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

about hikers for everybody. Mighty Blue on the Appalachian Trail, the ultimate midlife crisis, joined Stephen his guests every week as he staggers from Georgia to Maine.

Hey guys, it's here, the last normal Mighty Blue podcast before I start spitting out a bunch of twice-weekly podcast from the Camino de Santiago.

I'm obviously recording this price leaving the UK, so the catch-ups with Dave and Beth are only about four or five days after our previous catch-ups, but it's still great to hear the progress each of them making.

My plan, when I'm in Spain, is to record one of them for the Monday show, followed by the other one for the Thursday show. In that way, we'll hear from them each week, as we do now, but it will help with the production by keeping the shows a little shorter. I hope that all makes sense. Today, I have a great conversation with the bloke I saw on Facebook, David L. Flacco. He posted a picture of himself at the southern terminus of the Appalachshund Trail at the conclusion of his fourth AT through hike, two nobos, followed by two soboes. I reached out to him and as were about four years apart, it felt very much like a couple of mates chatting around a campfire sharing stories. I think you'll really enjoy hearing from David.

Then Dave Santee has reached Woods Hole, having left the quarterway in from last time,

thus bookending his few days with two of my favourite hostels on the trail. As always,

Dave's enthusiasm shines through and we'll catch up with him after we hear from David.

Then Beth and Andrew, who also called up with me today, over 300 miles into their hike and still going strong. They've gone through the classic trail town of hot springs and it seems

that the town is slowly coming back to life. That was good to hear. We'll hear from them after Dave.

Thanks for all the good wishes you've been sending me from my upcoming Camino. I'm getting a bit

nervous, I must admit, about that first 17-mile day up

and over the Pyrenees into Spain. But I can only do what I can do, I guess, and I'll eventually

get there, though I intend to set out very early on that first morning. So, let's meet David Lowe

or El Flacco. Here he is.

I recently saw a Facebook post by today's guest in which he was sitting beside the southern terminus sign at Springham Mountain,

casually mentioning that he just completed his fourth through hike of the Appalachian Trail.

I immediately reached out to him and he agreed to come on the podcast to share his stories.

This is David L. Flacco. Hey David, thanks for coming on the podcast. I appreciate it. I'm glad to be a guest. I can see you don't weigh a lot. I don't know it's because you've just completed a through hike. Is that why you're El Flacco? And well, I've been El Flacco since when I was in Costa Rica in 1981, people call me flaco.

I worked in Panama, 83.

People called me flaco.

I had Mexican employees for 13 years prior to my first through hike, and they all called me

...