Episode #61 - Judy Mikesell
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis
Steve Adams
4.8 • 599 Ratings
🗓️ 16 November 2017
⏱️ 69 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
A thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail isn't everybody's idea of the best way to spend time in the woods. Judy Mikesell became interested in the trail through her son's thru-hike several years ago. She knew that she didn't want to thru-hike but she certainly wanted to visit the various parts of the trail. Her novel approach has enabled her to build her own version of hiking the AT without ever needing to go without a shower or needing to use a privy. 
To try to get as full an AT experience as possible, Judy also took part in the Half-Gallon Challenge at Pine Furnace Grove. From the look of the picture above, it didn't look like it went too well. Judy is very much into the outdoors, setting herself a similar biking challenge to the one she has her sights set on for the AT, as well as snowshoeing in the winter. 
Doc Spot sees Lynne giving us (or at least me) entirely new information about lightning and what to do should you get caught in a storm. Also, click on this link for further information from the NOAA. Don't forget to check out our other podcast, Returning to Katahdin: An Appalachian Trail Dream, where we follow Bruce Matson as he prepares, then executes his 44-year dream of thru-hiking the AT. At the same time, Bruce is also raising funds for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. You can learn more about Bruce and his mission by visiting his website, ReturningtoKatahdin.com. While you're online, why not check out the website of our title sponsor, Trailtopia. You'll find all sorts of goodies there. We thank them so much for supporting our shows.
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. |
| 0:27.1 | Welcome back to Marty Blue on the Appalachian Trail, sponsored by Trialopia. |
| 0:31.7 | Now I'll have you all back again. We moved on to episode number 61. |
| 0:35.8 | Now, I know that I've kind of been concentrating on through hikers recently, |
| 0:39.2 | but this time of the year is when they're contemplating their completed hikes, |
| 0:42.4 | and I love getting those early reflections. |
| 0:44.8 | That being said, the Appalachian Trail is not all about so many people and privies. |
| 0:49.7 | Several million Americans each year touched the Appalachian Trail in some way. |
| 0:54.0 | Today, we've got one of those |
| 0:55.2 | people. Judy Mikesell wrote to me a few months ago with a couple of interesting comments and I started |
| 1:00.7 | a dialogue with her over email. I wanted to develop the themes she had brought up and today is the |
| 1:06.2 | results of those online conversations. I really hope that you're going to get a kick out of her way of |
| 1:10.8 | hiking the AT. |
| 1:12.1 | Lynne Savino in DockSpot is getting great reviews from the emails you send me |
| 1:16.0 | and she returns today with why you may get struck by lightning and the best way to avoid it. |
| 1:21.2 | Once again, my utter lack of knowledge in this regard is cruelly highlighted. |
| 1:29.4 | We'll also be playing the second part of Chapter 1 of Earl Schaefer's book Walking with Spring about his historic pioneering |
| 1:34.6 | through hike in 1948. The chapters are fairly long so I've split them into two. Today I'll play |
| 1:41.2 | the immediate paragraph that finished last week's reading and then pick up again from there to the end of the chapter. |
| 1:47.3 | I've also got some exciting news about our guests for the next two weeks. |
| 1:51.4 | I don't want to make them blush, but they are kind of like hiking's own version of royalty. |
| 1:56.4 | But first, do you remember those days on the trail when you really need to treat yourself? |
... |
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