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

When we met Yalla on our thru-hike earlier this year, Trigger and I were immediately drawn to her as a person but it was her name that stuck with us for the rest of our journey.

Yalla tells us about her flip flop, starting at Harpers Ferry on the way to Katahdin then southbound from Harpers to Springer. She recounts two different hikes, which is the way she segmented them in her mind.

As luck would have it, she ran into a friend of mine in Georgia and when my friend mentioned Mighty Blue, they knew that had a friend in common. I'm so pleased that I got the chance to talk with her again.

Tina Tempest is the owner of Quarterway Inn, a hostel about 550 miles (or a quarter of the way) into a NOBO hike. I stayed at the Inn this year and loved it. Tina tells us about why she decided to run a hostel and the various services that she provides. I was told before I hit the trail this year that Quarterway was a "must stay." That advice turned out to be spot on. You can find out more about the hostel–and book it from April thru June–at https://www.quarterwayinn.com/

Paul Stutzman, from his book, Hiking Thru, moves farther up the trail, losing one partner and gaining another, if only for a short time.

When Darrell and Alicia set out to hike the AT in 2018 they assumed that they would hike the whole way together. It didn't work out that way and, as a result, they have different perspectives of the same hike.

When injury strikes, it is important to know beforehand what the plan would be for a couple on the trail. Darrell and Alicia had already decided what they would do, and one carried on without the other until they finally summited together at Katahdin.

The Brimberrys kept a journal that you can find at the link below.

http://www.trailjournals.com/Brimberry

Also this week, I reply to a listener's question and speak with Chica and Sunsets on their new venture.

Finally, Chapter Ten of Paul Stutzman's Hiking Thru finds Paul at Roan Mountain.

We've had a variety of guests on the show over the past three years but I'm pretty confident that no guest (or guests) has ever been as laid back about their journey as Sahada Buckley and Luke Runels. They were out in the woods to get away from life's distractions, playing music, singing, and avoiding much of the modern paraphernalia of everyday life.

Often going radio silent, Sahada and Luke experienced the trail in a way I've never heard before. They took more than a week in Washington DC and even longer in New York City.

The first three photographs in these notes are credited to Carly Geraci, while I wanted to include a pic of Luke lying, seemingly asleep, on a railway track. Love it!

We also have Julie "Jester" Gayheart, our new host on "Jester" Section Hiker, a podcast coming soon. Julie shares a bit of news and gives a preview of what you can expect with the show.

Finally, Paul Stutzman's Hiking Through reaches the trail town of Hot Springs, where a bike ride triggers some difficult memories.

Boston and Cubby have been long-distance hiking for nearly 15 years, having started with the Appalachian Trail in 2005. During that time they have completed the Triple Crown, climbed Mt Kilimanjaro, done the American Discovery Trail and the Long Trail. They even found time to hike across the state of Rhode Island!

They have simplified both their hiking style and their lives, finding peace and their desired solitude along America's trails.

You can find out more about Julie and Barry's journeys at the following links.

https://www.trailjournals.com/juliebarryjohn

https://www.trailjournals.com/bostonandcubby

https://www.trailjournals.com/adt2012

https://www.trailjournals.com/longtrail2015

They are also on Instagram at backpax and on Twitter at backpax14

Katy Amphlett completed the Mighty Blue Class of 2019 debriefs by letting us know how she got on this year. Whatever happened, we beat the odds overall.

Lady Di was part of one of my earlier "tramilies." We spent quite a bit of time together around Fontana Dam and the Smokies but were separated after that. She was yet another example of a fiercely independent, strong woman who brought a lot to the trail this year.

Starting her hike less than a week after her retirement, she was slow but steady throughout her journey. I particularly remember her cooking "real" food every night, unlike my own pathetic efforts.

Now that she has finished the trail–just a week before this conversation–she is still coming to terms with the impact of the hike on her and starting to adjust to retirement.

Tina Dunaway is the last but one of the Mighty Blue Class of 2019 and she has her own story that tells why she finished the trail after 600 miles. It isn't a happy ending but certainly one with hope for the future.

I met Jason and his friends in 2014. They were on the trail helping other hikers while achieving their own hiking goals at the same time. I don't believe that I quite understood how much their journey was geared towards supporting others until we spoke on the show.

Since then, Jason has completed both the Pacific Crest Trail and, very recently, the Continental Divide Trail, to complete hiking's Triple Crown. All these hikes have been motivated by the same theme of helping others while sharing his faith.

You can find out more about Jason and his mission work at

https://ywamrichmond.org/

You can also follow him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jason.elwood.12

and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/bambooathiker14/

We also caught up with another member of the Mighty Blue Class of 2019, Carlton Johnson and he proved to have such a positive experience on the trail, despite not finishing it this time.

Finally, Paul Stutzman has reached North Carolina, with Georgia now in his rear-view mirror.

With an empty nest, sufficient money, and plenty of time on their hands, Curt and Tammy Fackler decided to drastically downsize. They sold their home and gave away most of their belongings before hitting the road in their truck with their new home attached.

Their adventures were always leading them to the Appalachian Trail and, six months after their travels started, they set off from Georgia. Tammy wasn't an experienced hiker but she wanted to support Curtis in his dream, so went along for the ride. Listen to how their journey unfolded.

Lotta Anvret, from Sweden, is another member of the Mighty Blue Class of 2019, and she is back to reveal how her hike ended up.

Finally, Paul Stutzman's Hiking Through covers the early miles and the first main stop, at Mountain Crossings.

Mike Colburn started his years-long section thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail during the last century. While he never intended to complete the trail in sections, it wasn't until the earlier years of this century that he realized that it was in his sights. With so little now to do, Steve and Mike discussed his long, long journey to this moment.

Along the way, Steve and Mike have run into one another on the trail, sometimes fortuitously, sometimes by design. The two of them have shared a friendship that was born on the AT and continues to thread through the AT.

Our Mighty Blue Class of 2019 debrief continues with Nate Stockton, or Turd Ferguson, as he recounts what happened on his epic hike this year.

Finally, Paul Stutzman provides us with some context for his feelings on that first night on the top of Springer Mountain, in Georgia.

When you finish the Appalachian Trail, your mind is in a bit of a whirl. You can't fully articulate your thoughts and, really, those thoughts mature over time. I wanted to capture the thoughts of a hiker within 24 hours of his or her finish, so when I saw Olivia Miller Bakke's summit photo on Facebook, I reached out to her. This is that conversation.

I also caught up with Lea Ann Hogan, another of our mighty Blue Class of 2019 and her reasons for stopping her hike after 500 miles. As you'll hear, she wasn't desperately happy about it!

Chapter Three of Paul Stutzman's Hiking Through brings Paul to the trail at Amicolola State Park. During those initial steps, he entertains a few doubts!

When I met Bob Curran in the Grayson Highlands, I could never have imagined that he and I would end up at the top of Mt Katahdin together, some 1700 miles later. We came together by accident and stayed together more by circumstance than by design. That said, each of us acknowledges the positive impact that we both had on each other's hike.

As two 66-year-olds we fitted perfectly with one another when it came to hiking style and speed. We weren't the fastest but we were also not the slowest. Our progress was measured and we seemed destined to finish on about the six-month mark. That we were able to finish prior to that is down to Bob's unyielding determination to squeeze out extra miles each day. If it hadn't been for him I'd have been out there a lot longer.

Margi Mimms is the first of our Class of 2019 debriefs and, by happy coincidence, Margi was the first of us to finish. She reflects upon her journey.

Don't forget, if you have a copy of Paul Stutzman's Hiking Through and would be happy to lend me it, please email me at [email protected]. I will, of course, arranged for its safe return to you.