Episode #1 - The Who, What, Where, & How of Platinum Blazing

Welcome to Episode # 1 of the Platinum Blazing Podcast. A new podcast in the Hiking Radio Network hosted by Bruce “RTK” Matson. This episode is an introduction to “Platinum Blazing” - it's about “The Who, What, Where & How of Platinum Blazing.” In this episode we hear an interesting story about how the origins of Platinum Blazing go back to northern Spain and RTK’s time on the Camino de Santiago. You can get a copy of Bruce’s memoir about that pilgrimage - The Road to Find Out: A Modern Pilgrim & the Camino de Santiago on Amazon or by emailing the author at platinumblazing@gmail.com.

Episode #1 of the podcast explains that Platinum Blazing is much less about expense and luxury than about trying to capture as many of the historical, cultural, geologic, and other iconic Appalachian Trail experiences as possible - it's about taking time to visit the people, places, and things between Georgia and Maine that make the AT unique, interesting, and exciting. In other words, it's about stopping to smell the roses during your journey.

Platinum Blazing is fun too. The podcast will highlight, as the book does, some of the very best places to eat or stay during any trek on the Appalachian Trail. We’ll discover where the Best Platinum Burger can be found as well as the Best Platinum Breakfast, the Best Platinum Hostel, and, among many others, the Best Platinum Trail Town.

The podcast host is Bruce (“RTK”) Matson, who completed a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2018 at age 61. His adventures were captured as part of the Hiking Radio Network podcast known as “Returning to Katahdin: An Appalachian Trail Dream.”

Platinum Blazing was inspired by Bruce’s book (which he co-authored with Michael “Sharkbait” Neiman) called Platinum-Blazing the Appalachian Trail: How to Thru-hike in 5 3-Star Luxury.

This new edition features many new Best Platinum honorees, including a new, Platinum-Blazing Hall of Fame. It also has a new section of the Best Platinum Shelters along the Appalachian Trail. Another chapter highlights the “Tennessee Hostel Hop” and the “Virginia is for Hostel Lovers Hike” - each listing helps hikers determine an itinerary to permit them to stay overnight in a hostel for over 200 miles straight in Tennessee and over 100 miles in Virginia.

More information about Platinum-Blazing is available as follows:

Website: www.platinum-blazing.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PlatinumBlazeInstitute
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/platinum_blazing/

Please email Bruce at platinumblazing@gmail.com with any ideas you have for topics or guests, especially hostel owners, shuttle drivers, AT maintenance club members, owners of best Platinum eating establishments, recent thru-hikers, etc. Please feel free to suggest or nominate yourself.