Trail Days was first held in the late 80's to celebrate hiker culture and the 50th anniversary of the Appalachian Trail's completion. The event has grown exponentially since then and now serves as a homecoming for thru-hikers and for those that are passionate about the A.T. This year I celebrated the 25th anniversary of my 1994 thru-hike with some backpackers that I met on the A.T. and some friends that I hike with frequently in Georgia and North Carolina. This is a montage … [Read more...]
Episode 96: Above The Ashes (P1)
October 28, 2022 By Leave a Comment
In Episode 96, Kevin Conley is back on the show after a six year hiatus to tells us about his last few years as a wildland firefighter, his subsequent battle with mental illness, and his 3500 mile ride across the country to beat it. This journey helped Kevin overcome one of the darkest moments of his life which he details in his recently published book “Above The Ashes” - a powerful memoir of his journey with dog Rocky. We last spoke with Kevin in 2016 after his thru-hikes on the … [Read more...]
Top 10 Best Reasons To Thru-Hike The Appalachian Trail
August 12, 2021 By Leave a Comment
After our 1994 Appalachian Trail thru-hike, Troubadour wrote a few newsletters titled "Beyond Katahdin" so we could all keep in touch. This was a top ten list written by Jester who hiked with us. Still makes me laugh... … [Read more...]
Episode 85: The Arizona Trail
February 23, 2021 By Leave a Comment
In Episode 85, "The Man Who Hiked It All" is back on the podcast to tell us about one of his favorite long distance trails - The AZT. The Arizona Trail is a nearly 800 mile path that runs from Mexico to Utah and Bart Smith thru-hiked it all in 2009 - the year that it was first designated as a National Scenic Trail. In the show, Bart tells us about his walk through the lowlands of the Sonoran Desert, his climbs to the sky islands of the San Francisco Peaks, and his traverse of the … [Read more...]
Episode 76: Backcountry Eats
May 14, 2020 By Leave a Comment
In Episode 76, Aaron Owens Mayhew joins the podcast. She is a registered dietary nutritionist, long distance hiker, and entrepreneur that offers some tips on eating healthy and feasting like a King or Queen as you explore the backcountry. In the show, Aaron provides some tips on meal planning and offers some suggestions for inexpensive, tasty, and lightweight meals. She also tells us some common misconceptions and mistakes that backpackers make on the Trail. Aaron has spent the last two … [Read more...]
Tough Times & Sassafras Mountain
April 19, 2020 By Leave a Comment
There was a period nearly 20 years ago when times were tough. Airlines stopped flying, people stopped working, and the media spouted doom and gloom on cable TV for 24 hours a day. It was 9/11/01 and my first impulse was to get to the wilderness. So when the weekend came - that is exactly what we did. Here we are at the Chattooga River trailhead in 2001. Tough times are here again – albeit in a very different scenario. Stay at home orders are in place, schools are … [Read more...]
Episode 75: Harrison’s Pierce Pond Camps
April 15, 2020 By 1 Comment
In Episode 75, Tim Harrison snowmobiles to the top of Bates Ridge in northern Maine to catch up after our visit to Harrison's Pierce Pond Camps last fall. The camp is 1/10th of a mile off the Appalachian Trail and is coveted by thru-hikers for the hearty 7am breakfast - served to backpackers in the scenic backdrop off Pierce Pond Lean-To and 16 miles from the nearest township. In the show, Tim tells us about running the camp since 1986, his experience with hikers over the years, shares … [Read more...]
Episode 74: The Pandemic Podcast
March 31, 2020 By Leave a Comment
In Episode 74, we record at a historic time. Coronavirus has caused a worldwide pandemic. The governor of Georgia just cancelled school for the year and ordered a "shelter in place" mandate across the State. So tonight we skip the studio interview, record with a combo of Skype, Join Me, and Zoom, and embrace the social distancing guidelines of the CDC. In the show, we discuss our time on the Trail this month, talk about how hiking has changed over the last two weeks, … [Read more...]
Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike 1994 (Short Film)
November 9, 2019 By Leave a Comment
This is a 5 minute slideshow of some of my favorite pics from my hike on the Appalachian Trail – April 10th to October 15th 1994. I spent 188 days on the A.T. in ’94 passing through 14 states, 8 national forests, 6 units of the national park system, and 60 state park, forest, or game lands. The video is higher definition and shorter than this one and was created in April 2019 to mark the 25th anniversary of my hike. Runtime is 5 minutes, 04 seconds. … [Read more...]
Episode 68: Teenage Thru-Hiker
September 30, 2019 By Leave a Comment
In Episode 68, "IronWill" Callahan joins the show to tell us what it's like being a teenage thru-hiker on the Appalachian Trail. In February of this year, Will left Springer Mountain at the age of 17 and hiked northbound to Woods Hole in Virginia where he discovered he had a fractured tibia. After taking a break to heal, he returned to the trail to finish his hike - completing the Vermont to Virginia section southbound. In the podcast, Will talks about what it's like being one of … [Read more...]
