Joseph Barnett had quite the adventure hiking the Appalachian Trail during the latter half of 2019 and the first half of 2020. He faced a bunch of problems, took days off regularly to explore the towns around the trail with his wife, developed a hernia along the way, yet emerged at Springer Mountain battered but victorious.

Along the way, Joseph documented and photographed people, plants, and animals, eventually producing a 500-page book he'd like to share with everybody. Quite how we're going to get it to you all, I haven't figured out yet. But watch this space for news in the future.

Joseph's determination and self-belief carried him forward, sharing his hike with both his daughter and wife at various times, and meeting a guy with whom he hiked over 1,000 miles.

We're introducing our new Class of 2021 hiker this week. She is Katie Westley, or Phoenix Rising. This week, we learn about why she's heading out on the trail in March. New week, I'll be learning more from Katie regarding her gear.

Katie is supporting Resources For Resilience on her hike and talks about them briefly on the show. If you'd like to learn more, visit them here. https://resourcesforresilience.com/

Additionally, you can follow Katie's YouTube channel here. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChEDoHA8w7RgCgs8MxuiIxA

In our ATC segment today, Julie Judkins tells us "How to be an Ally." If you'd like to put more of this into practice, or understand further, visit https://appalachiantrail.org/event/2021-hiker-guidance-how-to-be-an-ally/

Finally today, Larry Luxenburg is talking about Trail Magic in his book, Walking the Appalachian Trail.

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