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 finished his week-long section hike. I thought it might be helpful to include a section hiker in the podcast and, though I met many, he was my first thought. In our interview, we talk about the differences between section and thru-hikers, with Steve making some perceptive, and funny, observations. He is one of the group of hikers who may one day take the life-changing step to thru-hike but, as you'll hear, he'll be a section hiker for the time being. Steven can be reached at steven.cullen.70@gmail.com. He will be happy to offer advice if anybody reaches out to him. Jessa continues her preparations for her March 23 start date. She shares her latest update, with, of all things, health insurance being a concern. What I loved about this update was that Jessa is feeling accountable to the show, which is giving her some discipline in getting done the things she needs to achieve. We still need more entries for Jessa's trail name. I'll be sharing them all with her a week before she sets out. Remember, the prize for your choice being the one chosen is both volumes of my book on the A.T from my 2014 thru-hike. Keep the entries coming to steve@mightyblueontheat.com. Indeed, anything you want to share about the show should be sent to that address. Our third interview was with Aaron Martray, the owner of Katabatic Gear. When I hiked the A.T. in 2014, I took the Palisade 30 quilt with me. It is STILL the "Editor's Choice" on the invaluable www.outdoorgearlab.com, three years later. I found it to be both light and incredibly warm. It even helped me survive a seven-degree night in the Smokies. It wasn't cheap but worth every cent. If you'd like to find out more about the Palisade 30 or any other Katabatic Gear bag, just email Aaron at info@katabaticgear.com, or call him on 303-984-4189. If you want to read the review on the quilt, click here. You'll probably notice that "If I Did It Again" is missing this week. This is partly because there are three interviews, but mainly because I've run out of stuff I'd change were I ever to slog my way up the eastern side of the country again. However, I'm sure one or two of my listeners will have their own pet peeves about the trail. Please don't keep it to yourself. Email me and I'll share your gripes with everybody. Happy Trails!!