Street said.
Everyone understands that this journey is about taking risks. It’s about being strong mentally and physically to overcome any negative thoughts about yourself while out on the trail. People every year begin this adventure with little to no wilderness experience. Fear is factor that plays a huge role in the dedication to starting the trail. For Street, his fear was not thunderstorms, murderers, bears, or even the possible return of the mountain lions, but mice. His biggest fear was mice.
“In a community where violence doesn’t normally happen, I could tell that it really shook the community and there was a lot of conversations. Most conversations around the shelters and the tables, did turn to that,” Street said.
There is always something about the wilderness that draws people to its presence. John Muir, America’s most famous and influential naturalist and conservationist once said, “I only went out for a walk, and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.” For Cassie Smith, a thru-hiker known as “Mountain Cat”, lives by the standard of “going in”. Smith thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2018. Day four of her thru-hike became a point of assurance for Smith.
“I knew I was on an amazing adventure and there was no room for fear, especially fear of something I could not control, such as injury. I fell in love with this lifestyle because I have never felt so strong, so badass, so beautiful, then when I was a dirty hiker. I felt like I belonged out there,” Smith said.
The beauty of the wilderness took her by no surprise and captivated her by its slow mornings on the beautiful mountain ridges of the east and mountain laurel tunnels that go for miles. As a woman on the trail, she experienced it in a different light, and allowed herself to see her own strength.
“I was surrounded by some of the best humans I have ever met, and a general community that watched out for one another, like no other. I felt infinitely more safe night hiking through the Appalachian woods than walking alone across a parking lot in town,” Smith said.
For some, the challenge of thru-hiking has become an addiction and a passion. While everyone out on the trail has a reason to be out there, some people simply just do it because they cannot picture themselves anywhere else besides a trail. Mike Price is a thru-hiker that goes by the name of “Lumpy” has been hiking trails since he can remember. He has hiked over 23,000 miles in his time. He knows the trail up and down, north to south, and south to north.
He has spent the last three years of his life working and operating Mount Rogers Outfitters in Damascus, Virginia. It’s the one stop shop, in the town where the Appalachian Trail carries right on through main street. “Lumpy” has rooted himself within the trail community and has taken initiative to give back by committing to a section of roughly 7 miles from McQueen Gap to TN/VA state line that he maintains on a weekly basis.
With being so immersed in the community, he has had the opportunity to see several faces throughout his time and some stick around in his memory longer than others. He remembers the day that Sanchez came in to resupply for the next leg of his trip, with a smile on his face and warmth gleaming from his heart. That was the face of a man that “Lumpy” will never forget.
Hikers whether past, present, or future holds a high standard for their community in ways that leaves legacies in their place to honor the work they put in. Sutton Brown is a “local” on the trail. He lives in Hampton, Tennessee and owns Browns Hardware & Grocery as well as the Braemar Castle that is rich in its own history and serves as a hostel for thru-hikers.
People like Brown and “Lumpy” chose to give back to their community because they believe in it. Most everyone in the Appalachian Trail community knows who these people are. They are not easily forgotten, and neither is their servitude.
They work within a system and they work together. Alongside of each other, witnessing hundreds of folks making moves to accomplish their dreams. When threats and dangers seep into a community that is typically full of kindness and gentle spirits, the leaders within this system work their hardest to ensure the safety of hikers along this trail.
“The trail angles actually bring in scraps for the rats. So, it may be nice to have somebody at the trail head, you know after a hard day’s hike, 20 miles, I’d be tickled to death to get some cold water. But I don’t need somebody selling drugs and I don’t need somebody panhandling or doing that sort of thing but there seems to be that type of phenomenon going on.” Brown said.
His daily interactions with hikers and working with other leaders within the community, behind the scenes, allows Brown to take on a watchdog role and smooth out the wrinkles before they actually make it to him. Life outside of thru-hiking does not mean life outside of the trail for people like Brown and “Lumpy”. The trail has become their livelihood and has remained their passion over many years. Both men want to urge hikers to be engaged and involved with their surroundings.
“If you see something, say something. That’s always good advice.” Price said.
A thru-hikers journey is never over until he hangs up his boots for good. Even then, the hiker knows a little bit more about this world and how community evolved around survival truly works. The Appalachian Trail has stood the test of time and has been a home to many hikers, who have thanked the trail in more ways than one.
Pictured above is thru-hiker John Street, also known as “Marrow” standing on the infamous welcoming front porch of the Kinkora Hiking Hostel.