The Gary and Mark Show

A Chat with Chuck Hearon - AT Thru-Hiker Talks about his Incredible Journey

About this time twenty years ago Chuck Hearon was finishing up his thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail.

Gary and Mark chat with Chuck about his backpacking journey of close to 2,200 miles in 1999. Two decades later he remembers it like he just walked off the trail. Most people only dream about such an adventure and those who actually start the journey call it quits a few hundred miles in. Chuck is one of those who made it! Only a small percentage ever complete the entire trail.

Just in case you’re not all that familiar with the AT, the “long trail” starts at Springer Mountain, Georgia and ends at Mt. Katahdin, Maine – or you can hike north to south. It crosses 14 states in its journey and passes through multiple national forests, national parks, state parks, etc. Chuck can tell you it’s a mentally and physically challenging undertaking.

Today Chuck lives in Saluda, NC where most of our podcasts are recorded. Chuck is very active in the local community and even twenty years after his AT hike he’s still hiking and is a volunteer trail maintainer for FENCE, a nature center in Tryon, NC.

At the end of our podcast the Board of Trustees & Founders of “The Gary & Mark Podcasting University” presented Chuck with the very first Honorary BS in Podcasting with Honors (and extra honors) to Chuck.

Learn more about the Appalachian Trail at. www.appalachiantrail.org

This episode was recorded at Saluda Outfitters, a major sponsor of The Gary & Mark Show. Check them out at: www.saludaoutfitters.com.

And of course, follow The Gary & Mark Show at www.garyandmark.com as we keep finding our way.

 

Chuck Hearon

 

Gary after presenting Chuck with his diploma from "The Gary & Mark Podcasting University."

 

Chuck, Gary, and Mark

Gary & Mark Podcasting University Graduates First Students

We’ve squeezed a bunch into a relatively short podcast for you. Take a listen as Gary attempts to get out the name of our host location by trying every variation possible from the words in the official name. But all was forgiven as our first bit of news announces our official sponsorship by the place whose name we have struggled with for so long – Green River Eddy’s Tap Room & Grill at Saluda Outfitters. That’s a mouthful, so Gary’s forgiven.

Next up hear about the very first graduates of The Gary & Mark Podcasting University. And without being forced to comply with any state or federal regulations we have achieved equal numbers of male to female students and international to domestic students. Most universities would drool over those demographics. Gary also gives us a short history lesson on the town our first international student is from.

Finally, with the University starting to show some growing pains – Gary brings up the new student store and some of the items the store will sell.

Check out our YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy0dohNVohLCJLboWTeNGFQ

Check out Saluda Outfitters at: www.SaludaOutfitters.com

Saluda Outfitters Forgives All and Gives Us a Home!

Big Eddie’s, no…make that Big Green’s, Green Eddy’s…no make that…okay…it’s… now what is it Gary?

After struggling with getting the name right for many episodes, we’re thrilled that Saluda Outfitters has actually come on board as a sponsor of “The Gary & Mark Show.” Yes indeed!

They didn’t even make us promise to get the name right…but for the record it’s “Green River Eddy’s Tap Room & Grill at Saluda Outfitters in Saluda, NC.

In this episode Angela Nicholas joins us as she forgives all and welcomes The Gary & Mark Show to our new home base at Saluda Outfitters. We had already made it our de facto home pretty much from day one, but now we don’t have to hide in the shadows. We can broadcast on the expansive deck, in the tap room itself, on the front porch, the back porch…we didn’t ask about upstairs or from the bike shop in the basement.

Angela also sticks around and asks some questions sent in by our listeners. We’ve had a bunch and she starts with the first few.

So thanks Angela and Saluda Outfitters and Green River Eddy’s Tap Room & Grill. We’re happy to call your home, our home. And do know they aren’t limiting us to only podcast from the their location…we’re still free to roam the countryside with our mobile podcasting studio.Check them out at SaludaOutfitters.com.

School's In Session - We have BS for you!

We knew it was only time. But who knew we would be up and running this soon? Due to unprecedented demand, Gary and Mark have opened the Gary & Mark Podcasting University.

Are you looking to move up from your present-day boring life? A BS degree from the Gary & Mark Podcasting University will open up doors like you would not believe. And who better to offer BS than Gary and Mark.

Enroll today by going to www.GaryAndMark.com and clicking on the G & M Podcasting University tab. Education is hard, painful, and expensive…but talk is cheap! You can start your course of study tonight and have your diploma tomorrow.

The Gary & Mark Podcasting University is setting the new standard in podcasting excellence.

This episode was recorded in our mobile podcasting studio at Green River Eddy’s Tap Room located in Saluda Outfitters in Saluda, NC.

 

We're Upping Our Game!

The Gary & Mark show is moving up in the podcasting world. Now that we have more than a handful of fans we’re upping our game to meet the demand for a quality podcast.Make sure you check out our website for all you ever wanted to know about Gary & Mark and the show.

www.garyandmark.com.

This episode was recorded at Saluda Outfitters in Saluda, North Carolina – the home of Green River Eddy’s Tap Room. www.saludaoutfitters.com

Memories of Early Beer Experiences

Gary and Mark, along with our regular guest, Howard, reminisce a bit about some of our early experiences with beer. From early craft beers to first beer to getting confused about which bathroom to use, we tell it all. While "The Gary and Mark Show" is definitely not a show about beer…it does seem to come up a lot in our podcasts. Most of our podcasts take about as much time as a bathroom break, but this episode might be a good one to knock back a pint.

This episode was recorded at The Sanctuary Brewing Company in Hendersonville, North Carolina.

When We Realized We Were Actually Seniors!

You don’t think you are old until certain things happen. Gary & Mark talk about a few of the things that made them realize that yes, even they, were officially senior citizens.

This episode was recorded at Saluda Outfitters in Saluda, NC – home of Green River Eddy’s Tap Room.

Check them out at: http://www.saludaoutfitters.com/

And of course, thanks to our major sponsors - The Big Whizz Pocket Buddy and Rabbit Island Resort.

We Scored A Coup - Sanctuary Brewing Company Owner Interview

Most podcasters have to pay their dues working in the trenches for years before scoring a big name guest to have on their shows. But word is out about The Gary & Mark Show. We’re excited to share this episode where we sit down and chat with Joe Dinan, the co-owner (along with his partner Lisa McDonald) and head brewer of Sanctuary Brewing Company in Hendersonville, NC.

The Gary & Mark Show has visited The Sanctuary on a few occasions for research and development of our podcast and we did record an earlier podcast there. But we were in the shadows hoping not to be noticed. Now we were allowed to be front and center and were thrilled that Joe Dinan took time out of his busy day to tell you about The Sanctuary the he and Lisa have created.

Their website says they are a “brewery with a heart” and you’ll find out why in this episode. Visit the website at: sanctuarybrewco.com.

Our Answer to Time Shares

Maybe you already have a time-share or perhaps you are thinking of buying one. Wait. Hold it! Don’t do a thing until you’ve listened to this podcast. Not only are were thrilled to have our next major sponsor, Rabbit Island Holdings, the developer of Rabbit Island Resort – but they have the answer you didn’t even know you were looking for.

So thanks to Rabbit Island Resort, The Big Whizz Pocket Buddy, and our host for this podcast, Saluda Outfitters in Saluda, North Carolina … the home of great outdoor gear including a full-featured bike shop…and a full-featured tap room – Green River Eddy’s. Check them out at http://www.saludaoutfitters.com

The Gary & Mark Show Prequel

Before we had our introductory episode and before we had our first major sponsor (The Big Whizz Pocket Buddy app), and before we made it to The Sanctuary Brewing Company…Gary and Mark sat outdoors on a nice spring day and shot the breeze in the breeze.

This episode was recorded at Green River Barbecue in Saluda, NC and we were just playing around. In this episode (we called it our “pilot”), Gary and Mark touch on a few topics that will certainly come up for discussion in the future. One of those is the infamous first overnight backpacking trip where Gary led Mark into the wilderness without a clue how to get to where they were going. They never got there. But that was the start of a 48 year friendship that continues to this day.

And of course in this episode, we do mention a special beer available at Green River Barbecue that’s always priced right.

Sit back and take a listen as the Gary & Mark Show sets the tone for the future of podcasting.

And if you’re in Saluda and love great barbecue, check out Green River Barbecue at  https://greenriverbbq.com. They have amazing food and a superb selection of craft beer. And a disclaimer, Green River Barbecue did not actually sponsor this podcast. In fact, we’re thinking they didn’t even have a clue we were making them more famous than they are.