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

    Erin McKenzie loves her dogs. She hiked nearly half of the Appalachian Trail with her favorite, Chevy, before having to leave the trail through injury. Chevy was such a star that Erin was totally aware, yet totally happy, to be a sideshow in the Camaro and Chevy team. She then took on the Colorado Trail with three of her dogs, for reasons that will become apparent in her story. Her resilience and the strength that she found on both trails are inspirational.       These pictures of Chevy and Camaro together, and her three loaded-up dogs, convey the peace, the quiet, and the magnificence of both the Appalachian Trail and the Colorado Trail. Erin also sent me another couple of pics, once again with Chevy and one of the team of four at the finish of the Colorado Trail.       You can find Erin on Facebook and email her at emckenzie47@gmail.com.   With Jessa vacationing in Europe, I took the opportunity to chat with Kate Schmidlin's mom, Jeanne. Kate was in episode #21, and I thought her instinct to suggest tha

    You get very few opportunities in life to spend time in the company of a living legend, so it was gratifying to learn that Janet Hensley, or Miss Janet, was the real deal. I was lucky enough to have a wide-ranging conversation recently with Miss Janet about all things Appalachian Trail. She proved to be incisive, engaging, and generous with her time and opinions. She is truly the hiker's best friend, putting herself out to help anybody who requests her assistance.       When we touched upon some of the occasional bad behavior on the trail, she even jumped to a possible defense of the perpetrators. It is an indication of the regard in which she is held on the trail that she was confident in insisting that I took her personal phone number to make sure that anybody on the trail who needs help can call her. So, with some trepidation, her number is 423-483-0620. She can also be emailed at TheMissJanet@gmail.com and will be happy if you look her up on Facebook, though apologized because Facebook will not allow

  Jason is an experienced hiker with a purpose. This year, 2017, will be his fourth attempt at an Appalachian Trail thru-hike. His calm demeanor and desire for simplicity in his life made for an interesting conversation as he prepared to hit the trail in the next few days (March 2017). I'll be following his progress and wish him well as he moves toward Katahdin.   You can follow Jason's progress yourself at his blog, Cavey's Adventures. He can also be found on Facebook and Youtube. Just click on the links.     With just three weeks to go herself, Jessa is saying her goodbyes. A combined engagement and farewell party probably emphasized the imminent separation, yet she is looking forward ever positively. It's going to be great to catch up with her on the trail.   My Fear and Loathing section this week caught up with my fellow Class of 2014 member, The Muffin Man, Sam Weber. As others have said, fear of failure was a strong motivating factor after being an initial concern.   Don't forget to check out my books

Charlotte Taney was transformed by the Appalachian Trail. Initially nervous, she blossomed into a steely-eyed hiking machine. That, at least, was how she was described in one blog. She tells about her journey and the changes she recognized in herself.   Charlotte would love to hear from fellow hikers or anybody who'd like to tap into her experiences. She can be emailed at char_runstrack@yahoo.com, while you can read her blog about the Appalachian Trail on Blogspot. The link will take you to part one of her trail journey. She's also on Facebook. Jessa continues to prepare diligently, with an early shakedown of her pack. Please keep trail names for Jessa coming in. Brandon Bowers of Cascade Designs told us about my favorite air pad, the Therm-A-Rest Neo Air XLite. This far exceeded expectations (how could it not; I didn't even know I needed one) and I kept snug and comfortable at night. You can find out more about Therm-A-Rest and other outdoor gear by Cascade Designs by calling them at 800-531-9531. We had

First things first, it was me who named Rad Watkins The Bear Whisperer. He didn't have a trail name, but he certainly had a story. Rad is a landscape ecologist and motivational speaker. It seemed a good time for somebody to allay the fears of many as they start to gather in Georgia and find their way north. Bears need to be treated warily though not with fear. Brad has tracked Grizzlies and studied them in the wild, so his knowledge of bears is extensive. He has also incorporated animals into his Animal Leadership talks. If you'd like to find out more about Rad, and Animal Leadership, just go to his website, www.animalleadership.com. On the home page, you can take his test to establish what type of leader you are.          You can find Rad on Facebook and email him at info@animalleadership.com. He's also written on the subject of Animal Leadership and you can find his books here, while there is also an excellent short video, here, with highlights of Rad giving a motivational speech, using his Animal Leadershi

  One of the fearless women I met in the Class of 2014, Kate Schmidlin, or Tigger, embodied the spirit of the trail. I never saw her pissed off at anybody, she was constantly laughing and never complaining. We didn't see each other after Damascus, but she left a big impression on me. She talks with an endearing openness about some of the rigors of being a woman of child-bearing age on the trail. It is, of course, a subject on which I had no opinion, yet one that affects nearly half of all hikers. Kate is very willing to hear from any of you who might prefer a longer conversation on this and, indeed any other subject about the trail. Her email address is klschmidl@sbcglobal.net and she is also on Facebook as Kate.Schmidlin. She even shared her phone number for those wishing to either reconnect with her or have a longer conversation. Call her at 330-842-7225 but please be aware of the time if you call. She also blogged about the trail at klschmidl.wordpress.com.       Congrats to Jessa and Nick, and big prop

Brandon Jacob, AKA The Dude, became something of a social magnet on the Appalachian Trail in 2016 with his Dudefests. Straight out of the corporate world and seemingly out of place in the slightly less genteel life of the trail, he embraced it, and its characters, with relish. There were two Dudefests; one at Trent's Grocery in Virginia, with Dudefest #2 attracting quite the crowd at the Inn At Long Trail, in Vermont. I've circled the Dude in the bottom left-hand corner of the picture. I chatted with The Dude while he was driving to a weekend away. The audio isn't great but the conversation was fun. The Dude can be contacted at Brandon@contractorscfo.com, while he can also be found on Facebook as Brandon Jacob. His blog is at http://trailjournals.com/jakethefake and for those of you who may have met him, he has a great picture collection of the people he met on YouTube at this link, https://youtu.be/8H_ZemBZl4U   Jessa continues her preparations for her start date next month. This week, she learns how to na

  If you'd like to follow the presentation live on Facebook, just click on the link below, which will take you to my profile page. This will also allow you to access the presentation when I post it later that afternoon. Steve's Facebook page

Steven Cullen was a section hiker who I met on my first day on the trail. We clicked straight away and he continued to follow my, and other, blogs once he finished his week-long section hike. I thought it might be helpful to include a section hiker in the podcast and, though I met many, he was my first thought. In our interview, we talk about the differences between section and thru-hikers, with Steve making some perceptive, and funny, observations. He is one of the group of hikers who may one day take the life-changing step to thru-hike but, as you'll hear, he'll be a section hiker for the time being. Steven can be reached at steven.cullen.70@gmail.com. He will be happy to offer advice if anybody reaches out to him. Jessa continues her preparations for her March 23 start date. She shares her latest update, with, of all things, health insurance being a concern. What I loved about this update was that Jessa is feeling accountable to the show, which is giving her some discipline in getting done the things she

  Patrick Bredlau had a truly life-changing experience on the trail. His candor at his spiritual epiphany was touching, while his encounter with a man hiding from his past seemed to provide a counter-point. Following his hike, he has given talks about the trail and exhibited pictures from his journey. Some of these photographs are on show at the Illinois State Museum. The museum also sells his book and 50% of the royalties from those sales are donated to the museum. Other ways to get the book include his website, http://appalachiantraildiary.com/, where you can buy the book directly from Patrick or, of course, Amazon. If you'd like to contact Patrick, you can email him at rw.roadwarrior@gmail.com or find him on his Facebook page, where you'll find his speaking engagements on his event calendar. The pictures below are one of Patrick at the top of a cold Mt. Washington, a copy of his book cover, and one of the two of us just before the end, in Maine. We both look very reflective.               I'd still like

James Claiborne was a fellow member of the Class of 2014. I only met him a few times, though once, memorably, at the Curly Maple Shelter, just outside Erwin, TN. He was with the self-styled team of No Parents, No Bedtime, with Hawkeye, True Story, Science Tooth, and James, or Buchanan, himself. Their joy at being on the trail was infectious, with the team sticking together, in one iteration or another, for about 1,900 miles. They took time off the trail together, they camped together and, for a lot of the time, they hiked together. From left to right, No Parents, No Bedtime are James (Buchanan), True Story, Hawkeye, and Science Tooth. I still can't get over the fact that these crazy hikers did this. By the look of the picture, nor can they. You can find James on Facebook by clicking here, and you can email him directly at raven2543@mail.com. Jessa Hackman gives her first update in this week's episode, with her choice of footwear her main focus. Jessa is still hoping to be named by our listeners, with a prize

In this first episode of 2017, I'm introducing Jessa Hackman, our very own member of the Class of 2017 thru-hikers. She is from Madison, Wisconsin, is 25 years-of-age and has just qualified as a lawyer. The picture below is of Jessa at her graduation with her grandfather, the man Jessa credits with her decision to go to law school in the first place. Jessa contacted me to get a copy of Grizz's logistics spreadsheet from Episode #6 and I reached out to her in the hope that she would share her preparations for the hike, as well as give us regular shorter updates from the trail when she starts on March 23. With a bit of luck, we'll be following her all the way to Katahdin, sometime in August. In this first interview, Jessa tells us her concerns for the trip as well as recounting her current preparations. She is aware of the rite of passage that will result in a trail name but is open to suggestions from our podcast listeners, so please email me with any of your ideas. Jessa has just started a blog that you may w

Clay Bonnyman Evans, 55, is a writer who moved to the beaches of South Carolina in 2015 after spending his previous life in the mountain west and California. His three published books—a memoir about his years working as a cowboy, a children's holiday picture book, and the story of an iconic hardware store in Boulder, Colo.—are out of print, but you can find them on the Amazon Marketplace by searching his name. He blogs at claybonnymanevans.com, including the ongoing tale of his thru-hike, The Trail Is the Teacher.  He'd be delighted to hear from any fellow hikers, so feel free to email him about anything at claybonnyman@gmail.com. I found Clay to be a really interesting guy to chat with. He started his hike in 2016 with the intention of just doing a long section hike. However, the trail got to him and he worked out his own way to achieve a thru-hike. We discuss a number of topics, but I was most interested in the way he brought up the fact that a sort of depression can descend upon you after your hike. As my

  The prolific Dixie has 15,000 subscribers to her YouTube channel following her 2015 thru-hike. Her engaging manner has drawn people in and that shines through in this episode. She is also a successful author, publishing her book, Take a Thru-Hike: Dixie's How-To Guide for Hiking the Appalachian Trail (picture below). She shares a few of her stories in this episode, as well as talking about her videos, which she posts on a weekly basis. For anybody considering hiking the AT in 2017, watch Dixie's videos covering all the issues you and your wife/mother/husband/father will be worrying about as you set out on your journey of a lifetime. Apart from her YouTube channel and her book, there are many other ways to connect with Dixie. Her blog can be found at http://www.homemadewanderlust.com/, while she is also on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Just click any of the links and they will take you to Dixie's sites. For some reason, this only works if you're on my podcast website. Please make sure that you

John was a lot of fun to interview. He's also clearly a joyous hiker, despite hiking in 2003, one of the five wettest years on record. He gives back to the trail with his annual trail magic on Labor Day in Maine. Additionally, he heads a bunch of guys known as the "Fat Guys Back in The Woods." Wouldn't you want to be in that little group? If you do, or even if you'd like to chat with him about it or even join his trail magic spectacular, you can email him directly at john.skeezix@gmail.com. Don't forget to leave any comments for me at the website, on iTunes, or on Stitcher. Email me directly at steve@mightyblueontheat.com, if you'd prefer. You can also get a FREE copy of my ebook, Hiking The Appalachian Trail Is Easy: Especially If You've Never Hiked Before by visiting my author's website, steveadams.info. I hope you like the new cover.

In 2016, Kaiha Bertollini, the Wild Card Ninja, laid claim to the unsupported hike record on the Appalachian Trail. This, despite no previous experience as an elite athlete or even any indication that she might be able to take such an endurance test on. The response in the hiking world was almost uniformly negative and very hostile. Kaiha agreed to tell me her story and, whether you believe her or not, it is gripping and worthy of an audience. The interview is not explicit, but her story on her website, hikeforourlives.org is certainly not for children. That said, I urge people to read what she has to say. She can be reached through the website under the contact page and will respond personally to every message. I'd also love to hear what you have to say about Kaiha and the interview. If you click here, you'll be linked to the visceral video I referred to in the interview. It left a lasting impression upon me. The language is very strong, so beware once more. Don't forget to rate us on iTunes or leave me a me

Gabe Burkhardt has hiked on the Appalachian Trail three times: 2014, 2015, and 2016. He completed his thru-hike in 2016 but has covered more than 4,000 miles on the trail. When I hiked with Gabe, in 2014, he was known as Hermes, and his calm intensity left quite an impression upon those around him. Coming back to the trail with the intention of an entire thru-hike in 2016, he charted his course with a truly visceral blog, named Almost Unsalvageable. He has a bunch of his artwork on the site and I've included a couple of examples at my website, mightyblueontheat.com, in the show notes for this episode (for some reason, these pics don't get shown on iTunes or Stitcher). The first one is of Gabe on the sign at Katahdin, the second is a picture of the indispensable Miss Janet, while the third is a terrific representation of the AT sign, made from the equally indispensable Snickers!! You can also contact Gabe at gabeburkhardt@me.com and he'd be delighted to give you any assistance that he can. Don't forget to ra

  Gary Sizer is a former US Marine who hiked the AT in 2014. We never met on the trail, but we are now Facebook friends. Gary wrote a book about his experiences and while that is going really well, his current claim to fame is an amazing picture posted on Reddit that shows the devastating effects that the AT can have on a hiker's body. Gary is a good sport for allowing this to be shown here, though, as it has been seen more than 3,000,000 times, it might be regarded as a trifle late to keep it under wraps!! There are a bunch of ways to contact Gary and share his story. His books (Kindle, paperback and audiobook) can be found on Amazon. He's accessible on Twitter and Facebook, as well as at his website, wheresthenextshelter If you'd like to follow me, I'm also on Twitter and Facebook and you can find all the podcasts, plus videos and photographs, at my website mightyblueontheat

Francisco Miller was one of the funniest guys I met on the trail. Consistently cheerful, we met him in New Hampshire and hiked with or around him for several hundred miles. His story continued after the Appalachian Trail, culminating in a thru-hike of the Continental Divide Trail in 2016, having chalked up the Pacific Crest Trail in 2015. He is articulate on the subject of hiking and will happily respond to any questions that hikers may have. He can be contacted directly at francisco.miller@gmail.com. His pictures, particularly those he posted this year from the Continental Divide Trail, can be seen on Instagram at kk_hikes. Check those out; I guarantee you won't be disappointed. The picture below is one of me and Karate Kid in Maine, at the top of a mountain, with just two weeks to go. He's watching me fill my face with a whole jar of peanut butter. Don't forget to leave a comment on either iTunes, Stitcher or even on my website.

This is an extra special episode. Stacey Kozel was diagnosed with lupus at the age of 19 years and has fought a battle against it ever since. Not wishing to be defined by her disability, Stacey embraced the challenge of a complete thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. She was fitted with sophisticated braces, controlled by microprocessors, that allowed her to achieve the unthinkable. Stacey is a powerful advocate for the battle against lupus and is happy to speak with anybody who wants to know about her hike or the disease. It was a privilege to be able to speak with Stacey and to find a funny, determined woman who never wants to regret not having tried her best. On her Facebook page, she is wearing a T-shirt that says "Living. It's the only thing worth dying for." And so say all of us. Stacey can be contacted by email at skozel221@gmail.com