Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis

Self-described "Complete Nature Boy," Rue McKenrick is today's guest. He takes us on a journey around the American Perimeter Trail. It was Rue's vision that spawned the idea and he is the one who is driving it forward. He is soon to return to the trail after an absence of six months. When he left it for a break–in October 2020–he had been out on the trail for over a year.

Rue's hiking resume is extensive, including the Triple Crown and the John Muir Trail. But it is the APT that occupies his thought these days, as he works to realize his ambition. He's been shot at and had about 20 interactions with Law Enforcement while blazing this trail, so the difficulty of the mission should not be underestimated.

If you'd like to learn more about the trail and about Rue, you can follow him on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/ruemckenrick/ and on the trail's website, at https://americanperimetertrailproject.weebly.com/

Katie Westling is learning a few harsh realities on the trail, though she was expecting them! Her honeymoon period is over and the real work of a thru-hike is now in front of her. Remember, you can follow her on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChEDoHA8w7RgCgs8MxuiIxA/videos

With Summer coming, I'm taking a break from the main part of the podcast (apart from a monthly show plus my weekly interviews with Katie) and Ryan Hopkins will be taking my place as the presenter. Here, Ryan chats about his plans for the show and demonstrates how he is a ready-made temporary replacement for me. Don't forget, I'll be back in October full time. In the interim, you can reach out to Ryan at [email protected] or, of course, I'll always be happy to hear from any of you at [email protected]

Larry Luxenburg's "Walking the Appalachian Trail" discusses some of the traditions and silliness of the trail from 25 years ago.

If you like what we're doing on the Hiking Radio Network, and want to see our shows continue, please consider supporting us with either a one-off or monthly donation. You'll find the donate button on each Hiking Radio Network page at https://www.hikingradionetwork.com

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I hadn't noticed how many of my fellow members of the Class of 2019 I'd had on the show until I spoke with Ray Kroebl, or Sparky. Ray is Swiss and, while we never met on the trail, we did hike just a few days apart. He started four days before me and ended five days before I did. And it was feeling such a kindred spirit with Ray that made me aware of how many of my fellow hikers on that trip were similarly kindred spirits. When you share time in such a visceral society, we bond.

Ray is from Switzerland, so we spoke about his logistical challenges of getting onto the trail, as well as the enjoyment that he derived from literally every day that he spent on the trail.

You can follow more of Ray's experiences through his Instagram account at https://www.instagram.com/rkroebl/.

Also this week, ATC's Brendan Mysliwiec, who is the Director of Federal Policy and Legislation and runs advocacy and federal government relations for ATC. He shares some fascinating insights into the sort of work with which the ATC is involved, dealing with an incoming administration.

Then, Katie Westling got on the phone to me and shared those first few days of being on the trail. As you'll hear, Katie had a somewhat more comfortable time than most!! If you'd like to see more of Katie's hike, remember to visit her YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChEDoHA8w7RgCgs8MxuiIxA

Finally, in Walking The Appalachian Trail, by Larry Luxenburg, we're introduced to the cult of Garveyism!! Fascinating.

If you like what we're doing on the Hiking Radio Network, and want to see our shows continue, please consider supporting us with either a one-off or monthly donation. You'll find the donate button on each Hiking Radio Network page at https://www.hikingradionetwork.com

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It's one of our longest ever shows today, with three guests and my book reading. First up, Juliana Chauncey, a fellow member of the Class of 2019, and a fellow podcaster (with Zach Davis on Backpacker Radio), shares her hiking journeys on both the Pacific Crest Trail and the Appalachian Trail.

While originally from the Eat Coast, Chaunce knew virtually nothing about the AT before she started; she only found out about MacAfee Knob when she came to it!! However, a combination of stubbornness and grit allowed her to finish the trail and add to her hiking resume.

You can learn more about Chaunce from her website, http://julianachauncey.com/.

You can also follow her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/juliana_chauncey/ and her YouTube channel is at https://www.youtube.com/user/julianachauncey

You can find Chaunce's book on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Hiking-Home-Long-Distance-Family-Friends/dp/0578635143?fbclid=IwAR10B9Mz53tFfuyhi5LGCe1tCPwc-ibmZfGZDW_ZnOtUNEsMH3XmmgPerrU

Katie Westling is starting her countdown to next week's Appalachian Trail start, so she and I discuss those last-minute arrangements–and nerves.

After Andrew Downs came on the show a couple of weeks back, Maury Johnson wanted to talk about the ATC in the context of the deal that they had made with Mountain Valley Pipeline. Of course, I was only too pleased to share my platform with him, and he aired his own views of what he sees as an unsatisfactory situation.

Finally, Larry Luxenburg's Walking the Appalachian Trail talks about hiking as an older hiker, as well as with a disability or even severe injury.

If you like what we're doing on the Hiking Radio Network, and want to see our shows continue, please consider supporting us with either a one-off or monthly donation. You'll find the donate button on each Hiking Radio Network page at https://www.hikingradionetwork.com

Any support is gratefully received.

Brittany Briley's smile lit up the trail in 2019, and we first met at Woods Hole Hostel. A nurse by training, she felt that the time was right to take a break in her early 30s and hiked the Appalachian Trail as joyously as anybody I met out there.

We didn't hike together much but, as is the way of the trail, we often saw one another. Brittany shared part of the trail with the sadly missed Pony Keg and his dog Blue.

Eventually, Brittany teamed up with previous guests on this show and she summited with Cushy Life, Turd Ferguson, and Shark Tooth, along with Runaway Jim. As she'll tell you, they laughed relentlessly. Knowing these people, I can well understand it.

If you'd like to read Mooney's blog, here it is: https://www.hiketotheheart.com or follow her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/hiketotheheart/

Sandi Marra speaks on behalf of the ATC with regard to their JEDI initiative. If you'd like to learn more about this, go to https://appalachiantrail.org/our-work/about-us/jedi/

We're back on with Katie Westling as she counts down to her start date in less than two weeks. This week, Katie surprises me by how similar our gear is.

Katie's YouTube channel is at https://youtube.com/channel/UChEDoHA8w7RgCgs8MxuiIxA while she is also raising awareness of Resources For Resilience. You can check them out at: https://resourcesforresilience.com/

Finally, Larry Luxenburg's Walking The Appalachian Trail continues this week's theme of strong women on the trail.

If you like what we're doing on the Hiking Radio Network, and want to see our shows continue, please consider supporting us with either a one-off or monthly donation. You'll find the donate button on each Hiking Radio Network page at https://www.hikingradionetwork.com

Any support is gratefully received.

Joseph Barnett had quite the adventure hiking the Appalachian Trail during the latter half of 2019 and the first half of 2020. He faced a bunch of problems, took days off regularly to explore the towns around the trail with his wife, developed a hernia along the way, yet emerged at Springer Mountain battered but victorious.

Along the way, Joseph documented and photographed people, plants, and animals, eventually producing a 500-page book he'd like to share with everybody. Quite how we're going to get it to you all, I haven't figured out yet. But watch this space for news in the future.

Joseph's determination and self-belief carried him forward, sharing his hike with both his daughter and wife at various times, and meeting a guy with whom he hiked over 1,000 miles.

We're introducing our new Class of 2021 hiker this week. She is Katie Westley, or Phoenix Rising. This week, we learn about why she's heading out on the trail in March. New week, I'll be learning more from Katie regarding her gear.

Katie is supporting Resources For Resilience on her hike and talks about them briefly on the show. If you'd like to learn more, visit them here. https://resourcesforresilience.com/

Additionally, you can follow Katie's YouTube channel here. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChEDoHA8w7RgCgs8MxuiIxA

In our ATC segment today, Julie Judkins tells us "How to be an Ally." If you'd like to put more of this into practice, or understand further, visit https://appalachiantrail.org/event/2021-hiker-guidance-how-to-be-an-ally/

Finally today, Larry Luxenburg is talking about Trail Magic in his book, Walking the Appalachian Trail.

If you like what we're doing on the Hiking Radio Network, and want to see our shows continue, please consider supporting us with either a one-off or monthly donation. You'll find the donate button on each Hiking Radio Network page at https://www.hikingradionetwork.com

Any support is gratefully received.

We have another of my Class of 2019 brothers on the show today. I met Dan Gosmeyer pretty early on the trail and recall his quiet determination but, with a tiny hiking budget, I had doubts he'd get to the end. But the trail does something to a person. It reveals character that you may not have even known was there.

Sure enough, sometime last year I received a friend request on Facebook from Dan and confirmed immediately. I checked out his page and was delighted to see that I'd been wrong; he did it.

He's still a quiet guy, thoughtful in his deliberations. In fact, I had to cut out quite a few pauses in our chat to keep the flow going. Yet that determination is still there and–after all–he is still an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker.

You can follow Dan and his girlfriend's new YouTube page, where he shares a few things he learned from the trail. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwarHBfDGl7-nr-OIfkfLcw

The ATC have recently come under heavy criticism for a contract they signed last year with Mountain Valley Pipeline, a company which is exactly what it sounds like! Much of the criticism seems to have been reflexive, and I wanted to know what the rationale behind this seeming sell-out was. ATC provided me with Andrew Downs, a thru-hiker himself, who is passionate about both the trail and the attendant environmental issues. You may or may not agree with this rationale, but I hope you give him the opportunity to make his case and read further on the subject through all or any of the following articles.

https://energynews.us/2020/10/05/southeast/less-than-ideal-bedfellows-mountain-valley-pipeline-payout-prompts-criticism/

https://roanoke.com/news/local/conservation-groups-purchase-land-to-preserve-views-from-mcafee-knob/article_3f9c56b4-4483-11eb-bd80-0f4943ce97ba.html

https://roanoke.com/news/local/mountain-valley-pledges-up-to-19-5-million-to-conserve-land-along-appalachian-trail/article_3bc114c2-d07c-5947-8886-0ff3d106e17f.html

Please feel free to offer your own opinion on this. I may bring you on the air or read out your concerns and will certainly bring Andrew back on to answer those concerns.

Finally today, Larry Luxenburg's "Walking the Appalachian Trail" discusses some of the more spiritual aspects of the trail. Whether you're religious or not, the trail affects you in a spiritual way.

If you like what we're doing on the Hiking Radio Network, and want to see our shows continue, please consider supporting us with either a one-off or monthly donation. You'll find the donate button on each Hiking Radio Network page at https://www.hikingradionetwork.com

Any support is gratefully received.

Today's guest is another whose thru-hike was the Pacific Crest Trail, yet Caroll Coyne has lessons–and solutions–that are universal to all long-distance trails. In her early 30s, she quit a well-paying job that wasn't fulfilling her and found that fulfillment out on the trail, with the community that she craved.

Returning home, her trajectory altered and her project to reconnect with the hiking community was born.

You can learn more about Caroll and Thru-R at https://www.thru-r.com/. In our conversation, Carol also mentioned Craig's PCT Planner. It is in her resource directory, but I thought I'd add the link as she referred to it. https://pctplanner.com/

You can also connect with Caroll and Thru-r at:

THRU-r Instagram: www.instagram.com/thru_r/

THRU-r Facebook: www.facebook.com/thrurcommunity/

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carollcoyne/

Kathryn Herndon-Powell returns on behalf of the ATC to help hikers with some social distancing suggestions when out on a trail. If you're still planning on a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail this year, make sure you check out https://atcamp.org/. This is a valuable resource that allows you to move your start date forward or backward to miss some high-capacity days. You can also register your own hike, thus helping other hikers who wish to do the same.

Finally, in my reading of his book, Walking The Appalachian Trail, Larry Luxenburg is probably preaching to the choir when he reminds us that "it's all about your attitude."

If you like what we're doing on the Hiking Radio Network, and want to see our shows continue, please consider supporting us with either a one-off or monthly donation. You'll find the donate button on each Hiking Radio Network page at https://www.hikingradionetwork.com

Any support is gratefully received.

We have a couple of interesting topics on the show this week. Our first guest, Erik Russell, wrote to me to convey a notable if somewhat jarring, incident that he witnessed while hiking the AT in the 1997. Erik took a lot from both the hike and the incident, and he tells us how those two things contributed to help shape the man he is today.

Erik is one of the few guests I've had on the show who had to search high and low for pictures of him hiking! Eventually, he found the only two that he has from his 90s thru-hike, as well as two from recent days on the trail.

He also referred to an organization that he led trail crew for. This is the Student Conservation Association (SCA). They run a large number of programs for different ages including the Summer trail crews for teenage volunteers, Americorp programs and others. The SCA may be of interest to listeners who would like a way to work within the trail community or who have teenage children. Their website can be found at https://www.thesca.org/

Our ATC segment is entitled "Stay in the Know" this week, with Communication Director, Jordan Bowman. While we started with that subject, I eventually moved it on to the other interesting topic I mentioned earlier.

Finally, today, Larry Luxenberg's Walking the Appalachian Trail warns us of the multitude of things that COULD go wrong on a thru-hike. Be warned!!

If you like what we're doing on the Hiking Radio Network, and want to see our shows continue, please consider supporting us with either a one-off or monthly donation. You'll find the donate button on each Hiking Radio Network page at https://www.hikingradionetwork.com

Any support is gratefully received.

It's lovely to interview somebody you've met and spent time with before. So I was delighted when Tina Tempest agreed to come on the show and share what happened during her 2009 SOBO hike of the Appalachian Trail with her friend.

She has always had a desire to travel and fills in her background with one or two of those stories as well. Tina went on to buy a property and start what became one of my favorite hostels on the trail; The Quarterway Inn. Obviously, Covid gave her a hard decision to make, and she closed down for the season.

If you'd like to learn more about Tina and the hostel, you can visit her website, at http://www.quarterwayinn.com/, where you can also check out her necklaces. Additionally, you can find her on social media at www.facebook.com/quarterwayinn and www.instagram.com/quarterwayinn.

In her story, she refers to her Americorps adventures, so you can read more on that at https://www.americorps.gov/nccc, while you can find out more about volunteering with a trail crew at https://appalachiantrail.org/get-involved/volunteer/trail-crews/

Tina also makes and sells Appalachian Trail necklaces and agreed to give one away to a lucky listener. As you'll see below, I wear mine–which I received as a gift at Christmas. All you have to do is tell me, "Which of the 31 AT Maintaining Clubs maintains the trail surrounding the Quarter Way Inn?" When you have the answer, just email me at [email protected] and you'll go into the draw in a couple of weeks.

In our ATC segment today, under the Know Before You Go mini-series, Chloe De Camara asks "Why Does Leave No Trace matter?" Once you hear Chloe, you may be interested in finding about the story behind the principles, so go to lnt.org.

Finally today, Larry Luxenburg's "Walking The Appalachian Trail is all about the middle miles, with a few words from our #1 thru-hiker, Earl Schaffer.

If you like what we're doing on the Hiking Radio Network, and want to see our shows continue, please consider supporting us with either a one-off or monthly donation. You'll find the donate button on each Hiking Radio Network page at https://www.hikingradionetwork.com

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This week, we feature a couple who met on the trail in 2019 and have been a couple ever since. Reid Marshall and Marina Santiago are, however, locationally challenged, as Reid is in Australia and Marina is in Denver.

I was fortunate enough to have met Reid on my thru-hike and was impressed with his calm and thoughtful demeanor. When we met, near the VT / NH border, Reid was on his own and didn't meet Marina until many miles later. Such is the serendipity of the trail.

They share the story of their respective and joint hikes, as well as their adventures together since the AT.

You can connect and find out more about them at their Challenge & Beauty website, https://challengeandbeauty.com/, find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/challengeandbeauty, on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/challenge_and_beauty/. Their first book, Trail Running Utah, is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Trail-Running-Utah-Challenge-Beauty/dp/1661352820/ref=sr_1_1

Their second set of books, Trail Running Tasmania and Day Hikes Tasmania, are available in the US via special order on their website: https://challengeandbeauty.com/order-now/ Their illustrated book about their AT experience, Filthy and Free, is in the works and will be available later this year. I'll let you know when that comes out.

This week on the Know Before You Go ATC part of the show, Laurie Potteiger suggests that we "Explore Locally." She tells us about alternative trails to explore, some of which are listed here. www.appalachiantrail.org/explore/plan-and-prepare/hiker-resource-library/alternate-trails/

A link to the Alternate Trails page, as well as ATC's Day-hiking and Overnight Hiking checklists updated for hiking during COVID-19, and many other useful pages, can be found in the Hiker Resource Library at www.appalachiantrail.org/hiker-resources.

Don't forget, if you are going to get on the AT, make sure you register at www.ATCamp.org.

In our book reading of Larry Luxenburg's Walking the Appalachian Trail, Larry talks about everybody's favorite subject; food and the exquisite possibility of eating guiltlessly.

If you like what we're doing on the Hiking Radio Network, and want to see our shows continue, please consider supporting us with either a one-off or monthly donation. You'll find the donate button on each Hiking Radio Network page at https://www.hikingradionetwork.com

Any support is gratefully received.