Tom Kennedy hasn't been a hiker all his life; indeed, he came to it relatively recently. He has found a way to foster his love of hiking and hikers by raising money for those suffering from mental health issues. When he discovered the various trails of America he took on the Florida Trail, completing the whole thing other than 20 miles south of Miami. As he says, he spent WAAAY too much time slogging through water.

  

Eventually discovering that he could live happier but financially poorer, Tom founded Hike For Mental Health to assist funding for mental health scientists. You can follow Tom's work (and fun) at http://hikeformentalhealth.org/ as well as on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/iHIKE/.

Once the interview was over, Tom and I chatted about how I could get involved in his charity so, at his suggestion, I'll be doing Maryland For Mental Health when I do the AT next year. I hope that some of you come and join me to help raise funds for this critical charity.

  

We introduced a new segment to the show this week, following my visit to the Outdoor Retailer's Summer Market in Denver Colorado. I spoke with our main sponsor, Vince Robichaud of Trailtopia and I urge you, as always, to head over to Trailtopia's site, at https://www.trailtopia.com/ to see their wide range of great tasting food.

I also visited with Adyn Soju as she pleasantly explained in detail the intricacies of The Tinkle Belle to this rather uptight Brit. You can find out more about this essential female hiking accessory by visiting the excellent website, https://thetinklebelle.com/. While you're there, check out the awesome video they've put together.

Last, though certainly not least, I met the impressive Erica Rosen of Biolite, who told me about the Biolite Camp Stove 2, a new cooking stove that will enable you to put together a small campfire AND charge your phone. She also showed me their impressive solar panels. Once we'd finished the interview she shared the generous mission of Biolite so I switched on the recorder again. You can find the stove at their website, https://www.bioliteenergy.com. There is another great little video on the site, so be sure to check it out.