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

Episode #459 - Katie Westling (Phoenix)

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

Steve Adams

Sports, Wilderness

4.8 • 599 Ratings

🗓️ 21 November 2024

⏱️ 59 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

We've got a bit of a change of pace this week, with previous AT thru-hiker, Katie Westling, sharing her past year of adventures, with hikes in France, Ireland, and England.

Katie started with the Tour du Mont Blanc last year, then headed over to Ireland for the Dingle Way this year, followed by Hadrian's Wall Path soon after.

Katie shares her hike with us, as well as a couple of links to organizations that helped her on her way. They are: Self-Guided Hiking & Biking Vacations | Macs Adventure and Tour du Mont Blanc - Self Guided.

Doctor Lynne wanted to memorialize her late father on the show, as he was the person who inspired her outdoor adventures and loved hearing her with me on the podcast. He must have been so proud of her.

If you'd like to speak about someone who influenced your outdoor adventures, drop me an email at steve@hikingradionetwork.com, and we'll make it happen.

Our new book reading, Happy Hiking, by my friend, Emily Leonard is–of course–written from a woman's POV and a woman's voice. I hope you enjoy listening to my reading of it. If you'd like to buy the book, you can find it on Amazon at Happy Hiking: Falling in love on the Appalachian Trail, or on Emily's website, at Happy Hiking.

I used my recent hike in the UK on the South West Coast Path to help raise money for my absolute favorite charity, Parenting Matters, on whose board I've been privileged to serve for over a decade. You can learn more about the hike and the organization–and donate–by visiting Hike with Steve - Empowering Parents, One Step at a Time | Parenting Matters %. I hope you want to support this critical mission.

Don't forget. Our entire series of videos from our Woods Hole Weekend in 2022 is now FREE and available at my YouTube page at Woods Hole Weekend - Trailer There, you'll find all sorts of tips and tricks that our guests took away from the weekend that helped them with their own hikes this year. Check it out.

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. Come on the show!

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 Hiking Radio Network .

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.

Additionally, you can "Zelle" us a donation to steve@hikingradionetwork.com. It works! Trust me!

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

0:33.5

Hey guys, it's me again. You're listening to Mighty Blue on the Appalachian Trail, the ultimate

0:37.9

midlife crisis, and we've reached episode number 459 in the podcast. And by the way, I'm aware

0:44.6

that there is a glaring gap in our podcast numbers, because I didn't fulfil my promise to podcast

0:50.1

my South West Coast Bath hike earlier this year. You'll probably remember that the quality of the

0:55.7

sound was so terrible and I stopped trying to get them done while I was out there. I was annoyed

1:01.5

myself for stopping, but I was annoyed myself with the quality of the stuff I was putting out.

1:06.5

So I've always intended to finish them on my return, but I've been tied up with other things.

1:12.0

But now that my weekly schedule is a little bit easier because of these shorter shows,

1:16.0

my plan is to do them over from the beginning with far better sound.

1:20.0

When they're complete, I may well batch release them all,

1:23.2

though I may release one every Monday between the Thursdays of my normal shows.

1:27.6

All of that's to say that I haven't forgotten them.

1:30.1

I've certainly been a bit overtaken by events, but they will get done.

1:34.2

Today we have three women on the show, all friends of mine and all of whom have been on before.

1:39.0

Our main guest is my dear friend Katie Wessling, who we followed a couple of years ago

1:43.0

and she did her own AT hike.

1:45.6

Katie has been having further adventures and this week she returned to share those with us.

1:50.2

Katie will be on the moment. Then the lovely Dr Lynne is about to do a short segment and I'll tell

1:55.7

you more about that after we hear from Katie. My last friend today is of course Emily Leonard

2:01.3

as I read chapter 14 of her book Happy Hiking.

...

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