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

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.

Hey guys, it's Mighty Blue again. So welcome back to the podcast, Mighty Blue on the Appalachian Trail,

the ultimate midlife crisis. We've got something a little bit different view as I've been

actually on the Appalachian Trail at the Woods Hole weekend, and what a weekend it was.

Quite apart from the glorious weather, we had a stellar turnout of about 15 guests, along

with the five presenters. I think it's fair to say that everybody left Woods Hole with more knowledge than they arrived with. Quite a few of the guests are planning a through hike next year, as am I, of course, and I don't think I quite realise how much I will be drawn back into the whole culture of the trail. I mean, I've never really left it, what we're doing the podcast and so on, but I truly felt part of the trail once more, so it was good for me to be there. I should warn you, though, that even with the experience I've had on the trail over the years, I screwed up monumentally with my packing this year, and not for the first time, I must add, but it all worked out at the end, and I will tell you what happened over the course of this episode. What I did was to record six or seven people, because I didn't think it would be right to have everybody saying much the same thing, and I think these short chats will give you a kind of glimpse of the weekend, with a bit of my commentary in between. We're also going to include the summit and the last few days of Beth and Andrews through hike. Unfortunately, I wasn't to record them at the top though I did speak with them. As luck would have it though our

friend Sloggy a previous mighty blue class member was with the two of them at the top and

video them talking with me. I converted that video into an MP3 file so you could at least

hear them talking with me while they're on the peak at Catan.

Then I caught up with the two of them when they were back home and reflecting on the last few

days on the AT. All of that would be coming up after I share the story about this year's Woods

whole weekend.

For start, there's a pretty long drive up from Florida, so Dana and I got up around 2.30 last Wednesday morning and got going on the 750-mile drive to weary feet.

We alternated the driving, yet still got there just after 6 o'clock that evening.

Well, we checked into the hostel, owned by one of our recent guests on the podcast, Bridget Bell, along with her husband, Eric.

They're two very friendly people for whom nothing was too much trouble.

Dana and I were checked into a private room and sat outside chatting with other guests who were staying the night,

and of course Bruce Mattson, who came up with the idea of the Woods Hole weekend in the first place.

A tasty dinner was served up outside on the deck and we all seemed

to wilt as hike a midnight all nine o'clock arrived and we headed to bed. Unfortunately on the way

out to Virginia our oil change light alarm came on so we went out the following morning to get an

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