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

Episode #32 - John and Melody Bock (Bypass and Songbird)

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

Steve Adams

Wilderness, Sports

4.8 • 599 Ratings

šŸ—“ļø 27 April 2017

ā±ļø 75 minutes

šŸ§¾ļø Download transcript

Summary

Ā  In early November 2013, John Bock had a triple bypass following a completely unexpected heart attack. He and his wife, Melody, had planned to thru-hike the Appalachian TrailĀ from March 2014—which is what they did. They flip-flopped and completed theirĀ adventure at Harpers Ferry in November 2014, just over a year after the news that would have postponed, or even abandoned the dreams of less determined people. Ā  Ā  Ā  Their remarkable story, along with the radical lifestyle that they have since adopted, is told in this interview. They are homeless by choice, fearless, and ever moving forward, refusing to stop theirĀ enviable lifestyle. Melody even had the time to give me a botany lesson on the trail, identifying plants as we walked by until she pointed out something that she referred to as a Lady Slipper, but which, to me, would always be known as Vasectomy Surprise. Ā  John and Melody would be happy to hear from old friends and fellow hikers at jhbock3@gmail.com, while they can also be found on Facebook. ClickĀ either John orĀ Melody. Ā  Their journey wasn't easy, but they made many friends along the way and proved, yet again, that the trail can get you through your toughest days if you keep moving forward. Ā  Ā  Attie continues to revel in the trail, though this week she had her first setback. When she told me about it I was worried for her but she just shrugged it off and got on with it. Her perseverance was rewarded with a really sweet dollop of trail magic, administered by one of our wonderful, caring listeners. Thanks, Casey. Ā  In Fear and Loathing, Gary Sizer confesses to his worries about having a damp hike, and admits to his doubts along the way as he got closer to Katahdin. You can read about Gary's journey by going to his Amazon page for Where's the Next Shelter? It is a really funny read and one that I highly recommend. Ā  Please consider supporting the show by becoming a patron atĀ Patreon. Thanks to those of you who have already done so. Ā 

Transcript

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0:00.0

Mighty Blue on the Appalachian Trail, the ultimate midlife crisis, join Stephen his guests every week as he staggers from Georgia to Maine.

0:26.0

Welcome back. We're up to episode number 32 and the first chapter of my second book. Believe it or not,

0:34.0

this is going to give me all sorts of problems going forward. When I was reading the

0:38.4

first book, the episode number corresponded with the chapter number, so no thinking was required.

0:43.3

Now, I'm going to have to concentrate on getting the right chapter with the right episode.

0:47.1

I even considered calling this season two episode one to help me out again. Trust me,

0:51.8

you'll understand this apparent dumbness on my part when you

0:54.7

pass the age of 60. It's all about lessening the need to overwork your brain cells as you're

0:59.1

starting to run out of them at an alarming rate. My guest this week are one of my favourite

1:04.5

couples I met on the trail, John and Melody Bock, or to refer to them by their correct

1:09.4

names, bypass and songbird.

1:12.5

They were flip-floppers in 2014. They weren't originally planning on doing the trail this way,

1:17.2

but I think they'll forgive me when I say this. Their pace wasn't exactly rapid,

1:21.7

so they made the eminently sensible decision to get the north completed in comparatively benign

1:26.6

weather before heading back south and

1:28.7

finishing at Harper's Ferry. As with everything that they encountered on the trail in 2014,

1:33.9

and indeed an incident that nearly derailed their hike in 2013, bypass and Sondbird retained a palpable

1:39.9

joy and positive attitude that really comes through in our conversation. I'm sure you're going

1:44.8

to enjoy hearing from them, especially when they tell you about their embrace of a radical lifestyle.

1:50.3

We're going to hear from Gary Sizer again for this week's Fear and Loathing on the Appalachian Trail.

1:58.6

Carrie and I spoke back in February when a number of people were about to get on the trail

2:02.5

and I said while we were chatting that people are about to set off.

...

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