Dec 30, 2021

Our guest today is Sarah Robison. As you'll hear, she is very reflective about the hike and how it came about, articulating clearly some of her thought processes along the way. Sarah has changed her life to suit the "new" person who came back from the trail.

She is a Nurse Anesthetist, specializing in neurosurgery,...

Dec 23, 2021

We have another of the newly minted Class of 2021 thru-hikers today. Kyle Stranagan, or Huck Finn, was just as inexperienced as I was when he started his own AT thru-hike last year. Yet, a combination of grit, luck, and determination saw him at the top of the brown sign at Katahdin just a couple of months ago.

Kyle is...

Dec 16, 2021

A few weeks ago, one of our recent guests, Shannon Shaver, connected me to today's guest, Reta Walton. Reta has wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail since she was 13, but, as often happens, life got in the way. This year, now retired, Reta took on her dream.

She is an avid hiker, and the AT was everything she'd hoped...

Dec 9, 2021

This week is our 300th episode, and we're doing something a little different, including minimal show notes!!

Every guest we've had in the past has shared their impressions, their stories, and the lessons they've learned. For this special show, I've put together nine short conversations with people who've been on the...

Dec 2, 2021

Shannon Finn became Joy this year. I followed her on Facebook and appreciated her visceral writing, where she rarely held back if she had something to say, which was often!

We've often remarked at the life-changing nature of a long-distance hike, and Joy has experienced this change in compelling ways. Not only did she...