Shows / Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
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.
Episodes
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #40 - Kelly Anderson (Sleeping Beauty)
Kelly Anderson is a former professional tennis player from South Africa. She came to the US to attend Georgia Tech in their tennis program before taking up…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #39 - Trail Days (Part Two)
This week, I've got another diverse array of guests from Trail Days in Damascus a few weeks ago. While I guess a parade of hikers could have been interviewed…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #38 - Kyle Bock (Kickstarter)
Kyle Bock has had some dark days, not least because he lived in Alaska for over fifteen years with no running water and, for the past few years, with no…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #37 - Trail Days (Part One)
A trip to Trail Days wasn't on my itinerary when I hiked the AT in 2014, so my visit this year had a dual purpose. I was going there to both see what I'd…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #36 - Sarah Williams (Tough Girl Challenges)
Sarah Williams is a true force of nature. Her goal is to inspire women and girls to think beyond the boundaries of their previously limited lives, and she has…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #35 - Byron Church (BC)
Byron Church has had his sights set on the Appalachian Trail since he read Bill Bryson's book in High School, nearly two decades ago. Section by section, he…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #34 - John Vonhof (The Foot Guy)
John Vonhof should be everybody's best friend. For years, he has been tending the feet of the people who most abuse them—hikers and runners. His experience as…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #33 - Ron Tipton (Turkey Foot)
This week, I'm interviewing Ron Tipton, a man who has spent his entire adult life in conservation and the environment. He hiked the trail in 1978, yet it isn't…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #32 - John and Melody Bock (Bypass and Songbird)
In early November 2013, John Bock had a triple bypass following a completely unexpected heart attack. He and his wife, Melody, had planned to thru-hike the…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #31 - Steve Adams (Mighty Blue)
As this is my show, I thought I'd get myself interviewed and, in the absence of any questions from my listeners, I went ahead and asked Diane, my lovely wife…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #30 - Jean Sobus (Sicilian Gypsy)
When Jean Sobus decided that she was going to hike the Appalachian Trail, she didn't let a little thing like plantar fasciitis stand in her way. In much the…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #29 - Trevor Thomas (Zero/Zero)
Trevor Thomas was an adrenaline junkie in his mid-thirties when he started to lose his sight. Six months later, he was completely blind. After a spell of…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #28 - Matthew Norman (Odie)
The Hiker Yearbook is fast becoming a must-have item for thru-hikers of recent years. Matthew Odie Norman is providing a great service to hikers as he not only…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #27 - Diane Gonzalez-Adams
Did you ever wonder what it is like for those we leave behind? Listen to my wife Diane talking about the impact that my hike had on her life. She is forthright…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #26 - Erin McKenzie (Camaro and Chevy)
Erin McKenzie loves her dogs. She hiked nearly half of the Appalachian Trail with her favorite, Chevy, before having to leave the trail through injury. Chevy…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #25 - Janet Hensley (Miss Janet)
You get very few opportunities in life to spend time in the company of a living legend, so it was gratifying to learn that Janet Hensley, or Miss Janet, was…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #24 - Jason McElroy (Cavey)
Jason is an experienced hiker with a purpose. This year, 2017, will be his fourth attempt at an Appalachian Trail thru-hike. His calm demeanor and desire for…
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life CrisisEpisode #23 - Charlotte Taney (Two-Pack)
Charlotte Taney was transformed by the Appalachian Trail. Initially nervous, she blossomed into a steely-eyed hiking machine. That, at least, was how she was…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #22 - Rad Watkins (The Bear Whisperer)
First things first, it was me who named Rad Watkins The Bear Whisperer. He didn't have a trail name, but he certainly had a story. Rad is a landscape ecologist…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #21 - Kate Schmidlin (Tigger)
One of the fearless women I met in the Class of 2014, Kate Schmidlin, or Tigger, embodied the spirit of the trail. I never saw her pissed off at anybody, she…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #20 - Brandon Jacob (The Dude)
Brandon Jacob, AKA The Dude, became something of a social magnet on the Appalachian Trail in 2016 with his Dudefests. Straight out of the corporate world and…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
A brief announcement
If you'd like to follow the presentation live on Facebook, just click on the link below, which will take you to my profile page. This will also allow you to…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #19 - Steven Cullen (Scotty)
Steven Cullen was a section hiker who I met on my first day on the trail. We clicked straight away and he continued to follow my, and other, blogs once he…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #18 - Patrick Bredlau (RW)
Patrick Bredlau had a truly life-changing experience on the trail. His candor at his spiritual epiphany was touching, while his encounter with a man hiding…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #17 - James Claiborne (Buchanan)
James Claiborne was a fellow member of the Class of 2014. I only met him a few times, though once, memorably, at the Curly Maple Shelter, just outside Erwin…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #16 - Jessa Hackman
In this first episode of 2017, I'm introducing Jessa Hackman, our very own member of the Class of 2017 thru-hikers. She is from Madison, Wisconsin, is 25…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #15 - Clay Bonnyman Evans (Pony)
Clay Bonnyman Evans, 55, is a writer who moved to the beaches of South Carolina in 2015 after spending his previous life in the mountain west and California…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #14 - Jessica Mills (Dixie)
The prolific Dixie has 15,000 subscribers to her YouTube channel following her 2015 thru-hike. Her engaging manner has drawn people in and that shines through…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #13 - John O'Shea (Lumberjack)
John was a lot of fun to interview. He's also clearly a joyous hiker, despite hiking in 2003, one of the five wettest years on record. He gives back to the…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #12 - Kaiha Bertollini (Wild Card Ninja)
In 2016, Kaiha Bertollini, the Wild Card Ninja, laid claim to the unsupported hike record on the Appalachian Trail. This, despite no previous experience as an…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #11 - Gabe Burkhardt (Hermes or Sketch)
Gabe Burkhardt has hiked on the Appalachian Trail three times: 2014, 2015, and 2016. He completed his thru-hike in 2016 but has covered more than 4,000 miles…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #10 - Gary Sizer (Green Giant)
Gary Sizer is a former US Marine who hiked the AT in 2014. We never met on the trail, but we are now Facebook friends. Gary wrote a book about his experiences…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #9 - Francisco Miller (Karate Kid)
Francisco Miller was one of the funniest guys I met on the trail. Consistently cheerful, we met him in New Hampshire and hiked with or around him for several…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #8 - Stacey Kozel (Ironwill)
This is an extra special episode. Stacey Kozel was diagnosed with lupus at the age of 19 years and has fought a battle against it ever since. Not wishing to be…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #7 - Steve Walker (Big Bird)
Steve Walker set out to hike the A.T. earlier this year with the intention of reaching Maine by October. On the way, he shared his stories and his thoughts…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #6 - Stephen Martelli (Grizz)
One of the most recognizable figures I met on the trail, Grizz gave me some really helpful advice in those early miles. He bore an uncanny resemblance to Santa…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #5 - Maud Dillingham and Cesar Becerra
Maud and Cesar hiked their "thorough hike" in 2001, spending more than a year on the trail. They were determined to squeeze every last experience from the…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #4 - Sam Weber (Muffin Man)
Sam is an all-round good guy who would be happy to speak with anybody he met on the trail or anybody who just wants another perspective about life on the…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Episode #3 - Brooks Smith (Wing It)
Brooks' excellent blog can be found at www.bounceinthewoods.wordpress.com. Don't forget to rate the show on iTunes and email me on steve@mightyblueontheat.com…
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life CrisisEpisode #2 - Max Mishkin (Bearbag)
To learn more about Max, whether about his photography or his work for ATC, you can email him at mishkinphotography@gmail.com. If you want to see some of his…
- Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Pilot Episode #1: Mighty Blue on The Appalachian Trail
A short introduction to the podcast and a few upcoming guest interviews. Listeners will get an early feel of the show as Steve sets the format for the…