["Brat McCay, Welcome to another edition of the Art of Manliness Podcast."

One of my favorite things to do in life is to find and hike a trail out in the wild somewhere.

My favorite place to hike by far for a lot.

I love how a good trail gently leads you through nature.

You don't have to think much about where you're going, so it gives you time to think about other things.

And this is great for chewing on deep issues and getting new insights, but it also causes you to take the trail for granted.

For example, I sometimes forget that a group of people blaze the trail of enjoying,

and that another group of people continues to maintain it without any fanfare.

My guest today decided to stop taking trails for granted and explore them in depth,

both literally and metaphorically, after his own hike on the Appalachian Trail.

His name is Robert Moore, and he's the author of the book, On Trails and Exploration.

Today on the show, Robert shares why he decided to hike the entire Appalachian Trail after he graduated from college,

and why that experience led him to diving deeper into the meaning of trails.

We then discuss why falling a trail is so extensively satisfying and how trails are embedded in human thought and communication,

and provide his innocence of place and orientation in our lives.

And we end our conversation talking about the idealistic origins of the Appalachian Trail,

the movement to extend the Appalachian Trail to Morocco, yes, Morocco,

and what a perpetual hiker named Nimblewill Nomad can teach us about the limits of freedom.

If you're a hiker, you're going to love this show, if you're not a hiker,

it's going to inspire you to find a trail this weekend and become one.

After the show is over, check out the show notes at aum.is slash trails.

Robert Moore, welcome to the show.

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