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

This interview with Silvia Cassano was recorded nearly a year ago, but I've only just recovered it. Silvia is a "Trail Angel" referred to by a previous guest, yet she has so much more to offer than that. Her knowledge of all things trail shines through here, with her many positions within the AT community contributing, particularly to the trail in her own community.

Image courtesy of Jeff Yardis.

Silvia admits to being opinionated, so her views on the trail are pretty much unvarnished and welcome at this time. She is passionate about the true meaning of Trail Magic and isn't a big fan of hiker feeds, with Leave No Trace principles uppermost in her mind.

The Vermont theme is continued by a conversation with Jess Treat, a woman in whose home I have now stayed twice, both on my 2014 thru-hike and my hike last year. Jess tells us about her home and the service that she offers hikers seeking some warmth and comfort on the trail.

Finally, Paul Stutzman is on the verge of New Hampshire–also in Vermont!!

Another great show today, with a guy who is clearly in love with hiking and particularly the Appalachian Trail. Craig "Hawk" Mains has been this way before but, with his THIRD thru-hike, he was going for something really special. Listen to how it all unfolded, with not only his epic hike but also several personal events that deeply affected him.

Craig has a YouTube channel that you can visit to learn more about his adventures, past, present, and future. Go to https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEsauJnA_OgXuilWtEXGQKg and catch up with him.

Tracey "Zoom Zoom" Davis-Witmyer reached out to me and I immediately asked her on the show. Tracey is one of that special breed; a trail maintainer. Even more importantly, she represents a younger generation than my own that the trail so sorely needs if our trails are to be sustained in the future. You can see more of Tracey's adventures on her YouTube site at this link. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqBSuze0_yVJc3Yyz7LIviQ/featured

You can also follow her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Adventure-349950165693712/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoomzoom497/

If you'd like to learn more about trail maintenance, go to www.appalachiantrail.org and choose a trail club near you.

Don't forget to support the show by clicking on the donate button on this link www.mightyblueontheat.com/the-podcast/

Finally, Paul Stutzman finally understands why he is hiking the trail. The revelation is stunning.

I've met many extraordinary women on the trail but few who have left as deep an impression as Sara Spittel, or Cushy Life. Cushy was the Queen Bee of our little tramily in 2019, with both Trigger and me in supporting roles. Cushy displays an empathetic nature, showing concern for everybody she met on the trail–often to Trigger's and my mock annoyance!! She is ever curious and willing to strike up a conversation with pretty much every hiker she meets.

But we weren't going to finish with Cushy. She had other adventures and partners than us. Despite that, however, we were delighted to catch up with her again in New Hampshire to share her joy at being in her home state.

I thought I knew quite a bit about her, after our long conversations on the trail, yet she surprised me a few times in this conversation.

Adam Stanley, or Stanimal, owns two hostels; one in Glasgow and one in Waynesboro. I stayed at both, so it was fun to catch up with Adam as we talked about his great little hostels.

Finally, for this 200th episode, Paul Stutzman's book, Hiking Through, has reached the New England states.

While we normally focus on Appalachian Trail thru-hikers, Kimberly Brookshire's story was too good to miss. She had spent the early part of her career in fashion and wanted to experience something completely out of her comfort zone. Eschewing the Appalachian and other long-distance trails, Kimberly went for the lesser-known Mountains To Sea Trail.

This proved to be the perfect segue between her previous life and a new one that she discovered. But Kimberly's story didn't end when she reached the end of the trail in the Outer Banks. She was enjoying the life that she was leading and appreciated the person she had become through her adventure. So she did it again, eventually completing a yoyo of the trail, becoming only the third person and the first woman to do so. The following links will enable you to connect with both the trail and Kimberly.

Links for the Mountains To Sea Trail:

https://mountainstoseatrail.org/

https://www.facebook.com/Mountains-to-Sea-Trail-144643271890/

https://instagram.com/mountainstoseatrail?igshid=1t4izqwud4jxm

https://twitter.com/NCMST

Links for Kimberly:

http://kimberlybrookshire.wordpress.com/

https://www.facebook.com/kimberlylegsbrookshire/

https://www.instagram.com/kbrookshire/

https://twitter.com/kabrookshire30

Craig Griffiths of Misty Mountain Inn provides hikers with a wonderful place to rest their heads early on the AT. I stayed there on my 2019 thru-hike and thoroughly appreciated the experience. Craig tells us what the cabins have to offer the weary traveler. Find Craig and his inn at http://mistymtninn.com/

Paul Stutzman's Hiking Thru has reached New York, with its delis and a shelter dubbed by Paul's friend, Fargo, as the Pharmacy Shelter.

Finally, if you love this and the other Hiking Radio Network shows, please consider either a monthly or one-off donation to help fund the five regular shows that we have scheduled for 2020. You can find the DONATE button on the podcast page of the Mighty Blue website. Click on this link to be taken to the page https://mightyblueontheat.com/the-podcast/

With all the problems that one may encounter on the Appalachian Trail, Willow Bolton decided that highlighting her disability (something that she refers to as a blessing) would be a good way to bring some attention to it.

In the interview with Steve she mentions, almost in passing, another major issue and, despite her stoicism, Steve was moved by her determination.

If you'd like to learn more about Willow's "blessing," you can go to https://www.hydroassoc.org/. If you'd like to help out with a donation you'll find a donation button on the homepage.

This week, we also spoke with Ryan Hopkins, who produced Steve's show while he was on the AT this year. Ryan has some news of his own that involves a song called "Thru" by a group named Tie Goes To The Runner. Steve met Scooch and Paris (two of the group's members) this year and they graciously shared their song with him. Watch their video here on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-ejGjWCGHU

Finally, Paul Stutzman indulges in the somewhat questionable joys of Naked Hiking Day.

Dave Braunlich gave himself a tough task when he considered hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2019. He needed to fit in the trail AND keep his job. For this reason, his daily mileage had to be more than 30 miles every single day.

Listen to Dave as he shares his remarkable story with Steve. You can also follow Dave's journey with his YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvDFp_OzbOSq1reZpChIEg?view_as=subscriber

and his Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/davidbraunlich/

Standing Bear Farm is the featured hostel this week, as Marie Guzzman tells about the history of the hostel and why it is always a work in progress. I thoroughly enjoyed staying at the hostel, both in 2014 and 2019.

Finally, Paul Stutzman reaches the rocks of Pennsylvania in "Hiking Through." 'Nuff said!!

When Andrew Haverstick reached out to me recently telling me that he had a story to share, I called and listened to his story. Our subsequent conversation turned into one of the most poignant interviews on the show so far.

In 2018, when he thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail, he did so with an unfolding situation back home that was doubtless causing him stress. That said, Andrew's calmness in our conversation and his actions on the trail were all based around that unfolding situation. Listen to Steve and Andrew as they discuss Andrew's hike.

If you'd like to follow Andrew on his adventures, you can find him on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/ahaverstick13/ and on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg6eYbh5TShtPBmuiiIdxcQ

With no hostel owner to talk with this week, I took the chance to speak with Anna Huthmaker, of the Trail Dames Podcast. She told me of the development of the podcast and her plans for the future. You can catch up with the show at https://hikingradionetwork.com/the-trail-dames-podcast/ It is particularly apposite to do so in the next week or so as Anna gives you gift ideas for the hiker in your life.

Our sponsor, Terri Kidder, a Young Living Essential Oils Independent Distributor, has an offer for listeners. Just text "HIKER" to 937-848-1630 and you'll receive a response telling you how to get the Young Living Basic Hiker Pack for you or the hiker in your life.

Finally, in Paul Stutzman's Hiking Through, Paul passes the halfway mark and encounters a ferocious storm.

I met Peaches and Woodstock in Maine when I was heading north earlier this year. They are listeners to the show and Julianne introduced herself, asking me to say hi to her Mom, Colleen, who was on her way down the mountain. I recall thinking at the time that it would be great to interview a mother and daughter on the trail and I was consequently delighted when the two of them reached out to me recently.

They have spent a long time on the trail and are now almost at the end. It was great catching up with the two of them as they tell of the fun they've had together, strengthening an already strong bond.

Terri Kidder, a Young Living Independent Distributor, sponsors the show this week, offering a "Basic Essential Oils Hiker Pack." All you have to do is text the word "HIKER" to 937-848-1630 and you'll soon receive a response with everything you need to know about getting this great pack that Terri has put together for hikers. Thanks for your support, Terri.

Jim Gregory of Boots Off tells us about one of my favorite hostels on the trail. With loads of different accommodations to choose from, this is certainly a stop you should consider.

Lastly, Paul Stutzman's Hiking Through has Paul finally out of Virginia and at the traditional halfway point; Harpers Ferry.

When Jessie Crawford had a drink with Stylez, a friend of mine from the Class of 2014, they discussed post-trail life and "how weird the transition is." When she got into contact I knew that she had a story to share, so we hit the record button and chatted away.

Quite apart from her "weird transition," Jessie proved herself to be another of the empowered, strong young women who now take on these hikes and she had a fine story to tell, including one of the best explanations of what trail magic really is.

When Jessie returned from the trail she started her own graphic design business and you can see her work at https://jessiecrawford.com/

If you reach out to her through the site I'm sure she'd be delighted to hear from you.

Also, this week, I'm introducing another new podcast from the Hiking Radio Network, A Woman of a Certain Age: Phoenix on the Appalachian Trail. This will be covering the journey of Phoenix, whose real name is revealed in the show as we meet her.

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!