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

Charlotte Taney was transformed by the Appalachian Trail. Initially nervous, she blossomed into a steely-eyed hiking machine. That, at least, was how she was described in one blog. She tells about her journey and the changes she recognized in herself.   Charlotte would love to hear from fellow hikers or anybody who'd like to tap into her experiences. She can be emailed at  char_runstrack@yahoo.com...

First things first, it was me who named Rad Watkins The Bear Whisperer. He didn't have a trail name, but he certainly had a story. Rad is a landscape ecologist and motivational speaker. It seemed a good time for somebody to allay the fears of many as they start to gather in Georgia and find their way north. Bears need to be treated warily though not with fear. Brad has tracked Grizzlies and studie...

One of the fearless women I met in the Class of 2014, Kate Schmidlin, or Tigger, embodied the spirit of the trail. I never saw her pissed off at anybody, she was constantly laughing and never complaining. We didn't see each other after Damascus, but she left a big impression on me. She talks with an endearing openness about some of the rigors of being a woman of child-bearing age on the trail. It...

Brandon Jacob, AKA The Dude, became something of a social magnet on the Appalachian Trail in 2016 with his Dudefests. Straight out of the corporate world and seemingly out of place in the slightly less genteel life of the trail, he embraced it, and its characters, with relish. There were two Dudefests; one at Trent's Grocery in Virginia, with Dudefest #2 attracting quite the crowd at the Inn At Lo...

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Steven Cullen was a section hiker who I met on my first day on the trail. We clicked straight away and he continued to follow my, and other, blogs once he finished his week-long section hike. I thought it might be helpful to include a section hiker in the podcast and, though I met many, he was my first thought. In our interview, we talk about the differences between section and thru-hikers, with S...

  Patrick Bredlau had a truly life-changing experience on the trail. His candor at his spiritual epiphany was touching, while his encounter with a man hiding from his past seemed to provide a counter-point. Following his hike, he has given talks about the trail and exhibited pictures from his journey. Some of these photographs are on show at the Illinois State Museum. The museum also sells his boo...

James Claiborne was a fellow member of the Class of 2014. I only met him a few times, though once, memorably, at the Curly Maple Shelter, just outside Erwin, TN. He was with the self-styled team of No Parents, No Bedtime, with Hawkeye, True Story, Science Tooth, and James, or Buchanan, himself. Their joy at being on the trail was infectious, with the team sticking together, in one iteration or ano...

In this first episode of 2017, I'm introducing Jessa Hackman, our very own member of the Class of 2017 thru-hikers. She is from Madison, Wisconsin, is 25 years-of-age and has just qualified as a lawyer. The picture below is of Jessa at her graduation with her grandfather, the man Jessa credits with her decision to go to law school in the first place. Jessa contacted me to get a copy of Grizz's log...

Clay Bonnyman Evans, 55, is a writer who moved to the beaches of South Carolina in 2015 after spending his previous life in the mountain west and California. His three published books—a memoir about his years working as a cowboy, a children's holiday picture book, and the story of an iconic hardware store in Boulder, Colo.—are out of print, but you can find them on the Amazon Marketplace by search...

  The prolific Dixie has 15,000 subscribers to her YouTube channel following her 2015 thru-hike. Her engaging manner has drawn people in and that shines through in this episode. She is also a successful author, publishing her book, Take a Thru-Hike: Dixie's How-To Guide for Hiking the Appalachian Trail  (picture below). She shares a few of her stories in this episode, as well as talking about her...

John was a lot of fun to interview. He's also clearly a joyous hiker, despite hiking in 2003, one of the five wettest years on record. He gives back to the trail with his annual trail magic on Labor Day in Maine. Additionally, he heads a bunch of guys known as the "Fat Guys Back in The Woods." Wouldn't you want to be in that little group? If you do, or even if you'd like to chat with him about it...

In 2016, Kaiha Bertollini, the Wild Card Ninja, laid claim to the unsupported hike record on the Appalachian Trail. This, despite no previous experience as an elite athlete or even any indication that she might be able to take such an endurance test on. The response in the hiking world was almost uniformly negative and very hostile. Kaiha agreed to tell me her story and, whether you believe her or...

Gabe Burkhardt has hiked on the Appalachian Trail three times: 2014, 2015, and 2016. He completed his thru-hike in 2016 but has covered more than 4,000 miles on the trail. When I hiked with Gabe, in 2014, he was known as Hermes, and his calm intensity left quite an impression upon those around him. Coming back to the trail with the intention of an entire thru-hike in 2016, he charted his course wi...

  Gary Sizer is a former US Marine who hiked the AT in 2014. We never met on the trail, but we are now Facebook friends. Gary wrote a book about his experiences and while that is going really well, his current claim to fame is an amazing picture posted on Reddit that shows the devastating effects that the AT can have on a hiker's body. Gary is a good sport for allowing this to be shown here, thoug...

Francisco Miller was one of the funniest guys I met on the trail. Consistently cheerful, we met him in New Hampshire and hiked with or around him for several hundred miles. His story continued after the Appalachian Trail, culminating in a thru-hike of the Continental Divide Trail in 2016, having chalked up the Pacific Crest Trail in 2015. He is articulate on the subject of hiking and will happily...

This is an extra special episode. Stacey Kozel was diagnosed with lupus at the age of 19 years and has fought a battle against it ever since. Not wishing to be defined by her disability, Stacey embraced the challenge of a complete thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. She was fitted with sophisticated braces, controlled by microprocessors, that allowed her to achieve the unthinkable. Stacey is a pow...

Steve Walker set out to hike the A.T. earlier this year with the intention of reaching Maine by October. On the way, he shared his stories and his thoughts regarding the trail, in a regular series of videos uploaded to YouTube. He attracted over 1500 subscribers, and his gentle, measured delivery was compelling. For me, Steve's finest moment was his unexpected bear encounter. Here is the link  htt...

One of the most recognizable figures I met on the trail, Grizz gave me some really helpful advice in those early miles. He bore an uncanny resemblance to Santa Claus, pulling out the great man's hat on several occasions to keep us amused. He is full of knowledge about the trail and will happily respond if you'd like to email him. He can be reached at sjmartelli2186@gmail.com . He is a great resour...

Maud and Cesar hiked their "thorough hike" in 2001, spending more than a year on the trail. They were determined to squeeze every last experience from the Appalachian Trail, covering the nearly 2,200 miles across all four seasons.  Their dog, Trudy, joined them and turned out to be the star of their movie. I particularly liked the way in which Cesar "helped" Trudy cross a river! For trail historia...

Sam is an all-round good guy who would be happy to speak with anybody he met on the trail or anybody who just wants another perspective about life on the trail. His joyous approach to camping and hiking will inspire anybody who thinks they can't do the Appalachian Trail. Email him at weber.samuelj@gmail.com . Also, don't forget to take advantage of my free ebook, Hiking The Appalachian Trail Is Ea...

Brooks' excellent blog can be found at www.bounceinthewoods.wordpress.com . Don't forget to rate the show on iTunes and email me on steve@mightyblueontheat.com  if you have anything you'd like to say or suggestions for future shows. Like the A.T. itself, this can be a collaborative process. 

To learn more about Max, whether about his photography or his work for ATC, you can email him at mishkinphotography@gmail.com . If you want to see some of his awesome black and white photos, go to www.mishkinphoto.com . Max also mentioned a Facebook group for further advice. Click on this link Appalachian Trail Expert Advice Remember to go to my author website, www.steveadams.info  and download my...

A short introduction to the podcast and a few upcoming guest interviews. Listeners will get an early feel of the show as Steve sets the format for the Georgia-to-Maine hike. At the end of each episode, including this one, will be the latest chapter from Steve's book, My Appalachian Trial I: Three Weddings and a Sabbatical.