Season Two: The Appalachian Trail
Episode One: The Journey Begins
*
Episode One: The Journey Begins *
Matt and his mom Candy begin their thru-hike in Georgia. As they begin to get a feel for their new routine, we explore the history of the former Cherokee Nation in Northern Georgia. Click here to see the show notes.
NHPR broadcast date: July 5th, 2025
Matt goes birdwatching on the trail and discovers his trailname. The exploration of trail names continues with another thru-hiker who thru-hiked the AT to connect with the experiences of his Cherokee ancestors, and to identify ancient footpaths that overlap with the Appalachian Trail. Click here to see the show notes.
NHPR broadcast date: July 12th, 2025
Episode Two: Trailnames and Cherokee footpaths
*
Episode Two: Trailnames and Cherokee footpaths *
Matt and Candy experience tragedy on the AT. A friend and fellow hiker loses his life in a tragic accident, forcing Matt to reflect on the loss of his dad, and his reasons for thru-hiking. The AT was born out of grief, and we explore how the trail’s origin story is connected to loss and reflection. Click here to see the show notes.
NHPR broadcast date: August 2nd, 2025
Episode Three: Fear and the Chestnut Tree
*
Episode Three: Fear and the Chestnut Tree *
Matt and Candy hike their first 20 mile day, despite Candy’s fear of injury. There are other things to fear on the trail too - Matt and Candy have their first encounter with a Timber Rattlesnake, and they start to explore the ecological history of the Appalachians. Click here to see the show notes.
NHPR broadcast date: July 19th, 2025
Episode Four: Walking Off the Grief
*
Episode Four: Walking Off the Grief *
Episode Five: Halfway There
*
Episode Five: Halfway There *
As Matt and Candy reach Harper’s Ferry, known as the psychological mid-point of a thru-hike, we explore how the trail went from simple footpath to a uniquely shaped National Park. The AT’s history is also a history of racial segregation, and we talk to historians and modern hiking guides who are using the trail to teach about the underground railroad. Click here to see the show notes.
NHPR broadcast date: August 9th, 2025
Episode Six: The Trailblazing Grandma Gatewood
*
Episode Six: The Trailblazing Grandma Gatewood *
Candy reflects on how few older women she sees thru-hiking the AT, and we dive into the history of Appalachian Trail thru-hikes. This history begins with Grandma Gatewood, the woman who popularized the concept of a thru-hike in the 1950s. Click here to see the show notes.
NHPR broadcast date: August 16th, 2025
Episode Seven: Climate Change on the Trail
*
Episode Seven: Climate Change on the Trail *
Matt and Candy experience some of the most challenging terrain along the entire AT during an intense thunderstorm. The weather is changing, and that makes an AT thru-hike more dangerous and difficult to plan. We explore how climate change is altering the trail and the trail experience. An injury forces Matt and Candy to reevaluate their plans. Click here to see the show notes.
NHPR broadcast date: August 23rd, 2025
Episode Eight: Roadblocks
*
Episode Eight: Roadblocks *
Episode Nine: Tramily Matters
*
Episode Nine: Tramily Matters *
While Candy prepares to return to the trail, Matt connects with a fun group of hikers and forms a “tramily.” As Candy rejoins, the group enters New Hampshire’s White Mountains, famous for both spectacular views and extremely challenging terrain. We explore the balancing act that land managers are playing between protecting sensitive ecosystems and allowing access to these spectacular landscapes. Click here to see the show notes.
NHPR broadcast date: September 6th, 2025
Matt and Candy experience some of the most challenging terrain along the entire AT during an intense thunderstorm. The weather is changing, and that makes an AT thru-hike more dangerous and difficult to plan. We explore how climate change is altering the trail and the trail experience. An injury forces Matt and Candy to reevaluate their plans. Click here to see the show notes.
NHPR broadcast date: August 30th, 2025
Dispatches from the Appalachian Trail
In the spring of 2022, producer Matt Podolsky and his mom Candy attempted a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. Over the course of the hike, Matt produced a series of mini-episodes documenting the journey, as well as sharing written updates on the popular long-distance hiking blog, The Trek.
This is one of the mini-episodes in our “Dispatches from the Appalachian Trail” series - click here to check out all nine of these mini-episodes.
Season Two Prequel: COVID-19 and the Appalachian Trail
Season Two of Common Land will focus on the Appalachian Trail - a 2,200-mile-long ribbon of protected land stretching from Georgia to Maine, and this bonus episode examines the motivations behind those who choose the hike the entirety of the trail, while examining how the spread of COVID-19 has affected this protected area. Click here to see full episode description and credit list.
Episode host Matt Podolsky and his mom Candy on the Long Trail in Vermont.