I first heard of Rob and Gavin on the trail when Rob's wife, Beth, wrote to me in May to tell me about their journey. The family had been listening to the podcast for some time as they prepared for the AT.

Now that they were on the trail, Beth wanted to update me on their progress. I knew that Gavin was struggling a bit, so I reached back out and tried to give some encouragement, telling that I'd like to hear their story when they were done with the AT.

I'm really glad that we were able to get them on the show because Gavin had an especially poignant message for hikers of all ages.

Hiker's Welcome was one of the hostels that I enjoyed in 2019 AND 2014, so I asked John Robblee, or Packrat to come on the show and tell us about this iconic stopping point. You can reach the hostel at 603-989-0040, or find them online at www.hikerswelcome.com.

Finally, Paul Stutzman's Hiking Through finds Paul running into trouble in almost the same spot that I did, back in 2014. Not so happy memories!