Walking and Talking: An Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike

In 2020, I got to live out my thru-hiking dream, but I'm only one of thousands of people who hikes on the Appalachian Trail - what are their stories? That's what I hope to find out! Join me every-other Wednesday for interviews with other hikers and recounts of my own thru-hike!

Glen Van Peski (Founder of Gossamer Gear) 03/16/2024

Glen Van Peski (Founder of Gossamer Gear) Join Glen and I on this special, rare episode of Walking and Talking! Glen is a an "engineer, entrepreneur, author, sought-after speaker, and dishwasher/philanthropist." In 1998 he founded Gossamer Gear. He's humble, funny, and dedicated. *I apolgize for the poor audio quality on my mic. I've been out of the podcast game for awhile so I had my settings messed up. Thankfully, Glen is crisp and clear - he's more intersting to listen to anyway. Glen's book Take Less. Do More: Surprising Life Lessons in Generosity. Gratitude, and Curiosty from an Ultralight Backpacker is available on April 16th. Find it at the links below. All profits on the book will be donated to the Pacific Crest Trail Association. Visit Glen's website to learn more /episode/index/show/walkingtalkingpod/id/30402423

Skiing Solo to The South Pole (yeah, seriously) with Jacob "Valhalla" Myers 10/26/2022

Skiing Solo to The South Pole (yeah, seriously) with Jacob "Valhalla" Myers My friend is about to do something insane! Jacob is attempting to become the youngest person in HISTORY to ski solo to The South Pole. Join us for this conversation about running 100s of miles through the mountains, living on a glacier, setting world records, planting trees in Austrialia, and much more! DONATE TO THIS PROJECT! IndieGoGo: Venmo: @MyersJG1 CHECK OUT HIS BLOG! My Website: FOLLOW THE SOCIALS! IG: @YoungestToPoleProject IG: @ClimateForce.360 LEARN MORE ABOUT THE UNITY BLAZE! /episode/index/show/walkingtalkingpod/id/24812202

Lightshow! 03/30/2021

Lightshow! Lightshow and I met two weeks into my thru-hike when the world was shutting down due to COVID. He completed the southern half of the AT last year. This year he plans to start at Katahdin and head south. He joins me this week to talk about his unique approach to hiking the trail, why you should take the blue-blazes, his time working at Standing Bear Farm, and so much more! Lots of love and lessons in this one. Connect with Walking and Talking! All Things Walking and Talking: Links to Listen: Donate: Contact: Facebook: New Episodes every other Wednesday at Noon EST! /episode/index/show/walkingtalkingpod/id/18542780

The Schlossers talk AT 03/17/2021

The Schlossers talk AT Hey everyone! My mom, Mary Schlosser, joins me this week to reminisce about her experience with the AT in 2020. No intro or outro today. Audacity keeps crashing whenever I try to edit, so it’s all interview this time around. Join us for a conversation about putting on a brave face, learning lessons from the woods, eating cold oatmeal, apple cider festivals, and so much more! If you’d like to listen to other episodes with Mary, check out episodes 1 & 8 Connect with Walking and Talking! All Things Walking and Talking: Links to Listen: Donate: Contact: Facebook: New Episodes every other Wednesday at Noon EST! /episode/index/show/walkingtalkingpod/id/18357587

One-Year Anniversary & The Return of Shotgun 03/03/2021

One-Year Anniversary & The Return of Shotgun On this one-year anniversary episode I’m joined again by Chase Bontemps (Shotgun). Shotgun is a 23 year-old West Virginia University grad who now works as a civil engineer in Washington DC. He’s one of my best friends from the trail and we hiked the northern half together. Today’s episode is a relaxed conversation in which we reflect on the one-year anniversary of our start dates. If you’d like to hear Shotgun’s backstory, I recommend first listening to episodes 11 and 19. If you’ve already heard those episodes, or if you just want to dive into this episode, welcome aboard! **I was riddled with technical difficulties while recording and editing this episode. I tried my best to make everything sound as normal as possible Thank you to everyone who has listened to the show over this past year! You all rock! Connect with Walking and Talking! All Things Walking and Talking: Links to Listen: Donate: Contact: Facebook: New Episodes every other Wednesday at Noon EST! /episode/index/show/walkingtalkingpod/id/18174605

Hell Yeah Jesus! 02/17/2021

Hell Yeah Jesus! This week I’m joined by Scott “Hell Yeah Jesus” Hughes. He’s the host of his own podcast I Just Wanna Be Hiker Trash (link below). Scott was 1,400 miles into a sobo AT thruhike attempt in 2016 when he made the decision to get off trail for the year. He returned Katahdin in 2018 and set off again – this time successfully making it all the way to Springer Mountain. Anyone who hikes 3,500+ miles on the AT comes away with some great stories. Lucky for me, all those stories make for a great interview! Join us for a conversation about determination, crazy trail names, podcasting, lessons the trail teaches, and so much more! Check out I Just Wanna Be Hiker Trash here or on FaceBook https://m.facebook.com/justwannabehikertrashpod/ Connect with Walking and Talking! All Things Walking and Talking: Links to Listen: Donate: Contact: Facebook: New Episodes every other Wednesday at Noon EST! /episode/index/show/walkingtalkingpod/id/17962754

The Unreleased Tapes- Part 1 02/03/2021

The Unreleased Tapes- Part 1 This week I step away from the normal interview format and instead bring you some recordings from the trail in early April 2020. I had stopped releasing podcasts at this point due to COVID. Hopefully this episode shines some light on the difficulty of the hike at that point and my thoughts as I debated whether or not to continue my hike. Connect with Walking and Talking! All Things Walking and Talking: Links to Listen: Donate: Contact: Facebook: New Episodes every other Wednesday at Noon EST! /episode/index/show/walkingtalkingpod/id/17795807

The Long Trail with Natalie Muskin 01/20/2021

The Long Trail with Natalie Muskin This week we head to a different trail – Vermont’s Long Trail! This trail stretches 273 miles through Vermont from the Massachusetts border to Canada. Natalie Muskin joins me to recount her 2018 thru-hike and her experience the following summer as a backcountry caretaker! Join us for a conversation about the naturalness of hiking, persevering through injury, the assumptions people too often make when a woman hikes alone, everything coming full-circle, and so much more! Learn more about Green Mountain Club Backcountry Caretakers! Connect with Walking and Talking! All Things Walking and Talking: Links to Listen: Donate: Contact: Facebook: New Episodes every other Wednesday at Noon EST! /episode/index/show/walkingtalkingpod/id/17608952

The Journey of a Sparkle Chasing Mountain Mermaid called Neck Knife 01/06/2021

The Journey of a Sparkle Chasing Mountain Mermaid called Neck Knife This week I’m joined by Laura Bee, aka Neck Knife. She was living in California when she decided to come back home east for a 2020 AT flip-flop thruhike. She felt the trail was approachable and could fulfill nostalgic goals, as she grew up in New Hampshire. Join us for a conversation about how the AT can bring families closer together, encouraging women to thruhike alone, why the AT can be a great place for people with opposing viewpoints to have respectful conversation with each other, how moving slower can make you happier, and so much more! Check out Laura’s great AT blog! Follow her on Instagram: @laurabee0 Bonus episode once I reach 100 ratings and reviews on Apple Podcasts! Happy 2021 Everyone! Connect with Walking and Talking! All Things Walking and Talking: Links to Listen: Donate: Contact: Facebook: New Episodes every other Wednesday at Noon EST! /episode/index/show/walkingtalkingpod/id/17429858

Triple Crowning with Phill Toomasian (Flamingo) 12/23/2020

Triple Crowning with Phill Toomasian (Flamingo) This week, I’m joined by Phill Toomasian, aka Flamingo. He is a triple-crowner, having hiked the 2,650-mile-long Pacific Crest Trail in 2018 and the 2,200-mile-long Appalachian Trail and the 3,000-mile-long Continental Divide Trail in 2020. That’s over 7,000 miles of hiking on those trails alone! (about the distance from Denver to Hong Kong!) Phill partnered with the non-profit “Dressember” this year to raise money to fight human trafficking. Join us for a conversation about living your “real-life” no matter where you are or what you’re doing, following your faith to use your natural gifts to better the world, social media pressure during COVID-19 and the amplification of “cancel culture”, why the AT is the most difficult part of the triple-crown, a really neat pair of pink pants, and so much more! Follow Flamingo on Instagram! @phillip.david.t Become a donor to Phill’s Dressember fundraiser! Happy Holidays! I can’t believe this is already the last episode of 2020. I’m so appreciative of all of you who have been with me this year to share this journey with me :) Connect with Walking and Talking! All Things Walking and Talking: Links to Listen: Donate: Contact: Facebook: New Episodes every other Wednesday at Noon EST! /episode/index/show/walkingtalkingpod/id/17301509

Flip-Flopping Thru the Pandemic, with Anthony Kaplon (Half-Baked) 12/09/2020

Flip-Flopping Thru the Pandemic, with Anthony Kaplon (Half-Baked) This week I’m joined by Anthony Kaplon, known on the AT as Half-Baked. He might be able to compare COVID-era hiking to BC (before-COVID) hiking better than anyone else, as he flipflopped Harper’s Ferry to Springer in the Fall of 2019 and Harper’s Ferry to Katahdin this May thru August. Join us for a conversation about knowing exactly when the right time to thruhike is, spending two-and-a-half zero days at a music festival back when those were a thing, finding your genuine self as the AT breaks you down, time-warping on a foggy mountain, and so much more! Want more from Half-Baked? Instagram: @flopflipped_at YouTube: Connect with Walking and Talking! All Things Walking and Talking: Links to Listen: Donate: Contact: Facebook: New Episodes every other Wednesday at Noon EST! /episode/index/show/walkingtalkingpod/id/17121785

Foraging from Georgia to Maine, with Kevin Rocks (Goat) 12/02/2020

Foraging from Georgia to Maine, with Kevin Rocks (Goat) This week I’m joined by Kevin Rocks, aka Goat. He is a farm-to-table chef who brought a wonderful food culture to the AT on his thruhike this year. Join us for a conversation about foraging, cooking, cultivating patience, slowing life down, and so much more! Check out Goat's 5-star AT dinners on his Instagram: @rocks_chef Connect with Walking and Talking! All Things Walking and Talking: Links to Listen: Donate: Contact: Facebook: New Episodes every Wednesday at Noon EST! /episode/index/show/walkingtalkingpod/id/16984817

Jacob Myers (Valhalla) 11/25/2020

Jacob Myers (Valhalla) This week I’m joined by Jacob Myers, aka Valhalla. He is an avid hiker and writer who decided to stop his thruhike 200 miles in this year due to COVID-19. Join us for a conversation about the importance of community, the value in sharing both sides of a story, insane training routines, escaping death in a surprise storm, hiking someone else’s hike, and much more! Follow Jacob’s blog on The Trek: Check out his YouTube channel: Connect with Walking and Talking! All Things Walking and Talking: Links to Listen: Donate: Contact: Facebook: New Episodes every Wednesday at Noon EST! /episode/index/show/walkingtalkingpod/id/16942004

Ben Crawford: The Largest Family to Hike the AT 11/18/2020

Ben Crawford: The Largest Family to Hike the AT This week, I’m joined by Ben Crawford. He is a 2018 thru-hiker who hiked the AT with his wife, Kami, and their 6 children (ages 2, 7, 11, 13, 15, & 16). Known as the Crawford Family, they hold the record for the largest family to complete an AT thruhike together. Ben is the author of the brand-new book “2,000 miles together: the story of the largest family to hike the appalachian trail”. Join us for a conversation about finding a balance between experience and safety, overcoming the “internet hate machine”, the process of converting a life-changing experience into a book, just being a normal family, and so much more! Want to hear more from Ben? Find his new book here: Follow his family’s YouTube vlog: Follow on Instagram @fightfortogether Visit the website: Connect with Walking and Talking! All Things Walking and Talking: Links to Listen: Donate: Contact: Facebook: New Episodes every Wednesday at Noon EST! /episode/index/show/walkingtalkingpod/id/16848890

Bobby Sanders (Lefty) 11/11/2020

Bobby Sanders (Lefty) This week, I’m joined by 2020 thru-hiker Bobby Sanders, aka Lefty. I often refer to Lefty as the socialite of the AT, as so many hikers this year have a story of a memorable moment shared with him. In 1999, he suffered an electrical accident that resulted in the loss of his right arm, two fingers on his left hand, and damaged his left leg. The doctors were unsure if he would walk again. He has since run four marathons and thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail. Join us today for a conversation about the importance of family, perseverance through injury, seeking faith on the AT, and so much more. Find Lefty’s YouTube channel here: Connect with the show! All Things Walking and Talking: Links to Listen: Donate: Contact: Facebook: New Episodes every Wednesday at Noon EST! /episode/index/show/walkingtalkingpod/id/16744505

State Profile: Georgia 11/04/2020

State Profile: Georgia A different type of episode this week! I take some time to look back at the state of Georgia, the “freshman year” state for a NOBO thru-hike hopeful. I hope you enjoy this shorter episode, and I plan on being back with a regular length episode with an interview next week. Connect with the show! All Things Walking and Talking: Links to Listen: Donate: Contact: Facebook: New Episodes every Wednesday at Noon EST! /episode/index/show/walkingtalkingpod/id/16675841

Zach Tucker (FreeFall) 10/28/2020

Zach Tucker (FreeFall) This week I’m joined by 2020 thruhiker Zach Tucker (FreeFall). He is a long-distance hiker, traveler, peakbagger, and AEA stage manager. Zach is one of the very first people I met on my journey. As you’ll hear, him and I took different approaches to handling the mid-thruhike COVID-19 outbreak. Join us for a conversation reflecting on thruhiking, exploring a possible calling as a hostel manager, seeking ways to make the AT experience reignite passion in a career, and so much more! Find Zach’s website here Connect with the show! All Things Walking and Talking: Links to Listen: Donate: Contact: Facebook: New Episodes every Wednesday at Noon EST! /episode/index/show/walkingtalkingpod/id/16567562

Steve Adams (Mighty Blue) 10/21/2020

Steve Adams (Mighty Blue) This week, I’m joined by podcaster and thru-hiker two times over Steve Adams! Steve, known by his trail name Mighty Blue, completed successful thruhikes in both 2014 and 2019. He started his podcast, “Mighty Blue on the Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis” in the years between the hikes and podcasted from the trail during his second go of it. Find Steve's show here As a podcast host, I’m guessing Steve is pretty accustomed to leading an interview, but today we’re turning the tables and I get the opportunity to interview him. Join us today for our conversation about Steve’s two thruhikes, how his podcast has grown, what it’s like to be known by some hikers he meets on trial, the future potential of becoming the CHO (Chief Hiking Officer) for Devils Backbone Brewing Company, and so much more! I joined Steve as a guest on his show a few weeks ago. Find that show here I had an awesome opportunity to be a guest on the Conservation Unfiltered podcast. Jason Crighton and I discuss the AT through the lens of conservation. Click to listen now! Connect with the show! All Things Walking and Talking: Links to Listen: Donate: Contact: Facebook: New Episodes every Wednesday at Noon EST! /episode/index/show/walkingtalkingpod/id/16480013

Kirt Lewis (Ricochet) 10/14/2020

Kirt Lewis (Ricochet) Ricochet joins me on this week’s episode to recap his 2020 NOBO thru-hike, share his philosophy on remaining happy on the AT, and much more! Click to visit Ricochet's YouTube cannel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPKWVJ6MBq_rfIO69D_ZAlw?view_as=subscriber I had an awesome opportunity to be a guest on the Conservation Unfiltered podcast. Jason Crighton and I discuss the AT through the lens of conservation. Click to listen now! All Things Walking and Talking: Links to Listen: Donate: Contact: Facebook: New Episodes every Wednesday at Noon EST! /episode/index/show/walkingtalkingpod/id/16386869

Chase Bontemps (Shotgun) 10/07/2020

Chase Bontemps (Shotgun) Shotgun joins me this week for one of our first conversations since finishing the trail together! All Things Walking and Talking: Links to Listen: https://ryanschlosser.com/podcasts/ Donate: Contact: https://ryanschlosser.com/contact/ Facebook: New Episodes Wednesdays at Noon EST! /episode/index/show/walkingtalkingpod/id/16300490

Briana and Cambyr Sullivan (Chickweed & Kaleidoscope) 09/30/2020

Briana and Cambyr Sullivan (Chickweed & Kaleidoscope) At age 13 Cambyr Sullivan set out to hike the entire Appalachian Trail with her mom Briana. Here's their story! /episode/index/show/walkingtalkingpod/id/16200602

Ellie Oberink 09/23/2020

Ellie Oberink From March 21st to June 5th, I went radio silent with the podcast. COVID-19 had shut down the world, and I chose not to advertise the fact I continued hiking. During this time, Ellie Oberink and I hiked 1000 miles together. She joins me today for a conversation recapping and reliving our three months venturing from Georgia to Pennsylvania. Thanks again to Steve for having me as a guest on “Mighty Blue on the Appalachian Trail”. Click the link below to listen Connect with the show! All Things Walking and Talking: Links to Listen: Donate: Contact: Facebook: /episode/index/show/walkingtalkingpod/id/16121015

Krispy 09/16/2020

Krispy Hard for me to comprehend that I've been back in society for almost six weeks! I had the opportunity to talk with Krispy on FaceTime this past Monday and I'm excited to share this interview he and I recorded. He just finished his NOBO thru-hike on September 5th. Tune-in to hear a recap of his journey! We discuss the important role your trail-family plays, what life is like on trail during COIVD-19, how the thru-hike experience differs averaging 20 miles per day versus 10, and much more! I made a guest appearance on Steve Adam's podcast "Mighty Blue on the Appalachian Trail" last week. Click the link below to check that out. All things Walking and Talking: Links to listen: https://ryanschlosser.com/podcasts/ Contact: Donate: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/walkingtalkingpod /episode/index/show/walkingtalkingpod/id/16038956

Katahdin: Interviews w/ Jello, Cans, & Boyscout 08/24/2020

Katahdin: Interviews w/ Jello, Cans, & Boyscout 2,193 miles later.... the hike finds it end atop Mt. Katahdin! /episode/index/show/walkingtalkingpod/id/15735116

Steps Away From Maine 07/22/2020

Steps Away From Maine Recorded as I hike the last miles of New Hampshire. Tune in to hear my recap of the White Mountains and my building anticipation of crossing the final state border into Maine! /episode/index/show/walkingtalkingpod/id/15309272

Persevering 07/13/2020

Persevering This episode discusses the unglamorous side of thru-hiking: fatigue; injury; frustration; and depression. /episode/index/show/walkingtalkingpod/id/15192770

Venturing into Vermont; Interview with Ellie 07/07/2020

Venturing into Vermont; Interview with Ellie My journey to Katahdin is over 75% complete! I'm excited to venture through northeast mountains the rest of the journey. Tune in to hear about southern Vermont and for an interview with Ellie. /episode/index/show/walkingtalkingpod/id/15115517

Connecticut and Southern Massachusetts; Interview with Shotgun 06/27/2020

Connecticut and Southern Massachusetts; Interview with Shotgun It is beginning to feel like the final push to Katahdin as I make my way through southern New England. After 1000 miles together, Shotgun and I finally sit down for an interview. /episode/index/show/walkingtalkingpod/id/14987534

New Jersey and New York highlights; Interview with Loren Naylor 06/20/2020

New Jersey and New York highlights; Interview with Loren Naylor Today's episode recaps my time in NJ and NY, explains my trail-name, and I'm joined by Loren Naylor for an interview. /episode/index/show/walkingtalkingpod/id/14901329

Interviews with Rich & Laurel, Lefty, Uncle Jim, and Careful & Hopeful 06/13/2020

Interviews with Rich & Laurel, Lefty, Uncle Jim, and Careful & Hopeful Hear from Rich and Laurel (aka The Vintage Hikers) when we were in the Great Smoky Mountains back in March. Lefty joins me for a conversation at Weary Feet Hostel just past the 600 mile mark. Uncle Jim, Ellie, and I sit down for an evening shelter conversation. And finally, Hopeful and Careful join me to talk about the first few weeks of their flip-flop hike. /episode/index/show/walkingtalkingpod/id/14808527

Walking and Talking: An Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike

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