# Episode #539 - Days 24-27 Appalachian Trail 2026 Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/mighty-blue-on-the-appalachian-trail-the-ultimate-mid-life-crisis-220125/episode-539-days-24-27-appalachian-trail-2026 Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/mighty-blue-on-the-appalachian-trail-the-ultimate-mid-life-crisis-220125/episode-539-days-24-27-appalachian-trail-2026.md Podcast: [Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis](https://stenobird.com/podcast/mighty-blue-on-the-appalachian-trail-the-ultimate-mid-life-crisis-220125) Published: 2026-04-20T20:18:00+00:00 Episode link: https://mightyblueontheat.libsyn.com/episode-539-days-24-27-appalachian-trail-2026 Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.libsyn.com/secure/mightyblueontheat/Days_24-27_Appalachian_Trail_2026.mp3?dest-id=426865 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/mighty-blue-on-the-appalachian-trail-the-ultimate-mid-life-crisis-220125/episodes/episode-539-days-24-27-appalachian-trail-2026 Duration seconds: 2192 ## Resource The Smokies are all but done, with glorious weather all the way with just one day to go. I think I was more concerned about them than I should have been, but it has been a pure pleasure to be hiking above the clouds at 5-6,000 feet all day long. This recap covers last Wednesday thru Saturday, when I navigated the perils of Newfound Gap, needing to get to Gatlinburg, yet stay in Cherokee. Happily it all worked out. Along the way, I chatted with a ridge runner, Houdini, who shared a few tips with me. It's been a great four days. I'm using Polarsteps to record my AT thru-hike this year. If you'd like to follow my progress between episodes, as well as photos of my journey, please go to https://www.polarsteps.com/mightyblue and click on the follow button. 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 Hike with Steve - Empowering Parents, One Step at a Time | Parenting Matters % . 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 Woods Hole Weekend - Trailer 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. Come on the show! If you li… ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/mighty-blue-on-the-appalachian-trail-the-ultimate-mid-life-crisis-220125/episodes/episode-539-days-24-27-appalachian-trail-2026/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/mighty-blue-on-the-appalachian-trail-the-ultimate-mid-life-crisis-220125/episode-539-days-24-27-appalachian-trail-2026.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.