"So this whole thing started basically with Elissa Madonia.  Her and I met at the gym and running. She got me into trail running this summer. Then it was like 'hey, why don't we go and take a trip to the Adirondacks with the dogs just for a weekend - because why not?'. Then it turned into her asking me to do the Appalachian Trail. And then it turned into 'alright, we'll do a little test run up in the Adirondacks' - which turned into (instead of a weekend) a month of trying to hit all 46 high peaks." - John Alex Vespa On the podcast this week is John Alex Vespa. He grew up in Rochester, NY for the first 18 years of his life and started training dogs in the area when he was 16 years old. He even went to dog training school. He then moved down to New Jersey when he was 18 and started his own business there. He had this business for just about 10 years and decided it was time for a change so he moved back to Rochester, NY. Little did he know the impact that the move would have on his desire to be outside. Nature called and John Alex answered. In this episode we talk about: Crazy idea to use the 46 Adirondack High Peaks as a trial run for the Appalachian Trail for John Alex and Elissa to see if they were compatible hiking partners. The many setbacks and Adirondack Adversity that they faced throughout the entirety of the trip. Well...did they complete all 46 mountains in a month? The lowest of the low and the highest of the high from the trip. What the Adirondacks have taught John Alex so far. Check out the Bushwhack Podcast that John Alex just started! https://soundcloud.com/bushwhackpodcast Your weekly reminder to educate yourself on Leave No Trace -> https://lnt.org/learn If you enjoyed this episode, I ask that you please leave a review on iTunes. You will have the chance to be shouted out on a Friday episode as the fan of the week! Additionally, if you’d like to support the podcast and get access to exclusive content and posts, check out https://www.patreon.com/tosummitup. To Summit Up Theme Song by Jordan Wolf. https://www.instagram.com/jwolfy3/