Chris “Bone Spur” Estus has been accepted as an Appalachian Trail Chaplain, a ministry of the Holston Conference UMC. He will start his six-month, 2,193-mile journey in May starting at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia to Mount Katahdin, Maine and “flip-flop” back down to Springer Mountain, Georgia.

Chris Estus started his ministry in July 1999 with a call to fellowship of those interested in the biblical roots of the 12-step movement. Alamo Heights UMC later adopted his unique ministry in 2011 and he became the Director of Recovery Ministries for the church.

Pastor Scott Heare invited Chris to a study tour of Israel later that year. This was Chris’ introduction to long trail hiking. They hiked from the northern Galilee to the southern part of Negev desert over two weeks. During that journey, they climbed the Qumran Mount Arben and Masada National Park.

Since then, Chris has hiked Big Bend National Park and the Colorado trail in multiple segments.

Chris’ new “physically daunting” backpack journey will be documented with daily videos on the Appalachian Trail Chaplain Facebook and website.

“I wasn’t sure where I was going to hike next after my 2020 trip to Colorado. Out of the blue my sponsor called and said I ought to hike the Appalachian Trail next to carry the good news. I was skeptical,” said Chris. “Then I was looking at my Facebook feed one day, and up pops a post that said the Appalachian Trail Chaplaincy was accepting applications for 2021. The first requirement was familiarity with recovery ministry and Wesleyan theology. Every other requirement fit me perfectly. I saw it as a call and said ‘I can’t not do it.”

Chris will start slowly at 10-12 miles per day at two miles an hour. He hopes to increase his pace after the first month.

“If you are starting to hike, start slowly and set reasonable daily mileage goals with an average speed. Walking this trail will give me an opportunity to listen to and speak into the lives of people affected by substance abuse disorder.”

Read more: UMC Names Its Ninth Appalachian Trail Chaplain