Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike with Jay Moledzki: Podcast Show Notes

Welcome to Experiences You Should Have; Your how-to guide for amazing experiences. I had the pleasure of interviewing Jay Moledzki, who is a world-renowned skydiver and he hiked the Appalachian Trail. Jay is not your average guy. He is the most decorated competitive skydiving canopy (parachute) pilot in the sport of skydiving to date. He has 7 world championship skydiving titles, over 50 gold medals. He is a goal-oriented guy and someone I have looked up to for many years. Check out his profile on Flight-1.

Jay also hosts a podcast with life coach Melanie Curtis (who I interviewed about going on your first skydive) called Trust The Journey (dot) Today. Trust the Journey.Today podcast is all about living, laughing, loving, and learning together. Also, creating and cultivating conscious connections through the practice of openness, vulnerability, honesty, and trust. Check them out on iTunes, Google Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Listen to the podcast episode above or read on to learn about the Appalachian Trail thru-hike.

Appalachian Trail Hike: What Went Into Goal Setting and Planning?

Jay and his first wife, Fernanda, decided they would hike the Appalachian Trail together as a team. They wanted more adventure in their lives and wanted to pursue more scenery and get serious time outdoors. When they decided to hike the Appalachian Trail, Jay had a point in his personal skydiving career that he felt he had checked the goals he wanted to accomplish. He was looking for a new goal that would be connected to nature, earthy, and hiking the Appalachian Trail felt like the goal that he and Fernanda decided to set their eyes on and the enthusiasm was there.

It took 2 years of planning from the time they made the goal before they started hiking the Appalachian Trail. They wanted to make sure they had the knowledge, equipment, and training to complete the trail. The attrition rate is high on the Appalachian Trail and not many people finish the trail who start.

They also wanted to understand why they wanted to hike the Appalachian trail. They started listing out the reasons why they wanted to do it and they wanted to set a goal of completing it and hike the Appalachian Trail the purist way by hiking the entire trail and doing it in one shot.

Appalachian Trail Map

 

Checklist to Mentally and Physically Prepare to Hike the Appalachian Trail

* Arm yourself with knowledge with books, websites. Ray Jardine is the godfather of Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiking and gives the Ultra-Light approach to Thru-Hiking. Check out his book Trail Life for a guide to Ultra Light Thru-Hiking.* Find a mentor and talk to someone who has hiked the Appalachian Trail before* Get in shape, physical fitness training is very important.* Set a Goal and know in your mind before you start how far you want to go.* Do a week-long hike before going on the AT with the equipment you plan on using to evaluate the weight, what you're bringing and seeing what it's like to do a hike by yourself.

 

Hiking the Appalachian Trail: The Beginning