Anybody who shared the trail with me last year must have heard of the Purple People. They seemed to be ubiquitous, turning up night after night at hostels, shelters, and homes to play their own music to lighten everybody's lives.

The fact that they wore and carried everything in a vibrant lilac color didn't exactly allow them to blend into the crowd. These are two people with a distinct sound, a memorable appearance, and a giving nature.

When I was able to interview them for the show, their journey hadn't unfolded as I'd expected it would. Yet it is well worth listening to.

If you'd like to find out more about the Purple People, click on some links below. https://www.ilovethemailboxes.com

https://www.instagram.com/themailboxes/

https://www.youtube.com/user/themailboxesmusic

Extra Links: https://www.facebook.com/themailboxes

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ZgpagevHW6qjOL6lQs7jb

https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/the-mailboxes/591571580

Morgan Sommerville was next up for the ATC, with his insights into how the organization is trying to combat overuse on the trail. If you'd like to find out more, click on some links below. Morgan referred to the A.T. Comprehensive Plan, which is the essential A.T. management guidance: https://www.nps.gov/appa/learn/management/upload/CompPlan_web.pdf

If you fancy a really deep dive into visitor use management, you should check here: https://visitorusemanagement.nps.gov/

And, ATCamp is where people and groups planning to camp on the A.T. can see if their proposed overnight site has room for them, and where thru-hikers can register the start date of their hike. ATCamp has charts that instantly update with each new registration, that show how many people are planning to camp at a given overnight site, or start a thru-hike on a given day in GA, Baxter, and for flip-flops, thus allowing them to spread out: https://atcamp.org/

Mr President is into the last two weeks of his hike. Unfortunately, I screwed up the audio this week by cutting off the first four or five minutes of our talk. Sorry Bill.

Finally, Keith Foskett heads to the end with a virus tracking hikers down.

Keith wanted you all to know that the full audiobook of Balancing on Blue is available on Amazon, Audible, and iTunes.

If you like what we're doing on the Hiking Radio Network, and want to see our shows continue, please consider supporting us with either a one-off or monthly donation. You'll find the donate button on each Hiking Radio Network page at https://www.hikingradionetwork.com

Any support is gratefully received.