Common Land

Matt and Candy experience tragedy on the AT. A friend and fellow hiker loses his life in a tragic accident, forcing Matt to reflect on the loss of his dad, and his reasons for thru-hiking. The AT was born out of grief, and we explore how the trail’s origin story is connected to loss and reflection. 

Matt and Candy hike their first 20 mile day, despite Candy’s fear of injury. There are other things to fear on the trail too - Matt and Candy have their first encounter with a Timber Rattlesnake, and they start to explore the ecological history of the Appalachians.

Matt goes birdwatching on the trail and discovers his trailname. The exploration of trail names continues with another thru-hiker who thru-hiked the AT to connect with the experiences of his Cherokee ancestors, and to identify ancient footpaths that overlap with the Appalachian Trail. 

Matt and his mom Candy begin their thru-hike in Georgia. As they begin to get a feel for their new routine, we explore the history of the former Cherokee Nation in Northern Georgia.

Season two of Common Land follows show producer Matt Podolsky as he attempts to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail with his 65-year-old mom, Candy. Matt and his mom face extreme weather, illness, and injury as they trek 2,200 miles from Georgia to Maine. Along the way, Matt shares stories of remarkable people, surprising history, and the modern challenges facing the Appalachian Trail — all as the iconic footpath marks its 100th anniversary.

Mount Katahdin sits at the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, in the remote central Maine woods. This bonus episode documents host Matt Podolsky's ascent of this iconic mountain, marking the completion of his Appalachian Trail thru-hike.

Navigating trail towns and road crossings along the Appalachian Trail can be a challenge for long distance hikers. Most towns lack pedestrian infrastructure, forcing hikers to get creative when visiting trail communities. We explore some of the difficulties associated with getting around trail towns on foot in this bonus mini-episode of the series.

Not every day is perfect, and in this mini-episode we explore one of the most challenging days that producer/thru-hiker Matt Podolsky has had on his Appalachian Trail journey.

Birdsong is ever present on the Appalachian Trail, and in this mini-episode, host Matt Podolsky shares recordings that he’s gathered of birds that he’s seen and heard on his AT thru-hike thus far.

Just a few weeks ago, a 23-year-old thru-hiker lost his life on the Appalachian Trail. This mini-episode is a reflection on this tragic loss.