Darrell Eck, or Old Stag, is this week’s main guest. Darrell retired as a teacher in 2022 and fulfilled his dream of thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail. He had kept a picture of the AT behind him in his classroom, so the completion must have been sweet indeed.

On the way, Darrell helped rescue a woman lost on trail leading her out when she had found herself turned around. He also discovered the precise height of a tree branch when he walked into it!!

Surprisingly, Darrell hasn’t set foot back on any trail since he finished, though I know our conversation sparked a renewed interest, so watch this space.

With Dave finished, Beth and Andrew are our surviving Mighty Blue Class of 2025 members. As luck would have it, with Beth and Andrew in Gorham, NH, Dave and his wife, Jeannie, were visiting Gorham last Monday to visit with two of Dave’s previous hiking partners, Sad Soup and Ahoy. They all met up and shared a great evening together, as you can see below.

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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