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PODCAST

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

An overweight, 61-year-old retiree, with zero hiking experience, decided to hike the entire 2,185.3 mile length of the Appalachian Trail in 2014. What could possibly go wrong? As his brother, Mike, commented, "It"s a bit like taking up boxing and fighting Mike Tyson in your first bout." Join Steve and his guests as they discuss all aspects of the trail, from gear to Lyme Disease, then back to trail magic and injury.

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All Episodes

01:21:33

Episode #368 - Kenneth Pararo (Moron)

Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate... ·

2023/04/06

Kenneth Pararo is our guest today. He reached out to me, sending me a link to his podcast, and I entirely misjudged him. When I eventually spoke with Kenneth, he was articulate, thoughtful, and a lot of fun. He’s an AT thru-hiker, though when he went for a second time, he took a rather different route. Why and how he did so is explained in our chat. Once you get past his intro to the podcast, you’ll hear more of his somewhat quirky personality come through. You can find the podcast here:

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01:19:02

Episode #367 - Rachel Hadley-Leonard

Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate... ·

2023/03/30

Rachel Hadley-Leonard is our guest today. I heard about Rachel walking the South West Coast Path in England from one of our previous guests and wanted to know more about her hike. She instantly pushed this trail up near the top of my bucket list for a possible future walk with my brother, Mike. Rachel is a podcaster with two shows. One is specifically about her own journey, while the other is the official podcast of the Path itself. You can check them out

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01:33:58

Episode #366 - Matt Hengst (Masochist)

Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate... ·

2023/03/23

Matthew Hengst, or Masochist, is today’s guest. He is one of those guys who has managed to parlay his passion for hiking into pretty much a full-time gig. He’s got an extensive outdoor resumé, but it is his 2021 thru-hike of the Eastern Continental Trail that we focus on today. On the trail, Matthew edited videos before getting out of camp, and his whole attitude is one of calm enjoyment in solitude. You can follow him on his YouTube channel at

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01:23:17

Episode #365 - Mike (Blaze Dog) and Marla Hansen...

Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate... ·

2023/03/16

Our guests today are a husband and wife couple who worked out their own way to share the Appalachian Trail experience, even though only one of them walked the full 2200 miles. Mike and Marla Hansen used their RV to assist Mike’s hike, working out a routine that would be attractive to many, I’m sure. Marla did a lot of the resupply, as well as hiking into some of the iconic spots on the trail and supported Mike’s dream throughout. Their method is a way of sharing the journey that certainly worked

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01:31:36

Episode #364 - Mel Vogel

Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate... ·

2023/03/09

We have a true one-of-a-kind story today. Mel Vogel set out to hike the Trans Canada Trail in June 2017. Even when part of the trail was closed for recreational use during Covid, Mel remained on or near the trail in the Yukon, eventually completing it in November 2022. During her hike, Mel touched the Atlantic, Pacific, and even the Arctic Ocean, finding kindness and friends along the way, as well as her new friend, Malo, a lost dog. Mel and Steve share a personal conversation that touches nerves

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01:36:26

Episode #363 - Charlie Janssen (Kansas Express)

Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate... ·

2023/03/02

When Charlie Janssen was just ten miles into his Appalachian Trail thru-hike in 2012, he wondered what it would be like to complete a Calendar Year Triple Crown. He found out in 2022, and shares his story with us. Charlie’s thoughts eventually solidified and the planning began. His pragmatic approach and never-give-up attitude are clear in our conversation, yet this is still an epic adventure and one that so few people have managed to complete. Charlie is only the thirteenth to complete it. He has

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01:27:19

Episode #362 - Leah Harman (Twig)

Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate... ·

2023/02/23

Leah Harman, or Twig, is our guest today. She is a self-confessed nomad, concentrating in the past few years on backpacking her way through many trails, both in the US and abroad. Despite the solitary nature of many of her hikes, Leah enjoys the trail community and Trail Angels in particular. You can check out Leah’s many hikes in her excellent blog at https://twigadventures.com/ Mary Marks becomes the final member of our Mighty Blue Class of 2023, and we speak from Franklin, NC, where she is

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01:03:30

Episode #361 - Casey Beeman (Freedom Pouch)

Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate... ·

2023/02/16

I found this week’s guest by reading an article he’d written about Post-Trail Depression. I know some people scoff at this concept, but it is real, and Casey Beeman articulates it beautifully. He did his thru-hike, along with his wife, Kylie, last year. They enjoyed the freedom to have a big adventure, but coming down to earth at the end turned out to be problematic, especially for Casey. I asked him to read the article during our conversation, which he duly did, and I think it adds power to the

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01:35:20

Episode #360 - Emet Baker (Quickbeam)

Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate... ·

2023/02/09

Emet Baker, or Quickbeam is our guest today. He was able to complete his first year college finals before heading out on trail last year, with a mission to accomplish and complete the trail before he needed to return to camp. Emet was suggested to me by a previous guest, who wrote such kind words about him, that I wondered if they were hyperbole. They weren't. He's an impressive young man with, I'm sure, a great future, both in hiking and pretty much whatever he turns his hand to. You'll be

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01:23:19

Episode #359 - Toby Busch (Stovetop)

Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate... ·

2023/02/02

Our guest this week is Toby Busch, a young man who lives out of his Ford Connect and records his life adventures on YouTube. Last year, he fulfilled a long-held dream and moved out of his van and onto the Appalachian Trail. Along the way, he found his mix of solitude and community, and he reached Katahdin as a joyful thru-hiker. He's now back in his Connect and often moving about the country finding "70 degree weather!" Toby recorded several of these adventures too, so you can follow along with

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01:47:13

Episode #358 - Amanda Wylie (Two Braids)

Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate... ·

2023/01/26

Amanda Wylie is an independent, strong young woman from Queens, NY. She hiked the Appalachian Trail last year and, despite loving the impact it had upon her, she had to address a few issues on her journey that were unexpected, and often unwanted. Despite that, she wants her experience to inspire women to take on the trail and embrace the experience. You can follow Amanda on Instagram at http://Www.instagram.com/realamandawylie, while her clothing brand can be seen at

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01:23:39

Episode #357 - John Jordan (Morning Glory)

Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate... ·

2023/01/19

Today, we hear from one of the unsung heroes of our hiking world. He's not a thru-hiker–though his son did one–but he's a member of the Board of ALDHA, the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association. Where the ATC concerns itself with the well-being of the trail itself, ALDHA focuses on hikers. John joined the board quite recently and is coordinating the ALDHA Care project, bringing a new enthusiasm to the role as he works out the best way to assist hiker hostels and, by association, hikers. You

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01:36:45

Episode #356 - Julia Widmar (Stretcher)

Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate... ·

2023/01/12

We have one of our younger newly minted thru-hikers today. Julia Widmar was only 20 when she hit the trail last year, though she had learned so much in the previous five years as she looked forward to this journey of a lifetime. Julia is an EMT nurse who was thoroughly prepared at Amicolola to take on the trail and, despite a three-week break in the middle, she pushed on to complete it in just over four months of trail time. While she didn't blog or vlog herself, Julia wanted to share the blog and

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01:14:01

Episode #355 - Nick Gagnon (Chezwick)

Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate... ·

2023/01/05

Nick Gagnon is an elite level hiker. He completed the Great Western Loop in 2022 in under 200 days, a remarkable achievement in that the loop is just shy of 7,000 miles. Virtually by definition, Nick spent a lot of time by himself, and he shares with us his coping mechanisms for such a solo endeavor. He was so disciplined in his approach, sharing why this is so necessary for this particular trail. You can find out more about Nick by visiting his website at https://chezwicktreks.com/. He has a

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01:03:40

Episode #354 - Billy Arthur (Backwards)

Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate... ·

2022/12/29

Our guest today, Billy Arthur, or Backwards, met and fell in love with another hiker on the AT this year. Billy had wanted to get on the trail since his scouting days, yet he left it until his late 20s and found more than he'd bargained for! Backwards and Pigpen bonded throughout their hike and stayed together once they reached Katahdin. I'd always wondered about these on-trail romances, and Billy shares how they got together, as well as how they're coping with after-trail life. That he'd

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01:13:25

Episode #353 - Jason Tompkins (Out and About)

Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate... ·

2022/12/22

Jason Tompkins is our guest today, with his stories about a new long-distance trail; The Carolinian. It's new because he named it, then hiked it this year. Yet that isn't all of Jason's story. He's worked out his life for the foreseeable future to spend pretty much all his time out on a trail! We agreed that he should come back on next year when (not if!!) he completes the East Coast Trail, from Key West up to Newfoundland, when he'll be taking in the Appalachian Trail along the way. You can

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01:19:41

Episode #352 - Brittany Rosendahl (Hot Hands)

Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate... ·

2022/12/15

We're sticking with the Class of 2022 hikers once more, with Brittany Rosendahl–one of my Facebook friends–sharing the story of her hike and what brought her to the trail. She's lived a demanding life as a nurse and recalls some really tough times during the Covid Pandemic. Sharing some more intimate details, she opens up about relationships and attitudes that she found to be so reassuring on the AT. You can check out more about Brittany on her YouTube channel at

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01:08:45

Episode #351 - Samuel Crisp (Shaker)

Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate... ·

2022/12/08

This week, our guest, Samuel Crisp, is another of the Class of 2022 thru-hikers. His mature approach to the trail, his understanding and treatment of his injuries, and his intentional reflections, make for a fascinating conversation. Sam was lucky enough to summit Katahdin with his mother; indeed, he summoned up that image to keep him motivated on the trail when the going got tough. To see more of Sam, you can watch his hike through his vlog at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZuwzNRxP0Q&t=3s Our

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01:13:50

Episode #350 - Frank Dutman (Heineken)

Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate... ·

2022/12/01

Today, we have a visitor from the Netherlands. Frank Dutman first heard about the trail in some unrelated research back in the late 90s. Since then, he's immersed himself in further research, and this year he achieved his dream of thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail. We hear a European perspective, even a European sensibility, in his approach to the trail and the preparations he made towards achieving his goal. Along the way, he tended to hike mainly alone, allowing himself the luxury of

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01:08:18

Episode #349 - Lauren Adamczak (Airbag)

Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate... ·

2022/11/24

Today's guest, Lauren Adamczak, described herself as "the quiet 30-year-old that never spoke up in groups, often looked down at the ground in public, and wouldn’t dare leave the house in mismatched clothes." Four days into the trail, she accepted–with glee–the trail name, Airbag. When I read a post she made on Facebook, I knew I wanted her on the show. Lauren didn't make it to the brown sign on Katahdin, but she had an adventure that energized and enhanced her life, taking on "Airbag" with such

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