Episode #473 - JC Van Etten (Catmando) Triple Crowner
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Release Date: 02/27/2025
Episode #496 - Charles Bruce (Tracker)
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
We meet Charles Bruce, or Tracker, this week. Charles is a member of the Appalachian Trail Class of 2022, and he fulfilled a long-held bucket list item when he completed his thru-hike. Charles is from the northeast, and one of his passions is to track white-tailed deer through the snow. While those skills didn’t help with his thru-hike, they gave him his awesome trail name! We’ll hear why he needed to be finished before October, and his current plan to keep a promise he made to his wife. Beth and Andrew have reached, and passed, the halfway marker, while the REAL rocks of Pennsylvania...
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Episode #495 - Dr Lynne Savino (Older hikers on trail)
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Our guest today is an old friend of the show; Dr Lynne Savino. Lynne always has an interesting take on medical issues related to hiking, and this week, she discusses older hikers on trail. She brings her normal passion for hiking and medicine to the podcast, teaching me a few things along the way. We also caught up with Dave, Beth and Andrew, as they all cope with the heat bubble on the east coast of the US. Dave has moved into Connecticut, his 10th state, and he got this stunning, early-morning view of New York City from the trail a few days ago. Meanwhile, Beth and Andrew have reached the...
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Episode #494 - The End and Epilogue on the Camino de Santiago
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
This is it; the final days on my Camino trip in Spain. We cover the final four days, as well as interviews with Dave, plus Beth and Andrew from the Appalachian Trail. Next week, we'll be back to normal!
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Episode #493 - Days 29-31 on the Camino de Santiago
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Almost there, with the trail now full of people since Sarria. I should be finished this weekend. Also, Dave is well past the 1200 mile mark and feeling the full effects of Pennsylvania. It hurts!!
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Episode #492 - Days 25-28 on the Camino de Santiago
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
We’re closing in on the end and I’m not sure Im ready to be done. We’re back into the mountains and views are opening up all around us. Beth and Andrew have been joined by more friends to hike with for a few weeks.
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Episode #491 - Days 22-24 on the Camino de Santiago
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
I’m back in the rhythm and within a couple of weeks from the end. I’m meeting new people, reacquainting my legs with hills, and eating relentlessly. I love hiking!!! Dave has passed Harper’s Ferry and pushing into Pennsylvania and the rocks!
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Episode #490 - Day 21 and a Road Trip Back
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Today rounds off my last hike into Léon before taking a scheduled break to visit my family for a birthday party, followed by a long detour back to the trail via England, where I watched my beloved Mighty Blues in their unexpected play off final. we also hear again from Beth and Andrew as they take on the first part of the Virginia Triple Crown; Dragon’s Tooth in the rain.
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Episode #489 - Day Twenty and a Road Trip
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
The first half of my Camino hike is done and I’ve arrived at Léon for my scheduled break with family (and a soccer match). Dave is near the halfway point on the Appalachian Trail and has recovered his mojo.
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Episode #487 - Days Thirteen to Fifteen on the Camino de Santiago
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Past the two-week mark and into the Meseta, the journey continues with intimate conversation, communal meals, and changing, yet still beautiful scenery. We also catch up with Beth and Andrew as they move on from Trail Days.
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Episode #488 - Days Sixteen to Nineteen on the Camino de Santiago
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
The Meseta is about to end and I’m about to head south for a few days for a family party. The break has come at a good time to help my feet recover from a pounding. Beth and Andrew take responsibility for Rufus, a bowling ball. Weird? Yep.
info_outlineJC 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 and I talked again, this time invoking our Desert Island Discs take-off, with Dave’s choices of music that evoke memories for him.
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 hike last year on the South West Coast Path in the UK 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 Hike with Steve - Empowering Parents, One Step at a Time | Parenting Matters %. 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 Woods Hole Weekend - Trailer 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. Come on the show!
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