The Trail Dames Podcast

Audrey Scanlan: Audrey serves as the Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Central Pennsylvania - an elected position that gives her oversight of 60 churches and 11,000 folks who belong to the Episcopal Church in the region. Conveniently, the AT runs right through the middle of the area that she oversees! She lives just 4 miles from a trailhead in the middle of the Cumberland Valley (PA) which is one...

Jan (aka BeeKeeper aka Jaunting Jan) adopted an unconventional lifestyle when she "retired." She'd rediscovered hiking around age 50, was deep into backpacking by the time she turned 55 and began her nomadic chapter. Hiking is her life! She likes to say she visits her home in far Northern California occasionally, but spends as much time as possible traveling between trailheads. Jan prefers cherry-...

Anna is the host of the Trail Dames Podcast and when not interviewing amazing women for the podcast, can be found running her family violins shop, Huthmaker Violins, in Atlanta, GA, as well as running Trail Dames, Inc, and the Trail Dames Charitable Foundation. Guest Links: http://bettleslodge.com/ Connect with Anna, aka Mud Butt, at info@traildames.com You can find the Trail Dames at: Our website...

Patti Shales Lefkos is a Canadian writer and journalist. Her Himalayan adventure travel memoir, Nepal One Day at a Time, celebrates her creative non-fiction debut. Patti's articles, profiles, columns, and travel writing have appeared in a range of Canadian and international publications. She was part of the San Francisco Chronicle team that won the Lowell Thomas Award for the best newspaper travel...

Zoe describes herself as a mid-life blogger, speaker, and adventure seeker. She set off to walk the UK's longest national trail in 2011, solo and soon realized that despite her many fears of going alone or not being fit enough, she had, in fact, left it way too long. Recognizing that many women experience the same anxieties and doubts as her, Zoe is now on a mission to encourage more women to head...

Patti Shales Lefkos is a Canadian writer and journalist. Her Himalayan adventure travel memoir Nepal One Day at a Time celebrates her creative non-fiction debut. Patti's articles, profiles, columns, and travel writing have appeared in a range of Canadian and international publications. She was part of the San Francisco Chronicle team that won the Lowell Thomas Award for the best newspaper travel s...

Laura is 57 years old, works in the insurance industry, and is the Head Dame of the Chattanooga Trail Dames chapter. Of self-professed "average build and strength" she has been hiking her entire life. She had a brief, three-trip foray into the world of backpacking while in college and decided to pick it back up again about 5 years ago. She trains five days a week with her 35 lb pack and 2 dogs and...

Kylena Cross is a long-time hiker and the Head Dame of the Maryland Trail Dames. When not teaching, she can be found leading the Maryland Dames on hikes year-round, with her positive, sunny nature and warm, welcoming attitude. Guest Links - https://www.traildames.com/blog/page/3/ Connect with Anna, aka Mud Butt, at info@traildames.com You can find the Trail Dames at: Our website: https://www.trail...

Jan is a freelance writer, award-winning author and journalist, columnist, professional horse trainer, judge, long-distance hiker, and Appalachian Trail thru-hiker. Currently, Jan is the co-founder and recently retired director of the Sandhills Farm to Table Cooperative. She spent the summer of 2019 as a wrangler on a guest ranch in Montana, and her earlier thru-hike of the Long Trail produced an...

Sue Turner started camping as a child. She became very involved in camping with her children and then became the Outdoor Specialist for the Palm Glades GS Council. As her daughters grew up she moved over to the Florida Trail, working as a Trail Master. Her next path went up to the Adirondack Mountains, where she was the Lead Backpack Instructor for 8 years. Once the children were grown and out of...

Kathy Sibbald is 60 years old and originally from NW Pennsylvania. She has lived in Baltimore, Maryland for the last 30 years where she works as a paralegal and law office manager. Kathy is an empty nester with two adult daughters and a 13-year-old dog who, despite her age, still loves to hike. An animal lover, she also has two cats....who do not hike. :) Kathy loves solo hiking and camping, as we...

Jan is a freelance writer, award-winning author and journalist, columnist, professional horse trainer, judge, long-distance hiker, and Appalachian Trail thru-hiker. Currently, Jan is the co-founder and recently retired director of the Sandhills Farm to Table Cooperative. She spent the summer of 2019 as a wrangler on a guest ranch in Montana, and her earlier thru-hike of the Long Trail, produced an...

Looking for some great gifts to give your favorite hiker? Check out our suggestions for the best gifts out there....from coffee to lip balm to the craziest gaiters you can imagine! These gifts show your support and belief in your friend's outdoor dreams! https://campcraft.coffee/ https://cascadewild.com/ https://dirtygirlgaiters.com/ https://www.foodforthesole.co/ https://greengoo.com/ https://www...

Sue started camping as a child. She became very involved in camping with her children and then became the Outdoor Specialist for the Palm Glades GS Council. As her daughters grew up, she moved over to the FL Trail, working as a Trail Master. Her next path went up to the Adirondack Mountains, where she was the Lead Backpack Instructor for 8 years. Once the children were grown and out of the house,...

Tanya Muckelrath is a retired jack-of-all-trades. Seriously. Her professional years have been so eclectic, she doesn't know what to call herself anymore. She was a teacher and tutor for decades, earning the moniker "CLEP Coach" for helping students give themselves scholarships by utilizing CLEP exams to save time and money before/while attending college. She also worked for the U.S. House of Repre...

Tanya Muckelrath tells how she got her trail name of Parachuting Beaver. It's hilarious!   Connect with Tanya at Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parachuting_beaver/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parachuting.beaver.21 Her website:  https://parachuting-beaver.com/ Connect with Anna, aka Mud Butt, at info@traildames.com You can find the Trail Dames at: Our website: www.traildames.com The Su...

Zoe describes herself as a mid-life blogger, speaker, and adventure seeker. She set off to walk the UK's longest national trail in 2011, solo and soon realised that despite her many fears of going alone or not being fit enough, she had, in fact, left it way too long. Realising that many women experience the same anxieties and doubts as her, Zoe is now on a mission to encourage more women to head o...

When Carla Robertson hiked into Maine for the first time, she had to face ALL her fears in one day. Carla Robertson is an inspirational woman and a life coach. Carla is an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker who discovered a talent for inspiring people through that rich experience. www.livingwildandprecious.com Connect with Anna, aka Mud Butt, at info@traildames.com You can find the Trail Dames at: Our w...

Zoe describes herself as a mid-life blogger, speaker, and adventure seeker. She set off to walk the UK's longest national trail in 2011, solo and soon realized that despite her many fears of going alone or not being fit enough, she had, in fact, left it way too long. Realizing that many women experience the same anxieties and doubts as her, Zoe is now on a mission to encourage more women to head o...

Zoe describes herself as a mid-life blogger, speaker, and adventure seeker. She set off to walk the UK's longest national trail in 2011, solo and soon discovered that, despite her many fears of going alone or not being fit enough, she had, in fact, left it way too long. Realizing that many women experience the same anxieties and doubts as her, Zoe is now on a mission to encourage more women to hea...

In this week's Lagniappe, Anna recalls her visit to Mt Ranier's endlessly dramatic Wonderland Trail. Official Park Site - https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/the-wonderland-trail.htm Fantastic site with everything you need to know to hike the Wonderland Trail - https://www.wonderlandguides.com/hikes/wonderland-trail Connect with Anna, aka Mud Butt, at info@traildames.com You can find the Trail...

Margaret Webster is a writer, a traveler, and a Trail Dame. You can read more of her writing at her blog, Lessons from the Road USA. In her story, read today by Anna, she tells us about her visit to The Wonders of Watkins Glen. Margaret's blog - https://www.lftrus.com/ Watkins Glen State Park - https://parks.ny.gov/parks/142 /   Connect with Anna, aka Mud Butt, at info@traildames.com You can find...

For our fifth-Tuesday-of-the-month podcast, we brought together a varied panel to discuss what they put in their packs. Our three panelists: Roxanne Schenk - I am married and, together my husband Lynn, I have 6 children, 12 grandchildren, and 3 (step) great-grandchildren. I spent my career working in health care and retired early to help provide care for my aging mother and other family members. H...

Kris "Hair Tie" Van Handel lives in Madison, Wisconsin, and is an avid hiker. Her book, Hiking with Hair Tie: Section Hiking the Ice Age Trail, is about her first completion of the Ice Age Trail. Kris is currently working on section hiking the Ice Age Trail for a second time and hopes to be done by summer 2020. She plans to section hike the trail for a third time after her second completion and th...

In this week's Trail Dames story, Carla Robertson tells us about the tears, the rain, and a voluminous amount of pee in Vermont!! Carla is an inspirational woman and a life coach. She is an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker who discovered a talent for inspiring people through that rich experience. www.livingwildandprecious.com Connect with Anna, aka Mud Butt, at info@traildames.com You can find the Tra...