Episodes
Sept. 5, 2019
Episode #182 - Appalachian Trail (Debrief)
Now that I've returned to Florida and had a week off from the podcast, I felt ready to answer a few questions from listeners. There turned out to be so many of them that I had a good friend–and star podcaster–Glenn Hebert do…
Aug. 24, 2019
Episode #181 - Appalachian Trail (Day 179)
I wanted to share my last day on the trail with you all. The sound is often distorted through wind and even our paces. That said, I hope you gather from the show my enthusiasm and delight at getting this job done. Don’t forg…
Aug. 23, 2019
Episode #180 - Appalachian Trail (Days 175 to 178)
With the worst mountains in the 100 Mile Wilderness begins us, Trigger and I had to put in some long days to meet our goal of summiting Katahdin by Friday. The rocks and roots, abetted by some very dubious weather, tried to …
Aug. 22, 2019
Episode #179 - Appalachian Trail (Days 172 to 174)
Given how lucky we’ve been with the weather so far, I suppose it was only inevitable that the 100 Mile Wilderness gave us four straight days of rain. Rocks and roots are tricky at the driest of times; after rain they can be …
Aug. 15, 2019
Episode #178 - Appalachian Trail (Days 168 to 171)
We’ve covered a lot of ground to get here and are now in Monson, ready to hit the 100 Mile Wilderness. The path here hasn’t always been straight (or even northbound), yet we’ve covered every mile and have longed for these fi…
Aug. 13, 2019
Episode #177 - Appalachian Trail (Days 164 to 167)
Slackpacking the tougher mountains has been a feature of these past four days. With the Saddlebacks, the Crocker’s, then the stunningly beautiful Bigelows, we’ve been treated to (mostly) great weather. Now, past 2000 miles, …
Aug. 11, 2019
Episode #176 - Appalachian Trail (Days 161 to 163)
It’s been a while (again). We’re making progress but the miles are taking their toll and I’m often too tired at the end of the day to record. That said, the miles continue to melt away and we’re closing in on 2000 miles. Th…
Aug. 6, 2019
Episode #175 - Appalachian Trail (Days 158 to 160)
My first, faltering days back from illness led me to Mahoosuc Notch on Day 3. To be frank, I think that I should have stayed another day or two with Gary and Cathy as I clearly wasn’t ready to get back to it. That said, Main…
Aug. 2, 2019
Episode #174 - Appalachian Trail (Days 153 to 157)
In a marked contrast to yesterday’s show, this one is a little bit of a doom and gloom episode, with those earlier doubts all coming back to haunt me as I come down with an infection. The trail is an extended lesson in life …
Aug. 1, 2019
Episode #173 - Appalachian Trail (Days 149 to 152)
With four days of glorious weather forecast, we couldn’t wait to get stuck into Franconia Ridge and the Presidential Range, highlighted by summiting Mt Washington. We were entertained in a log cabin, driven down, then back u…
July 24, 2019
Episode #172 - Appalachian Trail (Days 146 to 148)
With Cushy back in the fold, we’re finding more ways to do this hike. Having done Moosilauke, we had to fill in our ten-mile gap AFTER the British Open. We worked it out. Then, most surprising to me, Kinsman blew me away. Wh…
July 23, 2019
Episode #171 - Appalachian Trail (Days 143 to 145)
We’re in New Hampshire and starting to put together our highlight reel. We’ve also run into an old friend and teamed up again. The trail has already lived up to expectations, something that I was concerned wouldn’t happen fo…
July 17, 2019
Episode #170 - Appalachian Trail (Days 137 to 142)
Trigger and I have been separated and are now reunited. I definitely hike better with him! Vermont has been great training for our upcoming adventures in the Whites and beyond. In this episode, we also chat with a SOBO hiker…
July 11, 2019
Episode #169 - Appalachian Trail (Days 131 to 136)
Vermont has provided us with mud, mozzies, and views from the top of mountains. We’ve been hiking for 20 straight days and I took the decision to take a zero, splitting with Trigger for about four days. We’ll get back togeth…
July 5, 2019
Episode #168 - Appalachian Trail (Days 127 to 130)
We’ve had visitors this week. One had a shirt for me while Trigger’s boys drove 16 hours to hike seven miles with us. The heat in New England has been stifling and certainly took a toll on us. However, the further north we g…
July 1, 2019
Episode #167 - Appalachian Trail (Days 123 to 126)
Still pushing on and now into Massachusetts and past 1550 miles. We’re managing our reduced mileage and taking several breaks during the day is helping us conserve our energy. I’ve now lost about 35 lbs while Trigger has dro…
June 28, 2019
Episode #166 - Appalachian Trail (Days 120 to 122)
With two-thirds of the trail under our feet, the humidity and heat has cranked up to shorten our days. We still aim to finish in the last week of August, but we can see a tougher profile ahead. These past few days have been …
June 24, 2019
Episode #165 - Appalachian Trail (Days 115 to 119)
I had a brief day of doubt this week as my body appeared to rebel about the miles I was doing. I soon got over it but even wondered if Lyme Disease was a possibility. I also got the great chance to meet face to face with our…
June 20, 2019
Episode #164 - Appalachian Trail (Days 112 to 114)
We’ve been incredibly lucky with our management of rain so far but, as with all things, this, too, shall end. The rain is upon us and making the New York rocks slicker and far more dangerous. We have a quandary, in that ther…
June 16, 2019
Episode #163 - Appalachian Trail (Days 109 to 111)
Old friends reunited and new friends met. The trail continues to provide us with serendipitous moments that are the real Trail Magic. Sharing the trail with Trigger, Dodger Dog, Cushy, and a new friend, Barb, has been a deli…
June 15, 2019
Episode #162 - Appalachian Trail (Days 106 to 108)
Pennsylvania has claimed another couple of victims; Trigger and I are VERY glad that it is over. Our feet and shoes have suffered from the sharpness of the rocks and, now that we have entered New Jersey, we were hoping that …
June 10, 2019
Episode #161 - Appalachian Trail (Days 103 to 105)
Rocks, rocks, and more rocks have made our days tougher but, somewhat perversely, longer and further. We’re taking a zero right now but have racked up an average of almost 20 miles a day for over a week. Two more days and we…
June 7, 2019
Episode #160 - Appalachian Trail (Days 101 to 102)
Just two days today, with a 35-mile hike into the precipitous descent into Port Clinton. Trigger and I are still together and, as you can see, he has reached for his bug net to keep the flies and mozzies at bay and away from…