Episode #192 - Jess Jordan (Yalla)
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Release Date: 11/14/2019
Episode #424 - South West Coast Path (Days 8-10)
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
The last three days have tested me yet again, though I’m pretty much on schedule. A schoolboy error on my part led to a very low energy day, though meeting dear friends at the end of the day more than made up for it. I’m using my hike in the UK on the South West Coast Path to help raise money for my absolute favorite charity, Parenting Matters, on whose board I’ve been privileged to serve for over a decade. You can learn more about the hike and the organization–and donate–by visiting . And, maybe, you’ll get a personal picture of me thanking you with your name etched in the...
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Episode #423 - South West Coast Path (Days 4-7)
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
The first week has been unexpected, exciting, and even a little scary. I’m now 80 miles into the hike and just starting to feel that I’m finding my way. John has returned home, as originally planned, and the tenor of the hike has shifted as I’m on my own. I’ve been overwhelmed by the beauty of this hike, I’ve been surprised by the difficulty, and I start week two excited by the prospect of the time I’ll be spending with dear friends later in the week. I’m using my hike in the UK on the South West Coast Path to help raise money for my absolute favorite charity, Parenting...
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Episode #422 - South West Coast Path (Days 1-3)
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
The first three days of my South West Coast Path hike are in the books. Unfortunately, my notes weren’t in the books! I somehow lost them, so this first podcast is a little thin on detail, though full of my heart. I hope you enjoy it. I’m using my hike in the UK on the South West Coast Path to help raise money for my absolute favorite charity, Parenting Matters, on whose board I’ve been privileged to serve for over a decade. You can learn more about the hike and the organization–and donate–by visiting . And, maybe, you’ll get a personal picture of me thanking you with...
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Episode #421 - Briana DeSanctis
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Today’s guest has recently completed a truly epic journey. Briana DeSanctis set out to hike the American Discovery Trail in January 2022. 6,800 miles later, having taken in all the seasons–twice–Briana finished her personal odyssey in February this year, becoming the first solo woman to do so. Having thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail almost a decade ago, Briana considered that it wasn’t enough for her, so she set her sights on this epic hike and worked to accumulate the funds she needed. On the way, she discovered that no woman had completed this hike, so the impetus to become the...
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Episode #420 - Clay Bonnyman Evans (Pony on the Cape Wrath Trail)
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
We have an old friend on the show today. Clay Bonnyman Evans completed his AT thru-hike back in 2015, yet his latest hike is the intriguing Cape Wrath Trail. Clay shares his experience in his own inimitable style, even adding an unscheduled walk after the hike from Edinburgh to Glasgow. Because, well, why not? Clay is a contributor to the Trek, and you can follow his blog here He has added further links to illustrate some of the topics he brings up in our conversation to further aid you should you wish to follow this epic route. Also on the show today, the Dude, Brandon Jacob, shares...
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Episode #419 - Sarah Denison Williams
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
A few weeks ago, I met today’s guest, Sarah Denison Williams, at the Appalachian Trail Club of Florida, and was so impressed by her presentation that I invited her on to the show. But it turned out that Sarah had so much more to share than the confines of her presentation that we expanded our recording to cover it all. Sarah shares the work done by the Conservation Foundation here in South West Florida, but also speaks to the local and national implications of that work and other trusts around the country. Additionally, she tells us the seven wilderness survival priorities that she...
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Episode #418 - George Steffanos
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
We have an old friend back on the show today, though it’s the first time I’ve met him! He is George Steffanos, writer of the hugely entertaining blog, now book, Then the Hail Came. I read the book over about 18 months and was constantly gripped by both his recall and his descriptions of the trail. Also, it was 40 years ago that George headed out on the AT, and he shares plans for a future hike in 2025. You can buy the book at Amazon at , while you can learn more about George at . He’s also fairly lively on social media. You can follow him on Twitter (X) at , on Facebook at , and on...
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Episode #417 - Bern Leibensperger (Yardsale)
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Bern Leibensperger discovered the Appalachian Trail when her daughter expressed an interest in section hiking the trail several years ago. Since then, the two of them have racked up over 1,000 miles and, in an attempt to integrate further into our community, Bern and her husband Glen opened a hostel for hikers in PA. We discuss what it is that hikers need and Bern shares her own insights from her hiking. She’s also a fierce proponent of the Hike for Mental Health organization, helping out whenever she can with that awesome mission. You can find Bern and the Lookout Hostel on Facebook at ...
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Episode #416 - Audrey Payne (Glowstick)
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
We have another successful AT thru-hiker on the show today. Yet Audrey Payne seemed very unlikely to get the chance to hike the trail a few years earlier. How she recovered, and ultimately succeeded, is a story that she tells here in a conversation with Steve. Now, six years later, Audrey has continued to hike and has just released her book about her hike in 2018. You can find it on Amazon here. She also has an excellent website with great pictures of the AT and her other hikes. . Additionally, you can find her on social media at , and on YouTube at . Also today, Bob Campbell, or Sloggy,...
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Episode #415 - Al Marriott (Lookout)
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
We have two returning guests today. First up, Al Marriott, fresh from his AT thru-hike in 2022, followed up with the PCT last year. Al shares his varied life of adventure in a great conversation with Steve. He also tells us a story of how serendipitous the trail can be, with a chance meeting with people he shared an AT shelter with the previous year. Al’s YouTube channel–Adventure Together–continues to show his adventures. You can catch it here. , while he has a bunch of great pictures on Instagram and a wealth of stories on his blog at the Trek . Natisha Webb is our second...
info_outlineWhen 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.