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

I met Will Ransom at Trail Day in 2017 and was impressed by the bond that he shared with his dog, Rhetta. I'd hoped to interview him for the show but lost his details, only to find them recently when I moved home. Will was a fascinating guy to talk with as he had strong views on how to care for your dog when on a trail.

He had told me at Trail Days that he intended to summit Katahdin with Rhetta, but experience, other people, and his good nature prevailed. So, Will had to flip up to Katahdin where he summited alone.

However, Will wasn't to be denied finishing the Appalachian Trail with Rhetta. They finished, together, at Bennington Vermont.

If you've ever thought about taking your dog with you on a long-distance hike listen and learn from Will's experiences.

Our three guests from the Outdoor Retailer's Summer Market are:

Aaron Kirkham of Renovo Water, with the MUV water filter. You can read much more about this remarkably versatile product at http://renovowater.com/about-muv/ or contact Aaron at [email protected]

Lara Brecht showed me the Espro Ultralight Travel Press, which not only makes great coffee but keeps it great, and hot for hours. The results were really impressive. You can read more about the Ultralight at http://www.esprocanada.com/esproshop/espro-ultralight-press and contact Lara at [email protected].

Cade Rees of Klymit showed me my new favorite set up, with the Sky Bivy. I've added a few pics to show you what it looked like. You can read about it yourself at https://www.klymit.com/sky-bivy.html or contact Cade at [email protected]

Greg Seymour (Sunsets) made a welcome return to the show with two things he would do differently in If I Did It Again.

We hope that you take the opportunity to support our sponsor, Trailtopia, when you consider your next backpacking trip. Go to https://www.trailtopia.com/ to check out their wide variety of meals.

Obviously, we couldn't finish without another picture of Rhetta (and Will).

For the second week, I'm reminiscing with the two people I was closest to on the trail. Last week, Ken Hall closed out the first 100, so the NEXT 100 shows start off with Pat Coate, or Tee Bird.

I met Pat earlier than Ken. I was nursing an injury after about 1200 miles and ran into her and her fellow hikers. We started chatting and all felt the need for a beer, so we hitched a lift in a fruitless search for one. We just found ice cream but I found a friend. Pat was then often hiking near me and we got back together in New Hampshire once I'd met Ken.

She was always "up" on the trail and proved to be a great hiking companion. She certainly took over the responsibility of slackpacking once Ken and I had put it to her. She maintained those responsibilities by planning our ill-fated John Muir Trail hike in 2016. Once again, all Ken and I had to do was show up. We knew how to do that.

Our three guests this week from the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Denver are:

Patrick Goguillon of Parakito showed me the innovative wristband repellent. You can see the products at https://us.parakito.com/ and can reach out to Patrick at [email protected]

Monty Griffith from Bridgford Foods Corporation showed me the MRE Survival Food that the company is introducing to the hiking community. The link will take you to one of their products on Amazon. You can reach Monty at mgriffith@@bridgford.com.

Finally, I spoke with Justine Barone, a feisty woman with an intriguing platform to help hikers rent their gear. Justine is the Co-Founder and CEO at Gearo and she'd be happy to hear from you at [email protected]. You should also check out her website at https://outdoorgearo.com/

In a new segment for the show, I invited Dan Wowak of Coal Cracker Bushcraft to tell us how to safely build a fire. This will be a new area for the show in coming weeks. His site is at https://coalcrackerbushcraft.com/, while you can also find him on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXSVZTsqJn5JjN0h5q5_B_Q.

We hope that you take the opportunity to support our sponsor, Trailtopia, when you consider your next backpacking trip. Go to https://www.trailtopia.com/ to check out their wide variety of meals.

For our 100th episode and, indeed, for our 101st, I have two friends with whom I finished the trail. Next week, it will be Pat Coate, or Tee Bird. This week, Ken Hall, or Lighterknot, joins us to tell us how the Class of 2014 affected him. We have a wide-ranging and definitely nostalgic chat about the time we spent together.

In the interview, our laughter was incessant and proved how easily we picked up with one another again. Ken was supported on his 2014 journey by his wife, Deb, who was there at Springer to see him off.

He is a man of faith, and his prayer at the end is burned into my mind, yet this is the first time I've seen the picture that was taken. That picture is placed at the end of these notes. If you'd like to read more about Ken's journey, here is a link to his blog. https://lighterknot.wordpress.com/

We also had three more interviews from the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Denver recently. I met:

James Peet of Simple Shower - https://www.simple-shower.com/. If you click on the link to his website you'll see a really good video that shows you what this simple device is like and what it can do.

Ethan Devine of Solarcamp - https://www.solarcamp-usa.com/. The solar charger that Ethan talks about is the Solympic-Hue.

Andy Birutis of Alchemi Labs - https://www.alchemilabs.com/ told us about his reflective hats that reflect 80% of the sun's heatwaves. I liked the River Hat. Could my shirt really be any more pink??

Chrissy Funk returned to the show with If I Did It Again. Her sometimes almost-harrowing videos displayed the emotion she has for the AT and she resolved to get back to it someday and told us the changes she would make.

We hope that you take the opportunity to support our sponsor, Trailtopia, when you consider your next backpacking trip. Go to https://www.trailtopia.com/ to check out their wide variety of meals.

Stephanie White is new to hiking, yet she is already an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker. Her main discipline is the seemingly crazy sport of ultra running and, with three 200-mile races to compete in this year, she looked around for something to prepare her for the races.

Choosing the Appalachian Trail as a five-month warm up may seem excessive to some, but Stephanie discovered far more than her endurance once she'd immersed herself in the trail culture.

If you'd like to read Stephanie's blog, you can find it here. http://www.polyultrarunner.wordpress.com/, while she can also be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/stephanie.white.9404362.

The Outdoor Retailers Summer Market interviews this week are from Bryan Dunster at Hydra Light - http://www.hydralight.net/

Jeff Arias at Zulu Audio - https://zuluaudio.com/

Barry Ryan at 8K FlexWarm - https://8kflexwarm.com/

We hope that you take the opportunity to support our sponsor, Trailtopia, when you consider your next backpacking trip. Go to https://www.trailtopia.com/ to check out their wide variety of meals.

Tom Kennedy hasn't been a hiker all his life; indeed, he came to it relatively recently. He has found a way to foster his love of hiking and hikers by raising money for those suffering from mental health issues. When he discovered the various trails of America he took on the Florida Trail, completing the whole thing other than 20 miles south of Miami. As he says, he spent WAAAY too much time slogging through water.

Eventually discovering that he could live happier but financially poorer, Tom founded Hike For Mental Health to assist funding for mental health scientists. You can follow Tom's work (and fun) at http://hikeformentalhealth.org/ as well as on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/iHIKE/.

Once the interview was over, Tom and I chatted about how I could get involved in his charity so, at his suggestion, I'll be doing Maryland For Mental Health when I do the AT next year. I hope that some of you come and join me to help raise funds for this critical charity.

We introduced a new segment to the show this week, following my visit to the Outdoor Retailer's Summer Market in Denver Colorado. I spoke with our main sponsor, Vince Robichaud of Trailtopia and I urge you, as always, to head over to Trailtopia's site, at https://www.trailtopia.com/ to see their wide range of great tasting food.

I also visited with Adyn Soju as she pleasantly explained in detail the intricacies of The Tinkle Belle to this rather uptight Brit. You can find out more about this essential female hiking accessory by visiting the excellent website, https://thetinklebelle.com/. While you're there, check out the awesome video they've put together.

Last, though certainly not least, I met the impressive Erica Rosen of Biolite, who told me about the Biolite Camp Stove 2, a new cooking stove that will enable you to put together a small campfire AND charge your phone. She also showed me their impressive solar panels. Once we'd finished the interview she shared the generous mission of Biolite so I switched on the recorder again. You can find the stove at their website, https://www.bioliteenergy.com. There is another great little video on the site, so be sure to check it out.

Hiking the Appalachian Trail is a daunting undertaking for people with no medical issues. For those who rely upon their medication, the AT can be logistically challenging. Cathryn Pugh didn't let that get in the way once she decided to do a thru-hike in 2017. Her sunny disposition and can-do attitude are inspiring–even to the extent of convincing somebody else to tackle the trail next year. We'll be speaking with that person as well.

Cathryn learned a life-affirming lesson on the trail–she can do absolutely anything. She even started dating her boyfriend, Mike, while she was on the AT, though even that wasn't straightforward and they didn't see each other for another month.

If you'd like to learn more about Cathryn and her journey, you can find her on Instagram at hikeswithdiabetes.

Nate Harrington made a welcome return to the show with the tweak he'd make to his hike were he ever to go again. I mention the Katahdin sign that Nate makes and sell. Here is the link to the sign on his site, Between The Blazes.

We're up to Episode Eight of the Year We Seized The Day, with more grief for Colin between the laughs.

We hope that you take the opportunity to support our sponsor, Trailtopia, when you consider your next backpacking trip. Go to https://www.trailtopia.com/ to check out their wide variety of meals.

There are many reasons to want to hike the Appalachian Trail. Few have the history of the trail literally in their blood in the way that Kim Shaffer does. The family have all been hikers and Kim harboured the desire for a thru-hike years ago. The fact that her Great Uncle was the first EVER thru-hiker of the AT, added to that desire.

She started her Flip-Flop (or OBO) at Penn Mar Park to avoid the dreadful flooding around Harpers Ferry and is now in Massachusetts. Along the way, she has learned plenty about her famous relative and much about herself as well.

Kim tells me that she promises to update her blog more regularly, but you can find that here. https://kimhikesthru.com/, though she does post more often on Instagram at Kimhikesthru

A friend of the show, JASH, shared one of his stories from the trail and we had Chapter Seven of The Year We Seized The Day, by Elizabeth Best and Colin Bowles.

We hope that you take the opportunity to support our sponsor, Trailtopia, when you consider your next backpacking trip. Go to https://www.trailtopia.com/ to check out their wide variety of meals.

Anna Jones wrote to me a few months back to thank me for the various shows and our guests. Anna and Branden were planning a flip-flop, starting in May, so I asked her if they would like to be interviewed for the show once they had 500 miles under their feet. They are now in Vermont, getting ready for the AT's biggest and, in my opinion, best challenges–New Hampshire and Maine.

Our interview was a delight, with stories and perceptions–including encounters with a few of our previous guests–mixed in a wide-ranging interview. You'll be impressed by their thoughtful responses.

You can follow along with this wonderful couple on their Facebook Group under BrandAnna Hike The AT

We also saw the return of Cesar Becerra in If I Did It Again. Considering that his hike lasted over a year, it seemed likely that Cesar might change one or two things.

We hope that you take the opportunity to support our sponsor, Trailtopia, when you consider your next backpacking trip. Go to https://www.trailtopia.com/ to check out their wide variety of meals.

Mike Piatt is a LASH, which is an acronym that Mike will explain in the show. He is shortly to complete his third full thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, done in 500-1000 mile sections over the years.

He is a very sociable guy, relishing his encounters with a wide variety of hikers and tells many stories of his adventures over the years. He doesn't look like he intends to slow down anytime soon.

You can email Mike at [email protected] if you'd like to ask him any questions about his hike or the AT in general. I'm guessing that anything you have to ask, Mike will have an answer. He can also be found on Facebook at Michael.Piatt.1614.

Spielberg, or Craig McPherson, was this week's guest in "If I Did It Again." Craig's video is so worth another watch if, like me, you've already seen it at least 50 times. Here is the YouTube link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT8ZMp8Ec7U

We hope that you take the opportunity to support our sponsor, Trailtopia, when you consider your next backpacking trip. Go to https://www.trailtopia.com/ to check out their wide variety of meals.

George Andrews has a deep love of hikers and hiking so, when he retired, he wanted to involve himself in the community. He had always been keen to keep the weight of his pack and everything in it as low as possible, so this led him to start a company in that field, AntiGravityGear. He refers to himself as a "tinkerer," teaching himself to sew and make gear for hikers since 2003.

He has spent time on the John Muir Trail, The Camino in Spain and, of course, the Appalachian Trail. An AT thru-hike still figures high on his bucket list.

He has been a friend for many years of David Miller, the AWOL in the AWOL Guide and, when David decided to concentrate on his writing, George assumed responsibility for the guide.

You can find out more about AntiGravityGear on their website at http://antigravitygear.com/. They can also be found on Facebook and Instagram under antigravitygear.

For the AT guide, go to theatguide.com or Facebook and Instagram under theatguide.

If you're interested in nominating for the Best of The AT, just head over to https://www.instagram.com/theatguide/.

Kyle Bock gave us an entertaining list of changes he might make were he ever to hike the AT again, and Steve read Chapter Five of "The Year We Seized The Day.

We hope that you take the opportunity to support our sponsor, Trailtopia, when you consider your next backpacking trip. Go to https://www.trailtopia.com/ to check out their wide variety of meals.