Mike Wetherhold, who was in the running to be part of the Mighty Blue Class of 2025, is our guest today. Mike went ahead and started the Appalachian Trail at the end of February, and finished mid-July. As you’ll hear, he is a resilient kind of guy.

Mike also had a serious purpose to his hike, raising a considerable sum for ALS research in honor of his Uncle Jay, who died from the disease. He felt Uncle Jay’s presence throughout his hike. If this resonates with you, please support his efforts at this link.https://projectals.donorsupport.co/page/mikehikestheat

You can also follow along with Mike’s hike through his Instagram account at https://www.instagram.com/mikehikestheat/

Two days ago, on August 19, Dave Santi, one of our Mighty Blue Class of 2025 members, finally reached the summit of Mt Katahdin with his Over the Hill Gang, with all seven members at the top together. He had glorious weather for the summit, as these joyous pictures show.

Our other Class members, Beth and Andrew, are now well into New Hampshire and experiencing the Whites. They sent me this picture at the top of Mt Moosilauke. They’re loving it.

I used my hike last 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.

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. https://www.hikingradionetwork.com/show/mighty-blue-on-the-appalachian-trail-the-ultimate-mid-life-c/guests/intake/

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