Episode #510 - Ken Posner (Barefoot Ken)

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

Steve Adams

Sports, Wilderness

4.8 • 599 Ratings

🗓️ 9 October 2025

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

We meet an unusual hiker this week. Ken Posner has been a long-distance runner and hiker over the years, yet he has gradually morphed into a barefoot runner and hiker. Ken and I discuss this–to me–bizarre footwear choice, and he makes a compelling case for the advantages of barefoot walking.

Ken has also taken on the fascinating project of "The Grid" in New York's Catskill Mountains, whereby he hikes each of over 30 mountains in every month of the year. This entails over 400 ascents, and the ability to see those mountains in changing weather and terrain as the year develops.

Ken has written a terrific book about his pursuit of "The Grid," which you can find here at Chasing the Grid: An Ultrarunner's Physical and Spiritual Journey in Pursuit of the Ultimate Mountain Challenge . You can learn more about Ken and his barefoot walking at his website, Barefoot Ken and the Long Brown Path .

I used my hike last year on the South West Coast Path in the UK 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 .

Additionally, you can join our membership at Steve (Mighty Blue) Adams. It's worth checking out what is on offer for you there.

If you prefer NOT to use PayPal, you can now support us via check by mailing it to Mighty Blue Publishing, 3821 Milflores Drive, Sun City Center, FL 33573. Any support is gratefully received.

Additionally, you can "Zelle" me a donation to steve@hikingradionetwork.com. Or "Venmo" me at @‌Steve-Adams-105. They both work!

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,
0:23.9	joins Stephen his guests every week as he staggers from Georgia to Maine.
0:33.4	Hey guys and welcome to episode number 510 of the Mighty Blue Show.
0:55.1	And as it's October, I'm wide for the rest of the mouth. This week we have just me, my microphone and a guest. Actually, before we get going, I wanted to thank those of you who reached out to me after last week's episode to tell me how much the story of Chrissy and Addie Schubert impacted you. You know, I've had a whole bunch of guests on this show over the past 90 years and I'm often surprised at the emails I get either raving about a particular guest or raving against
1:00.3	them. I rarely know what type of response I'm going to get each week. Some of the guests really
1:05.1	resonate with me, but clearly bombed with some of the audience. And of course, the reverse is true.
1:10.6	However, I knew that Chrissy and Eddie would hit a nerve with you all because that's what the trail's about. We all seem to get an empathy boost on trial. And I like to think that this is your weekly check-in with the trial. So the kindness and compassion in many of your emails and texts shone through this week. I never need reminding you of the kindness
1:27.6	of people on trail because I live it every week, another thing for which I'm always extremely
1:32.1	grateful. We're going in a completely different direction this week with Ken Posner as our guest.
1:38.2	His trail name, Barefoot Ken, is a bit of a clue as to why I found him to be an interesting
1:43.1	guy to interview. Yeah, Barefoot Ken. I couldn't believe it either. Ken will be on in a moment. With only the one guest again this week, I wanted to thank now those of you who have continued to step up to support us and those of you who have come to the party this past week. Recurring donors, Alan Troy, Brian Hilton Jr., Lisa Rana, Woody Bass and Natasha Webb stuck with us,
2:03.5	with a new donation coming from David Robeson who wrote,
2:06.4	I enjoyed hearing about your trip on the Camino de Santiago while I finished a lash from Georgia to Maine this year.
2:12.4	Keep up the good work. Thanks to all of you.
2:15.9	On to buy me a coffee now, and we have a couple of new members and monthly supporters
2:19.6	in Molly McCarthy, Amanda Aguilard and Julie Abbott.
2:23.1	So thanks to all of you and our other members and supporters.
2:26.9	Now, let's catch up with Ken Posner or Barefoot Ken.
2:33.3	We've got a, I guess, kind of unusual guest today. This is Ken Posner. Hey, Ken, thanks for coming on the podcast.
2:39.8	Hey, Steve Delighted. Now, I suppose I should explain unusual straight away, especially for Ken,
2:44.2	because he didn't know I was going to say that. I think it's more accurate to say that you're
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

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.