Episodes

Michelle Michaud is our guest today. She has completed the Appalachian Trail three times, having been on trail every year since the late 90s. Her love for the AT is apparent, and she has managed to parlay that love into a business, helping hikers with their logistics and training as they try to fulfill their own Appalachian Trail dream. You can find out more by visiting Michelle’s website, http://www.appalachiantrailhikingsupport.com/ and her Facebook account at https://www.facebook.com/Wander...

We welcome Dr Rob Scanlon to the podcast today to talk about five essential skills that hikers need to learn to avoid becoming a depressing statistic on trail. Rob shares anecdotes and data to illustrate those five skills, and he has presented a book rich in detail that will benefit most hikers. I’ll certainly be paying attention to several of the points Rob makes in his book as I hit the Appalachian Trail this year. You can follow Rob on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/dr_robscanlon?ig...

The self-deprecating James Kinch is on the show today, claiming the title of the “Fattest Known Time” on the Appalachian Trail, having twice thru-hiked the trail, starting at well over 300lbs each time. James has published his journal of the hike, and he serves as an inspiration to those who convince themselves that they can’t do this hike for many reasons, one of which is often their weight. James just got on with it and made it to Katahdin each time. You can check out his book at Fat Man Wal...

Ellen Langford, or Adventurine, joins us today. Ellen is a professional artist who had dreamed of hiking the Appalachian Trail for several years before 2025 opened a window for her. On the trail, she found logistics to be challenging, yet utterly “embraced the suck” as she knocked off 1700 miles before an unfortunate health condition curtailed her hike. She took her art tools of the trade with her, sketching as she went along. You can catch up with Ellen and her art at her website, http://www....

We meet Jesse Cody and Mike Rose today, and hear about their non-profit, Hike the Good Hike, an organization committed to enhance mental wellness through nature. They have partnered with several well-known outdoor brands to provide a path for a disparate cohort of people taking on US hikes in 2026. Jesse and Mike value the stories that hikers tell and this podcast will help tell some of those stories as we meet most, if not all, of the 2026 cohort in the coming weeks. I encourage you all to fi...

Emily Manzon, or Tic Tac, is our guest this week. Emily was looking for an epic way to celebrate her 40th birthday this year, so the Appalachian Trail certainly checked that box. Along the way, Emily gained a respect for the trail and the impact it had upon her, using mantras to reflect her attitude along the way. Missing 200 miles partway through, she could have been content as a 2,000-miler, yet returned to the trail for a more solitary experience as she filled in those miles, heading south....

Tom Margaria, a retired FDNY firefighter, set out on January 1st from Key West to hike the 5700 mile Eastern Continental Trail. On the way, Tom met up with–and joined–the “Over the Hill Gang,” the group including Dave Santi, one of my Mighty Blue Class of 25 this year. Tom, a man of deep faith, would ask people he met along the way how he could pray for them. This kind request came with a variety of answers, though Tom always saw the positives. He made it to the end, and reflects upon his mamm...

We meet a young New Hampshire guy today who had never hiked in New Hampshire prior to his Appalachian Trail thru-hike this year. Galloway Johnson had dreamed about the AT for five years and made it a reality this year. He didn’t enjoy those early days, finding it tougher than he had imagined and carrying on almost to spite the trail!! But he made it to the end and came on the show to share his story, telling me that despite vowing never to hike again, he is considering the PCT next year. We h...

This is indeed the season for hearing from successful thru-hikers, and we have another one joining us today. Jennifer Cole, or Indy 5, was looking for a great adventure and a bit of independence. She certainly found both on the Appalachian Trail. She has been a stay-at-home-mother to five children over the years, and decided to hike the AT back in 2015, planning ahead ten years for the last of her children to graduate. True to her word, she hit the trail earlier this year and reached Katahdin a...

We’ve got a family of three on the show today, with Mike, Molli, and Kayla McCarthy sharing their own hiking story. I met Molli and Kayla on my 2014 thru-hike, and found them to be charming company. Mike had started with them but had to get off trail due to an injury, supporting them the rest of the way. For Kayla, it wasn’t the end of her long-distance hiking, with an aborted attempt through injury on the PCT the following year. She still hikes but is concentrating on her career right now. Mo...

Lisa Laidlow came to the trail when she became an empty-nester. She had always been an outdoor girl–often along with her father–yet it was only fairly recently that she returned to hiking and discovered the idea of a thru-hike. As a black woman on the trail, she was embraced by hikers, though had a few uncomfortable encounters along the way. Despite these rare occasions, Lisa is a strong advocate of getting people of whatever color into the woods and on trails. You can follow Lisa on various s...

James Dalberto, or Nomad, joins the podcast today. James has been an RV'er for the past few years, earning a living as a “starving artist” (his words) all over the country. This year, he decided to mix it up a bit and headed out onto the Appalachian Trail for a thru-hike. On the way, he fell back in love with the hiking community he discovered last year, and even found time to provide his fellow hikers with some trail magic of his own. You should check out James’s work on his Etsy site, at The...

Very limited notes this month, mainly because I'm away and rushing to get this out on Wednesday evening!! It was an honor to be chosen to present the Saturday evening keynote speech at ALDHA last weekend. I picked my own guests–and subjects–and the event was not only well-attended but also well-received. First up was Mills Kelly, the well-known AT historian and podcast host of the Green Tunnel. Mills shared a story of how close we came to losing our beloved AT shelters back in the 70s. After ...

We meet an unusual hiker this week. Ken Posner has been a long-distance runner and hiker over the years, yet he has gradually morphed into a barefoot runner and hiker. Ken and I discuss this–to me–bizarre footwear choice, and he makes a compelling case for the advantages of barefoot walking. Ken has also taken on the fascinating project of “The Grid” in New York’s Catskill Mountains, whereby he hikes each of over 30 mountains in every month of the year. This entails over 400 ascents, and the ab...

Chrissy Schubert and her daughter Ady will be attempting a 250-mile section of the Appalachian Trail next year. No big deal, you may think. Think again. Ady is afflicted by profound autism, communicates through writing, and has a heart as big as the trail itself. The adversity that Ady and her family have overcome during her earlier years has strengthened their faith and helped so many others along the way. These links each tell a short story or speak to the way in which Ady is triumphing in l...

This week, we have a little change of pace. I attended the Woods Hole weekend last week as a presenter, and I came away with friendships, more knowledge, and a decent amount of humble pie as I savored the experience. My Dana came with me and experienced a little of what I experience on trail. She hiked into our campsite at Dismal Falls, then camped for her first ever night in a tent in the woods, before hiking back out the following morning. Our sessions at Woods Hole were informative, and we ...

Glenn Sweitzer, designer and filmmaker, is our guest today. Glenn’s fascinating back story takes in working with Disney, designing artwork for Tim McGraw and others, then telling stories through film, before ending up on the Appalachian Trail, discovering and sharing stories along the way. Glenn is a natural raconteur with an eye for detail, and has produced an award-winning Appalachian Trail movie, Trail Mix, that is very evocative of my time out on trail, so there should be plenty for you all...

Sandra Katerina Schmelzer Alvarez, or Peaches, completed her Appalachian Trail thru-hike last month. She is a single mother who managed her autistic son’s reaction to her hike by preparing him for a year before she left. The hike allowed her to see herself as not just a mother, embracing the hiking community and returning home to her son, Nico, with a new perspective on life and motherhood. You can follow Sandra and see plenty of her thru-hike photographs on Facebook at https://www.facebook.co...

Roxanne Strine completed her Appalachian Trail thru-hike just a few weeks ago, at the sprightly young age of 70. She proved her mettle after her original plans fell through at the last minute, deciding to modify those plans and just go for it. On the way, Roxanne discovered an inner strength that she always knew was there, from her time in her 30s as a professional kickboxer!! Failure was truly not an option for Roxanne, even after getting lost in Maine and having to push the alarm button on h...

Darrell Eck, or Old Stag, is this week’s main guest. Darrell retired as a teacher in 2022 and fulfilled his dream of thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail. He had kept a picture of the AT behind him in his classroom, so the completion must have been sweet indeed. On the way, Darrell helped rescue a woman lost on trail leading her out when she had found herself turned around. He also discovered the precise height of a tree branch when he walked into it!! Surprisingly, Darrell hasn’t set foot back o...

Two Amigos

Before technology

This interview was four years in the making, with Maddie Boehm our main guest, four years after we first made contact. It was worth the wait, as Maddie talks about her somewhat tricky start with backpacking on the Appalachian Trail. She was badly under-prepared for what she would face, but her resilience and her ability to learn from her mistakes were what pushed her through. Along the way, she discovered something within her that had eluded her for much of her life. Maddie talks about plus-si...

Hiking royalty!!