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

Our main guest today is Nick Thatcher, who I found when he posted an epic Katahdin summit picture on Facebook. I hoped there would be more to his story than a December summit, so I reached out to him. He shared a story of determination and drive, culminating in that epic picture on the top of Katahdin. Nick made some intelligent choices for his hike that should inspire others in their own quest to fulfill an Appalachian Trail thru-hike. His calm demeanor will impress you. You can follow him on social media at Instagram (@realnickthatch), as well as his blog for the Trek at Nick Thatcher, Author at The Trek . 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. Our new sponsor for the New Year is TSX Challenge, who turn one week into inspir

Dr Lydia Kuhn joins us this week to talk about both her Appalachian Trail thru-hike in 2020, and her CDT thru-hike last year, proving herself to be a “true badass.” She reminds us of the need to live your life on your terms, and not to be constrained by how others might want you to live your life. Lydia also shares some information on wilderness medicine that we should all pay attention to. Check out the link below to learn more. Home We hear again from Chris Casado of TSX Challenge, who gives us an update on some of the adventures that you could be having this summer. Check out their incredible group hikes at TSX Challenge - Guided Backpacking Trips to Mt. Whitney, Grand Canyon & Beyond, and save 10% at checkout by using the code MIGHTYBLUE. 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 th

David Kibiloski is our guest today. What starts as a story about his Appalachian Trail thru-hike, tracks his evolution into an AT hostel owner, then a 501(c)(3) with AT Kids, followed by Stumble Inn 2.0. It is a fascinating journey. You can follow David on his website, at The Stumble Inn and AT KIDS - A Perfect Partnership. We also started what I hope to be a bidding war for Smercomics, a political satire book that David owns (unopened), but he is willing to offer to the highest bidder from our audience. All funds will go directly to AT Kids. I’m starting the bidding at $100. I hope you’d like to join in. You can email me your bid to steve@hikingradionetwork.com, and we’ll run it for a couple of weeks before announcing the winner. You will get an email back from me if your bid is exceeded, just in case you'd like to up it again!! I also wanted to share a link to my friend, Rob Diamond’s YouTube page, as he is channelling George Eschleman from a few weeks back by taking dog tags with him on his AT hike this

Today, we welcome back a friend of the show, a fellow Brit, Al Marriott. Al has already been on for his AT and PCT adventures, but last year he went and completed the CDT to complete his Triple Crown. He is always good value, with some wry observations about these trails and stories to share along the way. Here, you can check out his last day on the CDT. https://youtu.be/UbVsTHWtg5I Al has a thriving YouTube community with his channel, Adventure Together TV at Adventure Together , as well as a beautiful website, Adventure Together , where all his travels, along with some spectacular photos, are featured. You can also see more pictures on his Instagram, at Instagram (@advtgt) . 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.

We have a fellow hiking podcaster on the show today. Collyn Nielsen, known as Doc to his listeners, is the host of Hiker Trash Radio. The show was originally the John Freakin' Muir Podcast, but Doc extended its remit by re-branding to reach a wider audience, speaking to climbers, kayakers and others who spend their time in the outdoors. You can find his podcast on all the platforms, as well as at his website, hikertrashradio.com. Doc even turned the tables on me by interviewing me in a section taken directly from his own show. Check it out. 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 earlier this year on the South West Coast Path in the UK to help raise money for my absolute favorite charity, Parenting Matters, on w

Wyly O’Brien, or Calamity Jane, is our guest today. Wyly attempted her thru-hike in 2007, researched the trail and her gear to give herself the best chance ot completing the hike, and began with a self-confidence that was ultimately shattered when she quit the trail after more than 1600 miles. Wyly shares her story of what happened and what she learned along the way. More than a decade later, Wyly found her journal and decided to write about her “failure,” offering tips on what she could have done to imporve her chances. You can check out her new book on Amazon at Done, But Not Thru: Thru-Hiking the Appalachian Trail - A Cautionary Tale Our new sponsor for the New Year is TSX Challenge, who turn one week into inspiration for a lifetime. And I should know. Chris at TSX told me he could get me to the top of Mt Whitney…and he did! Check out their incredible group hikes at TSX Challenge - Guided Backpacking Trips to Mt. Whitney, Grand Canyon & Beyond, and save 10% at checkout by using the code MIGHTYBLUE.

Today, we meet the two members of the Mighty Blue Class of 2025, with Beth Bakke Stenehjem and Dave Santi under the spotlight. Beth is my friend, having hiked twice with her, enjoying her sunny smile and encouraging manner. She’s heading out there at the end of March, with her stepson, Andrew. The two of them will make a terrific couple as they plough their way north. I’m looking forward to hearing their journey. Equally, Dave Santi is set up to succeed. Dave is from the West Coast, coming east to take on the AT and ready to pitch himself into the challenge. He has a dogged determination–which he’ll need, of course. You can follow Dave on the Trek at https://thetrek.co/author/davesanti/, while he also has a separate Facebook page set up to share his hike. You can follow that at https://www.facebook.com/dave.hikes.the.appalachian.trail/ . 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

Daniel Shaw, of Team Whimsy, give us his view of some of the Hurricane Helene clean up and recovery, meeting people where they are, on their worst day ever, when they need someone to show up and help. It is a fascinating model for a 501c3 that can have countrywide effect, with a sign up to help within your own community and beyond. I hope that listening to Daniel will inspire you to click on the volunteer page and add your name to his list. You can find his website here https://www.teamwhimsy.org/ with the sign up link, here. https://www.teamwhimsy.org/volunteer/ Daniel also offer his other great passion, a martial arts and fitness gym in Conway, Arkansas, where veterans, first responders, and supporters come to train and find community and support. Check that out here. https://graybeardforge.org/ 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

We’ve got a couple of free spirits on the show today, who happen to be mother and son. Jessica and Largo Sueiro, went on a big adventure this year; taking on the Appalachian Trail. As a family, they have lived unconventional lives, yet this half-year of mother and son bonding must have been precious to them both, combining their hiking, Largo’s school work, and his Dungeons & Dragons business along the way. Both are great conversationalists, so sit back and enjoy their story. If you’d like to see more of their journey, you can check out their YouTube channel at World Towning and see them on Instagram at Instagram (@worldtowning) . Or, if you like the idea of traveling with the family and being introduced by them to various international cultures, check out their travel website at Full-Time Travelers Leading You To Local Experiences. You can even see Largo’s D&D biz site at Home Our new book reading, Happy Hiking, by my friend, Emily Leonard is–of course–written from a woman’s POV and a woman’s voic

John Turner is an avid listener to our HRN podcasts and is a board member of the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club–and a trail ambassador. John completed a five-year section hike in 2022, and is here to share his story with us. We have a wide-ranging chat; not only about his hike, but his work with GATC, and his new book, Killing the Buddha on the Appalachian Trail. John’s story is of a man who came late to our wonderful trail, and a man giving back to the trail he fell in love with. That’s quite a calling. You can check out John’s book at Killing the Buddha on the Appalachian Trail while he can also be found on his website at The Blue Ridge Hiker and on Facebook at The Blue Ridge Hiker . If you’d like to learn more about The Georgia Appalachian Trail Club, check out their website at Home - Georgia Appalachian Trail Club 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 t

This week, we welcome back Dave Fleischman, a trail maintainer and a newly minted Triple Crowner. Dave already had the PCT and the AT under his belt, after hikes back in the 90s. Suddenly, the opportunity arose to do the CDT, so he headed back out. On this Thanksgiving Day, it is worth being grateful for so many things, yet Dave personifies the selfless nature of trail maintainers, so let’s thank him for that. In our conversation, Dave refers to the Triple Crown ALDHA ceremony out west. Check it out at this link. Triple Crown | ALDHA-West Our new 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 boar

We’ve got a bit of a change of pace this week, with previous AT thru-hiker, Katie Westling, sharing her past year of adventures, with hikes in France, Ireland, and England. Katie started with the Tour du Mont Blanc last year, then headed over to Ireland for the Dingle Way this year, followed by Hadrian’s Wall Path soon after. Katie shares her hike with us, as well as a couple of links to organizations that helped her on her way. They are: Self-Guided Hiking & Biking Vacations | Macs Adventure and Tour du Mont Blanc - Self Guided. Doctor Lynne wanted to memorialize her late father on the show, as he was the person who inspired her outdoor adventures and loved hearing her with me on the podcast. He must have been so proud of her. If you’d like to speak about someone who influenced your outdoor adventures, drop me an email at steve@hikingradionetwork.com, and we’ll make it happen. Our new book reading, Happy Hiking, by my friend, Emily Leonard is–of course–written from a woman’s POV and a woman’s voice.

Frank Mularcik, who recently completed a 100-day SOBO thru-hike, is our guest today. Frank reached out to me a few weeks before he finished, then followed up once he reached Springer Mountain. You’ll be impressed by Frank’s can-do attitude, bringing a practicality to his hike that stood him in good stead. He discovered on the trail–as we all do–that faith in humanity that we may have thought was lost. Frank documented his hike by vlogging every night on trail, producing an impressive record that is available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@frankmularcikbeyondinvesting After Frank, I have a few words to share about my recent trip to Hot Springs to help out after Helene, accompanied by listeners–now friends, Ellen Langford, Allan Anderson, Rob Diamond, and Stuart Phelps. To each of you, my heartfelt thanks for stepping up. 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 lik

It’s a slightly shorter show than usual this week, but it is about as powerful as any of my interviews have ever been. Our guest is George Eshleman, or Keeper, who hiked the Appalachian Trail with 363 nametags of military personnel who have committed suicide. George chose to do this in honor of his own friend and hiking partner, who had committed suicide. However, George had a secret of his own that he shared with nobody as he hit the trail. What happened next was sufficiently impactful to have been turned into a feature film, released on November 8 and available on Prime Video. Check out the trailer to get a taste of what took place. THE KEEPER OFFICIAL TRAILER 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

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 Instagram (@hunterrud3). 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 Virginia Outdoor Adventures You can also check the episodes she mentioned in our conversation at 22. Hiking McAfee Knob and Virginia’s Triple Crown with Diana Christopulos, Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club ‣ Virginia Outdoor Adventures and Appalachia’s Greatest Conse

We’re going to talk about the Great Smoky Mountains today, with Don Robinson sharing his love of the park, and his recent induction into the 900 Miler Club, having hiked all the trails in the Smokies. It’s a pretty exclusive club, with fewer than a thousand members, yet the logistics required to get this done would fry my brain! Don has provided me with links to the two books he suggests, should you wish to follow in his footsteps. Day Hiker's Guide to All the Trails in The Smoky Mountains and Hiking Trails of the Smokies. You can learn more about the Smokies and the club, by visiting their website at Smoky Mountains Hiking Club - 900 Miler Club After Don, we had a second visit from the lovely Sally Brooks, who has produced the book about her own thru-hike two decades ago. Sally is a stand-up comedian, laughs easily, and is sure to have included her humor in the book. It is called “Going to Maine.” You can find it on her website at www.sallychaffinbrooks.com, or on Amazon at Going to Maine: All the Ways t

We have a couple of returning guests today. Rob and Gavin Duncan attempted a thru-hike in 2019 and were forced off the trail due to injury. It was a bitter blow for a couple of guys who’d put in over 1300 miles. Gavin is now an 18-year-old, and both father and son wanted a do-over, starting again from Georgia. I’ve observed several father-son relationships on trail and would have loved to have had one of those myself, for the emotion of getting to Katahdin with your son (or your daughter, wife, or husband) must be exponentially enhanced as the two of you walk those last few hundred yards together. You can see more of Rob and Gavin’s hike on their YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@WaffleHikes Of course, our hearts and minds are still in the southern Appalachians, with recovery just starting and so much still to accomplish. We speak this week with Miss Janet, who lives in Erwin, but who lives perpetually on or near the trail in her role as our Trail Mother. Also, Jester provides us with updates on

We have a very different show this week, with Paula Martin, or Windeagle, sharing her dramatic survival from a bad accident that may well have killed her. Several years later, Paula had recovered and decided that an Appalachian Trail thru-hike was something she could achieve. She ultimately summited Katahdin two years later, but her story is one of grit and resilience. She also shares a story about how a bear got a little bit close and personal with her tent. See the picture below. After Paula, our show is all about Hurricane Helene, and the devastation it wrought on our beloved trail community. We have representatives from the Appalachian Trail Community (ATC), the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association (ALDHA), as well as reflections from Lady Di in Damascus, and my friend Jester, whose podcast recently gave us ways to help. I urge you all to check out these ways of providing support, while comstantly checking the ATC and ALDHA websites on volunteers opportunities that will eventually arise. The li

We have another recent Appalachian Trail successful thru-hiker as our guest today. For many, the AT is a years-long dream, but for John Pearson, or Magellan, he had no idea he’d be hiking the trail until Christmas last year. Through a bit of trial and error, allied to a fierce determination, John made it to Katahdin in less than five and a half months. You can see more of John’s hike on Facebook, at https://www.facebook.com/AJohnPearson/. In our Mighty Blue Class of 2025, Michael Gaasch has decided that his thru-hike this year needs to be deferred to next year, so that Michael and his hiking buddy, Chopstix, can finish up New Hampshire and Maine together. Our new 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, earlier thi

We have a really accomplished young woman on the podcast today, with Kim Shoop, or Gator, sharing her story about section hiking the entire Triple Crown in just eight years. She has a very self-deprecating way about her, yet she is clearly a determined person to be able to achieve multiple long hikes, having to start again and again to fulfill her dream. Fully in love with backpacking, Kim also decided that the Palmetto Trail needed a bit more information than was publicly available, so she put together a website of her own to help out. You can find it at http://Blazzardk.wixsite.com/palmettotrail. Kim is also active on YouTube, with her channel, I Hike Marathons. Another completion for a Mighty Blue Class of 24 member, with David Vose checking in on his way down from the summit of Katahdin. His picture below says it all. Then, Sondra Lee, or Lemonade continues southward, leaving Virginia and chatting with me from Uncle Johnny’s in Erwin, TN. Our new book reading, Happy Hiking, by my friend, Emily Leonard