Episode #58 - Jeffrey Gray (Loner)
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Steve Adams
4.8 • 599 Ratings
🗓️ 26 October 2017
⏱️ 71 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
From the Class of 2012, this week's guest is Jeffrey "Loner" Gray. Jeffrey gave himself the name Loner, yet he soon discovered the extraordinary friendships that we all find on the Appalachian Trail. He originally came to the trail through the simple act of walking to waterfalls. With more waterfalls to visit, the walks became longer and longer, leading him ultimately to his thru-hike in 2012. 
He was an early pioneer of YouTube videos to record his adventures, having had a channel previously devoted to skateboarding videos. You can follow him on YouTube and Facebook. 
His Youtube followers would often ask him questions about all aspects of the trail, and Jeffrey would reply with long detailed emails. Eventually, somebody suggested that he should write a book about his journey and the many hiking tips that he shared. He published the book earlier this year and it is full of tips and tricks, as well as recording his journey. The book is available on the Amazon Store as wells as from his book website, Painted Blazes. 
I'm also introducing Bruce Matson to our audience this week. Bruce and I are putting together a brand new podcast, Returning to Katahdin: An Appalachian Trail Dream, which will be available from November 6. In this sneak preview, Bruce tells us about one of his motivations for his 2018 thru-hike attempt. Don't forget to watch out for this new and exciting show; you can find it wherever you find the Mighty Blue podcast. Doctor Lynne Savino reminds us of the importance of treating various wounds that one might suffer when hiking. Her common sense guidance differentiates between wounds of a certain type, so there should be something for every eventuality. I'm coming to the end of my own book in the podcast, so I've re-worked the video of New Hampshire and Maine, adding new music and changing how certain pictures appear. I added this to my Facebook page recently but wanted to share it here as well. Lastly, don't forget that you can get both my books as a $20 package, with only $5 for shipping, by clicking on this link. If you'd like me to sign them and leave you a message, please let me know when you order. Several listeners have bought the books as gifts for Christmas, for which I'm grateful (as I hope will be the recipients)!
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Mighty Blue on the Appalachian Trail, the ultimate midlife crisis, joined Stephen his guests every week as he staggers from Georgia to Maine. |
| 0:27.5 | Hi, and welcome back to the show. We're up to episode number 58, and this week we've got a, |
| 0:33.3 | I suppose, quite a different, really interesting guest. Jeffrey Gray told me that he's a shy, introverted guy, |
| 0:40.3 | and I suppose it isn't surprising that he went by the trail name of Lona |
| 0:43.6 | for his 2012 through hike. |
| 0:46.6 | You'd never know that he was shy if you followed his YouTube channel, |
| 0:49.5 | and he was one of the earlier hikers to actually put up a consistent record of his hike on YouTube. |
| 1:11.5 | He had an interesting take on that when I raised it with him. Eventually, five years after he completed the trail, he released a book on his journey, though it's quite a lot more than just a memoir. He kindly sent me a copy and it's one of those books that you can dip in and out of, offering tips, funny stuff, as well as his hiking memoir. It's called Painted Blazes, hiking the Appalachian Trail with Loner. |
| 1:15.3 | They'll be linked to both his book and his YouTube channel in the show notes. |
| 1:18.8 | Jeffrey's going to be along in a moment. |
| 1:21.0 | Funny enough, and this is totally coincidental, I was introduced to Jeffrey by Bruce Mattson. |
| 1:26.7 | Bruce is another listener of the show and he turns out to be the subject of our new podcast |
| 1:30.5 | returning to Catarden and Appalachian Trial Dream. |
| 1:33.6 | The first episode of this new show is going to be on the morning of Monday, November 6th. |
| 1:38.8 | Last year we followed Jessa all the way from preparations to the top of Mount Catardin. |
| 1:43.2 | We're doing the same this year, but now we're following Bruce. |
| 1:46.7 | While both Jessa and Bruce are lawyers, another coincidence, that is really the only similarity. |
| 1:52.9 | Bruce is at that stage of life where his career is winding down, though he seems to be busy to me, |
| 1:58.8 | while Jessa was just starting out. |
| 2:01.1 | Jessa was an athlete and while Bruce has certainly done marathons and long hikes, |
| 2:05.0 | he isn't expecting to be putting in too many 30-mile days. |
| 2:08.5 | Today, I have a short chat with Bruce that reveals the exciting project |
... |
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