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Episode #456 - Hunter and John Rud (Hunter & JR)

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

Release Date: 10/31/2024

Episode #481 - Guinevere Drabik  (Lucky) show art Episode #481 - Guinevere Drabik (Lucky)

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

We have such an interesting guest this week. Guinevere Drabik, or Lucky. She thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2023 and found a community that she had been looking for. She shares great stories about her time on trail and recalls several people who influenced her hike, with a dry wit that really made me laugh. You can see more of Guinevere on Instagram at , and read her blog on the Trek at . She is also on Substack at Dave has hit the 500 mile mark, eating everything in his path as trail magic seems to follow him around, while Beth and Andrew meet a friend of the show. And Andrew gets...

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Episode #480 - Anna McKinney Smith (Magic) show art Episode #480 - Anna McKinney Smith (Magic)

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

Anna McKinney Smith, a 2021 thru-hiker, is our guest today. Anna found her people out on trail and, more significantly, she also found her person, who became her husband. Anna referred to having a “common purpose of forward momentum” that appealed to her, and she has since been a writer for the Trek and opened her own blog about hiking, called Magic in the Mountains. Here’s the link. . You can also follow Anna on the Trek at and on Instagram at  . She’ll be hiking the PCT with her husband this year, so follow along. Dave, Beth, and Andrew continue their way north, with...

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Episode #479 - Melanie Wood (Aphrodite) show art Episode #479 - Melanie Wood (Aphrodite)

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

Melanie Wood is our guest this week. She hiked SOBO last year, running into the devastation of Helene with about 700 miles to go, having to prematurely end her hike. She is still recognized as a thru-hiker because, quite rightly, she hiked the trail that was available. Melanie went on to write about her experiences on the trail, giving a positive outlook with her perspectives. You can check out more about the book at her website at . If you'd like to order the book on Amazon, click this link....

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Episode #478 - Annika Ananias (Ravenclaw) show art Episode #478 - Annika Ananias (Ravenclaw)

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

We have a German hiker on the podcast this week. Annika Ananias recently flew into the US to hike the Arizona Trail with her American boyfriend, when she was pulled out of line, harshly interrogated, deported, and banned from re-entering the country for five years. This, despite having a ten-year visa. She has a compelling story. I wanted to hear from Annika in her own words. The Trek wrote a great article about her that left me with a few questions I wanted to clear up with her. As you’ll hear, she is articulate and tells her alarming story with clarity. These links will tell you more of...

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Episode #477 - Bill Zyckowski (Big Willy Dawg) show art Episode #477 - Bill Zyckowski (Big Willy Dawg)

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

This week, we meet Bill Zyckowski, or Big Willy Dawg. Bill is a retired police officer who truly needed a walk in the woods to bring some meaning to his life. As you’ll hear, he embraced it thoroughly, forming a strong bond with his fellow hikers, the majority of whom were decades younger. He emerged changed, as many of us do. You can learn more about Bill–and follow him on his hiking adventures–on YouTube at  Beth is less than a week away from her AT thru-hike start. This week, we talk last minute preparations and imminent plans. Next week, we’ll hear from her from the trail....

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Episode #476 - Nicole Markovich (Droplet) show art Episode #476 - Nicole Markovich (Droplet)

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

Nicole Markovich joins us on the podcast to tell us about her 2022 AT thru-hike, the drastic changes to her life that ensued, and the ultimate formation of a business that encompassed both her teaching and backpacking experience. As if that wasn’t enough, she also met the man who would become her boyfriend at Springer Mountain the first night on trail. Undeterred by the distance between their respective lives, Nicole moved to Tennessee to start a new life and a new business. You can find out more about Nicole’s guiding trips and engage with her on social media by clicking the links...

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Episode #475 - Nick Panetta show art Episode #475 - Nick Panetta

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

Nick Panetta is our guest this week. He is an avid section hiker on the Appalachian Trail, and a stickler for detail. He attempted a southbound thru-hike back in 2012, was woefully ill-prepared, and only made it part of the way through the 100 Mile Wilderness. Undeterred, perhaps even more determined, Nick went away and started to understand the requirements for extensive backpacking over a period of time. He shed plenty of excess weight in his gear, and now prepares methodically with spreadsheets to guide him along his way. Nick’s is an instructive story on how to learn by one’s...

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Episode #474 - Shelley Harris (Hopscotch) show art Episode #474 - Shelley Harris (Hopscotch)

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

I saw a great Facebook post on one of the Appalachian Trail pages recently. Shelley Harris (Hopscotch) wrote her reflections after her thru-hike, offering common sense solutions to those contemplating such an adventure. Basically, Shelley suggested that you can figure it out as you go along, and you shouldn’t stress the details. Our over-cautious, everybody-has-an-opinion world tends to forget the simple truths, which apply not only to hiking but also to everyday life. For me, Shelley was a breath of fresh air. For the first time in our Mighty Blue Class of 2025, both Beth and Dave are on...

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Episode #473 - JC Van Etten (Catmando) Triple Crowner show art Episode #473 - JC Van Etten (Catmando) Triple Crowner

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

JC Van Etten, or Catmando returns to the show. We first met him on the Appalachian Trail a few years ago, I seem to have missed him on the PCT, but caught up with him again after his Continental Divide Trail thru-hike last year to complete his Triple Crown. Cat is a great raconteur, sharing plenty of advice through our conversation, as well as recording some of the epic sights he was able to see out on the CDT. One of those epic sights was a chance encounter with four grizzly bears which, startlingly, Cat decided to capture with his iPhone. Here’s the link. Dave Santi...

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Episode #472 - David Alan Lane (Squarepeg) show art Episode #472 - David Alan Lane (Squarepeg)

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

We meet David Alan Lane, aka Squarepeg, today. David has been sharing his trail experience extensively over the past few years on Facebook. He helps with all sorts of advice, including gear and what to eat out on trail. It’s a cherished resource for hikers. Now, David has put together another Facebook page that is ambitious in its scope. He has formed Slackpack the Appalachian Trail with Squarepeg, and will shortly be heading north on a big slackpack that will have members drop in and drop out along the way. Steve and David discuss this new venture, as well as his other experiences hiking...

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More Episodes

Another former guest returns to the show today, this time with his hiking partner, and Dad. Hunter and John Rud completed the CDT this year. For Hunter, it was the second leg of his own Triple Crown, but for John, it was his completed Triple Crown. They share their awesome experience.

There is a lot of wisdom, both in hiking and in life, from these two, as they reminisce on what must have been an epic journey for this father and son to share.

You can see more of their adventures on Instagram at .

Then I want you all to meet Jessica Bowser, a fellow podcaster who is the host of the Virginia Outdoor Adventures podcast. Hers is a wide-ranging show that covers all aspects of the outdoors available in Virginia. Check it out at 

You can also check the episodes she mentioned in our conversation at  and 

Our book reading, Happy Hiking, by my friend, Emily Leonard is–of course–written from a woman’s POV and a woman’s voice. I hope you enjoy listening to my reading of it. If you’d like to buy the book, you can find it on Amazon at Happy Hiking: Falling in love on the Appalachian Trail, or on Emily’s website, at Happy Hiking.

I used my recent 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 . I hope you want to support this critical mission.

Don’t forget. Our entire series of videos from our Woods Hole Weekend in 2022 is now FREE and available at my YouTube page at  There, you’ll find all sorts of tips and tricks that our guests took away from the weekend that helped them with their own hikes this year. Check it out.

I often ask listeners for ideas on who to interview, and I’m sure several of you say, “I could do that. I’ve got an awesome story to tell.” You’re the person we need to hear from. If you’d like to be interviewed on the podcast, just register as a guest on the link below, and I’ll be in touch. 

If you like what we're doing on the Hiking Radio Network, and want to see our shows continue, please consider supporting us with either a one-off or monthly donation. You'll find the donate button on each Hiking Radio Network page at  .

If you prefer NOT to use PayPal, you can now support us via check by mailing it to Mighty Blue Publishing, PO Box 6161, Sun City Center, FL 35751. Also, you can now “Zelle” us a donation to [email protected]. Any support is gratefully received.

If you'd like to take advantage of my book offer (all three of my printed hiking books–with a personal message and signed by me–for $31, including postage to the United States) send a check payable to Mighty Blue Publishing at the address just above.