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

Episode #332 - Nathan Echols

28 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 extraord...

Episode #331 - Arlette Laan (Apple Pie)

21 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 T...

Episode #330 - Amber and Josh Niven (Dandelion and Still Don't)

07 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 ha...

Episode #329 - Emily Leonard (Black Bear)

30 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I met Emily Leonard and her husband Bruce at the Author's Tent at Trail Days in Damascus early this year. Not only does Emily write about her AT hikes...

Episode #328 - Kayla and Ken Bold (Nugs and Kenbo)

23 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Father and daughter hiking partners, Kayla and Ken Bold, came to the Appalachian Trail with Ken originally intending to hike just a section in support...

Episode #327 - Jeff Hayes (Speedo)

16 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we have a first for the podcast. Initially, our principal guest, Jeff Hays, lays out his views on why the Southern Terminus of the Appalach...

Episode #326 - Ian and Eve Alderman (Our Spectrum Adventures)

09 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we have Ian Alderman on the show. Ian and his daughter, Eve, are hiking the entire length of Britain. While it isn't a super long hike, it is s...

Episode #325 - Dennis Pack (Bookworm)

02 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dennis Pack is nearer my generation of hikers, and this week he shares the story of his 2021 flip flop. He's a great believer in serendipity and enjoy...

Episode #324 - Natisha Webb (Calypso)

26 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Natisha Webb wrote to me recently about my West Highland Way trip, telling me she'd already booked to go on the same hike next year. We corresponded, ...

Episode #323 - Nathan and Kimm Wright (Switchback and Crewhiker)

19 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we have Nathan and Kimm Wright, from the Pinhoti Outdoor Center. I met them both at Trail Days this past weekend, and we got into a discussion ...

Episode #322 - Chris Veasey (Idaho Bones)

12 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Our guest today is from the AT Class of 2017. His name is Chris Veasey, and we share an open chat about his experiences on the trail. He flip-flopped,...

Episode #321 - Brian Anderson (The Tick Terminator)

05 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we have the aptly named Tick Terminator, otherwise known as Brian Anderson. Brian has had a fascination with ticks–and how to terminate t...

Episode #320 - Mighty Blue on the West Highland Way

28 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week's show is all about my recent "saunter" on the West Highland Way in Scotland. As many of you know, I'd never hiked before I moved to the US,...

Episode #319 - Mighty Blue Class of 2022

21 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we catch up with ALL (available) members of the Mighty Blue Class of 2022. Having been away for more than five weeks, I've missed their starts–...

Episode #318 - Traci Galyon (Reroute)

14 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Our guest this week is Traci Galyon, or Reroute. Traci's evolution from irregular hiker to thru-hiker is interesting, in that it was her husband Don w...

Episode #317 - Ken and Allie Dravis (The Praise Team)

07 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today's guests were known as the Praise Team on the trail, with the purpose of "spreading cheer" on the trail. As committed Christians, Ken and Allie...

Episode #316 - Ken Good (PTL)

31 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ken Good is today's guest. Ken took the name PTL (or Praise the Lord) on the Appalachian Trail. If you followed Ken's YouTube channel–Bestill on the...

Episode #315 - J. Robert Harris (JR)

24 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We have a wonderful story on the show today. J Robert Harris grew up in New York during the 1960s. His folks realized that the New York streets were n...

Episode #314 - Bonita Curtner (Mother Goose)

17 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I was introduced to Bonita Curtner, otherwise known as Mother Goose, by a listener. Bonita is something of an overachiever when it comes to racking up...

Episode #313 - Hope Westall (Everest)

10 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Hope Westall is today's guest. Hope is the owner of Alt Route Meals, yet it is her hiking and her traveling that made me want to interview her on the ...

Episode #312 - Shepard Smith (Soundscape)

03 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Shep Smith, or Soundscape, had a particular mission when he was on the Appalachian Trail. As a former oceanographer, Shep chose to map the sounds of t...

Episode #311 - Lee Brackman (General Lee)

24 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I have a wonderful reunion this week, with Lee Brackman, General Lee, from my Class of 2019. Lee and I ran into each other in Virginia and hiked aroun...

Episode #310 - Kelly Hays (9 Lives)

17 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week, another intrepid young woman shares her story with us. Kelly Hays, who has developed quite a following on YouTube, hiked the Appalachian Tr...

Episode #309 - Grant Breidenbach (Detour)

10 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Grant Breidenbach is our guest this week. Grant hiked the John Muir Trail in 2021, his longest backpacking trip to date. But, as you'll hear, his prep...

Episode #308 - Will Henry (Teaberry)

03 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we have four guests on the show, with Will Henry leading the way. Will tells us about his 1994 Appalachian Trail thru-hike. He also talks a...

Episode #307 - Annmarie Noonan (Vista Seeker)

27 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is Annmarie Noonan. Annmarie wrote to me recently to tell me about her passion for hiking the Appalachian Trail. Indeed, it was the wo...

Episode #306 - Steve Barbour (Trail Dust)

20 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Steve Barbour is the Executive Director of the Sheltowee Trace Association, and our guest this week. Steve hiked the Appalachian Trail in the mid-2000...

Episode #305 - Garrett Tandy (Jive Turkey)

13 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Garrett Tandy is this week's guest, a 2021 flip flopper who finished at Delaware Water Gap in October 2021. He has fresh memories that he shares in a ...

Episode #304 - Michael Dunford (Honeybun)

06 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

My guests normally get on the show through listener suggestions, but this week, I found Michael Dunford on Facebook. He received a remarkable letter f...

Episode #303 - Sarah Robison (Serendipity)

30 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 though...

Episode #302 - Kyle Stranagan (Huck Finn)

23 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Episode #301 - Reta Walton (Fire Goddess)

16 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 s...

Episode #300 - Life Lessons From the Trail

09 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 sha...

Episode #299 - Shannon Finn (Joy)

02 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Episode #298 - Gail Muller (Hot Mess Express)

25 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week's guest, Gail Muller, is another of those unlikely adventurers, whose story is a breathless tale of triumph against a debilitating illness a...

Episode #297 - Tom Sherry (Stellar)

18 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Tom Sherry has been on a bit of a tear regarding long-distance hiking over the past few years. His hiking bio is growing quickly, and I took the oppor...

Episode #296 - Lisa P Parker (Tex)

11 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week's guest is another of those intrepid female hikers who follow their passion and find out what the world has in store for them. Lisa Parker h...

Episode #295 - Rebecca Brackbill (Savage)

04 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When I went out to hike the AT in 2014, I met a breed of woman I'd hardly known existed. These were strong-willed, fiercely independent young women, m...

Episode #294 - Sarah J. Ellison (Sheepdog)

28 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We have another section hiker on the show this week. I recently saw Sarah Ellison's awesome summit picture at the top of Katahdin, joyously capturing ...

Episode #293 - Emanuel & Karen Bravo (Ema el Astronauta & Hungry Marmot)

21 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Our shows come together each week with a kind of serendipitous whimsey. This week's guests, Emanuel and Karen Bravo, wrote to me to share how they had...

Episode #292 - Lord Thomas Bouissaguet (Lord Tom)

14 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You're going to love the story that today's guest is going to tell you. Lord Thomas Bouissaguet is part of a group of French visionaries whose ambitio...

Episode #291 - Shannon Shaver (Feather Blue)

07 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I recently saw a bunch of hikers finish under a banner headline of "Warrior Expeditions," and I was drawn to a black and white summit picture of today...

Episode #290 - Deb Taylor and Danny Mooney (Sundial and FIIK)

30 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We have a husband and wife section-hiking team on the show today. Deb Taylor and Danny Mooney have done Iron Man races, Triathlons, and Marathons for ...

Episode #289 - Chris Casado (The Commissioner)

23 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Chris Casado was lucky enough to be taken on a hiking trip in the Sierras at the age of 14 by a teacher who became a good friend. Fast forward 25 or s...

Episode #288 - Christian Foster (Bear)

16 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We rarely feature A.T. Southbounders on the show, but this week's guest is halfway through his SOBO hike of the Appalachian Trail. Christian Foster, o...

Episode #287 - Person Irresponsible (P.I.)

09 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For the Mighty Blue show, it's a bit of a first today. Our guest is Person Irresponsible, or PI, and she is as unlikely a hiker as you've ever met. Ye...

Episode #286 - Eric Patterson (Wild)

02 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the show this week, we have one of those guys who has wanted to do the Appalachian Trail for pretty much his entire life. That kinship with the tra...

Episode #285 - Daniel Winsor (Beta)

26 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today's guest, Daniel Winsor, will make you wonder for his sanity, then marvel at his tenacity. He decided that a hike through the Sierras in snow wou...

Episode #284 - Josh, Cassie & Harvey Sutton (Hot Hands, Straps, and Little Man)

19 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Another stellar story for you all this week. Josh and Cassie Sutton started a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail back in the middle of January 2021. A...

Episode #283 - Jesse Cody (The Boston Mule)

12 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jesse Cody had never hiked until he read Bill Bryson's book, "A Walk in the Woods." Something within the book spoke to him, and he saw a thru-hike as ...

Episode #282 - Randi Silverman (Founder of the Youth Mental Health Project)

05 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week's guest is Randi Silverman, the founder of the youth Mental Health Project. I think I can do no better than to replicate the notes that Rand...

Episode #281 - Richie Holbrook (Walks With Donor)

29 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

About ten years ago, you would never have guessed that Richie Holbrook would be taking on the Appalachian Trail. He was in a wheelchair, on oxygen, an...

Episode #280 - Vince and Monica Strawbridge (Strawbridge Treks)

22 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today is the first of four shorter shows, with just one main interview and a few words of commentary from me. With a bit of luck, I'll be out on the J...

Episode #279 - Gretchen Pardon (Braids)

15 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We return to the world of YouTube this week, with another interview of a woman who successfully thru-hiked the trail and recorded her experiences alon...

Episode #278 - Jessica Mills (Dixie) and MarDe Brooks

08 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, let's welcome a newly minted thru-hiking couple to the show. Jessica Mills (Dixie) and her partner, MarDe Brooks, recently completed the Fl...

Episode #277 - Michael Sisemore (Sy)

01 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, our guest is Michael Sisemore, better known as Sy. As many people do, Michael hiked the Appalachian Trail when he was at a real crossroads ...

Episode #276 - Steve Nota (Dingo)

24 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week on the show, we go back to the 'normal" format, with me, Mighty Blue, at the microphone. Ryan is passing back the show having successfully s...

Episode #275 - Lisa Speas (Conundrum)

17 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Lisa Speas or "Conundrum" has been long-distance backpacking for many years traversing a variety of trails, the longest of which being the Appalachian...

Episode #274 - Kera Passante and Bill Welch (Sunny and Always)

10 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We've got a couple of overachievers on the show today. Kera and Bill decided that an Appalachian Trail thru-hike wasn't sufficient to scratch their ad...

Episode #273 - M.J. Eberhart (Nimblewill Nomad)

03 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On a beautiful day in the Grayson Highlands, Ryan hikes and sits down with Nimblewill Nomad for a follow-up interview from the last time they spoke on...

Episode #272 - Jamey Mossengren (Big Red)

27 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

While you listen to this, our guest today, Jamey Mossengren, is out on the Pacific Crest Trail with his buddies, The Minnesota Hikings. Jamey and I ta...

Episode #271 - Steve Adams (Mighty Blue) at Trail Days

20 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It was Trail Days in Damascus this past weekend, and Ryan took to opportunity to chat with Steve about the event itself, his books, and his upcoming p...

Episode #270 - Jim Harrison

13 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jim Harrison serves as the Director of Outdoor Programs at Emory and Henry College, where he created and oversees the Semester-A-Trail program. The on...

Episode #269 - Will Campbell (Guano Man) on Trail Electronics

06 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Will Campbell "Guano Man" joins the show this week as the first "subject matter expert" to discuss electronics and technology on the trail. With his e...

Episode #268 - Lisa and Gordon Simmons (The Hostel Around the Bend)

29 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Lisa and Gordon Simmons are the proud owners of Hostel Around the Bend in Hiawassee, Georgia. The hostel is just half a mile from Dick's Creek Gap (AT...

Episode #267 - Sarah Jane Hatfield (Pringles)

22 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For my show this month, I've returned to the Class of 2019 and a woman I met quite early on. Sarah Jane Hatfield was an outwardly confident hiker, wit...

Episode #266 - NC Trail Interviews (Nimblewill Nomad and more!!!)

15 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The show this week features interviews from four hikers who Ryan was able to meet with at Rock Gap in North Carolina, mile 105.8 on the Appalachian Tr...

Episode #265 - Zach Hoopes (Relish)

08 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Originally from Virginia, Zach Hoops has gone all-in with long-distance and ultralight backpacking. After discovering his love for hiking and honing h...

Episode #264 - Cass Bridges (Nova)

01 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cass Bridges hails from North Georgia and spent a few seasons working at the historic Mountain Crossings before taking on a thru-hike attempt of her o...

Episode #263 - Zach Nagy (Just Awesome)

25 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Zach Nagy was introduced to hiking and car camping as a kid but a life in the rock business–working with Joan Jett–took him down another path unti...

Episode #262 - Rue Mckenrick

18 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Self-described "Complete Nature Boy," Rue McKenrick is today's guest. He takes us on a journey around the American Perimeter Trail. It was Rue's visio...

Episode #261 - Ray Kroebl (Sparky)

11 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I hadn't noticed how many of my fellow members of the Class of 2019 I'd had on the show until I spoke with Ray Kroebl, or Sparky. Ray is Swiss and, wh...

Episode #260 - Juliana Chauncey (Chaunce)

04 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's one of our longest ever shows today, with three guests and my book reading. First up, Juliana Chauncey, a fellow member of the Class of 2019, and...

Episode #259 - Brittany Briley (Mooney)

25 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Brittany Briley's smile lit up the trail in 2019, and we first met at Woods Hole Hostel. A nurse by training, she felt that the time was right to take...

Episode #258 - Joseph Barnett (Subway Gramps)

18 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Joseph Barnett had quite the adventure hiking the Appalachian Trail during the latter half of 2019 and the first half of 2020. He faced a bunch of pro...

Episode #257 - Dan Gosmeyer (Shoeless)

11 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We have another of my Class of 2019 brothers on the show today. I met Dan Gosmeyer pretty early on the trail and recall his quiet determination but, w...

Episode #256 - Caroll Coyne (Cheer)

04 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today's guest is another whose thru-hike was the Pacific Crest Trail, yet Caroll Coyne has lessons–and solutions–that are universal to all long-di...

Episode #255 - Erik Russell (Lars)

28 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We have a couple of interesting topics on the show this week. Our first guest, Erik Russell, wrote to me to convey a notable if somewhat jarring, inci...

Episode #254 - Tina Tempest (Chunky)

21 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's lovely to interview somebody you've met and spent time with before. So I was delighted when Tina Tempest agreed to come on the show and share wha...

Episode #253 - Reid Marshall and Marina Santiago (Wombat and Brown-Eyed Girl)

14 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we feature a couple who met on the trail in 2019 and have been a couple ever since. Reid Marshall and Marina Santiago are, however, locatio...

Episode #252 - Mike Current (Energizer)

07 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We normally focus on the Appalachian Trail, but this week, we're moving across the country to share the hike of Mike Current on the Pacific Crest Trai...

Episode #251 - Steve Yale (Walmart 2021)

31 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We're back to our three-segment show this week, with Steve Yale, or Walmart 2021, as our principal guest. Steve got his name when he first hiked the A...

Episode #250 - Trevor Hendry (Bear)

24 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It's a shorter show today, though I think the content is as compelling as ever. This week's guest is Trevor Hendry, or Bear. Trevor's 2020 thru-hike p...

Episode #249 - Matthew Norman (Odie)

17 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We've got an old friend on the show today. Matthew "Odie" Norman is one of those good people of the trail. He lives it, he breathes it, and he shares ...

Episode #248 - Larry Knight (McGyver)

10 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Larry Knight shares his Appalachian Trail thru-hike story. It was never really a bucket list item for Larry but, as often happened, a confl...

Episode #247 - Stephanie Logan Hall (Puffin)

03 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Another really full show this week, with four segments. First up, there is a recently minted thru-hiker, Stephanie Logan Hall, who completed her SOBO ...

Episode #246 - Matthew Emerson (Prada G)

26 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We have a story today of a young man who walked away from a life of extreme poverty to find himself (literally) on the Appalachian Trail. Matthew Emer...

Episode #245 - Alan Carpenter

19 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Another full show today, with Alan Carpenter taking up long-distance hiking in his 60s and still going today, well into his 70s. Alan's story is a te...

Episode #244 - Julia Sheehan (Rocket)

12 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It's a slightly shorter show this week, with Laura Sheehan, or Rocket, as our principal guest. Julia was a member of my last AT class; the Class of 20...

Episode #243 - Dan Schoenthal (Tremor)

05 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week's guest, Dan Schoenthal, is an unlikely thru-hiker. He suffers from Parkinson's Disease and, as you'll learn, he has pushed through this imp...

Episode #242 - Jillian and Logan Ivey (The Purple People)

29 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Anybody who shared the trail with me last year must have heard of the Purple People. They seemed to be ubiquitous, turning up night after night at hos...

Episode #241 - Rob Landry (Fly by Night)

22 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

I first met Rob Landry (virtually) when he reached out partway through his 2020 thru-hike attempt. He was thinking about writing the book of hiking du...

Episode #240 - Woods Hole Hostel Retreat

15 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We've got a bit of a departure from our normal set up today. Instead of a particular hiker, I've got a disparate collection of characters who attended...

Episode #239 - Pat Stith (Lucky)

08 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We have another of our vintage hikers on the show today. Pat Stith didn't get started with his hiking until he was in his early 60s, yet he's certainl...

Episode #238 - Briana and Cambyr Sullivan (Chickweed and Kaleidoscope)

01 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Another couple of 2020 Appalachian Trail thru-hikers this week, with Briana and Cambyr Sullivan, a mother and daughter duo who recently completed the ...

Episode #237 - Bill Tickner (Mr President)

24 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Bill Tickner, or Mr. President, is a hiker we've been following for some weeks now. When he wanted to respond to the points made by Sandi Marra from t...

Episode #236 - Sandi Marra (President and CEO of the ATC)

17 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we have Sandi Marra on the show. Sandi is the President and CEO of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and has had to make some tough decisio...

Episode #235 - Ryan Schlosser (YearBook)

10 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

I was first contacted by today's guest, Ryan Schlosser, when he was preparing for his 2020 thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail earlier this year. Ryan'...

Episode #234 - Dave Fleischman (J.I.F.)

03 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We've got a guy this week who has spent his life hiking and giving back to both the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails. Dave Fleischman has spent ti...

Episode #233 - Sally Brooks (Not Yet)

27 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today we have a comedian, a writer, and a podcaster, but, as you'll learn, she is also an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker. Sally Brooks has a compelling ...