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

Digger was one of the guys I met during my 2014 journey and, as often happened, this short acquaintance proved to assist me in my own hike. Once he'd completed the AT, Digger went on to many other adventures, including the PCT, the Camino and a kind of freestyle journey through France, England and, ultimately Ireland. Digger is currently plotting a beautiful trail through Italy with his 10-year-old daughter, Rosie. He was also involved in a little bit of controversy over his somewhat exuberant celebrations at the top of Katahdin. Frankly, after over 2,000 miles, I would have thought that wouldn't be too much of a problem. Oh well. The one below is the more restrained version. You can connect with Digger via Facebook or just check out his YouTube channel. No Jessa this week, so I had John Boyet on the show to give us a few tips on what to look out for if you're in the market for new boots or shoes.

This week, I've got another diverse array of guests from Trail Days in Damascus a few weeks ago. While I guess a parade of hikers could have been interviewed, I preferred to go with others associated with the Appalachian Trail, so I've managed to get another interesting mix together. Dan Bedore is hiking a kind of alternative AT, keeping the pioneering spirit of the trail alive by spending large amounts of time totally by himself. He said that he preferred it that way. When I checked his website, bedore.org, I was amazed at the variety of trails that he has completed. For those of you wishing to go a little off the beaten track, Dan's site is a good place to start. You can reach out to Dan at [email protected] if you'd like to find out more about his journeys. Next, I spoke with the first of the vendors this week. One of the Jacks, of Jacks R Better, demonstrated the Bear Mountain Bridge Hammock, based upon the design of a suspension bridge. It provides a flat sleeping surface. I was a little doubtful, but it was terrific. Had I seen this in 2014, I may have even considered a hammock. You can find out more about the company at the Jacks R Better website and this video demonstrates the setup of the hammock. Eric Fox, the son of Alison and Bob Fox, hiked the AT a couple of years back. Bob wrote Eric's story for him, in a really interesting family collaboration, called The Endless Trail. Check out the book on Amazon. You can also see more about the book at Bob's website and Facebook page. Click on the appropriate link. Here's a picture of the two of us. Kyle Jeffreys introduced me to a very reasonably priced air pad. The company is Klymit, and I highly recommend their website. I tried out the Static V2. At just over $60, it is a bargain and extremely comfortable. The website will give you far more information, as well as some really excellent deals for somebody putting together a bunch of equipment from one supplier. Once again, click on the link that appeals to you. Moe Lemire is a hiker who wanted to give back. Instead of just talking about it, he joined the NY-NJ Trail Conference, responsible for more than 50 miles of the AT in these two states. If you're from that area, or simply want to see the great work that Moe and his team do, check out their website. Eddie Hinnant was showing us The Packa, his very own invention, at Trail Days. He demonstrated his combination pack cover and jacket with the fervor of a man who knows he has done good work. Let Eddie himself show you in this video. If you want to learn more, go to Eddie's website. Lisa Quigley, representing the Virginia Creeper Trail, told us as much as she could in the few minutes we spoke. If you'd like to learn more, you can see their pretty website or even their Facebook page. Finally, Dave Degler was kind enough to talk to me about the work of A Christian Ministry in the National Parks. I was so impressed with Dave and his charming team, three of whom are hiking the trail this year. If you'd like to learn more about the extensive outreach that they do, visit their website. I hope that you enjoyed meeting some of the people at Trail Days. I'm really glad that I went, and I PROMISE, the audio quality of outdoor recordings will improve if I do this again!! Charlotte Taney, a previous guest, was originally unsure about any concerns that she may have had prior to starting the AT. On reflection, however, it turned out that she had a few for this week's Fear and Loathing on the Appalachian Trail. Attie seems right back into it, so we're both looking longer term than we had in previous weeks. I can't tell you how delighted I am. I also know that I posted this picture a few weeks ago, but I wanted a Trail Days picture to go with the podcast on Facebook and this turns out to be it. One last thing. If you've read any of my three books and you HAVEN'T left a review, please do me a big favor and click on the appropriate link below to take you directly to the review page of that book. Thanks so much. My Appalachian Trial I: Three Weddings and a Sabbatical My Appalachian Trial II: Creaking Geezer, Hidden Flagon Hiking the Appalachian Trail is Easy: Especially if You've Never Hiked Before. By the way, remember that this last book is free at my author's website, though I won't be in the least bit offended if you want to pay me $2.99 for it!!

Kyle Bock has had some dark days, not least because he lived in Alaska for over fifteen years with no running water and, for the past few years, with no electricity. Kyle has taken on the challenge of an AT thru-hike with an almost professional approach, yet enjoyed his journey as he contemplates what the trail means to him. He is expressing himself with his beautiful photographs, altering them to reflect how he felt at the time. The only contact information that he shared was his Instagram account, which is under the name of Bockasaurus. Pay a visit to Kyle's page; you'll be glad that you did. The three photos here are examples of the thought he has put into his pictures. Kyle hopes to complete the trail in about four months; I'm really looking forward to catching up with him on his return. Attie has reassessed her situation and is now pushing forward with her hike. She continues to enjoy her adventures but has been a great example of somebody who may have expected much of what she has experienced but didn't necessarily count on the yearning to be at home. I faced similar times when I was away; I'm just glad that she has made this reassessment and pushed forward. As always, thanks to everybody who supports the show. I hope that you listen to my new podcast, Mighty Blue on the John Muir Trail when it comes out soon. Watch this space.

A trip to Trail Days wasn't on my itinerary when I hiked the AT in 2014, so my visit this year had a dual purpose. I was going there to both see what I'd missed and to interview others who were attending. I was trying to capture some of the spirit of both Damascus at party time and the Appalachian Trail. This episode will focus on Trail Days and forms the first of two such episodes. I'm still following Attie, as she makes her way north. She has hit a few walls on the way but is upbeat pretty much whenever we speak and is taking each day as it comes. She has teamed up with a couple of other hikers, Bananas and The Machine. Here is her iconic shot at the glorious McAfee Knob. Another past guest, Erin McKenzie, told us about her Fear and Loathing thoughts on the AT. But this week is mainly about Trail Days. I've pulled together a number of the short, live conversations that I had with a wide variety of people. I hope you enjoy them.

Sarah Williams is a true force of nature. Her goal is to inspire women and girls to think beyond the boundaries of their previously limited lives, and she has earned her recognition as a true leader in her community. To challenge herself further, she is attempting a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail from June 2017 and hoping to complete that challenge in 100 days. Her defiant self-belief and powerful determination lead her to challenge others to test themselves. Sarah quit her well-paid City of London job to pursue her dreams and spent 18 months traveling the world, climbing Kilimanjaro in Africa and hiking around South America among her many adventures. She can be contacted in many ways and through many platforms, all of which will appear at the bottom of these notes, after her second photograph. Jessa / Attie has come to something of a crossroads in her hike. We met at Trail Days and she seemed to have made up her mind that perhaps a thru-hike wasn't for her. A couple of days later, she was back hiking, relishing the trail once more and happy with her decision. She'll make the final decision on Memorial Day. Before that happens, though, we got the chance of a picture together for the first time. By the way, I mention my bear sighting in the show. Here is the YouTube link as promised. Back to Sarah and the many ways to contact her. Twitter - https://twitter.com/_tough_girl Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/toughgirlchallenges/ Blog/Website - https://www.toughgirlchallenges.com/ FaceBook - https://www.facebook.com/ToughGirlChallenges/ TRIBE - https://www.facebook.com/groups/ToughGirlTribe/ Tumblr - http://toughgirlchallenges.tumblr.com Pinterest - https://uk.pinterest.com/Tough101/ Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ToughGirlPodcast?ty=h You can listen to the Tough Girl Podcast on the go via iTunes, Soundcloud & Stitcher! If you can't get hold of Sarah through all those choices, you're not really trying!! Thanks so much to everybody for their continued support for the show. Please tell your friends and share the links that you see on Facebook with your own network.

Byron Church has had his sights set on the Appalachian Trail since he read Bill Bryson's book in High School, nearly two decades ago. Section by section, he has completed more than 2,000 miles of the trail and will be finishing this year. As all section hikers do, Byron has had to earn his hiking legs every year. He reached out to me to tell his story as he is soon to set out for his final leg later this year. You can follow Byron on his blog, earthandasphalt.com and contact him at [email protected] In this week's Fear and Loathing on the Appalachian Trail, I caught up again with Steve Walker, or Big Bird. Steve was forced off the trail last year and has returned to complete his mission. He's currently slogging his way through Pennsylvania's rock and you can hear that in his voice! Steve's has one of the more thorough video logs, so follow him on YouTube if you want to share his journey towards Katahdin. Attie had a big decision to make this week. She has struggled with homesickness and needed to take a week's break before she made up her mind what to do. Thanks to all for your support, via email, reviews or through my book sales. I'd also like to thank those of you who have signed up to be patrons on Patreon, though you'll notice that nothing has been debited from you. It was me; I messed up my Patreon entry. I'll be trying to resolve it soon. The joys of technology in your 60s!!

This week, I'm interviewing Ron Tipton, a man who has spent his entire adult life in conservation and the environment. He hiked the trail in 1978, yet it isn't his hike that we're going to discuss in any detail. When Ron completed his thru-hike, he had already determined that this was a life and a career that he wanted to pursue. He has spent more than 40 years of his career as an advocate for public land preservation and national park protection. He became the President and CEO of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy in 2013. Visit the ATC's website, www.appalachiantrail.org. It is full of great information about the trail and I confess that it was a great education for me. I read the strategic plan and really understood the rationale behind it. Ron and his team at the ATC are simply planning for the future of OUR trail. For that, we should all be eternally grateful. You can email them at [email protected], or call them on 304-535-6331. You can even find Ron on LinkedIn. In case you were wondering, the handsome young dude with the wild beard below is young Ron. Jessa's backpack woes continued this week, with the resolution to her problem waistband still elusive. She seems to face these problems with a smile and a shrug. Hopefully, she'll get the matter resolved in Damascus. If you'd like to see what an utter ARSE I made of myself at Laurel Falls, click here. Be warned, it isn't pretty. I appear after about 11 seconds. The falls are pretty though, aren't they? If you like what we're producing for you on the show, please consider supporting us at www.patreon.com/mightyblue. I'm planning on adding a couple of new shows after my hiking this year, so any help with this is much appreciated.