Episode #532 - Days 1-2 Appalachian Trail 2026
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Steve Adams
4.8 • 599 Ratings
🗓️ 19 March 2026
⏱️ 17 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This short episode brings everybody up to date with how I got to the trail, then, how I left it, followed by my plans to get back to it. I never do anything the easy way!!!
I'm using Polarsteps to record my AT thru-hike this year. If you'd like to follow my progress between episodes, as well as photos of my journey, please go to https://www.polarsteps.com/mightyblue and click on the follow button.
I used my hike in 2024 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!
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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.
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Transcript
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| 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. |
| 0:33.4 | Hey guys, and welcome back to the podcast after a bit of a disaster out on trail and even a missed week last week. |
| 0:40.2 | This is episode number 532 of Mighty Blue on the Appalachian Trail sponsored by Polar Steps. |
| 0:46.0 | If you're heading out on a long height this year, which I am, I've got something I think you're going to love. |
| 0:50.2 | It's called Polar Steps. It's a travel tracking app that's going to become a favorite with hikers. |
| 0:55.6 | You set your start date, let it run quietly in the background, and it maps your entire journey |
| 0:59.4 | automatically, all on your own beautiful spinning 3D globe. |
| 1:03.3 | And don't worry, the tracking feature uses about 4% of your battery on a single charge, |
| 1:07.6 | so it's not going to kill your phone when you're out there. |
| 1:10.0 | You can have photos and short journal entries as you go. So your map shows you where you were and your words remind you of what that day actually felt like. There's a light social layer too. Family and friends can follow along or you can keep it completely private. As every hiker says, hike your own hike. And when you're done, you can relive the whole thing in the app |
| 1:27.6 | or turn it into a stunning coffee table book with your root, stats, photos and stories. And did I |
| 1:33.6 | tell you that it's entirely free to download and use? The only time you'd be paying anything is |
| 1:38.0 | if you decide to turn your trip into a book. That's polar steps. Track it now, treasure it forever. |
| 1:43.8 | So welcome back to the podcast with |
| 1:45.6 | a somewhat ironic title as I write because I'm not on the Appalachian Trail right now as I'd |
| 1:50.7 | plan to be. However, as you're going to hear, I intend to be out there again the next time we |
| 1:55.2 | catch up. I thought the best way to put this episode together is to run over what happened |
| 2:00.7 | in those early days of this through hike attempt, |
| 2:03.1 | then tell you what happened when I got home and then the plans I have going forward. |
| 2:07.1 | It's going to be a short episode with just the one interview and that itself is very short, |
| 2:11.6 | but I thought it was necessary to give you all an update. |
... |
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