The 2180

The doors are closing on season one, but before they do, Producer Andrew Iden sits down with writer and producer Jarrett Bellini for a talk about how this podcast came about, the stories behind the making of the show and everything in between.

Nancy Reeder always loved the outdoors, so when she and her partner Lonnie began their AT thru-hike in 2009, they knew the would finish. What they didn't anticipate though, was the abrupt end of the thru-hike attempt in a frigid and snow-packed Virginia winter. They set out again though and managed to bring closure to a family tragedy that occurred on the trail years earlier. 

After reading the memoir of Earl Schaffer, the first person to hike the Appalachian Trail, Dave Donaldson wanted to honor the legendary outdorsman by giving himself the trail name Spirit of 48. What he didn't anticipate though was spending part of his hike with the AT's original thru-hiker and forming a friendship that would stay with him forever. 

When Jonathan MacFarland got on the Appalachian Trail, he was the first to admit he had no idea what he was doing. But along the way, his hike became a story of shedding guilt, learning to not be angry, and becoming the one others came to for advice. 

If it were up to Heather Starbuck, she'd gladly have never hiked the Appalachian Trail. But the tragic and heartbreaking death of her boyfriend, Matt Adams, became a mission to walk from Georgia to Maine in an attempt to shed light on a crisis that is gripping America. in our most powerful episode yet, she shares her story of tragedy, unspeakable loss and learning to deal with both. Audience discretion is advised. 

While we get ready for the stretch run of season one-We just needed an extra week to get our ducks in a row. But in the meantime, a quick message from The 2180 HQ, where we're still grinding away and getting some great stories of Appalachian Trail thru-hikers. We'll be back next week with a fresh new episode! 

Leigh Rothermel began going on backpacking trips in middle school, and from day one, she fell in love with the outdoors. As life does, her corporate job got in the way, and tiring of morning commutes and sitting in an office, she left Atlanta, moved in with her parents, and started preparing for a 2015 thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.

After the tragic death of his father, a falling out over the family business and a subsequent divorce, Colin Gooder was looking to do something positive to change the string of sadness he had worked through. So when he decided to open a hostel in his hometown of Franklin, NC, he found a community he's grown to love and people he feels compelled to help.  

In 1980, Larry Luxenberg was about to start grad school in New York City after leaving the journalism business. Before he moved though he took a leap and went for a walk on the Appalachian Trail which would change his life and lead him to write a book and start the Appalachian Trail Museum, which he'd later be inducted into by his peers.   

After retiring, Bill Van Horn and his wife moved to the trail town of Franklin, NC where they began getting active with the Nantahala Hiking Club. Their work prompted them to tackle a section hike of the Appalachian Trail, and firmed up their passion for the outdoors and working to preserve America's public lands. 

An airline pilot who had lived and flown all over the world, Ed Higginbotham wasn't going to stop traveling after he retired. So he set out to hike sections of the Appalachian Trail with a group of friends, and over the course of eight years, successfully section hiked from Georgia to Maine. After years in the sky and looking at America from 20,000 feet, he finally got a chance to experience America from an angle he hadn't been afforded after years of flying: close-up and on the ground.

As a young child, Kimberly Shaffer didn't have a lot of understanding of the Appalachian Trail. But her great uncle, Earl Shaffer certainly did, as the first person to successfully thru-hike the AT in 1948. This year, Kimberly decided to mark the anniversary of his first walk, and set out on the trail. This is the story of her her own walk, honoring a family legacy and along the way getting closer to the words and experiences documented by her great Uncle Earl. 

34 years ago, Tillie and Roy Wood began running Woods Hole Hostel, a cabin built in the 1880's that they bought in the 1940's. 9 years ago, when Tillie passed away, her granddaughter, Neville and her husband Michael, took over running the business, and it's become one of the most popular hostels on the Appalachian Trail. What began as a place Neville would visit as a young girl has become a family legacy and given her a unique perspective on the thousands of hikers who pass through on their way to the end of the Appalachian Trail.

When John Taylor lost his sight, he wasn't going to be told what he could and couldn't do. When he met Jen, who loved the outdoors, she planted the idea of hiking the Appalachian Trail with him, and he was up for it from day one. In February, the two set out on the Appalachian Trail where John proved that while he'd lost his sight, he hadn't lost his vision. Their story is one of seeing the world through other means and the depth of trust between two people who found each other in the second phase of life. 

In 1978, Ron Tipton spoke to a longtime friend on the phone, who said he was hiking the Appalachian Trail. Ron hung up the phone, and when he couldn't sleep, called his friend the next morning and said he'd be joining him on the trip. What followed was a hike that would change his life, setting him on a course of working in the protection of public lands for the next 35 years.

As a psychology professor, Shelly Martin knew she'd have to learn to mitigate her fear of heights when she got on the Appalachian Trail in January of 2018. What she learned on her 2,000 mile walk was that the good of people always shows itself and confidence is in the ability to respond to the physical demands-and heights-involved in hiking the Appalachian Trail. 

Georganna Seamon grew up around outdoor gear. So it's only natural that after college, she'd head out on a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail with her then boyfriend and now husband, Logan. And in 2013, the couple took ownership of one of the Appalachian Trail's most noted outfitters and hiker resource, Mountain Crossings in Neel Gap, GA. 

Brad Stein has done a lot in his life. He's run a record label, worked in hunting camps, but at the age of 14, hiking the Appalachian Trail became a goal he never wavered from. At age 54, he set out on the trail on added another chapter to his already adventurous life. 

80 hour work weeks and five years without taking time off had taken a toll on Bret Eady. After he and his father sold their business, Bret and his wife moved to the North Georgia mountains, just steps from the Appalachian Trail, where he learned to love hiking, how to clear his head and how to get back to the person he wanted to be. With a push from his wife, a section hike in 2016 became the catalyst for a thru-hike where he went on a journey to repair what needed fixing the most. 

Like many who attempt a thru-hike only to see it end, Dave Weinberg has regrets about not staying on the Appalachian Trail. But his story is uniquely his, hatched a life-long love of the outdoors, and afforded him a summer of adventure that very few get to experience.