Episode #24 - Reunited

This is the quickest podcast I've ever released. Jessica got to end yesterday afternoon (October 3) and texted me this morning. I knew you'd want to hear from her so I've rushed the episode out. As you'll hear, she saved the danger until the end. Thanks so much for listening to the show; we've appreciated all the support. I will be catching up with her one more time at the end of November to do a review of her entire journey.  

With Canada only a couple of weeks away, Dixie is facing a race against the snow. It is starting to get colder and she is adjusting her gear to meet the changing weather. We caught up yesterday morning and she had made it to town for an urgent purchase. She'll explain it! She and Perk are together most of the time now as she faces her fear of Grizz Country, while she responds to her mom's Facebook post about taking the long road home.  

Jessica is now less than 300 miles from Canada and is moving well after her recent toe issues. However, she is about to enter 190 miles of wilderness, so she caught up with me yesterday to give an update. She has enjoyed the trip but is now ready to be home. She even had a unique hiking experience for her, with a snowy sunset to finish off a day's hiking.     

With Dixie back to full mobility after her toe op, she is making real progress towards the Canada border. For the first time, she looks as if she'll make it before October or, at worst, a few days into the month. Today, she talks about the impact of the three big trails on her psyche and how they stack up against one another.

The last time we caught up with Dixie, she had decided to get her ingrowing toenails cut out. This was clearly going to disrupt the progress she had been making, and I fully expected her mileage to drop precipitously. She told me that we'd try to speak straight after the operation and, when I didn't hear from her, I feared the worst.  But, being Dixie, she had responded to the advice by walking straight away. You just can't keep a good woman down. With the weather soon to deteriorate in Montana, she is now heading fast to Canada with a new determination to get there before the snow gets to her.

With her ingrowing toenails continuing to bother her, Dixie has made a decision to resolve the problem. This will slow her progress but she now has Kyle, Rogue, and Perk with her. Hopefully, the next few days will enable her to get back on track. She's into her last state, Montana, and is working out how to get to Canada before the bad weather engulfs her.  

With Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park now behind her, Dixie heads into Idaho with two very angry feet. We had a lot of trouble connecting to have a conversation but eventually managed to speak twice; once on the trail and once in a small town in Idaho. As always, she was able to project a positive image despite the pain.

Having spent a couple of weeks with a mini "tramily," Dixie finds herself alone once more, with each of her various hiking companions heading in different directions. I caught up with her this morning, not having heard from her since she had intended to set out with her brother, Dakota. As ever, plans are made to be broken. Despite her anxiety over Grizzly Country, she continues to head north, anticipating the return of Rogue and Kyle. 

Jessica, Kyle and her brother, Dakota, have been hiking together for a week, at a predictably slower pace but revelling in the diversity of the trail. They've experienced some glorious views and some horrendous hail. Dixie has also had to adapt her hike to accommodate her new companions.

This conversation was on Wednesday, August 1, so I apologize for not getting it to you earlier. Dixie has been joined by her brother and another familiar face. We got an excellent question from Shane Capps about hiker hunger, while there thoughts on what you can do when you hit the wall on the trail. Tough times come to us all, even Dixie, and she considers ways to make it better.