Episode #383 - Dan Nobles (Wandering Monk)
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Steve Adams
4.8 • 599 Ratings
🗓️ 20 July 2023
⏱️ 107 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Our guest today, Dan Nobles, was a Colonel in the Army, working out of the Pentagon, when he quit and went to Seminary School. I think I've rarely heard of such a drastic change of scenery. Vowing never to hike again after he left the military, his brother coaxed him back into it and he found the solace on the trail that he needed.
Dan has some fascinating takes on many topics in this interview and, as the Wandering Monk, he has an informative YouTube channel that visits lesser-known trails.
You can find his channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD5jYEV7mSM2AV5VdQ1gLSQ
We catch up with two of our Mighty BLue Class of 2023 today. Mark Carpenter and Mary Miles are two of our surviving members. This week, Mark shares his stories about the sapping heat and dreadful weather in New England, while Mary reflects upon the loss of her hiking companion.
Our last two interviews today are with John Dupras and Kim Mondonedo.
John is a friend and fellow member from the AT Class of 2019, and he is taking part in an epic Ohio Bike ride, the Ragbrai, raising money on behalf of multiple sclerosis, a devastating disease. John shares his story of a friend with the disease, Fizzy (pictured below). If his story resonates with you, please support this selfless act and donate to the cause at https://mssociety.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=371285
You can also find out more on the race itself by visiting https://ragbrai.com/
Our last guest today is Kim Mondonedo, who met one of our Class of 23, Joanne Flagg, in difficult circumstances. Kim wanted to share her story, and we're honored to include it today.
If you'd like to find out more about "Then The Hail Came," check out George's website at https://georgesteffanos.webador.com/ . You can also find George's book on Amazon at this link. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09QFG4ZR6.
I often ask listeners for ideas on who to interview, and I'm sure several of you say, "I could do that. I've got an awesome story to tell." You're the person we need to hear from. If you'd like to be interviewed on the podcast, just register as a guest on the link below, and I'll be in touch.
If you like what we're doing on the Hiking Radio Network, and want to see our shows continue, please consider supporting us with either a one-off or monthly donation. You'll find the donate button on each Hiking Radio Network page at https://www.hikingradionetwork.com.
If you prefer NOT to use PayPal, you can now support us via check by mailing it to Mighty Blue Publishing, PO Box 6161, Sun City Center, FL 35751. Any support is gratefully received.
You can also support our shows by visiting our online "Merch" store. Check it out at https://hrntradingpost.com/ , or click on the store button on our network website at https://www.hikingradionetwork.com.
If you'd like to take advantage of my book offer (all three of my printed hiking books–with a personal message and signed by me–for $31, including postage to the United States) send a check payable to Mighty Blue Publishing at the address just above.
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 |
| 0:05.3 | about hikers for everybody. Mighty Blue on the Appalachian Trail, the ultimate midlife crisis, joins Steve and his guests every week as he staggers from Georgia to Maine. |
| 0:33.2 | Hey guys, thanks for coming back to the show. You're listening to Mighty Blue on the Appalachian Trail, |
| 0:55.6 | the ultimate midlife crisis. And I'm your host Steve Adams on Mighty Blue. This is episode number 383 of the podcast. Before we start, I wanted to thank those of you who took time to reach out to me after I spoke about the death of my son, Rob. Your many kind words truly help me process his death a little bit. I'm not sure I'll ever get over the shock of it, but feeling your outreach was humbling. So thanks very much indeed. |
| 1:01.2 | We've got a really interesting guest today. Their nobles is known on the trail as the wandering monk, |
| 1:06.2 | and when I tell you that he's had two entirely different careers, I'm really not exaggerating. |
| 1:12.0 | Today we talk about his military background, his deep and abiding faith, as well as his |
| 1:16.3 | fascinating approach to hiking and the trails that he's hiked. Dan will be on in the moment. |
| 1:21.5 | And for those of you who feel that our show is already too long, well, disappointingly for you, |
| 1:26.5 | we're going to be even longer than normal today. |
| 1:28.9 | Our Class of 23 will figure, of course, but we'll also hear from two other people this week. |
| 1:33.3 | I'll introduce them as we go along. So let's get moving. Here's the Wandering Monk, Dan Nobles. |
| 1:41.2 | Our guest today is Dan Nobles, known on the trail as Wandering Monk. |
| 1:45.8 | Hey, Dan, thanks for coming on the podcast. |
| 1:47.9 | Well, thank you much, Steve. I appreciate it. |
| 1:50.1 | Now, you were a military man for much of your life. |
| 1:52.9 | I wouldn't start there. |
| 1:54.2 | So that's a little bit about what you were doing in the military until you made a pivotal |
| 1:57.6 | decision in 2007, which will come to later anyway as well. |
| 2:01.7 | So what were you doing up to, you know, what was your military life like? |
| 2:05.7 | Okay, well, I started out as an enlisted man. |
| 2:08.1 | I was a sergeant when I went to officer candidate school. |
... |
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.