Episode #457 - George Eshleman (Keeper)

Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis

It’s a slightly shorter show than usual this week, but it is about as powerful as any of my interviews have ever been. Our guest is George Eshleman, or Keeper, who hiked the Appalachian Trail with 363 nametags of military personnel who have committed suicide.

George chose to do this in honor of his own friend and hiking partner, who had committed suicide. However, George had a secret of his own that he shared with nobody as he hit the trail.

What happened next was sufficiently impactful to have been turned into a feature film, released on November 8 and available on Prime Video. Check out the trailer to get a taste of what took place.

THE KEEPER OFFICIAL TRAILER

Our book reading, Happy Hiking, by my friend, Emily Leonard is–of course–written from a woman’s POV and a woman’s voice. I hope you enjoy listening to my reading of it. If you’d like to buy the book, you can find it on Amazon at Happy Hiking: Falling in love on the Appalachian Trail, or on Emily’s website, at Happy Hiking.

I used my recent hike in the UK on the South West Coast Path to help raise money for my absolute favorite charity, Parenting Matters, on whose board I’ve been privileged to serve for over a decade. You can learn more about the hike and the organization–and donate–by visiting Hike with Steve - Empowering Parents, One Step at a Time | Parenting Matters %. I hope you want to support this critical mission.

Don’t forget. Our entire series of videos from our Woods Hole Weekend in 2022 is now FREE and available at my YouTube page at Woods Hole Weekend - Trailer There, you’ll find all sorts of tips and tricks that our guests took away from the weekend that helped them with their own hikes this year. Check it out.

I often ask listeners for ideas on who to interview, and I’m sure several of you say, “I could do that. I’ve got an awesome story to tell.” You’re the person we need to hear from. If you’d like to be interviewed on the podcast, just register as a guest on the link below, and I’ll be in touch. Come on the show!

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