It's January.

In most years, we use this episode as an opportunity to check in with you.

In our community, the Diaries family, the people who truly keep this podcast alive, and

we ask about your goals.

And this year, to celebrate entering the 10th year of our show, we eat the crew at Duck

Tape the Beer and the Dura-Vak Darius, want to do something a little bit different.

Something special.

Something that will keep coming back to over the next 12 months.

This year, we have something to ask of you.

It started with this email that showed up a few months ago.

Dear editor, my Australian husband of 17 years spent the last few months of his life polishing

his old hiking boots and salvaging tin cans in search of that one perfect size for

his stove and backpack.

Thing is, he had a bad heart, and while I suspect he knew he would never make it back to the

bush again, he took great joy in preparing for that one last hike.

I have donated his stashes of survival food and forstayed supplies to a local voiceguards

group, and packed his winter clothes off to the Salvation Army here in Queensland.

I'm left with a tablet filled with dirtbag diaries podcasts, a basket of boots, and a crazy

idea.

He was always completely drawn into hiking the Appalachian Trail.

He actually drove me a bit nuts, retelling me some of the stories from the characters,

with whom he had become a fan.

...