So long to The Trail Show

After more than three years of beer, trails and nonsense,  it is time for me to move on.

I’ve enjoyed my time co-hosting The Trail Show podcast, but thought it has run its course for me.

• I’ve had to withdraw from the time bank to talk about the outdoors rather than being outdoors.

  And on more than one occasion…including my birthday! 🙂    When I am inside discussing the outdoors, rather than hiking, camping, skiing or backpacking, I’m perhaps not the happiest camper on many levels. 😉

• Speaking of the time bank, I’m a busy person. 

My day job can be very busy at times..even in the off hours. I volunteer a fair amount. And I’ve been actively writing for this website and other places. The nice thing about writing is that I can write during my lunch break, later at night and whenever I am motivated. Coordinating four people, our schedules  and sometime a guest? More difficult.

•  I get bored doing the same thing regularly.  

A failing on my part. But the same hikes, the same job, the same places..and yes, the same podcast, year-after-year and it starts to feel less fun.

• The Mrs. and I have plans coming up over the course of the year. See above about the time bank.

No, it does not involve having children! 🙂 But the plans we have coming up will make us busy.

• Different direction of where we want to take things. 

As any reader of this blog will notice, the long trails and the lifestyle around them are less important to me than even five years ago. Part of it is, of course, I am at a different place in my life. The other part is that my outdoor interests are more than the long trails. Or rather , something I’ve long felt: The long trails are  a way to experience more time outdoors rather than an end in itself.  

I love being outdoors in different ways and discussing the issues faced concerning the outdoors.  My friends perhaps wanted a more lighthearted show about the designated long trails and routes, the lifestyle around them and some of the personalities found in the community.  I think I wanted something more along the lines of High Country News combined with TrailGroove in many ways.

Both visions have their place. But they are incompatible in some ways. We all love being outdoors but our experiences and perceptions of how we view the outdoors are perhaps different.

***

I wish my friends good luck. It was just time for me to move on. Naturally they understood and were very gracious. And I’m sure there is a chance I will guest host at some point and enjoy a pint or two!

I want to thank Mike, Felicia, Lawton, our many guests and our awesome listeners for a wonderful three+ years.

It has been fun.