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Blissful Hiker hikes the Cape Wrath Trail and learns to accept everything that's thrown at her including rain and bog, but also selfish hikers. 

In this episode:

1. Blissful walks in easy trail paved with stone to lovely Coire Fionnaraich bothy and enjoys  the afternoon out of the rain with a misty view down the glen.
2. Several hikers visit, but she has the night to herself until two loud hikers arrive, loud partiers until well after 2:00 am.
3. Feeling some schadenfreude when the morning is pouring rain and the obnoxious hikers will have no view, she escapes to another section of trail into Glen Douchary.
4.  It's rain, bog, big wind and stunning scenery including huge Munros (the highest mountains) and bright red moss at her feet. 
5. A challenging day ends with a hot shower and a few drams of whisky.  

MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasala  as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano

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Blissful Hiker hikes the Cape Wrath Trail in a kind "sampler, platter" managing to fit in a hike to stunning Maol Bhuide.

In this episode:

1. Blissful and her companion give the trail one more try in sections and drive from Fort William up to Strathcarron and begin a bog trot in brilliant sunshine to Maol Bhuide (pronounced mee-OWL VOO-tee)
2. They share it with two young men and decide to stay an entire day to explore the remote highlands surrounded by massive Munros. 
3.  The day is clear with stunning yellow "spotlights" from the sun, leaving the far off mountains black as rain comes and goes. 
4. Returning means one tricky river crossing, but the visit is worth it for the solitude and views. 

MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasala  as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano

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Blissful Hiker is forced by torrential rain to quit the Cape Wrath Trail but makes the most of it by bagging the highest mountain in the UK. 

In this episode:

1. Blissful and her companions are soaked through when they reach the cafe at Kinloch Hourn, finding it closed when it was supposed to be open and camping in puddly grass.
2. The next section is high, exposed and has two dangerous river crossings – worse so in spate, or flood – and so they hitch a ride out. 
3. Taking a bus back to the start in Fort William, they climb towering Ben Nevis is mist, rain, sleet and snow. 

MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasala  as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano

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Blissful Hiker continues on the Cape Wrath Trail having the adventure of her life in Scotland's last wilderness, Knoydart. 

In this episode:

1. Rain thrashes the bothy an integral part now of this hike.
2. The walk in Knoydart begins on seaweed, over a muddy head and straight into bog where Blissful experiences another episode of SVT (Supraventricular tachycardia) and takes a beta blocker before heading on. 
3. It's a complex maze of boulder climbing next to a raging river then straight up to a boggy hanging valley. 
4. At a double falls, she and her friends decide not to risk a cross, and instead climb straight up a grassy, bracken-filled cliff (ferns) to find a safer approach to the bealach (pass)
5. The rain creates slippery conditions and Blissful falls and hits her head, but her camping cup hits first and saves her from a serious injury.
6. The day ends at an electrified bothy at Barisdale Bay with flushing toilets. 

MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasala  as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano

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Blissful Hiker continues on Scotland's difficult Cape Wrath Trail realizing mileage means nothing when the vague trail is filled with bog, tussock, flood and rock.

In this episode:

1. Rain sounds worse on the metal roof of Corryhully bothy, but how nice it is to be packing up inside where it's dry and one can stand. 
2. It's relatively easy walking up to the bealach where a gate sits all by itself sans any fence, but then straight into hard-to-walk bog and steep rock. 
3. It's important to cross to the right side of the river as soon as it's doable to avoid a difficult ford with water up to the armpits. 
4. Things become easier into the forestry of trees from the Pacific Northwest before the trail leads steeply up where she walks right past A'Chuil bothy.
5. It turns out to be a worthy mistake because there's time to continue through tough terrain, up and over to Loch Nevis, with one of the most extraordinary overlooks ever. 
6. Going down is slow, often needing to use hands, until passing ruins near a tri-toned seaweed covered beach to Sourlies bothy.
7. Two hikers are there and we offer tea right away and everyone falls asleep to roaring deer. 

MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasala and Chiquilin de Bachin by Astor Piazzolla as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano

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Blissful Hiker begins the Cape Wrath Trail in the Western Highlands of Scotland and learns that it's less hiking and more "bog trotting."

In this episode:

1. The Cape Wrath Trail is  unmarked and requires a high degree of navigational skill as well as self-sufficiency, with unbridged river crossings that offer challenge when in spate (flood).
2. They arrange a private ferry ride across Lake Linnhe, then walk easily up Cona Glen next to shaggy Highland cows and ancient Caledonian pines.
3. The first bothy (mountain hut) is closed, and camping is tough in the high wind, where they bend the tent poles.
4. When the heavy rain hits, they dive into a shed to make dinner.
5. It's a steep climb to the bealach (pass) with views towards a 19th century train viaduct in Glenfinnan with a passing steam engine from a view filled with magenta heather and massive Munros (mountains above 3,000 feet.)
6. An easy walk takes them to Corryhully Bothy, shared with a lovely quartet of hikers and one fat mouse.  

MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasala and Chiquilin de Bachin by Astor Piazzolla as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano

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Blissful Hiker finishes the Teton Crest Trail mostly all alone overcoming any lingering doubt that she loves backpacking and will keep doing into old age. 

In this episode:

1. Blissful leaves her spectacular site on a granite slab in Alaska Basin and head up on Sheep's Steps to a wide plateau and towards Death Canyon Shelf, with a spectacular view, sadly obscured by smoke. 
2. She heeds advice to fill up on water before entering a dry area where she takes a side trip up Spearhead Peak, a scramble that offers views down three canyons. 
3. It's cross-country back to the trail down to Marion Lake, where a bear follows her down the ridge. 
4. Another scramble above the lake affords amazing views, including threatening gray thunderclouds. 
5. It's not far to another side trip to Moose Lake as the sky clears, but it's steeper than she expected and she develops tachycardia, managing it with rest, food, breathing, and a beta blocker. 
6. The final steep pass into Phillips Canyon takes her to one last stream and a long stretch with no campsites. 
7. So she sets in the trail and leaves early the next morning with one last side trip to Ski Lake and finally out to the road and a hitch to Wilson, ending the hike. 

MUSIC: Fuga y misterio by Astor Piazzolla as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano

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Blissful Hiker takes a side-trip off the Teton Crest Trail to a remote lake that requires scrambling, and learns making the time to explore and open herself to surprises is breaking the spell of thru-hiking anxiety.

In this episode:

1. The smoke moves in, but it's still gorgeous down then back up Cascade Canyon on superb trail packed with other hikers.
2. At the junction, she feels trepidation heading out alone, but the trail provides a friend to accompany her into Avalanche Divide. 
3. It's a scramble down to Kit Lake, remote and windy surrounded by brooding walls, but soulfully alone with views of the entire Milky Way.
4. The adventure continues scrambling to Icefloe Lake tucked in steep cliffs of eroding rock under the Middle Teton, a glacier feeding in and a waterfall emptying out. 
5. Then it's up and over Hurricane Pass next to Schoolhouse Glacier, coming apart in deep crevasses and emptying into a "chaqua" lake. 
6. Up and over, the trail leads to the Alaska Basin, where yet another perfect campsite is found with a huge glacier-smoothed granite veranda on the banks of a lake with small islands. 
7. Smoke creates a magically magenta sunset.

MUSIC: Pastoral Calchaqui by Hector Gallac as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano

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Blissful Hiker goes on her first high-altitude hike since her rescue and shoots for an SKT* on the Teton Crest Trail.
*Slowest Known Time

In this episode:

1. It's an easy-ish trail only 45 miles or so of jagged peaks, crystalline lakes and spectacular passes all in wilderness. 
2. She goes in the opposite direction of most, hitting huge climbs of 3,000 feet right from the start up Paintbrush Canyon. 
3. Everyone she meets is happy and renews her love of hiking and hikers, even a group of partiers who promise to be quiet.
4. Her first site is glorious in a bowl of rock and ice where a bear wanders past. 
5. It's steep up and over the crumbly rock of the Divide and down to Lake Solitude. 
6. The ranger advised her on the best sites, and she grabs one on a grassy moraine looking straight at the Grand Teton.
7. This site has its own resident moose who seems more interested in bulking up on grasses and aquatics than her. 

MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by  Angel Lasala and Impresiones de la Puna by Alberto Ginastera as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano

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Blissful Hiker learns on the North Country Trail in Northern Wisconsin, that the very act of moving one foot in front of the other is automatically optimistic.

In this episode:

1. On a visit to old friends, Blissful takes a long walk in the Chequamegon National Forest on the longest national scenic trail in the United States, the NCT at 4,700 miles. 
2. It's easy walking, but long in deep and dark forest, almost like being indoors. 
3. In the Porcupine Wilderness, she passes lakes and crosses a beaver dam covered with thorns, then crosses into the Hardwood Scientific Area looking for a promised view. 
4. But it's only a massive tower with no access – and no view.
5. It's more forest with colorful mushrooms and frogs, and finally a view at Juniper Rock. 
6. This is followed by ruins from a Swedish settlement from the late 1800s.
7. It's not the greatest hike in heat, humidity and bugs, but far better than sitting around at home. 

MUSIC: Introduccion y allegro by Carlos Guastavino as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano

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