Episode #347 - Syd Sayward (Bug)

Steve Adams (0:00)

You are listening to The Hiking Radio Network, where we talk the walk with shows by hikers about hikers for everybody.

SPEAKER_2 (0:19)

Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail, The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis. Join Steve and his guests every week as he staggers from Georgia to Maine.

Steve Adams (0:33)

Hi guys, welcome back to the show. This is episode number 347 of Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail, The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis, and I'm Mighty Blue, or Steve Adams.

Our podcast shares stories of hikers who, in most cases, have hiked the AT, though we do feature other trails as well. I've found a common but kind of separate thread over my six years of doing this show, in that every hiker, no matter how similar their story may be to other hikers, it has a unique take that is totally their own. I'm guessing that any of us have been out there, or are just planning on getting out there, are going to experience the trail just a little bit differently from everybody else. I think and I hope that's why you keep coming back to the show. Today we are talking with a young woman who recently completed her own Through Hike, and she is sharing her own unique story. Her name is Syd Sayward and she is going to be along shortly.

And following my appeal for more men to sign up for the Mighty Blue Class of 2023, we have had a bit more success in that regard this week. But I'm going to start my interviews of the class with a woman, Erin Conrad, who has got a fascinating backstory of her own upcoming Through Hike attempt. Erin will be on after Syd. Then George Tavanos discovers the flaws in his logistical planning when he finds two resupply shops closed as he pushes on towards Waynesboro. So let's get started. Here's Syd Sayward, or Bug.

Our guest today is another recent Through Hiker. This is Syd Sayward. Hey, Syd, congratulations first off and thanks for coming on the podcast.

Syd Sayward (2:14)

Thank you, I'm very happy to be here.

Steve Adams (2:17)

I bet you're very excited about having done this.

But there's a couple of names. I want to start with names first. So Syd, is that a nickname or were you actually named Sydney?

Syd Sayward (2:27)

My name is Sydney and then Syd is what I go by.

Steve Adams (2:31)

I think it's more of an American name, more of an American version for women to have the name Sydney, isn't it?

Syd Sayward (2:37)

Maybe, I don't know.

Where I grew up, there was a lot of Sydney's. Funny enough, on trail though, there was a girl from Montreal and she, when I introduced myself as Syd, as unlike the first week of trail, she thought that was my trail name.

Steve Adams (2:54)

But of course, you acquired another name on trail, why were you Bug?

Syd Sayward (2:59)

So Bug came from pretty much just the fact that I love insects and there was two particular instances that prompted the idea, one in which our first day in North Carolina, I saw hundreds of grasshoppers and I was really excited about it and really excited to talk about the grasshoppers when we got in the camp that night. When I showed up to the shelter, I was like, oh my gosh, did you guys see all the grasshoppers? Everybody looked at me like I was crazy, nobody saw any grasshoppers.

And then the other standout incident was when I hiked with a butterfly for like seven miles on my hat.

Steve Adams (3:37)

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, you hiked with a butterfly for seven miles. So you realize you relocated it and took it away from its family, didn't you?

Syd Sayward (3:44)

It had a little tear in its wing, so it wasn't going to go anywhere anyways. So I just kind of picked him up and like I had a little flower and he kind of sat on my chest harness with a little flower.

And I just hiked with him.

Steve Adams (3:59)

And he was there for seven miles. I kind of hesitate to ask what happened after seven miles?

Syd Sayward (4:05)

He actually, because I was hiking with him, I put him on my hat and then he just fluttered off eventually, hopped off and like fluttered down to a bush. So I was like, OK, I was like, that's where I'll leave you.

Steve Adams (4:16)

That's pretty cool.

So you're a month out now, just a month. How are you feeling?

Syd Sayward (4:23)

Weird, I just actually went for my first hike after finishing trail yesterday. And I definitely found myself trying to talk about the trail. It's like anybody I could. I miss it a lot.