Episode #122 - Michael Duncan (Crispy)
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Steve Adams
4.8 • 599 Ratings
🗓️ 13 December 2018
⏱️ 72 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Michael Duncan completed his thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2017. Since the time he touched the brown sign on the top of Katahdin, the sadness of that moment has never left him. By that, he means that he knew his journey was over and he has yearned for that feeling again.
He has always been comfortable in the outdoors, with the AT a target for several years. He prepared assiduously, watching YouTube videos of Dixie and Darwin to work out the logistics of thru-hiking, then finding a buddy, Austin, to start the trail with. As every hiker discovers, relationships are fluid on the trail and when his buddy had to quit, Michael saw it as an opportunity to discover more about himself as a hiker, finding a new "tramily" in the process.
You can follow Michael through his Instagram account at adventureswithduncan.
We also met another young man–a member of the Mighty Blue Class of 2019–Matthew Ansart. Matthew possesses a strong streak of determination to complete his hike and I'm looking forward to catching up with him on the trail next year.
Finally, we'll finish with a shot of Michael and his girlfriend (now wife), Cameron, together at the top of Katahdin.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You are listening to the Hiking Radio Network, where we talk the walk with shows by hikers |
| 0:05.2 | about hikers for everybody. Mighty Blue on the Appalachian Trail, the ultimate midlife crisis, |
| 0:23.8 | joins Stephen his guests every week as he staggers from Georgia to Maine. |
| 0:33.6 | Hi, and thanks so much for joining me once more on episode number 122 of Mighty Blue on the Appanachian Trail, the ultimate midlife crisis. |
| 0:42.8 | Quite a few of our recent shows about the AT. |
| 0:45.9 | It features some of the older hikers, and there will definitely be more of those in the future. |
| 0:50.1 | But this week is certainly a young man's show. |
| 0:53.2 | Our main guest this week is Michael Duncan, or Crispy, who did his through hike in 2017, |
| 0:58.4 | while the new member of Mighty Blues Class of 2019 is Matthew Ansart, a terrific 21-year-old guy. |
| 1:04.3 | So two young men who, between them, are about two-thirds of my age. |
| 1:08.6 | Funny enough, this wasn't planned, but I think it's a great illustration |
| 1:11.5 | of how varied your companions might be when you pitch up at a shelter on any day on the |
| 1:16.3 | Appalachian or indeed on any long-distance trail. When I was out there in 2014, I spent several |
| 1:21.7 | happy hours and days in the company of a great young man, Littlefoot, who was just 17 years old. |
| 1:27.3 | That's part of the wonder of the through hike. |
| 1:29.1 | You can meet anybody, anywhere. |
| 1:31.5 | Just be open to meeting new people |
| 1:33.1 | and they will be there for you to meet. |
| 1:35.2 | Trust me. |
| 1:36.8 | Michael Duncan reached out to me |
| 1:38.2 | and I could tell from his message |
| 1:39.4 | that he had a story to tell. |
... |
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