Episode #197 - Dave Braunlich (Seventy)
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Release Date: 12/19/2019
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...
info_outline Episode #418 - George SteffanosMighty 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...
info_outline 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 ...
info_outline 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,...
info_outline 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_outline Episode #414 - Jessie Gehner (Twisted Sister)Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Jessie Gehner, MD, is a thru-hiker from 2008 who then went to medical school. She currently works as an ER physician at Roanoke hospital, and is a member of the faculty of the Wilderness Medical Society, spearheading the Wilderness Medicine Fellowship at her hospital. She has continued her hiking life and, in her work capacity, also hikes to Everest Base Camp each year with a group of medical professionals. Jessie has provided links for both the base camp group, and the Wilderness Medical Society. She can also be found on Facebook at We also finished our Mighty Blue Class of 2023...
info_outline Episode #413 - Daniel Clark (Lucky Colleague)Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
We meet another Brit on the show today. Daniel Clark is a listener to the podcast, and he filled in the form to register as a guest on our website, adding rich detail about his 2023 thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. We explore some of his stories. Daniel has a terrific website that chronicles some of his other hikes. You can find it at He is also on social media at Instagram and YouTube at and In our casual series of other hikes, my friend Andrew Cohen shares his recent experience on the TGO Challenge in Scotland. You can catch his YouTube at , where there is a playlist with 23...
info_outline Episode #412 - Roxanne Lashley (Foxy)Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Roxanne Lashley took on the AT last year and took her time. She had planned to go straight north to south, yet reaching Harpers Ferry past the Independence Day holiday, she knew she needed to flip north, then head back south. Roxanne finished back at Harpers Ferry and shares her story with us. In our conversation, Roxanne mentioned a couple of MeetUps, so, if you’re a lone who’d like to hike with others, check out these MeetUps Remember, there are MeetUps all over the country, so check out others in your area. Also today, Amanda Aguillard shares her story of hiking the...
info_outline Episode #411 - Molly Beth Gaynier (Breaky)Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Our two guests today have something in common; they’ve both thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail, yet their stories have taken entirely different turns. Our main guest is Molly Gaynier, who thru-hiked the trail in 2022, relishing the experience, even dragging it out with her extended breaks to take in the whole thing. But it was after the trail that she went through something none of us would wish on our worst enemy. The grace and grit that she reveals in our conversation should alert you to the importance of not procrastinating, as well as her determination to get back on trail. You can...
info_outline Episode #410 - D. J. Mullet (Dos Entradas)Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
DJ Mullet, or Dos Entradas, had been a hiker for several years, with the Appalachian Trail firmly in his sights. Yet a Type One Diabetes diagnosis seemed to have put paid to that dream. However, undaunted, DJ worked out not only how to manage the illness in his day-to-day life, he was able to manage it successfully on the AT in 2023. He shares his story eagerly, so that others will be inspired to do what it takes to get out into the woods to fulfill their own dreams. You can follow DJ on YouTube at and on Facebook at two sites. and We welcome Jester and her buddy and partner,...
info_outlineDave 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!!