THE POX and PUSS PODCAST : An Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker Experience

We are only a few days away from celebrating the Pox & Puss Podcast's 10th anniversary. So, in honor of that day, we bring you b-b-b-b-bonus content from In The Pines, where Pox talks about his 1998 thru-hike and the cast of fugitives and bandits he met along the way.

During the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, GA, Eric Rudolph detonated a 100lbs pipe bomb in Centennial Park. One person was killed and 111 were injured. Three more bombs went off in the weeks and months following the Olympic bombing.

What took place after that was an all-out manhunt along the Appalachian Trail and in the Nantahala Gorge. The FBI was looking for Rudolph as far away as the Appalachian Trail in Virginia.

Pox Holiday was thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail in 1998, around the same time Eric Rudolph disappeared into the mountains for almost 7 years. Pox was even questioned by a member of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park because he looked like a fugitive.

In this episode, you will hear untold stories about the search for a domestic terrorist and his accomplices that never made it into a newspaper article or a television report.
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Sources

https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/eric-rudolph 

https://www.smokymountainnews.com/news/item/27038-2003-the-end-of-eric-rudolph-s-run

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Rudolph

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centennial_Olympic_Park_bombing 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nantahala_School

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocoee_Whitewater_Center

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Kaczynski#Incarceration

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Jewell 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/rudolph/bio.htm

https://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/features/the-hunt-for-eric-rudolph/

https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/fbi-probes-unabomber-connection-tylenol-killings/story?id=13638602

https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/Eric-Rudolph-Timeline-7106329.php

https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna7398701 

https://history.capitolbroadcasting.com/media-assets/into-these-hills-documentary-about-the-hunt-for-eric-rudolph/

https://www.police1.com/police-heroes/articles/former-security-guard-richard-jewell-memorialized-a-hero-ivkeQ57uGKNAQuVw/

https://baxterstatepark.org/general-info/

https://www.operationmilitarykids.org/types-of-military-discharge/ 

 

Direct download: Rudolph_PAP_Release.mp3
Category:true crime -- posted at: 8:13am EDT

On August 16th, 2016, a man covered with desert dirt, who looked as if he’d been hiking for days, walked into a rural California convenience store and bought $100 worth of junk food and water. Located near the Pacific Crest Trail, the convenience store owner was no stranger to dirty hikers. However, this man happened to match the description of a suspected murderer wanted by the police. In less than an hour, the man would be shot dead as he was walking back to the Pacific Crest Trail.

This is the crazy story of how Benjamin Peter Ashley terrorized the remote canyon communities of Central California and used the Pacific Crest Trail to elude authorities for weeks.

Sources:
How a suspected killer eluded police on Pacific Crest Trail - CSMonitor.com
Direct download: 279026725-44100-2-2336e79586ff3.m4a
Category:true crime -- posted at: 8:14am EDT

This week, Nikki and Pox dive into the 2013 disappearance of Appalachian Trail hiker, Geraldine "Inchworm" Largay. We also have our first guest: Puss In Boots from the Pox & Puss Podcast.

Sources:

https://www.centralmaine.com/2013/07/28/over-rugged-terrain-a-mystifying-hunt-for-missing-hiker/

https://www.pressherald.com/2016/05/25/report-geraldine-largay-kept-journal-during-weeks-lost-in-maine-woods/document/

https://www.warrendoyle.com/blog

Direct download: Inchworm_with_Puss_In_Boots.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00pm EDT

Lake Sidney Lanier is an artificial lake that was created in the 1950s by building Buford Dam on the Chattahoochee River in northern Georgia. The 38,000-acre lake lies on top of the ruins of towns and farmland of over 700 families. Today, the lake has over 11 million visitors every year, about the same number of annual visitors as the Louvre. Lake Lanier is also one of the deadliest lakes in the USA. 500 people have drowned and many of their bodies have never been recovered. What is killing so many people in this lake? Underwater debris? Crazy currents? Could it be the ghosts of the Cherokee Nation who were driven out during the Trail of Tears? Maybe it's a curse caused by the people of Oscarville, whose once-thriving town is now at the bottom of a 200' deep lake.

Sources:

Water levels and elevation above sea level:
https://lakelanier.com/lake-lanier-water-levels/

Sherpa Guides: https://www.sherpaguides.com/georgia/wildlife_viewing/northeast_ga_mtns/22.html

Alan Jackson – Chattahoochee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW5UEW2kYvc Things I Learned Last Night: https://tilln.com/season-4/lake-lanier-haunted/#:~:text=The%20History%20of%20Lake%20Lanier&text=Originally%20built%20in%201956%2C%20the,charted%20to%20become%20Lake%20Lanier

The Haunting of Lake Lanier: https://www.oxfordamerican.org/magazine/issue-113-summer-2021/the-haunting-of-lake-lanier

Lake Lanier: A Georgia lake's deadly history has some people seeing ghosts - CNN

Oxford American | The Haunting of Lake Lanier

The truth behind Lake Lanier – The Lanier Times

The cursed Lake Lanier in Georgia — StrangeOutdoors.com

Mysteries and Death at Georgia’s Cursed Lake | Mysterious Universe

OSCARVILLE: Uncovering The Black City Buried Under Lake Lanier | NewsOne

https://newsone.com/4185919/lake-lanier-black-city-oscarville/ 

https://justice.tougaloo.edu/sundown-towns/using-the-sundown-towns-database/state-map/     SUPER INTERESTNG LINK/SUNDOWN TOWNS AND COUNTIES MAP

 

https://www.history.com/news/georgia-racial-expulsion-stacey-abrams 

https://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/history/truth-behind-oscarville-once-prosperous-black-town-now-covered-lake-lanier/ 

 

https://peachatl.com/the-city-beneath-the-lake/ 

https://lakelanier.com/history/ 

Direct download: Lake_Lanier.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:25am EDT

Welcome to Pox Holiday's newest podcast: In The Pines. We're giving you the premiere episode in the Pox & Puss feed, but you will be able to find future episodes in the "In The Pines" Podcast feed here: https://anchor.fm/inthepinespod
"In The Pines" will be a monthly podcast focusing on the mysteries, crimes, and the unexplained that could only happen in the American Wilderness. Pox's co-host is Nikki from "The Appalachian Crime Trail" podcast.
Our first episode discusses the 1969 mysterious disappearance of Dennis Martin.
Follow us

Direct download: 01_-_Dennis_Martin.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:21am EDT

What can we say? It's been a hell of a year, right? Ugh.
We pick right up where we left off, two yahoos just dicking around on microphones, talking about the Appalachian Trail.
- There are people who will drift in and out of your thru-hike.
- Following the Siren Song of slack packing.
- We didn't horde things through the pandemic, YOU DID!
- Dial makes coconut water soap? You're damn right they do.
- Sometimes you have to sit in a bus and do new things.
- Hey Coke Zero and Walmart, are you listening?

Direct download: 71_I_Do_This_Now.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:49am EDT

Back in May, with very few sports on TV, Pox Holiday started recording and watching late-night Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) games on ESPN. After watching a few KBO games, Pox knew he had to contact the only friend he has who has been to a few of these games: past Pox & Puss Podcast guest, Brad!

Trust us, once you've watched a KBO game or two, you'll probably have a lot of questions. Questions like, "Why are there so many cheerleaders and DJ's?" or "Is that a 7' tall dinosaur named 'Swole Daddy'?" or "Does everyone there have these dances memorized?" or "Didn't that guy used to play in the United States?"

Brad takes time out of his morning to teach us about KBO customs, traditions, and beer delivered on backpacks.

Yes folks, it's just a one-off episode about Korean Baseball with two guys who know very little about baseball, and even less about the KBO, but one guy lives in South Korea.

This was recorded back in late May 2020, so some information, statistics, our opinions, etc. have changed.

Direct download: PandP_Presents_-_Korean_Baseball_with_Pox_and_Brad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Hey.
How are you doing these days?
Did you hear that the Appalachian Trail is kinda closed?
We figured if the AT is closed, we'll talk about other stuff right now.
Plus we heard that Quarantine Podcasts are so hot right now, so we thought we'd jump on the bandwagon.

We know this is a short episode, but we have at least one more coming out later this week.

Stay safe and wash your damn hands!

Direct download: OPP10.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:01am EDT

In this episode we talk with Dan Koeppel about his article "The Legend of Baltimore Jack" in Outside Magazine.
Dan was searching for an article to write for Outside when it was suggested that he look into a hiker who had recently passed away named Baltimore Jack.
But little did Dan know that Baltimore Jack was Adam Tarlin, a student who had written for the school newspaper with Dan while they were both attending Hampshire College.
In our discussion, Dan talks about the various avenues he took to learn more about what made Adam Tarlin become Baltimore Jack.
Koeppel interviewed Jack's friends, family members, and even Warren Doyle.
Don't worry though, it isn't all serious...there is the usual Pox & Puss bullshittery.
Be sure to check out Dan's book about the Banana, our original episodes with Baltimore Jack, #ChickenMath, and are Double Stuff Oreos too much?

Check us out....
Twitter:
Pox & Puss
Puss In Boots
Pox Holiday
Instagram:
Pox & Puss
Pox Holiday

Download us...
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iTunes

 

Direct download: 70_-_Eavesdropping_with_Dan_Koeppel.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:42pm EDT

Here it is…the final chapter in our 2016 Trail Days Interviews series.

This time we have a quick discussion with Asiago about just how difficult it can be to get to Erie, PA.
We talk about how disappointing “short cuts” are sometimes.

Unfortunately, it was a short interview.

So we dug deep into the Pox & Puss hard drives and wound up coming back with something even OLDER than these 2016 interviews.
This segment was originally buried because the experience was too fresh and depressing.

At the end of this episode we finally share our recounting of the 2013 Thru-Hiker Parade Tragedy.

A big thank you to our sponsor for these past six episodes, HealthIQ.

Find all of our back episodes at TheTrek.co

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iTunes
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Some of our stuff is on SoundCloud 

Direct download: 69_-_2016_Trail_Days_Asiago_and_The_2013_Parade.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:58pm EDT