Episode 74: Carrying a Language Home with Gil Jackson


Episode 74: Carrying a Language Home with Gil Jackson

Episode Description

What does it mean to be so connected to a place that even your name carries it?
Gil Jackson, known by the Cherokee name Dohi, meaning outside or outdoors, was born in
Robbinsville, North Carolina in 1951 and today lives on 30 acres just 200 yards from the spot
where he came into the world. He is a fluent Cherokee speaker, one of roughly 130 left, an elder
of the Snowbird community, and an educator who has taught at Stanford, UNC Asheville, and
Duke. In 2014, he thru-hiked all 2,200 miles of the Appalachian Trail, walking in part to honor
his ancestors on the Trail of Tears.

In this conversation, Gil takes Josh inside a tight-knit upbringing built on Gadugi, the Cherokee
construct of community, where neighbors came together to cut wood, harvest crops, and care for
anyone in need. He explains why family kept him rooted in Western North Carolina even when
opportunity called him elsewhere, how a community school preserved the language while the
wider world pushed assimilation, and why Cherokee is considered one of the ten hardest
languages in the world.

They also talk about why Gil keeps walking. From a 48-mile day in the Great Smoky Mountains
to the ladder-strewn West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island, his adventures are less about
conquering anything and more about seeing the creator’s creation. Most of all, this is a story
about a race against time: preserving a language, the knowledge of medicinal plants, and the
sacred sites that risk being lost before the next generation can carry them forward.

Episode Highlights
• 00:00 A name that means outdoors, and a home built 200 yards from where he was
born

• 02:00 The Cherokee tradition of burying the umbilical cord to connect a child to the
land
• 05:00 Why family kept him rooted in Western North Carolina despite chances to leave
• 06:00 Growing up in 1950s Snowbird: one gravel road, one light bulb per room, no TV
• 08:00 Gadugi explained: the community coming together to help in times of need
• 13:00 An aunt’s middle-class home, new clothes, and the family that raised him
• 21:00 Selling moss for 25 cents a pound to buy a guitar he still owns
• 22:00 A community school that taught English while protecting the Cherokee language
• 24:00 Only about 130 fluent speakers left, and losing two and a half each month
• 27:00 What makes Cherokee one of the ten hardest languages in the world
• 29:00 Degrees in education, administration, and planning, and leading a language
immersion school
• 33:00 How Cherokee end-of-life traditions have changed over a lifetime
• 35:00 Finding the therapeutic in streams, trees, and birdsong
• 39:00 Why he thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2014 to honor the Trail of Tears
• 43:00 The brutal West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island, with 100 ladders and 10 hours
for six miles
• 45:00 A tense night cooking near foraging bears in Virginia
• 46:00 A trail family of five speaking four languages, all wanting to learn Cherokee
• 53:00 Losing the knowledge of edible and medicinal plants, and the sacred sites that
hold the stories
• 57:00 Rapid-fire: Gvgeyu (I love you), favorite sunrises, beloved teachers, and the White
Mountains

About Gil Jackson
Gil Jackson (Dohi) is a fluent Cherokee speaker, elder of the Snowbird community in
Robbinsville, North Carolina, and a lifelong educator who has taught at Stanford, UNC
Asheville, and Duke and served as principal of a Cherokee language immersion school. He
remains committed to preserving the Cherokee language, traditional plant knowledge, and the
region’s sacred sites, and is an avid long-distance hiker who thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in
2014.

Connect with the On Adventure Podcast
Hosted by Josh Self, financial advisor and everyday explorer.
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Episode 69: No One Was Waiting at the Finish Line with Madison Blagden


ON ADVENTURE PODCAST  |  EPISODE 69

Episode 69: No One Was Waiting at the Finish Line with Madison Blagden

 

   

   

Episode Description

What would it take to walk 10,000 miles in a single calendar year? Not across a lifetime. Not spread over a decade. One year.

Madison Blagden is a long-distance hiker and content creator from Massachusetts who went from a pre-med student with zero backpacking experience to one of the most prolific endurance hikers in the country. After completing the full PCT (2022), the Eastern Continental Trail from Key West to Newfoundland (2023), and the Continental Divide Trail (2024), she did all three Triple Crown trails back to back in 2025, border to border, logging over 10,000 miles in a single calendar year. She documented every step herself through daily YouTube videos, Instagram shorts, and blog posts, all edited on the road.

Starting in the Florida Keys in January, she pushed through Hurricane Helene damage on the AT, Sierra snowpack, desert heat, a debilitating hip injury in the White Mountains, and a flash flood that hit her tent in the middle of the night in the desert. The miles are extraordinary. But this conversation goes deeper than the miles.

We talk about what happens between the ears when the body wants to quit, the difference between healthy internal ambition and ego-driven achievement, how the most meaningful finish lines are the ones where nobody is waiting for you, what a flash flood teaches you about calm under pressure, the spiritual dimension of pushing past absolute exhaustion, and why you will never be 100 percent ready, and that is not a reason to wait.

 

Episode Highlights

•       00:00  Introduction: Walking 10,000 miles in one calendar year

•       02:00  Madison’s background: pre-med to PCT with no backpacking experience

•       04:00  Van life, COVID, and two years of traveling in a 19-foot RV

•       09:00  Comparing the AT, PCT, and CDT: terrain, culture, and difficulty

•       14:00  Hurricane Helene’s impact on the Appalachian Trail and trail recovery

•       19:00  Planning a 10,000-mile year: budget, timing, and keeping it flexible

•       24:00  How a 5,600-mile year sparked the idea to go even further

•       31:00  Funding the hike through daily content creation on the road

•       34:00  Healthy ambition vs. ego-driven achievement

•       39:00  Internal motivation: the David Goggins voice and the gentle encouragement

•       42:00  37 miles a day for nine weeks: the math behind finishing the CDT before snow

•       48:00  Hip injury in the White Mountains and the lesson in letting go

•       51:00  Flash flood survival and what it reveals about fight-or-flight

•       57:00  Nervous system training and calm under pressure

•       01:02:00  Surrendering control: giving it up to the trail and the universe

•       01:05:00  Spiritual experiences that emerge only at the edge of physical exhaustion

•       01:10:00  Coming off trail softer: how big accomplishments quiet the ego

•       01:15:00  Closing encouragement: you will never be 100 percent ready, so go

•       01:20:00  The expanding ceiling of human limits and what comes next for Madison

 

Connect with Madison Blagden

Instagram & YouTube: @madisonblagden

Website: madisonblagden.com

Substack: substack.com/@madisonblagden

The Trek: thetrek.co/author/madison-blagden

 

Connect with the On Adventure Podcast

Hosted by Josh Self, financial advisor and everyday explorer.

•       Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major streaming platforms

•       Follow on Instagram for short-form clips and behind-the-scenes content

•       Connect on Facebook: On Adventure Podcast with Josh Self

•       Connect on LinkedIn: Josh Self

•       If this episode resonated with you, leave a review and share it with someone who needs to hear it

Check out this episode!

Episode 44: From high heels and fashion to hiking boots and fly fishing with Kimberly Brookshire


What would you do if failure was a real possibility? If suffering was inevitable, but you had the option to walk away? Would you still go for it? My guest today, Kimberly Brookshire, knows this challenge well. She’s a long-distance hiker, a women’s adventure guide, and a passionate fly fisher—always choosing the hard path, the uncertain path, because that’s where she finds the most growth.

In this episode, Kimberly shares her journey from fashion and city life to hiking thousands of miles on some of the toughest trails in the U.S. and beyond. She opens up about why she keeps pushing her limits, how she finds meaning in suffering, and the lessons she’s learned from guiding women through their own adventurous pursuits. Whether you’re an outdoor enthusiast or simply looking for inspiration to take a bold step in your own life, this conversation is packed with wisdom, humor, and a fresh perspective on what it means to live fully.

Episode Highlights:

[2:15] How a childhood filled with adventure led Kimberly to long-distance hiking
[6:40] The pivotal decision to hike the Mountain-to-Sea Trail—and why no one thought she’d finish
[15:20] Why guiding women’s adventure trips is about more than just the outdoors
[25:00] Handling adversity on the trail: lessons from near disaster
[37:45] The mental toughness strategies that keep Kimberly pushing forward
[45:10] Finding the balance between solo adventures and guiding others
[54:30] The Arizona Trail: what’s next on Kimberly’s adventure list

Links & Resources:

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Episode 32: Epic Adventures and Life Lessons with Skip Schweiss


In this episode of the On Adventure podcast, I sit down with Skip Schweiss, a seasoned executive in the financial services industry and a passionate adventurer. Known for his years of leadership at TD Ameritrade, Skip has seamlessly woven his professional life with a personal quest to push physical and mental boundaries in the great outdoors. We dive into Skip’s career journey, from his work in advisor advocacy to how he’s now dedicating more time to his love of the wilderness.

But Skip isn’t just about hiking the occasional trail—he organizes an annual group hike called “Excellent Adventures,” attracting dozens of people to tackle challenging hikes across some of the most beautiful landscapes in the U.S. From the majestic peaks of Colorado’s 14ers to this year’s adventure in Telluride, Skip shares his motivation for doing hard things, the camaraderie that comes from shared suffering, and why he believes that testing our limits makes us better.

Whether you’re a seasoned adventurer or someone looking for inspiration to push past your comfort zone, Skip’s stories will encourage you to set bigger goals, embrace the challenge, and find joy in the journey.

Episode Highlights:

[2:42] – Skip’s journey in the financial industry, his role at TD Ameritrade, and how his love for adventure began.

[7:00] – How the Rockies ignited Skip’s passion for hiking, leading him to complete all 54 of Colorado’s 14ers.

[12:15] – The origin of Skip’s “Excellent Adventures” group hikes, which have now grown to include 70 people, and the importance of camaraderie in adventure.

[29:00] – Handling adversity on the trail: The lessons Skip has learned about staying calm when things go wrong, and how to apply that mindset to life.

[40:30] – A recap of the most recent “Excellent Adventure” in Telluride, where Skip led a group on a brutal 26-mile hike with 8,000 feet of elevation gain.

[52:00] – What’s next for Skip and the group? A sneak peek into next year’s adventure to Zion National Park and some of the epic hikes planned.

Links & Resources:

If you enjoyed today’s episode, please take a moment to rate, review, and share the podcast! Don’t forget to follow us so you don’t miss out on upcoming episodes filled with more inspiring adventures.

Check out this episode!