Brittany Briley's smile lit up the trail in 2019, and we first met at Woods Hole Hostel. A nurse by training, she felt that the time was right to take a break in her early 30s and hiked the Appalachian Trail as joyously as anybody I met out there.

We didn't hike together much but, as is the way of the trail, we often saw one another. Brittany shared part of the trail with the sadly missed Pony Keg and his dog Blue.

Eventually, Brittany teamed up with previous guests on this show and she summited with Cushy Life, Turd Ferguson, and Shark Tooth, along with Runaway Jim. As she'll tell you, they laughed relentlessly. Knowing these people, I can well understand it.

If you'd like to read Mooney's blog, here it is: https://www.hiketotheheart.com or follow her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/hiketotheheart/

Sandi Marra speaks on behalf of the ATC with regard to their JEDI initiative. If you'd like to learn more about this, go to https://appalachiantrail.org/our-work/about-us/jedi/

We're back on with Katie Westling as she counts down to her start date in less than two weeks. This week, Katie surprises me by how similar our gear is.

Katie's YouTube channel is at https://youtube.com/channel/UChEDoHA8w7RgCgs8MxuiIxA while she is also raising awareness of Resources For Resilience. You can check them out at: https://resourcesforresilience.com/

Finally, Larry Luxenburg's Walking The Appalachian Trail continues this week's theme of strong women on the trail.

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.