Episode #453 - Paula Martin (Windeagle)

Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis

We have a very different show this week, with Paula Martin, or Windeagle, sharing her dramatic survival from a bad accident that may well have killed her.

Several years later, Paula had recovered and decided that an Appalachian Trail thru-hike was something she could achieve. She ultimately summited Katahdin two years later, but her story is one of grit and resilience.

She also shares a story about how a bear got a little bit close and personal with her tent. See the picture below.

After Paula, our show is all about Hurricane Helene, and the devastation it wrought on our beloved trail community.

We have representatives from the Appalachian Trail Community (ATC), the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association (ALDHA), as well as reflections from Lady Di in Damascus, and my friend Jester, whose podcast recently gave us ways to help.

I urge you all to check out these ways of providing support, while comstantly checking the ATC and ALDHA websites on volunteers opportunities that will eventually arise.

The links are

Mountain Harbour B&B & Hiker Hostel

HOME

SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA 2022 DISASTER RELIEF | United Way of Southwest Virginia

Donate - Feed the Hunger

https://www.operation-airdrop.com/hurricane-helene

Items are shipped from Amazon to:

Compleat KiDZ - Disaster Relief 54 Myrtle St Belmont, NC 28012

Then sent on trucks to Asheville, NC and Boone, NC

https://www.amazon.com/regist.../gl/guest-view/363FY6B9CC7ZC

Our new book reading, Happy Hiking, by my friend, Emily Leonard is–of course–written from a woman’s POV and a woman’s voice. I hope you enjoy listening to my reading of it. If you’d like to buy the book, you can find it on Amazon at Happy Hiking: Falling in love on the Appalachian Trail, or on Emily’s website, at Happy Hiking.

I used my recent hike in the UK on the South West Coast Path 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!

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If you prefer NOT to use PayPal, you can now support us via check by mailing it to Mighty Blue Publishing, PO Box 6161, Sun City Center, FL 35751. Any support is gratefully received.

If you'd like to take advantage of my book offer (all three of my printed hiking books–with a personal message and signed by me–for $31, including postage to the United States) send a check payable to Mighty Blue Publishing at the address just above.