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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

01:05:14

Episode #421 - Briana DeSanctis

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

2024/04/11

Today’s guest has recently completed a truly epic journey. Briana DeSanctis set out to hike the American Discovery Trail in January 2022. 6,800 miles later, having taken in all the seasons–twice–Briana finished her personal odyssey in February this year, becoming the first solo woman to do so. Having thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail almost a decade ago, Briana considered that it wasn’t enough for her, so she set her sights on this epic hike and worked to accumulate the funds she needed. On the way,

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54:52

Episode #420 - Clay Bonnyman Evans (Pony on the Cape...

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

2024/04/04

We have an old friend on the show today. Clay Bonnyman Evans completed his AT thru-hike back in 2015, yet his latest hike is the intriguing Cape Wrath Trail. Clay shares his experience in his own inimitable style, even adding an unscheduled walk after the hike from Edinburgh to Glasgow. Because, well, why not? Clay is a contributor to the Trek, and you can follow his blog here https://thetrek.co/the-cape-wrath-trail-the-wild-wonderful-230-mile-at-of-the-uk/ He has added further links to illustrate

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56:02

Episode #419 - Sarah Denison Williams

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

2024/03/28

A few weeks ago, I met today’s guest, Sarah Denison Williams, at the Appalachian Trail Club of Florida, and was so impressed by her presentation that I invited her on to the show. But it turned out that Sarah had so much more to share than the confines of her presentation that we expanded our recording to cover it all. Sarah shares the work done by the Conservation Foundation here in South West Florida, but also speaks to the local and national implications of that work and other trusts around the

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56:28

Episode #418 - George Steffanos

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

2024/03/21

We have an old friend back on the show today, though it’s the first time I’ve met him! He is George Steffanos, writer of the hugely entertaining blog, now book, Then the Hail Came. I read the book over about 18 months and was constantly gripped by both his recall and his descriptions of the trail. Also, it was 40 years ago that George headed out on the AT, and he shares plans for a future hike in 2025. You can buy the book at Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09QFG4ZR6, while you can learn more

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56:34

Episode #417 - Bern Leibensperger (Yardsale)

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

2024/03/14

Bern Leibensperger discovered the Appalachian Trail when her daughter expressed an interest in section hiking the trail several years ago. Since then, the two of them have racked up over 1,000 miles and, in an attempt to integrate further into our community, Bern and her husband Glen opened a hostel for hikers in PA. We discuss what it is that hikers need and Bern shares her own insights from her hiking. She’s also a fierce proponent of the Hike for Mental Health organization, helping out whenever

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58:49

Episode #416 - Audrey Payne (Glowstick)

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

2024/03/07

We have another successful AT thru-hiker on the show today. Yet Audrey Payne seemed very unlikely to get the chance to hike the trail a few years earlier. How she recovered, and ultimately succeeded, is a story that she tells here in a conversation with Steve. Now, six years later, Audrey has continued to hike and has just released her book about her hike in 2018. You can find it on Amazon here.

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01:06:16

Episode #415 - Al Marriott (Lookout)

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

2024/02/29

We have two returning guests today. First up, Al Marriott, fresh from his AT thru-hike in 2022, followed up with the PCT last year. Al shares his varied life of adventure in a great conversation with Steve. He also tells us a story of how serendipitous the trail can be, with a chance meeting with people he shared an AT shelter with the previous year. Al’s YouTube channel–Adventure Together–continues to show his adventures. You can catch it here.

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55:22

Episode #414 - Jessie Gehner (Twisted Sister)

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

2024/02/22

Jessie Gehner, MD, is a thru-hiker from 2008 who then went to medical school. She currently works as an ER physician at Roanoke hospital, and is a member of the faculty of the Wilderness Medical Society, spearheading the Wilderness Medicine Fellowship at her hospital. She has continued her hiking life and, in her work capacity, also hikes to Everest Base Camp each year with a group of medical professionals. Jessie has provided links for both the base camp group,

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01:08:01

Episode #413 - Daniel Clark (Lucky Colleague)

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

2024/02/15

We meet another Brit on the show today. Daniel Clark is a listener to the podcast, and he filled in the form to register as a guest on our website, adding rich detail about his 2023 thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. We explore some of his stories. Daniel has a terrific website that chronicles some of his other hikes. You can find it at All Walks | Ourwalks He is also on social media at Instagram and YouTube at Instagram (@walking__north) and Englishman Just Walking In our casual series of other

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01:07:01

Episode #412 - Roxanne Lashley (Foxy)

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

2024/02/08

Roxanne Lashley took on the AT last year and took her time. She had planned to go straight north to south, yet reaching Harpers Ferry past the Independence Day holiday, she knew she needed to flip north, then head back south. Roxanne finished back at Harpers Ferry and shares her story with us. In our conversation, Roxanne mentioned a couple of MeetUps, so, if you’re a lone who’d like to hike with others, check out these MeetUps Blue Hills Hiking & Biking Club | Meetup Outdoor Afro Boston |

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58:10

Episode #411 - Molly Beth Gaynier (Breaky)

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

2024/02/01

Our two guests today have something in common; they’ve both thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail, yet their stories have taken entirely different turns. Our main guest is Molly Gaynier, who thru-hiked the trail in 2022, relishing the experience, even dragging it out with her extended breaks to take in the whole thing. But it was after the trail that she went through something none of us would wish on our worst enemy. The grace and grit that she reveals in our conversation should alert you to the

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01:15:53

Episode #410 - D. J. Mullet (Dos Entradas)

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

2024/01/25

DJ Mullet, or Dos Entradas, had been a hiker for several years, with the Appalachian Trail firmly in his sights. Yet a Type One Diabetes diagnosis seemed to have put paid to that dream. However, undaunted, DJ worked out not only how to manage the illness in his day-to-day life, he was able to manage it successfully on the AT in 2023. He shares his story eagerly, so that others will be inspired to do what it takes to get out into the woods to fulfill their own dreams. You can follow DJ on YouTube

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01:03:09

Episode #409 - Alyssa Whoaa (Rainbow Brite)

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

2024/01/18

The uniquely named Alyssa Whoaa is our main guest today. She came to me as a member of the TSX team and she is widely experienced in a variety of different adventures that have taken in many countries and even led her to the South Pole, with the North Pole her next great adventure. Alyssa has shared several links that may be of interest to listeners having heard her on the podcast. As she says, they are links to “interesting things.” Jobs in the US antarctic program (USAP): The USAP Portal:

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01:01:40

Episode #408 - Olive McGloin and Darrell Johnson...

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

2024/01/11

Olive McGloin and Darrell Johnson don’t seem content with straightforward thru-hikes, they tend to go for the YOYO. That is: they turn around and head back the way they’ve come to complete double thrus in a season. Olive has YOYO’d the Triple Crown, with Darrell almost complete in that endeavor. Their remarkable story has, I’m afraid, been beset by some technical difficulties on my part, but their story is so fascinating that I wanted to tell it. You can follow along with their adventures through

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56:20

Episode #407 - Jason Tompkins (Out & About)

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

2024/01/04

Jason Tompkins is a returning guest to the show this week. He was on last year, discussing a new route / trail that he came up with and named “The Carolinian.” This week, an AT thru-hike was just part of his 2023 adventure. He took on the Eastern Continental Trail, stretching from Key West in the south to Newfoundland; an epic, if ever there was one. Jason didn’t share any social links, but check out his YouTube channel at Out & About. It’s awesome. We also caught up once more with Mary Marks,

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57:57

Episode #406 - Sarah Beatrice (Too Long)

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

2023/12/28

Sarah Beatrice, a fellow member of the Appalachian Trail Class of 2014, is my guest today. Sarah started after me and finished before me, so we may well have met as she cruised past me! We’ll talk about her hike then, of course, but it is her after-hike life that especially interested me, with loads more travel and even a trip to Everest Base Camp. You can follow Sarah on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/sbeatrice13?mibextid=ZbWKwL on Instagram at Instagram (@traveler_sarahb) and on YouTube

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01:00:06

Episode #405 - Clark L Ward (Wild Coyote)

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

2023/12/21

Clark L Ward is our guest this week. Clark is a Native American and, while his hike was important to him, it was the story he was sharing with hikers along the way that made his hike so meaningful for him. Clark carried an orange flag that he got people to pose with at every opportunity along the way. Naturally, it accompanied him to Katahdin. His cause was Every Child Matters and all parents will feel empathy for the children involved. Clark sent me several links–below–that will amplify the

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01:02:39

Episode #404 - Mary Wilson (Shades)

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

2023/12/14

Mary Wilson is our guest this week and, when you know that her trail name is Shades, the blind hiker, you’ll understand what an extraordinary endeavor she took on attempting a thru-hike in 2023. Mary is overwhelmingly positive and looks to the reasons why she can do a thru-hike as opposed to the reasons why, perhaps, she shouldn’t. Family circumstances took her off the trail after more than 600 miles, yet she has pledged to return in 2024 to get the job done. She’s a remarkable woman. You can

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01:12:50

Episode #403 - Lynne Savino (Caboose)

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

2023/12/07

We’ve got our favorite doctor on the show today. Lynne Savino shares with us her recent backpacking medical adventure that she was a part of, taking in the Virginia Triple Crown with a group of fellow doctors. Lynne’s excitement at merely standing on MacAfee Knob–with virtually zero view–provides us with a touching reminder of how important these special moments are. You can check out the Summer Adventure Camp she refers to in our conversation at https://www.wilderness-adventure.com/ , which she

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01:12:43

Episode #402 - Dan Klaiber (Rockhopper)

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

2023/11/30

Dan Klaiber is our guest this week and, while he had been planning a PCT thru-hike, Covid threw a wrench in the works and he had to look elsewhere. What he came up with was an epic journey through Britain, linking many established, and several not-so-well established trails to produce his very own long-distance trail. He’s a great planner, so the logistic geeks among you will enjoy reading the document he sent me, as well as his LighterPack link at https://lighterpack.com/r/lel2lg You can check

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