The Trail Dames Podcast

Christine Gautreaux shares her story of a late-night calling to honor the spirit of the forest. https://www.christinegautreaux.com/ https://www.facebook.com/christinenicholsgautreaux     Connect with Anna, aka Mud Butt, at info@traildames.com You can find the Trail Dames at: Our website: www.traildames.com The Summit: www.traildamessummit.com The Trail Dames Foundation: www.tdcharitablefoundation....

Join us on the Lagniappe episode as we celebrate all things Trail!! Today we are talking about Trail Festivals, so get out your calendar, throw your tent in your car and plan to join in the fun at one of the wonderful Festivals!! https://www.amicalolafallslodge.com/appalachian-trail-kick-off/ https://continentaldividetrail.org/trail-days-2020/ https://www.flipflopfestival.org/ https://www.trailday...

Listen to Stacey's story about finding her bravery on the trail through solo hiking, and using hiking as an escape from the very real stresses of being a parent today. Connect with Anna, aka Mud Butt, at info@traildames.com You can find the Trail Dames at: Our website: www.traildames.com The Summit: www.traildamessummit.com The Trail Dames Foundation: www.tdcharitablefoundation.org Instagram: http...

"I was paralyzed on my left side in 2015. After relearning to walk, battling severe depression and anxiety, I was lead to Trail Dames. I needed someone to walk with to help get me out of the house. I never really liked the outdoors, or so I thought, and Trail Dames was going to be my speed and get me out of my comfort zone. I started with tennis shoes, one foot dragging, and my purple cane. That's...

Short and sweet.....a story of one girl's journey below. Shellie takes on caving despite her fears! Shellie Hemphill is the Head Dame for our Kansas City Chapter. She was stricken with Lupus as a young adult and ended up paralyzed in a nursing home, before re-learning to walk. She has an amazing story that she will be sharing on an upcoming Trail Dames podcast! The pictures below are before and af...

Today's Lagniappe is a collection of neat hiking awards programs. Programs where you can tick off the trail miles while earning pins, patches, other SWAG, and of course bragging rights!! For anyone wanting to do a little more than just a walk on a weekend, pick a challenge here and add it to your list of goals!!! Show Links: https://gastateparks.org/CanyonClimbersClub https://www.adk.org/play/earn...

Cindy Denise is the Head Dame for one of our New York Trail Dames chapters, and she is also an EMT and a life-long lover of the outdoors. When she is not leading hikes and helping injured people in her community, she is acting in local professional theater productions in the Woodstock, NY area. Cindy is multi-talented and is a wonderful hiking partner if you ever go up North!!   Connect with Anna,...

Did you ever wonder what it was like to eat an elephant one bite at a time??? That is exactly what Debbie Wroten did with the Appalachian Trail. She was a day hiker who, in her own words 'never hiked far from a bathroom,' decided one day that she was going to hike the entire AT. Join us as we talk about watermelon season, hiking far from bathrooms and big, giant goals!!! Debbie is a retired teache...

Carla Robertson shares a compilation of stories, with her first night in a shelter on the Appalachian Trail and other backpacking lessons learned.

Join Anna, aka Mud Butt, for a quick discussion of some of the things to throw in your backpack!!  Being prepared is the name of the game, so you not only survive on the trail, but you thrive!!

Kim Weiler tells us of a funny encounter she had while on her first solo hike.

Margaret Webster grew up in Connecticut. She has had a lifelong love of science, the outdoors, travel, and exploration. As a child, she aspired to be a cross between Jacques Cousteau and Robert Ripley of Ripley's Believe It or Not. After raising her two sons, she decided to embark on a solo cross-country odyssey that essentially lasted eight years. She had been working in a job that enabled her to...

Gifts for $10-50 1.  Give the Gift of Trees -  (Global) Trees for the Future.org   https://trees.org/      (US-based) American Forests.org https://www.americanforests.org/ways-to-give/gift-of-trees/ 2.  State Parks Pass 3.  Hiking notebook/journal   4.  Lightheart Gear Backpacking Dress - https://lightheartgear.com/collections/womens-clothing/products/dress 5.  Membership to a Hiking Organization...

Cheryl Suchors grew up in Southern, Eastern and Mid-Western US and is a proud graduate of Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. After getting an MBA from Harvard she began a career that spanned everything from management consultant to partner in a national accounting and consulting firm. After years in the corporate world, she found the courage to launch her second career as a writer. She's...

This week's lagniappe has Anna chatting with her friend, Pam. They are talking about glamping and the art of comfort in the woods. Anna hasn't been too well so I've revived an episode that has marginal sound quality. However, the subject was so much fun that I've put it together to share with you.  

Melissa Zimmerman is an architectural consultant who stumbled into hiking three years ago. (Literally. She really needs to watch for those troublesome tree roots.) From the first time she saw a picture of Machu Picchu, she knew she needed to see it in person. Then she heard about Choquequirao, which is only accessed by hiking, and decided she'd see them both. That settled, she did her best to get...

Trail Dames.com The Trail Dames Summit The Trail Dames podcast Facebook page Mighty Blue on the AT Podcast Lightheart Gear Tents Leki Poles  

Marina LeGree is the founding director of Ascend and brings over a decade of experience working in Afghanistan and other unstable environments. In 2014 she founded Ascend, a non-profit organization whose mission is to develop young Afghani women into leaders through community service and the sport of mountain climbing.  In 2018, her teams work resulted in a historical first.  Hanifa Yousoufi, was...

Staying hydrated while hiking is one of the most important things you can do for your health, and one of the simplest ways you can make your hike a successful one! Check out these articles for more information on hydrating yourself properly while hiking.  And keep an eye (and ear) out for other Lagniappe episodes where we dig into the 10 Essentials and how you can incorporate them into your hiking...

  Cheryl Torain   This month's podcast features world traveler, marathoner, climber and adventurer Cheryl Torain. Cheryl began to travel in her 20's, going to Germany, Denmark, France and Sweden.  That was only her first trip, but she fell in love with travel and she has been on the road ever since. In addition to her journeying, Cheryl began running as an adult and within a few years, was partici...

Cheryl Suchors, Author   48 Peaks-Hiking and Healing in the Mountains   At forty-eight years old, Cheryl Suchors―hoping to find concrete successes and a feeling of control as she changes careers and fifty stares at her from the horizon―vows to summit the highest forty-eight peaks in New Hampshire's grueling White Mountains. Neglecting to consider her flimsy body, scoliosis, bum knee, and fear of h...

Sarah Williams as an award-winning athlete, podcast creator and motivational speaker.  She created Tough Girl Challenges in 2014 as a way of motivating and inspiring women and girls.   She is the creator and host of the Tough Girl Podcast where she interviews inspirational female explorers, adventurers, athletes and everyday women who have overcome great challenges. Her podcast is listened to in 1...

Did you ever wonder just what Hiking Etiquette was?  What are considered to be good trail manners? In this Lagniappe episode of the Trail Dames podcast, we dig into the best and worst hiking practices in hopes that we can all learn to be a little more knowledgeable and considerate on the trail.  Special thanks to the people that shared their stories and opinions with me: Trail Dames Facebook page...

When Jacqui first agreed to do the Trail Dames podcast, I thought that we would spend our time talking about the obstacles she has overcome in her life.  Hit with bacterial meningitis twice, and later diagnosed with a degenerative neurological disease, Jacqui went from being an accomplished athlete to being confined to a wheelchair.  What an inspiring story, right?     Then, after doing further re...

 So what happens when your awesome podcast producer goes on his very own thru-hike??  You realize that you forgot to release May's Lagniappe podcast!!!!  So, with my apologies for the lateness....here you have it!!  Have you ever dreamed of hiking the Inca Trail?  Does the very name conjure up daydreams of condors flying and ancient pathways winding through mysterious ruins?  In this podcast, I wi...