Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis

With all the problems that one may encounter on the Appalachian Trail, Willow Bolton decided that highlighting her disability (something that she refers to as a blessing) would be a good way to bring some attention to it. In the interview with Steve she mentions, almost in passing, another major issue and, despite her stoicism, Steve was moved by her determination. If you'd like to learn more abou...

Dave Braunlich gave himself a tough task when he considered hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2019. He needed to fit in the trail AND keep his job. For this reason, his daily mileage had to be more than 30 miles every single day. Listen to Dave as he shares his remarkable story with Steve. You can also follow Dave's journey with his YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvDFp_OzbOSq1reZp...

When Andrew Haverstick reached out to me recently telling me that he had a story to share, I called and listened to his story. Our subsequent conversation turned into one of the most poignant interviews on the show so far. In 2018, when he thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail, he did so with an unfolding situation back home that was doubtless causing him stress. That said, Andrew's calmness in our con...

I met Peaches and Woodstock in Maine when I was heading north earlier this year. They are listeners to the show and Julianne introduced herself, asking me to say hi to her Mom, Colleen, who was on her way down the mountain. I recall thinking at the time that it would be great to interview a mother and daughter on the trail and I was consequently delighted when the two of them reached out to me rec...

When Jessie Crawford had a drink with Stylez, a friend of mine from the Class of 2014, they discussed post-trail life and "how weird the transition is." When she got into contact I knew that she had a story to share, so we hit the record button and chatted away. Quite apart from her "weird transition," Jessie proved herself to be another of the empowered, strong young women who now take on these h...

I first heard of Rob and Gavin on the trail when Rob's wife, Beth, wrote to me in May to tell me about their journey. The family had been listening to the podcast for some time as they prepared for the AT. Now that they were on the trail, Beth wanted to update me on their progress. I knew that Gavin was struggling a bit, so I reached back out and tried to give some encouragement, telling that I'd...

When we met Yalla on our thru-hike earlier this year, Trigger and I were immediately drawn to her as a person but it was her name that stuck with us for the rest of our journey. Yalla tells us about her flip flop, starting at Harpers Ferry on the way to Katahdin then southbound from Harpers to Springer. She recounts two different hikes, which is the way she segmented them in her mind. As luck woul...

When Darrell and Alicia set out to hike the AT in 2018 they assumed that they would hike the whole way together. It didn't work out that way and, as a result, they have different perspectives of the same hike. When injury strikes, it is important to know beforehand what the plan would be for a couple on the trail. Darrell and Alicia had already decided what they would do, and one carried on withou...

We've had a variety of guests on the show over the past three years but I'm pretty confident that no guest (or guests) has ever been as laid back about their journey as Sahada Buckley and Luke Runels. They were out in the woods to get away from life's distractions, playing music, singing, and avoiding much of the modern paraphernalia of everyday life. Often going radio silent, Sahada and Luke expe...

Boston and Cubby have been long-distance hiking for nearly 15 years, having started with the Appalachian Trail in 2005. During that time they have completed the Triple Crown, climbed Mt Kilimanjaro, done the American Discovery Trail and the Long Trail. They even found time to hike across the state of Rhode Island! They have simplified both their hiking style and their lives, finding peace and thei...

Lady Di was part of one of my earlier "tramilies." We spent quite a bit of time together around Fontana Dam and the Smokies but were separated after that. She was yet another example of a fiercely independent, strong woman who brought a lot to the trail this year. Starting her hike less than a week after her retirement, she was slow but steady throughout her journey. I particularly remember her co...

I met Jason and his friends in 2014. They were on the trail helping other hikers while achieving their own hiking goals at the same time. I don't believe that I quite understood how much their journey was geared towards supporting others until we spoke on the show. Since then, Jason has completed both the Pacific Crest Trail and, very recently, the Continental Divide Trail, to complete hiking's Tr...

With an empty nest, sufficient money, and plenty of time on their hands, Curt and Tammy Fackler decided to drastically downsize. They sold their home and gave away most of their belongings before hitting the road in their truck with their new home attached. Their adventures were always leading them to the Appalachian Trail and, six months after their travels started, they set off from Georgia. Tam...

Mike Colburn started his years-long section thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail during the last century. While he never intended to complete the trail in sections, it wasn't until the earlier years of this century that he realized that it was in his sights. With so little now to do, Steve and Mike discussed his long, long journey to this moment. Along the way, Steve and Mike have run into one anoth...

When you finish the Appalachian Trail, your mind is in a bit of a whirl. You can't fully articulate your thoughts and, really, those thoughts mature over time. I wanted to capture the thoughts of a hiker within 24 hours of his or her finish, so when I saw Olivia Miller Bakke's summit photo on Facebook, I reached out to her. This is that conversation. I also caught up with Lea Ann Hogan, another of...

When I met Bob Curran in the Grayson Highlands, I could never have imagined that he and I would end up at the top of Mt Katahdin together, some 1700 miles later. We came together by accident and stayed together more by circumstance than by design. That said, each of us acknowledges the positive impact that we both had on each other's hike. As two 66-year-olds we fitted perfectly with one another w...

Now that I've returned to Florida and had a week off from the podcast, I felt ready to answer a few questions from listeners. There turned out to be so many of them that I had a good friend–and star podcaster–Glenn Hebert doing the honors. Glenn has a way of eliciting nuggets from people and he certainly kept me on my toes the whole time. While I didn't expect to be able to articulate precisely ho...

I wanted to share my last day on the trail with you all. The sound is often distorted through wind and even our paces. That said, I hope you gather from the show my enthusiasm and delight at getting this job done. Don't forget, we'll be back to normal service next week, with another guest telling their story, as well as a new book that I'll be reading for you.

With the worst mountains in the 100 Mile Wilderness begins us, Trigger and I had to put in some long days to meet our goal of summiting Katahdin by Friday. The rocks and roots, abetted by some very dubious weather, tried to throw us off our game plan but we persevered. Make sure you listen to the last episode in this series as we try to scale Katahdin. Watch out for that episode in the next 24 hou...

Given how lucky we've been with the weather so far, I suppose it was only inevitable that the 100 Mile Wilderness gave us four straight days of rain. Rocks and roots are tricky at the driest of times; after rain they can be lethal. Despite this, we have a plan and are currently following it perfectly. Next time you'll see how it held up through the entire Wilderness.

We've covered a lot of ground to get here and are now in Monson, ready to hit the 100 Mile Wilderness. The path here hasn't always been straight (or even northbound), yet we've covered every mile and have longed for these final days. There is something almost surreal about what we're about to do, as climbing Katahdin wasn't really at the forefront of our minds six months ago. But we're here and re...

Slackpacking the tougher mountains has been a feature of these past four days. With the Saddlebacks, the Crocker's, then the stunningly beautiful Bigelows, we've been treated to (mostly) great weather. Now, past 2000 miles, we're refining our options for the end of our journey. Hard to believe, really.  

It's been a while (again).   We're making progress but the miles are taking their toll and I'm often too tired at the end of the day to record. That said, the miles continue to melt away and we're closing in on 2000 miles. The Baldpates are the hiking highlight of this episode and we get to meet Yukon and his geodesic sphere.  

My first, faltering days back from illness led me to Mahoosuc Notch on Day 3. To be frank, I think that I should have stayed another day or two with Gary and Cathy as I clearly wasn't ready to get back to it. That said, Maine has continued to wow us and is very much not a disappointment after the wonders of New Hampshire. There is an interview with Michael Thorp and his dog, Fecteau. If his story...

In a marked contrast to yesterday's show, this one is a little bit of a doom and gloom episode, with those earlier doubts all coming back to haunt me as I come down with an infection. The trail is an extended lesson in life that will test you throughout. I may be near the end but I'm as susceptible to self-doubt as much as anybody. Seeking sunshine in my cloudy mood, I discover true trail angels a...