“A couple of folks pulled him aside and said, ‘Hey, the trail’s not your place,’” said Ben Bolek, a 35-year-old from Austin, Tex., who quit his job this spring to make the hike. “‘Can we get you a bus ticket?’”

Image James L. Jordan of West Yarmouth, Mass., was charged with the murder of one Appalachian Trail hiker and the stabbing of a second one. Credit... Washington County Virginia Sheriff’s Office

But the man, James L. Jordan of West Yarmouth, Mass., apparently traveled only a short distance before leaving the bus or being ejected from it, Mr. Bolek said. And about a week later, police officers charged him with the murder of one Appalachian Trail hiker and the stabbing of a second one at a remote spot on the trail in southwestern Virginia on Saturday.

Federal authorities on Tuesday identified the murdered man as Ronald S. Sanchez Jr., 43, of Oklahoma. The name of his female companion who was stabbed has not been released. Two other hikers who were traveling with the couple fled into the woods after the attacker chased them and threatened to set their tents on fire.

For many on the trail on Monday, the shudder triggered by news of the murder seems to have lingered only briefly.

“It definitely upset me when I heard about it,” 32-year-old Amanda Gannon said as she settled into the spartan confines of Rod Hollow Shelter near Ashby Gap in Virginia after logging 23 rain-drenched miles for the day. “I was feeling so confident and really proud of myself, and it kind of made me get off my high horse for a little bit. On the trail, anything can happen. But anything could happen anywhere.”