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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

01:09:51

Episode #348 - Stuart Phelps (Puppy Love)

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

2022/11/17

Stuart Phelps, or Puppy Love, is our guest this week. Stuart had set himself a goal to thru-hike the trail when he turned 50, yet, as often happens, the window opened a little earlier and he set out in 2021, turning 48 on the trail. His story is a mixture of fun, mutual respect, love, and illness, and makes for a fascinating conversation. Wait until you hear how his first date with his girlfriend went!! You can follow Stuart's blog at https://stuhikes.com/blog/, and on Instagram at

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01:26:48

Episode #347 - Syd Sayward (Bug)

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

2022/11/10

Today's show features a recently successful thru-hiker, and the first of our Mighty Blue Class of 2023. Syd Sayward has wanted to complete the AT since, as a 15-year-old, her athletics coach took her and some school friends up Mt. Washington. The experience stayed with Syd, and she started preparing for what she knew would be an AT attempt at some future date. That turned out to be 2022, and Syd shares her story. Syd kept a blog while she was out on the trail. You can check it out here

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01:08:35

Episode #346 - Mike Current (Energizer)

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

2022/11/03

Today's guest was a guest on the show at the beginning of 2021, sharing his stories about his PCT thru-hike. He never expected to go again–even though his wife always knew that he would–but there's something about the Appalachian Trail that was drawing him in. He didn't know what it was, but he discovered his "why?" on the trail. Mike, as an ex-military man, is an extremely detailed planner. He shares much of his planning and actual hikes at his YouTube channel, Old Man and the AT, at

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01:14:39

Episode #345 - Tonya Lonsbury (Monarch)

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

2022/10/27

Today's guest recently completed her AT thru-hike and, joyous as she is, she and Steve get into a conversation that celebrates the joy, but also delves into some of the more difficult, but ultimately triumphant, aspects of her journey and life. Tonya shares her faith with us and the important role it played in her ability to get to the end of her hike. You can follow more of Tonya's journey(S) on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/c/travelingwithtonya on Instagram at

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01:19:44

Episode #344 - Kristi McLeod Fondren (HQtie)

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

2022/10/20

Dr Kristi McLeod Fondren joins us today to bring an academic's view on hiking. Kristi hiked the PCT over the last couple of years and has combined that love of the outdoors with her work as a Professor at Marshall University. She has some great insights that she shares with us, as well as her deeply personal story. You can find out more about Kristi from her two journals from 2021 and 2022. They are at http://www.trailjournals.com/HQtieandTurkeyB for the 2021 hike and at

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01:05:25

Episode #343 - Andy Hood

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

2022/10/13

Today's guest, Andy Hood, isn't a hiker. He's a runner, but the story of his recent journey parallels that of many long-distance hikers. It is his backstory that attracted my attention, as well as offering me a chance to introduce you all to a different hiking trail; in England, no less!! Andy talks movingly about wanting to do something to empathize with his mother's plight and, in going so, he finds out much about himself and others. He also tells us about an often overlooked part of self-care.

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01:12:44

Episode #342 - Hunter Rud (Hunter)

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

2022/10/06

We have another recent thru-hiker today. He is Hunter Rud and, when you hear his story, the Appalachian Trail wasn't on his radar until very recently. But, like many others before him, he became more absorbed by the prospect of hiking it the more he researched. It wasn't all sunshine and roses for Hunter when he was out there this year, yet the support and encouragement he received from his entire family–including the latest weather forecasts from his uncle–got him to his Katahdin moment. You'll be

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01:07:08

Episode #341 - Julieann Hartley (Squirt)

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

2022/09/29

Julieann Hartley is today's guest. She hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2015 and transformed her life. She articulates this so beautifully in our conversation, and you may be a little confused about why we laugh so much while discussing difficult topics. Yet her positivity is what pulled her through both the hike and her subsequent life. Check her out at Instagram and TikTok, and even on Spotify at the links below. https://www.instagram.com/missjulieannmusic/

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01:06:08

Episode #340 - TSX Challenge (Part 2)

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

2022/09/22

This week, we have the second and concluding part of my recent 75 mile TSX Challenge hike in California, taking in Mt Whitney as its main highlight. As many of you know, I've often spoken of my inability to hike at altitude. In this hike, I discovered that it was more about my attitude than the altitude. We covered the first three days of the hike last week. Today, we've got contributions from other hikers, as well as my own experience of those last five days. It was epic!! You can learn more

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01:01:14

Episode #339 - TSX Challenge (Part 1)

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

2022/09/15

As many of you know, I recently fulfilled a long-held ambition to climb Mt Whitney. While I was out on this group-led hike, I could reflect upon what it is to hike in such a wilderness and, on my return, I was eager to share it with you all. I rarely start editing until the day before my podcast is due to be published, but I've been thinking about this one for the past three days and trying to marshal my thoughts as best I can. What you'll hear are my honest reflections of the hike as well as

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01:04:02

Episode #338 - Clay Bonnyman-Evans (Pony)

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

2022/09/08

Our guest today is Clay Bonnyman-Evans, a friend of the show and a previous guest from our early days. Clay came onto the show in 2017 to talk about his 2016 Appalachian Trail thru-hike. Since then, he has racked up a bunch more miles and trails, so we caught up before I headed to hike in California. As always, Clay is witty, thoughtful, and open as we chat about his hiking. He is also an excellent writer, so you can check out his latest book "Adrift on the Pacific Crest Trail: A Thru-Hiking Story"

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Episode #338 - Clay Bonnyman-Evans (Pony)

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

2022/09/08

Our guest today is Clay Bonnyman-Evans, a friend of the show and a previous guest from our early days. Clay came onto the show in 2017 to talk about his 2016 Appalachian Trail thru-hike. Since then, he has racked up a bunch more miles and trails, so we caught up before I headed to hike in California. As always, Clay is witty, thoughtful, and open as we chat about his hiking. He is also an excellent writer, so you can check out his latest book "Adrift on the Pacific Crest Trail: A Thru-Hiking Story"

en

01:22:19

Episode #337 - Ryan Leighton (Ken Burns)

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

2022/09/01

Ryan Leighton is our guest this week and, though not a thru-hiker, he has probably impacted more people with regard to long-distance hiking than many of our guests on the show. He produced a documentary movie–Walking Home–that followed the hike of a father and son duo, along with two other characters who intermittently entered the story. But Ryan has always been a thrill seeker, and he shares his fascinating story of climbing Katahdin in the winter, a negotiating Knife's Edge with a reluctant

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01:18:00

Episode #336 - Kelly Thomas (Spotter)

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

2022/08/25

I found Kelly Thomas, or Spotter through my rather unhealthy habit of cyber stalking the Appalachian Trail Facebook pages. She had just summited, and her proud Dad recorded that fact. I reached out to him and eventually spoke with Kelly. For me, her demographic, of a mid-30s female, was under-represented on the trail in past years, but I've noticed it growing in recent years. I wanted to talk with her about that. You can follow Kelly on her YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/UnboundCrow

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01:16:41

Episode #335 - Ted Lovett (Bulldog)

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

2022/08/18

Just a week before I head out to hike in California, and we have another "vintage" hiker to hear from today. Ted Lovett, or Bulldog, wanted to hike the AT and finish on his birthday. Being a precise, mission-driven military man, that's exactly what Ted did. He shares his story with us. He met people he wouldn't normally come across when he was out on the trail and delighted learning from all of them. He didn't always enjoy the hike, but he took something positive from it every day. At Katahdin,

en

01:22:48

Episode #334 - Kevin Newsome (Reckless Abandon)

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

2022/08/11

This week's guest, Kevin Newsome, completed his thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail a year ago. I'd briefly met him at Trail Days while he was on his hike (we had a picture taken together) and I saw him for the second time a few weeks ago, presenting to a local charitable group near my home. I loved his presentation style and got him to come on the show. He's a professional photographer so, as you'd expect, his Instagram and YouTube channels are worth checking out. You can find them here. YouTube:

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01:15:40

Episode #333 - Monica Aguilar (Moss)

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

2022/08/04

Our guest today is Monica Aguilar. Monica has been putting in the miles for the past four years, having thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2018, then completing half of the PCT last year before she was forced to get off trail because of the fires. In between, she managed to fit in a bikepacking trip on the Great Divide Trail. But Monica's passion for adventure triggered another, more creative side of her. She started to draw and paint in her journal to record the sights she was seeing. When she

en

01:14:03

Episode #332 - Nathan Echols

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

2022/07/28

Nathan Echols recently completed a sub-70 day, supported, thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail. How he was able to even set foot on trail is an extraordinary story. Just two years ago, he suffered a cardiac arrest in his sleep. It was only the rapid response of his wife that saved his life. Yet Nathan had long wanted to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail and he resolved to get it done. He resumed his training AFTER open heart surgery and, since then, has racked up over 7800 training miles. With the help

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01:15:24

Episode #331 - Arlette Laan (Apple Pie)

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

2022/07/21

The remarkable Arlette Laan is this week's guest. Arlette recently completed the eleventh and final leg of her quest to hike all the National Scenic Trails, becoming the first woman to do so. She's not a super-honed athlete, she's a down-to-earth woman who knows her strengths and limitations, and hikes accordingly. When she's not hiking these long-distance trails, Arlette leads hikes in New Hampshire and has shared with us the epic photo below. If you'd like to connect with Arlette, you can check

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01:16:37

Episode #330 - Amber and Josh Niven (Dandelion and...

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

2022/07/07

Amber and Joshua Niven were next to me in the Author's Tent at Trail Days, and I asked them to come on the show when I heard their great stories of having separately hiked the AT before meeting one another at Trail Days. They have experienced the trail differently, so their book is a product and amalgamation of those experiences. It is a true coffee-table book that you can pick up and open anywhere; there'll always be something of interest to read, or to see. If you'd like to learn more about them

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