A NEAR DEATH Experience on the Appalachian Trail (learn from it) | Beer in Beautiful Places 

Thanks for having me on, Kyle! I had a blast! 🍻

She makes an important point, the fine line discerning " facing a fear", and "fear is there for a reason "

I was hoping to see Maddie on this series!! She does an incredible job of vlogging and hiking. She's a baddie!!!!

I love the way Maddie is so transparent and emotional. Cry counts and all that. Makes me feel normal. She's just Entertaining and has a good attitude ❤

Maddie is darling! She has such a unique way of vlogging, and she’s so entertaining! Love her channel!

A sketchy water crossing can totally change my itinerary. Years ago I fell off a log into fast water , I was stuck on my back like a turtle and thankful my friend helped me out.

I love that you finally got Maddie on! You said it well as far as why she’s so enthralling. It’s her positive energy and her quirky but endearing personality that draws you in. It’s a refreshing change from most hikers’ channels. Thanks for always getting such awesome guests on your podcast!

Maddie! Loved following you, Bad Bat, and Nahamsha on the AT this past year. 100% subscribed for the beer, stayed for great attitude.

What?!!! Yay!!! Two of my favorite thru hikers together in a pod cast?!! This is awesome!!!!

I have been following Ranger's AT story, and this water crossing was really terrifying.

I remember commenting on her original post a few hours after it came out and left some tips as a swiftwater rescue operator. Number one tip would be to string a line 45° across the current with the downstream side being where you’re wanting to go. never string a line at 90°. At 45° the current will help push you where you want to go, but a 90° will form a v-shape that can trap you. Also only ever cross on the downstream side of a line. There’s a lot of other water crossing methods you can look up (search swift water rescue water crossing or shallow water crossing techniques) but this would be the main one I suggest.

Thanks Kyle for introducing us to Maddie and BeerInBeautifulplaces…love her vibe and attitude! I’m from Minnesota and have sectioned hiked the SHT and I’m looking forward to watching her thru hike these beautiful miles…highly recommend you hike it someday Kyle…you’ll definitely have a shuttle driver/trail magic friend at your service if you get up here❤

Really enjoy having two of my favorite channels together.

Maddie is great, glad to see her here on your podcast Kyle.

Maddie, I started watching your AT adventure when you were mid way through and was immediately impressed (and hooked) by your ability to hike AND video your experience. You did an amazing job as an observer, steward of the land, and documentarian, overcoming your own self doubt, fears but relishing in your triumphs. Thank you for taking us all on your journey. Kyle, thank you too! I love both of your channels. You are doing a great job!

Woohoo! Yay! Great convo with a fantastic guest! BIG LOVE & good health to you both!

Maddie, I followed ur AT journey the whole way. I loved it! I was watching the river crossing and was so nervous even though I knew you made it across.

Maddie has been nice to share her tells of the trail. Really happy she enjoyed it as she had to focus on the video and made a memorable experience. thanks 🌻

Love Maddie! I watched most of her journey on RU-vid and she's a real inspiration and joy to watch.

I've followed her whole journey It was fabulous I loved her weekly longer videos and her short videos also So well done so interesting

I’m so happy Maddie was on your show. I love her and can’t wait to see what she and Smoke do next. Best YT thru hiker ever That River crossing was scary for sure.

Thank you so much for having Maddie on, she is a real fun person! I watched every video and loved her authentic personality. blessed to have her share with us... Myself, shared her AT hike with family, and friends 😊 That near death experience was terrifying 😮... Maddie is a much stronger woman then myself! I would have lost it .. right then right there!!!

Kyle Hates Canoeing - new content for the channel, mate. This was a good one.

I’m so happy to see you interview Maddie!! She’s so wonderful 💗 I followed her AT hike and as I watched that river crossing, I was screaming at the screen (as if 😂) don’t do it wait till it goes down!! I would rather go a day or two rationing my food than cross that raging water🥹🥹🥹 I BOUT HAD A FULL PANIC ATTACK WATCHING IT😱😱 I can’t wait to see what’s next on the agenda for her and Smoke 🥰🥰

That looks like a beautiful trip down the Shenandoah River!! I love kayaking or canoeing or rafting on a river. I also feel like a purist so will not do this for the AT but this does look like a blast. I have a little more respect for aquablazing now. Thank you for sharing a wide range of views on your podcast.

So it’s funny at the beginning of your podcast talking about everybody wanted to share their opinion. So here I am, I’m gonna share my opinion lol. This is specific to me haven taken a Swift-water rescue course three times. It is easy to look back and say oh I could’ve done this or I could’ve done that. You did the best you could with the knowledge you had. And the truth is it can be scary if things get worse and the river did rise higher. First of all, I was glad to see you guys were on the down side of the river from the rope. That is sometimes a mistake people make is they’re on the upside which pushes them against the rope and pins them there, which is not a good situation. But for anyone watching this that may be part of a river crossing in anyway, please remember the following one thing that could save your life!!! Make sure the line that is across the stream is on an angle downstream. Whatever it takes to get that rope on about a 60 to 45° angle across the stream (rather than straight across or 90° is imperative. The most common mistake people make (even rescue personnel) is putting the rope straight or almost straight across. It is impossible to get it tight enough and even if you had a come along in the tools to do so it is just not safe. Even a slightly stretchy or slightly slack line can work as long as is on a good angle. With a 60-45 degree angle, the river will assist or even push you down the rope to the other side of the shore. Thus you’re not having to pull yourself across against the current. In training we had to watch a lot of videos where people put the rope straight across and I’ll spare you the outcome. We also got to experience it in the river during practice. Even in Rivers where it’s only waste deep and slower moving than the one you show on the video it can be tragic to not understand the physics of crossing. I can attest it’s amazing how this one simple thing can save your life. With proper training, rivers can be navigated pretty safely and yet without that training, it can be perilous. Statistics are pretty frightening in that rivers that are far more dangerous take less lives because people are more careful and get trained before trying to navigate them. I didn’t see the river for very long and of course I couldn’t see downstream (sweepers would change things tremendously), but from the part you showed this looks like about a class three river, which is fairly navigable will the right training. #Don’tTakeMyAdviceAndDie There are some other other things that we learned on how to cross rivers and it was pretty cool on how safely you can cross some pretty nasty gnarly rivers, but I don’t wanna get anyone to trouble by giving advice. If you’re curious, look up Swiftwater rescue training. There a Canadian Swiftwater rescue company is amazing and they train all over the world. Rescue Canadarescuecanada.ca › swiftwater-...Swiftwater Rescue Training Course | First Responder Training PS: I am not a good swimmer. So it was even more important for me to have this kind of training. And as a poor swimmer, I think I would’ve been pretty comfortable crossing that river as long as the rope had been on an angle. But it’s hard to tell in a video so don’t hold me to that. lol!!!!

@beerinbeautifulplaces Great interview! The minute I saw the fellow on the far bank stripping down I was concerned for you. Glad he was there!

Three hiking channels I watch regularly .... "Homemade Wanderlust," "Kyle Hates Hiking," and of course: "Beer in Beautiful Places." Great to see two of my faves together ---- fabulous show.

Maddie is such a fun person to watch! She has such an easygoing personality! Great episode, Kyle G

Thanks for having Maddie on, Kyle! Happy New Year!

She’s so sweet and genuine, great episode

Maddie the baddie….you are PRECIOUS. I had no idea how much goes on out there that I’m clueless about 😂 As a retired E.R. nurse I saw another side of the hiking/camping/hunting crowd when y’all would come to visit me in the emergency room. So it’s fun for me to watch y’all on vide and hear all about the joy, victories, defeats and successes. A through hike for me is making it completely around a five mile loop is bad ass 😂😂😂 so you guys are SUPER HEROS to me.

Porth Dafarch, Anglesey: two dozen teens who were thru hiking the Wales Coast Path were crowded around a single picnic table, sitting two deep, sitting on laps, sitting on the table itself, camp chairs tightly packed… and they were using ten or twelve gas stoves on the table top to boil water. I managed not to be the old school mistress with a speech to make about avoiding burns and scalds, but only just. 😮

I did the same thing with my stove except it was between my legs on the ground and the water spilled on my ankle and burned me. So it can happen on the ground make sure you are on level ground.

When you interview Jack and Bob Ross I'll subscribe and give a 5 star 🌟 review. I love those guys. SEND IT!

Oh man! I got really lucky once with a camp stove. I had the tried and true old green Coleman that matches the propane cans. I only ever used it camping and when my dad gifted me a sweet stainless steel upgrade that didn't need to be assembled, I was feeling like royalty. I was living in a small apartment with a patio. I decided to break the camp stove in and BBQ grill some meat. Welllllll...... this was circa maybe 2003? The process for this stove was slightly different with a switch and me, being 19, slammed it over and.. poof! Lost my eyebrows, lashes and some major singing around my hair. Saving grace? My hair was up in a ponytail and I didn't have hairspray or other flammable products on my hair, or skin. That was a one and done! I'll tell you what. At 40? I'm pretty good with lighting things now and sure appreciate the caution this experience taught me.

I am so glad you were OK. I did the long road walk around that river crossing. Probably around the same time after record rain fall. I had read on FarOut that the crossing was chest deep on a guy, so knew it would be even deeper on me. At the AT office in Maine they showed on a water level chart that it was running more than 3 times the amount of water that they considered safe to cross during that time. There were so many deep water crossings at that time and that water was cold in September too. Greyhound 2023!

I think its amazing that people let us join in on their experiences, it is such a privilege! I would never bet against anyone finishing, that's so mean! Some people just get on you tube to troll!

Maddie is awesome.. I followed her whole hike and her videos were amazing.. love Smoke master, too! ❤

So happy Maddy survived the treacherous river crossing 🙏

She rocks.

We love Maddie❤ so glad you had her on!!

Sketchy stove story. Only with liquid fuel and cat can type stove. Did all the right things, just like I had done for years and years. Level ground, wind stop, anchored stove, etc. fully lit and water pot on. No worries, until, WHAM! Huge swirling gust of wind toppled it over with flaming fuel going everywhere. My tarp, the ground, leeching quickly to leaves several feet away. Luckily, there was a light drizzle happening that saved the day to avoid a massive fire instantly ignited all over. It was contained enough for me to smother it quickly and avoid disaster. After that, I gave up open stoves and bought a jet boil. The original SoloTi. I still have it. Much better than the BRS type stoves. .

Internet trolls that make cruel comments are a bother to us all. Even if we aren't making the videos. I'm so glad y'all are able to handle it and keep making videos. You are awesome people.

Maddie & Kyle great episode ! Loved hearing about Maddie’s AT hike and will definitely subscribe. Kyle you’re one of the only RU-vidrs I watch everything you post….

Oh my goodness! I watch her videos. Thank God she is ok.

Maddie keeps it real. Love her videos. She is awesome

My stove thing happened before I lit it. I screwed the canister together close to another already lit stove. They always leak a little and it flashed up from their stove to mine. I of course dropped it and then had to stomp out the flames. Oh I was inside a shelter. Never will I do that again.

I watched her from day one ! Was so excited to see her on your channel. 😊

I had a nasty burn on my foot when camping 2 years ago. I had bought a pot out of Poundland here in the UK. There’s a similar shop in Canada called Dollerama. I’m not sure if there’s a similar store in the States. So, I’m sitting at this campsite in Scotland with a couple of eggs starting to boil on this small hiking stove. I’m sitting in a camp seat (you’re right Kyle!) suddenly I had this searing pain shoot through my foot!!! I kid you not, it actually felt like a shock of electricity. I remember this scream coming out of my mouth travelling down the valley and echoing back at me!!! This god damn pot had a long handle on it and when the water started to boil the movement just tipped the contents out, all over my left foot through my imitation campsite crocs!! The skin started to pop, bubble and blister!! It was nasty!! Really bad. Took quite a bit of time to heal tbh. Yep people. Camping pots are shaped the way they are for a reason. Loved the podcast btw.

I started watching her AT in May. Loved her vibe, honesty, perspectives. So great to see you guys, who's adventures I'm invested in, together.😃👏

She is awesome i found her on day 4 of her hikeing the A.T and got absolutely addicted. I cant wait for her A.T documentary to come out its probably going to be 10 hours long with all the videos and updates she did. And im here for it. ❤ Thereareall ready thru hikers on the trail now. There two guys that all already 10 days into there hike they started before new years. Jack & bob ross channel on you tube. If anyone is interested

Im so glad @beerinbeautifulplaces is taking off :) Super exciting to see you on Kyle's channel. Still have the glasses I won in your beer giveaway.

My favorite piece of gear… tiny electric pump. Weighs nothing. Inflates pad like a boss! And my altras… so good

It’s wild listening to you youngsters recount how you tear through pair after pair of trail runners - I cannot imagine giving up hiking boots! Granted, the boots I wear nowadays are much lighter than the ones I wore when I was young, back in the Pleistocene era.

Maddie is a wonderful RU-vidr to watch. I thoroughly enjoy her videos and her reality of how she’s feeling and the whole idea of the beer on the trail is wonderful. I wish her the best hikes in the future and life. Thank you for having her as a guest on your video. 🙌❤😊

You know me, leaving a comment for the algorithm 🍀🐌 I do enjoy the trail tails videos since you have been adding them as real vids!

Maddie is my favorite❤❤

I agree with Smokes about today’s modern hiking boots such as Merrell Moab’s and La Sportiva truly are not all that different from trail runners. They’re basically a high top sneaker. I do the same and basically buy what is most affordable that I know fit my feet.

Love Maddie and her channel. I’ll never hike the AT and with her honest reporting in her videos I felt like I was there with her through the good and bad. She has a great eye for videography by zeroing in on little things to show us, whether it is a mushroom or bug or funky shaped tree. I binge watched the AT series and am now going back in her RU-vid posts to the car camping videos and looking forward to new updates with SmokeMaster. Enjoy your beers, Maddie!

Maddie just has Angel Steps! That's why her shoes an trekking poles last so long!.❤😊

Watching this from balface shelter n.h what a time to be alive I love technology.

I used a butane/propane stove in the passenger foot well of my car once.. I was really I'll for three days from the fumes. Won't do that again !

Maddie is a beautiful sole,! nice job you 2.

So exciting to see Maddie on your channel. Maddie is the All-American Girl, so modest, so nice, so sincere and such an experienced hiker. and adventurer. She ranks up there with all the great hiking vloggers. Have followed her all through her AT Adventures and will be going back to watch all her videos and future videos. You ROCK Maddie!

hey ranger be well say hey to the smoke

Wow Maddie that's crazy that not only did you scald yourself and continued on, but then did that incredibly horrifying river crossing too and then still finished (so what if Maine was a bit out of order? 🤪) BTW, aqua blazing thru the Shennies sounds amazing, I'll keep that in mind 😉 2023 was a bad year for floods in the Northern states on the AT. A lot of hikers just called it and went home. And no judgment from me to the people that did, cuz that's some scary shit! 😳 I'm pretty sure your family is a wee bit passed off at you for doing that crossing, though, aren't they? 😂 I know I'd never hear the end of it if I did something like that and then posted the video. Congratulations on your successful thru hike. You lived to tell the tale. Good on ye 😊

Great video Kyle, thank you for sharing it. All the best to you. 😊

2 of my favorites in 1 stop. ❤

Dude I was thinking about reaching out to you to tell you to get Maddie on the pod, but you already had it in the works! Happy to see this collab, you guys are both awesome!

Great job, Kyle.

I’ve been using the same set of Walmart trekking poles for at least 5 yrs hiking in NH. I often put all my weight on them when hopping off rocks when I don’t want to bend my bad knees too far. 😊 I’ve been following Beer in Beautiful Place since her beer in 50 states days❤

Always love you Maddie. You're an awesome girl, kind, positive, brave, generous...😇

Stoves are always testing my confidence, even on the ground

PSA for y'all. If your camp stove does fall, let it fall. Don't catch the pot, the stove, or anything hot. Let it do its thing and recover it after falls. You can place yourself in a better position to prevent getting burned. Glad you're ok!

“Aqua blazing” sounds way cooler than “paddling” hahaha here in Missouri it’s just called floatin’ and a cooler full of beer is mandatory

Hey Ranger. It's Flik. Haven't seen you since that incident with the stove. Glad to know you recovered and finished the trail.

Sounds like that aqua blaze would work great as a fun loop. It can kinda be seen as a break in the trail, but still work for the purist. I'm thinking aqua blaze north, then sobo white blaze back to the beginning of the aqua. Followed by a yellow blaze, back to the north end of the aqua blaze, to continue hiking nobo. Just a thought from a couch hiker.

Ringo got burned on his 2018 AT thru hike. I ran into him on our way up Katahdin and he had healed up OK.

Ranger!! Miss y'all.

Maddie had the best tramily ever! I’m not at all biased, though 😇!

It's not cheating unless you forgot to hike some. I LOVE CANOEING! It's your trip. Do what you love. You can do sections, skip stuff, canoe, climb mountains & camp out when you like. Just DO it!

This was my first experience with Trail Tails and it was great! I followed Maddie's entire AT hike on her YT Channel What a great attituted she seems to have about life in general! I know she found a boyfriend while on the trail. Sorry Smoke Master, but I have to say, I think she and Kyle had some sparks flying during this interview.

I didn't even realize that it Maddie only had 2 pairs of shoes during the journey. that's amazing wow. Even a bigger testament to how much magic she has lmaooo

I’m a trucker and I use an MSR stove and 1qt titanium pot to boil water for tea or ramen in my truck. Ive burned myself twice with boiling water when the vibration of the truck idling walked the pot off center. I hold the pot handle the entire time now 😅

You are so cool Maddie.

I recall another hiker, perhaps it was Dixie?, who said her closest brush with disaster on the AT was also crossing a river. So thankful it turned out well.

I have never seen you blush so much Kyle, so cute!

I’ll have to check her out. One of my fave hiker channels is Taylor The Nahamsha hiker but I’m biased being a native New Englander.

Love my ULA Circuit pack..... .I believe I saw somewhere that the leading cause of death in wilderness areas are falls......I suppose to include falls into rivers.....raging rivers.......

I have seen all of Maddie's posts of the at

Regular people do amazing things every day

Spilled burning alcohol (Heet) and burnt a hole in my sleeping pad! Was thankfully not hurt and I was able to patch the pad.

The river crossing was very sketchy, not only can fast water pull you off the line but you don't know what objects are moving fast under the water.

So sad about the hiker. We had a man drown recently in our area from a swollen creek and he was always in them. Some spots can pull you under.

I had a backpacking stove catch on fire before. Luckily I was rescued by a random fisherman who covered it with a wet rag quickly. I won’t use those again.

I had no idea about the fact that you’d go through so many pairs of shoes….totally logical but obviously I know NOTHING about AT hiking 😂

I don't see her aquablazing as cheating at all. She was still traveling in nature and it was not motorized. The canoeing took some effort, dodging those rocks and all. I don't see a problem.

I've enjoyed your stories but the one thing y'all mention that resonated with me is the expression to hike your own hike but very seldom, have I ever been on the trail for an extended period of time that somebody didn't have a comment either how my pack was arranged or how I fix my meal or how hung my hammock they just can't help but impose their values or thought off on you. I can't imagine having a RU-vid channel where all these people want to tell you how to hike your hike. Totally against the basic rule. Well one of the basic rules. I guess the other one is Leave,No Trace behind.

I'm glad you talked about the bad water crossing but you should have talked about the right way to cross. That rope was setup wrong. It should have been at a 60 degree angle then you could have floated and the river would have carried you to the other side