What happens when you trade a four-decade career in business for the mountains, the trails, and the life you almost left behind? In this episode, I sit down with Tom French, author of The Gap Years: Climbing, Skiing, and the Journey Back, to talk about adventure, reinvention, and what it truly means to reconnect with the outdoors at any age. Tom's story is a powerful reminder that the call of the wild doesn't have an expiration date; some of the most meaningful journeys begin exactly when you think the adventure is over.

Whether you're an avid hiker, a weekend adventurer, or simply someone who has ever felt the pull of wild places, this conversation will inspire you to lace up your boots and get back out there.

🎧 Enjoy this episode? Pick up a copy of The Gap Years: Climbing, Skiing, and the Journey Back by Tom French on Amazon or your favorite independent bookseller!

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Facebook: @thehikepodcast
Email: hikepodcast@gmail.com

When was the last time you actually stopped on a trail, not because you needed water, but because something made you pause? In this episode, Lori invites you to slow way down and experience the trail through all five senses. From the lichen-covered boulders of Blackrock Summit to the quiet of the southern AT, she shares what spring in Shenandoah National Park sounds, smells, feels, and even tastes like, and how bringing that same attention to your own local trail will change everything.

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Connect with Hike:
Instagram: @thehikepodcast @shenandoahexplorer
Facebook: @thehikepodcast
Email: hikepodcast@gmail.com

Scott Little of Green Cove Collective comes on the show to discuss the Virginia Creeper Trail as it exists post-Helene and what the impact the hurricane had on the trail and it's close knit community of shops, restaurants and outdoor enthusiasts. In this episode we chat about how Scott started his online shop and then the brick and mortar store in Green Cove during Covid as a way to both support and be an essential part of the biking and outdoors community that has been created around the Creeper Trail.

The Virginia Creeper Trail is a 35-mile (56 km) multi-purpose rail trail. Located in southwestern Virginia, the trail runs from Abingdon to Whitetop, near Mount Rogers National Recreation Area and the North Carolina border.

The trail accomodates hikers, cyclists and equestrians on its descent from Abingdon to Damascus.

18 miles of the 34-mile mile Creeper Trail, from Damascus to Whitetop, have been devastated. To date, 18 trestles have been lost – destroyed or washed away. In extended sections, the trail itself no longer exists… reclaimed by the rushing, flooded creeks. Trailheads, access points, amenities and signage have been destroyed as well (Credit: Virginia Creeper Trail Conservancy).

To connect with Scott/Green Cove Collective and learn more:

Instagram: @virginiacreepertrail, @greencovecollective

Web: greencovecollective.com

Music clip credit:
"Whiskey on the Mississippi" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Support the show

Connect with Hike:
Instagram: @thehikepodcast @shenandoahexplorer
Facebook: @thehikepodcast
Email: hikepodcast@gmail.com