Today, we meet an AT thru-hiker from the Class of 2015 who went on to buy and run a hostel near the Nantahala Outdoor Center. Erin Tuveson, or Bookie, became so enamored of the trail that she wanted to be around the community she met out there.

Erin now owns and runs the Rambling Roots Hostel, bringing her AT knowledge to bear as she puts together the kind of place she loved when she was hiking.

You can learn more about Erin and her hostel at her website Rambling Roots Hostel. Additionally, you can keep up with Erin and the hostel on social media at: Rambling Roots Hostel andRambling Roots Hostel (@ramblingrootshostel) • Instagram profile. Also, Erin's blog about traveling with her dog is at How My Dog Survived a Thru-Hike With Me: Keeping Them Healthy - The Trek .

Also on the show today is JC Van Etten, who recently published a book following his successful completion of the Continental Divide Trail, which completed his Triple Crown. Check out his book at Hiking the Continental Divide Trail: "Embracing the Brutality"

Our Hike the Good Hike team moves on to Shanda Carter, a mother of threew who will be hiking the Colorado Trail later in the year. You cvan follow Shanda on Instagram at Shanda Carter (@shandacarter_) • Instagram profile .

In my accountability blog, I've started to acquire some of the smaller items I'll need for my hike, and I also lost Luis, my personal trainer this week. We keep moving forward though, as Jake has taken up the task of getting me in some sort of shape for the trail.

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 https://parentingmattersfl.org/eventer/hike-with-steve-empowering-parents-one-step-at-a-time/edate/2024-04-15/. 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 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA8ImK4qpNc&list=PLu8u88nsJtgWZxT8DLwEW2yXcz4gT6HXs 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. https://www.hikingradionetwork.com/show/mighty-blue-on-the-appalachian-trail-the-ultimate-mid-life-c/guests/intake/

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