This week, Larry Knight shares his Appalachian Trail thru-hike story. It was never really a bucket list item for Larry but, as often happened, a confluence of events culminated in Larry finding himself at Springer Mountain, heading north. Injury curtailed the first attempt, but Larry returned to finish the job the following year.

When Larry was finished, he wanted a memento of the trip and started thinking about a map that would be personal to him and his hike. This has developed, and a listener to our show, Don Robinson, recently bought and gifted one of Larry's meticulously detailed maps to Steve. Larry then picked up the ball and offered to personalize a map for Steve. It is nothing less than spectacular. Check out the video further below.

If you'd like to learn more about Larry's wonderful maps, visit his website at https://www.redeftmapping.com/ or find him on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/Red_Eft_Mapping/

Steve and Larry discuss how these maps came about and–very generously–Don Robinson and Larry are donating the original map to one of our listeners. Larry himself poses the question on our show, so don't forget to enter this competition.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs2XvoTHrkw

Alyssa Reck was somewhat thrown in at the deep end with a few minutes' notice for this week's ATC segment but handled herself admirably. Alyssa's subject was "Why Connections Matter: From Engagement to Responsible Recreation."

If you'd like to learn more about the issues discussed, Alyssa has provided the following links. Hiker Resource Library https://appalachiantrail.org/hiker-resources, This is a collection of resources for hikers to stay safe, healthy, and responsible on the Appalachian Trail. Register on A.T. Camp https://atcamp.org/

Recreate Responsibly Coalition https://www.recreateresponsibly.org/

Folks can also always find ATC us on Social Media.

Lastly, Gene Espy figures in this week's reading of Larry Luxenburg's "Walking the Appalachian Trail."

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