This is the quickest podcast I've ever released. Jessica got to end yesterday afternoon (October 3) and texted me this morning. I knew you'd want to hear from her so I've rushed the episode out. As you'll hear, she saved the…
With Canada only a couple of weeks away, Dixie is facing a race against the snow. It is starting to get colder and she is adjusting her gear to meet the changing weather. We caught up yesterday morning and she had made it t…
Jessica is now less than 300 miles from Canada and is moving well after her recent toe issues. However, she is about to enter 190 miles of wilderness, so she caught up with me yesterday to give an update. She has enjoyed the…
With Dixie back to full mobility after her toe op, she is making real progress towards the Canada border. For the first time, she looks as if she'll make it before October or, at worst, a few days into the month. Today, she …
The last time we caught up with Dixie, she had decided to get her ingrowing toenails cut out. This was clearly going to disrupt the progress she had been making, and I fully expected her mileage to drop precipitously. She to…
With her ingrowing toenails continuing to bother her, Dixie has made a decision to resolve the problem. This will slow her progress but she now has Kyle, Rogue, and Perk with her. Hopefully, the next few days will enable her…
With Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park now behind her, Dixie heads into Idaho with two very angry feet. We had a lot of trouble connecting to have a conversation but eventually managed to speak twice; once on the trail a…
Having spent a couple of weeks with a mini "tramily," Dixie finds herself alone once more, with each of her various hiking companions heading in different directions. I caught up with her this morning, not having heard from …
Jessica, Kyle and her brother, Dakota, have been hiking together for a week, at a predictably slower pace but revelling in the diversity of the trail. They've experienced some glorious views and some horrendous hail. Dixie h…
This conversation was on Wednesday, August 1, so I apologize for not getting it to you earlier. Dixie has been joined by her brother and another familiar face. We got an excellent question from Shane Capps about hiker hunger…
We've not spoken for over a week and Jessica has moved into Wyoming. With another desert to contend with, she is getting help with her hydration from truckers as they pass her by. She has also had a few wildlife encounters, …
Another catch up on the trail, with Jessica taking a break and having cell service. This time, we didn't lose her towards the end as we did last time. We ranged from coffee pots to guns and even got in another thunderstorm s…
This week, we were able to catch up when Jessica was actually hiking on the trail. She had a signal and, particularly because I wanted to know about her electrical storm experience, I immediately got on the phone. Then, once…
It's been a few days since we spoke and Jessica is now almost due west of Denver. We learn about these small towns and what she does when she gets into town, as well as how much solitude she has been experiencing. We also le…
We last night when Jessica was in town. Rogue was catching her and expected to get to town soon after we spoke. They will be hiking out together today. We had a long, wide-ranging conversation–both recorded and not recorded–…
Once again, we had to wait until Jessica was in town for our chat, so I caught up with her in Walmart, of all places. She is currently separated from both Perk and Rogue, though expects Rogue to catch her soon. We talk about…
Happily, Jessica is back smiling once more and in Colorado. She's had to take another alternate route because of fires but is still, as she says, "connecting her footsteps." This week, she reflects upon the tough past few we…
While she was expecting to be able to get straight back into her hike, Dixie has found this week to be tough. Whether it is the elevation or the antibiotics still in her system, she has struggled and felt quite down. She is…
With Dixie's stay at home reaching two weeks, Steve spoke with her this morning to establish when she might be back on the trail. The timing could not have been better. Not only was she in New Mexico, but she was about to hi…
While she was hoping to be back on the trail by this time, Dixie's journey has been interrupted by an extended stay at home due to a medical situation. She's happy to be there but itching to get back. When we hear from her n…
With her sister's graduation coming up, Dixie left the trail this week. I caught up with her at Dallas Airport, between stops and already worn down by the transport system. She reflected upon her journey so far, comparing th…
Dixie is past the 700-mile mark and will be leaving the trail for a week to attend her sister's graduation back home. We caught up today and, without any warning, Dixie told me of her dramatic encounter with REAL wildlife.
Another five or six days between conversations, I managed to catch up with Jessica earlier today on Mother's Day. These are the days that make her miss her family, and I had been concerned that her blue mood of last week may…
We've been out of touch with Jessica for about a week. The spotty cell service has mitigated against us talking on a sufficiently clear line. Eventually, last evening, we spoke. Right from the start, she didn't sound her nor…
