When we met Yalla on our thru-hike earlier this year, Trigger and I were immediately drawn to her as a person but it was her name that stuck with us for the rest of our journey.

Yalla tells us about her flip flop, starting at Harpers Ferry on the way to Katahdin then southbound from Harpers to Springer. She recounts two different hikes, which is the way she segmented them in her mind.

As luck would have it, she ran into a friend of mine in Georgia and when my friend mentioned Mighty Blue, they knew that had a friend in common. I'm so pleased that I got the chance to talk with her again.

Tina Tempest is the owner of Quarterway Inn, a hostel about 550 miles (or a quarter of the way) into a NOBO hike. I stayed at the Inn this year and loved it. Tina tells us about why she decided to run a hostel and the various services that she provides. I was told before I hit the trail this year that Quarterway was a "must stay." That advice turned out to be spot on. You can find out more about the hostel–and book it from April thru June–at https://www.quarterwayinn.com/

Paul Stutzman, from his book, Hiking Thru, moves farther up the trail, losing one partner and gaining another, if only for a short time.