Of course it had to happen. With heatwaves across parts of Europe, we thought a podcast episode on dealing with heat while hiking would be a good idea. Then it started raining.

However, it’s still an important subject. The numbers of people ending up in the hospital with sunstroke is on the rise.

So, this week, we’re talking about hiking while hot – what to do, what not to do, the signs and symptoms of heatstroke, and much more.

To do that, we’re joined by Dr. Cheyenne Falat, the assistant medical director of the Adult Emergency Department at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, the academic flagship hospital for the University of Maryland Medical Center. She is also an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

A practicing emergency department physician for about a decade, Dr. Falat's niche and area of special interest is in environmental emergency medicine with a specific area of interest in weather-related injuries and wilderness medicine.

She is also an avid skier and hiker.

To get in touch with the podcast with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at jim@walkingpost.com

Francesca Pezza, who will soon be a recent college graduate from Santa Clara, was a hiking counsellor in Colorado last summer, a bucket list item for her.

She attended Camp Cheley in Rocky Mountain National Park for 30 days every summer, beginning in 6th grade. Hiking became her love, and every summer she would get her "hiking patch," and other nature designations. Her dream was to someday, of course, be a counsellor, but specifically a hiking counsellor.

Finally, last summer she reached the age that allows one to be a lead hiking counsellor, 21. Instead of taking internships, she decided that fulfilling her dream of leading groups of young women into the Rockies to discover nature and parts of themselves was more important.

To get in touch with the podcast with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at jim@walkingpost.com

Most people would know the definition of a life coach, but what is a travel coach?

An ICF-accredited travel coach is someone who applies International Coaching Federation standards to help clients use travel for personal or professional growth, rather than just booking trips. In practice, they work with people to clarify goals, intentions, and desired outcomes before a journey, then use coaching skills like active listening, powerful questions, and accountability to shape the experience.

The “travel” part means the coach may help clients think through why they want to travel, what they want to get from it, and how to match destinations or experiences to those aims. That could include self-discovery, healing, connection, career change, relocation, education, or general life direction. It is more about transformation through travel than itinerary planning.

ICF-accreditation signals that the coach has trained under standards recognised by the ICF, a major coaching credentialing body. That gives the practice more structure and credibility, and it distinguishes it from ordinary travel consulting or travel agency work.

Courtney Rosiak-Quinto, our guest this week, switched jobs in California to follow her dreams and become an accredited travel coach.

To get in touch with the podcast with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at jim@walkingpost.com

Three guests and one story this week. We talk to Paul O'Neill, secretary of the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland – Newry Portadown Branch; Jonny Keer, heritage officer, Moneypenny's Forge; and Shirley Hayes, service manager of REACT Armagh, about the new North South Way Peace Camino that runs from Newry, in Northern Ireland, to Carlingford, in the Republic of Ireland.

The North South Way Peace Camino is a community-led initiative designed to connect people, places and communities.

It is a 40-mile route following the Newry Canal Towpath and the shoreline of Carlingford Lough. The initiative aims to create a shared space where people can walk, connect with nature, explore heritage and take part in activities that support wellbeing and community connection.

The Peace Camino is intended to become a community corridor that supports group walks, creative programmes, heritage engagement and community programmes, while also creating opportunities for local businesses, social enterprises and community organisations.

REACT CEO Shirley Hayes said the North South Way Peace Camino is a shared pathway for connection, wellbeing and opportunity, that invites people to walk together, strengthen communities and contribute to a peaceful future.

The initiative is also being supported through partnership working, including collaboration with Ulster University’s International Conflict Research Institute (INCORE), which will contribute to research and learning on the role of walking, nature and connection in supporting wellbeing and post-conflict recovery.

To get in touch with the podcast with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at jim@walkingpost.com

Expeditions Alaska is a wilderness adventure guiding company based in Anchorage, Alaska.

Our guest this week, owner and lead guide Carl Donohue, has been guiding in Alaska since 1998 and founded the company in 2002. Expeditions Alaska runs small-group backpacking, hiking, camping, packrafting, sea kayaking, and photography tours in Alaska’s national parks and wilderness areas, in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Gates of the Arctic National Park, Katmai, Denali, Lake Clark National Parks, and other areas in Southcentral and Southeast Alaska with all relevant permits and certifications for each.

The guides hold Wilderness First Responder certifications, swift water rescue and crevasse rescue training, ACA certifications in sea kayaking and packrafting instruction.

You can check out Expeditions Alaska's backpacking page here.

To get in touch with the podcast with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at jim@walkingpost.com

The Ice Age Trail is one of 11 National Scenic Trails in the US.

It runs for roughly 1,200 miles across Wisconsin, following the terminal moraine left by the last Ice Age. It passes through 30 counties from Interstate State Park on the Minnesota border to Potawatomi State Park on the Door Peninsula. The trail is open year‑round and is designed primarily for hiking and backpacking, with some winter sections suitable for snowshoeing and cross‑country skiing.

The trail exists through cooperation between the National Park Service, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, local governments, private landowners and the Ice Age Trail Alliance. Its yellow blazes and mix of forest, farmland, small towns and suburban edges make it accessible to both long‑distance hikers and local day‑walkers.

The Ice Age Trail Alliance (IATA) is the non‑profit organisation responsible for building, maintaining, protecting and promoting the trail. Founded in 1958, it operates through volunteer‑run chapters across the state, supported by a small professional staff. The Alliance works with state and federal partners to secure land, develop new trail segments and manage conservation areas along the route. Its mission is to create and protect a continuous, permanently conserved footpath that showcases Wisconsin’s glacial landscapes.

Beyond trail construction, the Alliance provides guidebooks, maps, hiker resources and community programmes, and it coordinates thousands of volunteers who handle everything from corridor clearing to public outreach. It also plays a central role in the “thousand‑miler” culture — hikers who complete the entire route.

Our guest this week is IATA’s Melissa Pierick.

To get in touch with us with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at jim@walkingpost.com

This week, we’re looking at one of the latest online walking trends – Tai Chi walking.

We find out what it is and whether or not it’s something worth pursuing. Our guest is Ashley Katzenback, a doctor of physical therapy and owner of Cape Concierge Physical Therapy, with offices in Sandwich and the Pinehills.

Katzenback has more than 20 years of experience and is an expert in the musculoskeletal field. She is a certified myofascial trigger point therapist with extensive training in osteoporosis, chronic pain management, ergonomics and injury prevention.

She is passionate about longevity and believes that through education we can empower communities to age well.

To get in touch with the podcast with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at jim@walkingpost.com

The Mole Valley Spring Walking Festival runs from Wednesday, 29 April to Wednesday, 6 May 2026. Organised by the Mole Valley Ramblers, the event features a programme of free guided walks across the Surrey Hills and surrounding areas, including Box Hill, Leith Hill, and the River Mole. The schedule includes various distances and difficulty levels, ranging from short three-mile circuits to day-long treks covering up to 18 miles.

This year’s itinerary includes several themed routes and social walks. Options include the "Westhumble Express" railway heritage walk, a "May the Fourth Be With You" bank holiday hike, and specific sessions focused on identifying birdsong and bluebells. Several routes are planned to finish at local pubs or cafes, and the programme also features evening excursions, such as a night walk at Leith Hill.

Most walks do not require advance booking, though participants are advised to arrive at start points 15 minutes before the scheduled departure. The festival finishes on the final Wednesday with a tea and cake social. Information regarding start locations, parking, and specific route requirements is available here.

We chat with Sally Howes from the Mole Valley Ramblers about the event.

To get in touch with the podcast with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at jim@walkingpost.com