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

Latest Episodes:

Episode #461 - John Turner (Raven) Dec 05, 2024

Show notes

John Turner is an avid listener to our HRN podcasts and is a board member of the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club–and a trail ambassador. John completed a five-year section hike in 2022, and is here to share his story with us. We have a wide-ranging chat; not only about his hike, but his work with GATC, and his new book, Killing the Buddha on the Appalachian Trail.

John's story is of a man who came late to our wonderful trail, and a man giving back to the trail he fell in love with. That's quite a calling.

You can check out John's book at Killing the Buddha on the Appalachian Trail while he can also be found on his website at The Blue Ridge Hiker and on Facebook at The Blue Ridge Hiker . If you'd like to learn more about The Georgia Appalachian Trail Club, check out their website at Home - Georgia Appalachian Trail Club

Our book reading, Happy Hiking, by my friend, Emily Leonard is–of course–written from a woman's POV and a woman's voice. I hope you enjoy listening to my reading of it. If you'd like to buy the book, you can find it on Amazon at Happy Hiking: Falling in love on the Appalachian Trail, or on Emily's website, at Happy Hiking.

I used my hike earlier this year on the South West Coast Path in the UK to help raise money for my absolute favorite charity, Parenting Matters, on whose board I've been privileged to serve for over a decade. You can learn more about the hike and the organization–and donate–by visiting Hike with Steve - Empowering Parents, One Step at a Time | Parenting Matters %. I hope you want to support this critical mission.

Don't forget. Our entire series of videos from our Woods Hole Weekend in 2022 is now FREE and available at my YouTube page at Woods Hole Weekend - Trailer There, you'll find all sorts of tips and tricks that our guests took away from the weekend that helped them with their own hikes this year. Check it out.

I often ask listeners for ideas on who to interview, and I'm sure several of you say, "I could do that. I've got an awesome story to tell." You're the person we need to hear from. If you'd like to be interviewed on the podcast, just register as a guest on the link below, and I'll be in touch. Come on the show!

If you like what we're doing on the Hiking Radio Network, and want to see our shows continue, please consider supporting us with either a one-off or monthly donation. You'll find the donate button on each Hiking Radio Network page at Hiking Radio Network .

If you prefer NOT to use PayPal, you can now support us via check by mailing it to Mighty Blue Publishing, PO Box 6161, Sun City Center, FL 35751. Any support is gratefully received.

Additionally, you can "Zelle" us a donation to steve@hikingradionetwork.com. It works! Trust me!

If you'd like to take advantage of my book offer (all three of my printed hiking books–with a personal message and signed by me–for $31, including postage to the United States) send a check payable to Mighty Blue Publishing at the address just above.

Episode #460 - Dave Fleischman (J.I.F.) Nov 28, 2024

Show notes

This week, we welcome back Dave Fleischman, a trail maintainer and a newly minted Triple Crowner. Dave already had the PCT and the AT under his belt, after hikes back in the 90s. Suddenly, the opportunity arose to do the CDT, so he headed back out.

On this Thanksgiving Day, it is worth being grateful for so many things, yet Dave personifies the selfless nature of trail maintainers, so let's thank him for that.

In our conversation, Dave refers to the Triple Crown ALDHA ceremony out west. Check it out at this link. Triple Crown | ALDHA-West

Our new book reading, Happy Hiking, by my friend, Emily Leonard is–of course–written from a woman's POV and a woman's voice. I hope you enjoy listening to my reading of it. If you'd like to buy the book, you can find it on Amazon at Happy Hiking: Falling in love on the Appalachian Trail, or on Emily's website, at Happy Hiking.

I used my recent hike in the UK on the South West Coast Path to help raise money for my absolute favorite charity, Parenting Matters, on whose board I've been privileged to serve for over a decade. You can learn more about the hike and the organization–and donate–by visiting Hike with Steve - Empowering Parents, One Step at a Time | Parenting Matters %. I hope you want to support this critical mission.

If you prefer NOT to use PayPal, you can now support us via check by mailing it to Mighty Blue Publishing, PO Box 6161, Sun City Center, FL 35751. Any support is gratefully received.

Episode #459 - Katie Westling (Phoenix) Nov 21, 2024

Show notes

We've got a bit of a change of pace this week, with previous AT thru-hiker, Katie Westling, sharing her past year of adventures, with hikes in France, Ireland, and England.

Katie started with the Tour du Mont Blanc last year, then headed over to Ireland for the Dingle Way this year, followed by Hadrian's Wall Path soon after.

Katie shares her hike with us, as well as a couple of links to organizations that helped her on her way. They are: Self-Guided Hiking & Biking Vacations | Macs Adventure and Tour du Mont Blanc - Self Guided.

Doctor Lynne wanted to memorialize her late father on the show, as he was the person who inspired her outdoor adventures and loved hearing her with me on the podcast. He must have been so proud of her.

If you'd like to speak about someone who influenced your outdoor adventures, drop me an email at steve@hikingradionetwork.com, and we'll make it happen.

If you prefer NOT to use PayPal, you can now support us via check by mailing it to Mighty Blue Publishing, PO Box 6161, Sun City Center, FL 35751. Any support is gratefully received.

Additionally, you can "Zelle" us a donation to steve@hikingradionetwork.com. It works! Trust me!

Episode #458 - Frank Mularcik (Snowman) Nov 14, 2024

Show notes

Frank Mularcik, who recently completed a 100-day SOBO thru-hike, is our guest today. Frank reached out to me a few weeks before he finished, then followed up once he reached Springer Mountain.

You'll be impressed by Frank's can-do attitude, bringing a practicality to his hike that stood him in good stead. He discovered on the trail–as we all do–that faith in humanity that we may have thought was lost.

Frank documented his hike by vlogging every night on trail, producing an impressive record that is available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting

After Frank, I have a few words to share about my recent trip to Hot Springs to help out after Helene, accompanied by listeners–now friends, Ellen Langford, Allan Anderson, Rob Diamond, and Stuart Phelps. To each of you, my heartfelt thanks for stepping up.

I used my hike earlier this year on the South West Coast Path in the UK to help raise money for my absolute favorite charity, Parenting Matters, on whose board I've been privileged to serve for over a decade. You can learn more about the hike and the organization–and donate–by visiting https://parentingmattersfl.org/eventer/hike-with-steve-empowering-parents-one-step-at-a-time/edate/2024-04-15/. I hope you want to support this critical mission.

Don't forget. Our entire series of videos from our Woods Hole Weekend in 2022 is now FREE and available at my YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA8ImK4qpNc&list=PLu8u88nsJtgWZxT8DLwEW2yXcz4gT6HXs There, you'll find all sorts of tips and tricks that our guests took away from the weekend that helped them with their own hikes this year. Check it out.

If you prefer NOT to use PayPal, you can now support us via check by mailing it to Mighty Blue Publishing, PO Box 6161, Sun City Center, FL 35751. Any support is gratefully received.

Additionally, you can "Zelle" us a donation to steve@hikingradionetwork.com. It works! Trust me!

Episode #457 - George Eshleman (Keeper) Nov 07, 2024

Show notes

It's a slightly shorter show than usual this week, but it is about as powerful as any of my interviews have ever been. Our guest is George Eshleman, or Keeper, who hiked the Appalachian Trail with 363 nametags of military personnel who have committed suicide.

George chose to do this in honor of his own friend and hiking partner, who had committed suicide. However, George had a secret of his own that he shared with nobody as he hit the trail.

What happened next was sufficiently impactful to have been turned into a feature film, released on November 8 and available on Prime Video. Check out the trailer to get a taste of what took place.

THE KEEPER OFFICIAL TRAILER

If you prefer NOT to use PayPal, you can now support us via Zelle, to steve@hikingradionetwork.com, or by check, mailing it to Mighty Blue Publishing, PO Box 6161, Sun City Center, FL 35751. Any support is gratefully received.

Episode #456 - Hunter and John Rud (Hunter & JR) Oct 31, 2024

Show notes

Another former guest returns to the show today, this time with his hiking partner, and Dad. Hunter and John Rud completed the CDT this year. For Hunter, it was the second leg of his own Triple Crown, but for John, it was his completed Triple Crown. They share their awesome experience.

There is a lot of wisdom, both in hiking and in life, from these two, as they reminisce on what must have been an epic journey for this father and son to share.

You can see more of their adventures on Instagram at Instagram (@hunterrud3).

Then I want you all to meet Jessica Bowser, a fellow podcaster who is the host of the Virginia Outdoor Adventures podcast. Hers is a wide-ranging show that covers all aspects of the outdoors available in Virginia. Check it out at Virginia Outdoor Adventures

You can also check the episodes she mentioned in our conversation at 22. Hiking McAfee Knob and Virginia's Triple Crown with Diana Christopulos, Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club ‣ Virginia Outdoor Adventures and Appalachia's Greatest Conservation Story: Elk Restoration in SWVA

If you prefer NOT to use PayPal, you can now support us via check by mailing it to Mighty Blue Publishing, PO Box 6161, Sun City Center, FL 35751. Also, you can now "Zelle" us a donation to steve@hikingradionetwork.com. Any support is gratefully received.

Episode #455 - Don Robinson - 900 Miler Award Oct 24, 2024

Show notes

We're going to talk about the Great Smoky Mountains today, with Don Robinson sharing his love of the park, and his recent induction into the 900 Miler Club, having hiked all the trails in the Smokies.

It's a pretty exclusive club, with fewer than a thousand members, yet the logistics required to get this done would fry my brain! Don has provided me with links to the two books he suggests, should you wish to follow in his footsteps. Day Hiker's Guide to All the Trails in The Smoky Mountains and Hiking Trails of the Smokies.

You can learn more about the Smokies and the club, by visiting their website at Smoky Mountains Hiking Club - 900 Miler Club

After Don, we had a second visit from the lovely Sally Brooks, who has produced the book about her own thru-hike two decades ago. Sally is a stand-up comedian, laughs easily, and is sure to have included her humor in the book. It is called "Going to Maine." You can find it on her website at www.sallychaffinbrooks.com, or on Amazon at Going to Maine: All the Ways to Fall on the Appalachian Trail.

Here she is with her friend Erin, on Katahdin 20 years ago, and this year.

If you prefer NOT to use PayPal, you can now support us via check by mailing it to Mighty Blue Publishing, PO Box 6161, Sun City Center, FL 35751, or by Zelle, to steve@hikingradionetwork.com. Any support is gratefully received.

Episode #454 - Rob & Gavin Duncan (Waffle and Hawkeye) Oct 17, 2024

Show notes

We have a couple of returning guests today. Rob and Gavin Duncan attempted a thru-hike in 2019 and were forced off the trail due to injury. It was a bitter blow for a couple of guys who'd put in over 1300 miles. Gavin is now an 18-year-old, and both father and son wanted a do-over, starting again from Georgia.

I've observed several father-son relationships on trail and would have loved to have had one of those myself, for the emotion of getting to Katahdin with your son (or your daughter, wife, or husband) must be exponentially enhanced as the two of you walk those last few hundred yards together.

You can see more of Rob and Gavin's hike on their YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@WaffleHikes

Of course, our hearts and minds are still in the southern Appalachians, with recovery just starting and so much still to accomplish. We speak this week with Miss Janet, who lives in Erwin, but who lives perpetually on or near the trail in her role as our Trail Mother.

Also, Jester provides us with updates on what she knows, with both women wisely guarding against rushing in and being more targeted in our offers of help.

I intend to drive to Tennessee on November 3, starting to work on November 4, and remaining until the Friday. I'd love for any of you who can spare the time, to email me at steve@hikingradionetwork.com, with any skills you may be able to bring, or simply a desire to help, and we'll work as a team once we get there, under the auspices of ALDHA Care.

I used my recent hike in the UK on the South West Coast Path to help raise money for my absolute favorite charity, Parenting Matters, on whose board I've been privileged to serve for over a decade. You can learn more about the hike and the organization–and donate–by visiting https://parentingmattersfl.org/eventer/hike-with-steve-empowering-parents-one-step-at-a-time/edate/2024-04-15/. I hope you want to support this critical mission.

If you prefer NOT to use PayPal, you can now support us via check by mailing it to Mighty Blue Publishing, PO Box 6161, Sun City Center, FL 35751. Any support is gratefully received.

Episode #453 - Paula Martin (Windeagle) Oct 03, 2024

Show notes

We have a very different show this week, with Paula Martin, or Windeagle, sharing her dramatic survival from a bad accident that may well have killed her.

Several years later, Paula had recovered and decided that an Appalachian Trail thru-hike was something she could achieve. She ultimately summited Katahdin two years later, but her story is one of grit and resilience.

She also shares a story about how a bear got a little bit close and personal with her tent. See the picture below.

After Paula, our show is all about Hurricane Helene, and the devastation it wrought on our beloved trail community.

We have representatives from the Appalachian Trail Community (ATC), the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association (ALDHA), as well as reflections from Lady Di in Damascus, and my friend Jester, whose podcast recently gave us ways to help.

I urge you all to check out these ways of providing support, while comstantly checking the ATC and ALDHA websites on volunteers opportunities that will eventually arise.

The links are

Mountain Harbour B&B & Hiker Hostel

HOME

SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA 2022 DISASTER RELIEF | United Way of Southwest Virginia

Donate - Feed the Hunger

https://www.operation-airdrop.com/hurricane-helene

Items are shipped from Amazon to:

Compleat KiDZ - Disaster Relief 54 Myrtle St Belmont, NC 28012

Then sent on trucks to Asheville, NC and Boone, NC

https://www.amazon.com/regist.../gl/guest-view/363FY6B9CC7ZC

If you prefer NOT to use PayPal, you can now support us via check by mailing it to Mighty Blue Publishing, PO Box 6161, Sun City Center, FL 35751. Any support is gratefully received.

Episode #452 - John Pearson (Magellan) Sep 26, 2024

Show notes

We have another recent Appalachian Trail successful thru-hiker as our guest today. For many, the AT is a years-long dream, but for John Pearson, or Magellan, he had no idea he'd be hiking the trail until Christmas last year.

Through a bit of trial and error, allied to a fierce determination, John made it to Katahdin in less than five and a half months.

You can see more of John's hike on Facebook, at https://www.facebook.com/AJohnPearson/.

In our Mighty Blue Class of 2025, Michael Gaasch has decided that his thru-hike this year needs to be deferred to next year, so that Michael and his hiking buddy, Chopstix, can finish up New Hampshire and Maine together.

I used my hike, earlier this year, in the UK on the South West Coast Path to help raise money for my absolute favorite charity, Parenting Matters, on whose board I've been privileged to serve for over a decade. You can learn more about the hike and the organization–and donate–by visiting https://parentingmattersfl.org/eventer/hike-with-steve-empowering-parents-one-step-at-a-time/edate/2024-04-15/. I hope you want to support this critical mission.

If you prefer NOT to use PayPal, you can now support us via check by mailing it to Mighty Blue Publishing, PO Box 6161, Sun City Center, FL 35751. Any support is gratefully received.

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