meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis

Episode #132 - Megan Dolman (Giggles) and Mark Bychowski (Pepperjack)

Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis

Steve Adams

Sports, Wilderness

4.8 • 599 Ratings

🗓️ 21 February 2019

⏱️ 83 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

When Megan (from the UK) and Mark (an American) started their respective hikes on March 5, 2018, neither could have imagined how their lives were about to change. They met that first day–Megan was the very first person who Mark met on the trail–and started hiking together the following morning. Their meeting and the unfolding of their hike reflects the serendipity of the Appalachian Trail and they summited together five months later.

When they had finished, Mark put together this short video of their hike at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAHFsEhANt0 while Megan blogged about their journey at https://megdolmanat2018.wordpress.com/

Bruce Matson came on the show to share news of his successful fundraising efforts on behalf of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and shared some news of his upcoming book to add more funds to the ATC.

If you'd like to see more of Bruce's hike and efforts, go to http://www.rtkchallenge.com/ and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgs4kgtMJPGslFSwHkgkesQ/featured.

This is the last show in its current form and, from next week, I'll be on the AT. If you'd like to follow along, why not check out these sites. I'm on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/HikingRN/, Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/hikingradionetwork/, and YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpTCOIGPxoau_6aGohYpUPg/videos

For now, though, I'd like to leave with our young couple who found love on the Appalachian Trail; Megan and Mark.

 

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

You are listening to the Hiking Radio Network, where we talk the walk with shows by hikers about hikers for everybody.

0:16.9

Mighty Blue on the Appalachian Trail, the ultimate midlife crisis,

0:22.4

joins Stephen his guests every week as he staggers from Georgia to Maine.

0:32.5

Hi everybody, and thanks for dropping by again to listen to Mighty Blue on the Appalachian Trail,

0:37.3

the ultimate midlife crisis.

0:39.9

This is episode number 131 and the last of the normal shows that I'll be putting out for some time.

0:46.8

Next Monday, February the 25th, I'll be getting on a plane in the glorious warmth of Sarasota

0:51.3

and flying to Atlanta, where I'll be setting out on my second

0:54.8

through hike of the Appan Action Trail the very next morning, Tuesday the 26th.

0:59.5

Then, with a bit of luck, five million uninjured steps and some spectacular weight loss later,

1:05.9

I'm going to emerge at the top of Katarden, weeping uncontrollably, with the pure emotion of my journey.

1:11.1

If that scenario does work out, you can join me on my journey with twice weekly

1:15.4

podcast from the trail in the same way that I podcasted from the Camino de Santiago last October.

1:21.3

I really hope you want to come along with me. But for today, we've got a full normal episode.

1:26.7

But even this is somewhat transitional, as we finished our book reading last week,

1:30.2

and I'm waiting until I return from the trail before reading Hiking Through by Paul Stutzman,

1:35.5

so no book today.

1:37.0

However, I think I've come up with a pretty good show nonetheless.

1:40.5

First up, and as our main guest today, we have Megan Dolman and Mark Bikowski.

1:46.1

Megan's a Brit and Mark is American.

1:48.2

They started on the same day, didn't know each other and, well, the stories became a little intertwined, let me say.

1:54.6

I'll leave it to Megan and Mark to explain what happened next.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Steve Adams, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Steve Adams and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.