Appalachian Trail Magic with Jim Tabor (The Barefoot Carver)

Learn about Jim Tabor, who is better known as Barefoot Carver and Spoon Man. He’s a Trail Angel who carves spoons and leaves them out on the Appalachian Trail as a bit of Trail Magic for hikers along the way. 

Jim shares his experiences of how he got into carving spoons, stories of some of the special spoons he’s carved and how he hopes that others are inspired to leave a little trail magic. 

Whether you are a thru hiker or just spend the day on the trail, you’ll be inspired by Jim’s story. And maybe even leave some of your own magic out on the trail - wherever that may be. 

Visit Jim’s Instagram to learn more about the spoons he carves and some of the adventures they have been on.

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Music track "Two Mountains at a Time" from Live at the Fillmore by Pachyderm, used under the Creative Commons license. 

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

This is salary from hike where we explore, wander and live. In today's episode, you get a chance to meet Jim Tabor in some circles. He's better known as spoon man and barefoot Carver. That might give you a little bit of a hint of who he is. Actually, he's also known as a trail angel for the last several years. He's been carving wooden spoons and leaving them along the Appalachian trail in Pennsylvania. Brightening hikers day with a little bit of trail magic and listening to Jim. I think you'll be inspired to do your own magic out on the trail. Whether you're sitting at a desk job and it's a rainy day and you're wishing you're out on the trail or whether you're actually out there, maybe you'll be inspired to also leave a little bit of magic because we all could use magic in our lives. So please go ahead and take a listen to my conversation with Jim and learn about how he's leaving magic one spoon at a time.

Speaker 2: 1:09

[inaudible]

Speaker 1: 1:10

so I'm here with Jim Taber and in the hiking community, he's better known as barefoot Carver and spoon man. So that'll give you a little bit of a hint of who he is. So Jim carves wooden spoons and actually leaves them on the trail. And I think it's, it's pretty magical, um, the story behind it. So thank you for coming. Jim. Thanks for, for being on my show today.

Speaker 3: 1:37

Oh, I want to thank you for having me.

Speaker 1: 1:40

Well, you're welcome. So tell me a little bit about, I guess, how long have you been carving spoons?[inaudible]

Speaker 3: 1:48

um, I think it's been maybe eight years now since I started, uh, carbon, the spoons.

Speaker 1: 1:56

And how, how did you even get started? So, you know, what made you want to carve spoons?

Speaker 3: 2:03

Well, my brother got me started. He, um, had watched some videos on YouTube about this guy called the Carver from nowhere and he was making spoons. So my brother asked if, um, he could visit and we would cut some wood and, and I could help him get the things that he needed to make spoons. So, um, we did that and I just started carving spoons with him.

Speaker 1: 2:33

And so he dragged you into it. And how long were you doing that together?

Speaker 3: 2:40

Um, probably a cup, maybe a year or two years. He would come up to visit and we would get, I'd get the wood together for him and we'd, we'd carve a few spoons together.

Speaker 1: 2:51

And then what gave you the idea to actually put one out on the trail?

Speaker 3: 2:59

Well, I, I had been making, um, spoons for my friends and family and I kind of, I had these extra spoons. I made this little spoon, I call it a next boon. And it was based on the ID of a neck knife. They had an a bushcraft community where this little knife around their neck. And I thought it would be cool to have a little spoon that you could wear around your neck. So I came up with the a shape and design that I really liked for that. And so I, I, I started the accumulate extra spoons that nobody wanted. So one day I thought, well, I'll just put one out on the trail and see what happens. I figured everybody needs to eat, so maybe the hikers would enjoy, um, a hand carve spoons. So, uh, one Saturday afternoon I went up to the trail, found a place, put a spoon out and put a little note with it that said, if you find this spoon, could you least tell me about your adventure for that day? And I've told this story before. I never, I never heard from that spoon again. So that's kinda how it got started. And as I had these extra spoons, I'd go out and hang them. When I first started, I just kind of hang them in a tree and had a little leather strap on them and hang them on a limb alongside the trail. That's what I do with them.

Speaker 1: 4:26

And so you started putting them out there and then you would leave a little note, you know, asking them to, to reach you. So when did, when did you first get someone contacting you or letting you know that Hey, you know, someone, someone did pick up that spoon?

Speaker 3: 4:43

Oh at one time I had a pretty big following on Facebook and I w I was posting the spoons and stuff on Facebook and, um, a lady contacted me through Facebook and said that her son had found a spoon and it was early in the season. It was probably March or so. And, uh, he was so excited that he had found this spoon. And I mean, I was touched by, by the, the comment that the mother made, it hadn't made his day. Him and his dad were hiking and, and he, he found his spoon and he was so excited about finding that.

Speaker 1: 5:22

So when you put them out there, it's not that you're, you're not really looking for anything. You're doing this, you know, I guess for the listeners, uh, hiking term out there, especially on the, you know, the Appalachian trail is trail magic when someone does something nice for a hiker and basically, you know, makes their day, whether it's, at what point did you, you know, really start thinking, wow, you know, this is, this is something I like doing. I like, you know, I'm going to keep leaving these.

Speaker 3: 5:52

Well, I, I just kept, I just kept leaving them and it was, it was probably another year or so before a few of the hikers had reached out to me that they'd found one of the spoons. And, um, so then w and I was just doing it. I didn't, 90% of the people that, that, that still fine, the spoons, I don't have a clue who they are. And a lot of the hikers that find the spoons, um, don't even know who's put them out. They might run into somebody up the trail, you know, a hundred miles and they say, Hey, I see you found the spoon. So, um, but, um, I was just doing it. I was just making these spoons and I was putting them out and I would come back and check in a few days and they would be gone, so I'd leave enough other ones. So, um, it was just, I just enjoyed doing it and, but eventually people started reaching out to me through my Instagram account that, you know, or, uh, my, I had a little blog on, um, on the internet and they'd reach out to me and say that they found a spoon. And it kind of, it became where people started to actually look for the spoons. So, um, and, and most people didn't know who was doing it because I would hide my face and photos and stuff, so I would meet people and they wouldn't even, they wouldn't know.

Speaker 1: 7:28

No that, that, that that was you.

Speaker 3: 7:30

Yeah, they were just, they would ask me sometimes, you know, the guy that, you know, the guy in the area that does the spoons. And I would say, I haven't met him yet.

Speaker 1: 7:41

Do you think, do you think you could still get away with that? Do you think that you can still get away with that or do you think some people are recognizing you now?

Speaker 3: 7:50

Well, I think maybe like 75% of the time, you know, people still don't know who I am, but, um, but then, you know, people started saying, Hey, can, can we meet up? Can you make me a spoon? You know, so I would go out to the shelter or I would kind of figure out where somebody was on the trail and I kind of walk, you know, if they were going North, I'd go South and kind of run into them and you know, and give him a spirit and we would chat for a little bit, walk together for a little bit. So I did, I did that over the years.

Speaker 1: 8:27

And I think as you've been making spoons and you said, you know, people have been reaching out, people are asking, you know, for spoons or are really, you know, like what you're doing. Are there any ones that stand out in your mind of special spoons that you've carved?

Speaker 3: 8:44

Well. Um, the one, the one I made colo feet, dad, he, um, w I met colo feat when she was doing a section hike and I'm met her when I went up to clean the shelter. She was there and we, we became friends and we emailed back and forwards and stuff, but then she let me know that or that her dad had a pancreatic cancer and he was, he was doing the chemo and radiation and when he ate something, he had this metallic taste in his mouth and the doctor had recommended that maybe he could eat with a wooden spoon. So she contacted me. And within a week or so I made her spin a, mailed it out for her dad so that he could so he could eat. And I think that was probably, I think making that spoon for him and giving it to him, um, was one of the, um, the touched me the most, you know, the other, a lot of the other people that I met were just hikers and they wanted to spin and you know, and uh, but I think that was one of the occasions that did always, I'll probably always remember that

Speaker 1: 10:02

doing that for her and I'm sure she's always going to remember that as well. Um, cause that's a pretty special thing and I know, you know, it's tough when a parent is ill and, and going through that. I know, um, that was probably very special for her to and for her father. Yeah. Yeah. I know when we, we chatted a while back and you had talked about that you made a spoon that you call dad spoon. Can you just tell me a little bit about that spoon?

Speaker 3: 10:30

Well, it wasn't, it wasn't really anything special as far as spoons go. But my dad had a disease called cortico Bazell syndrome, which uh, destroys your, the, the cells in your frontal lobe, your which it's your speech and your memory and all of that gets destroyed. Well, the color for cortico Bazell syndrome was red. So they also refer to it as FTD. And so I made a, a red spoon, nothing special pan to handle red and put dad's name on it. And then I put a little strap and I put his name buddy on the strap. I took the spoon with me everywhere I went. I went on vacation, it was with me, it was in my pocket when I went to church. Just, I just took it everywhere. And in one day I was out on the trail when I met an older gentleman from Asheville and I, I can't remember his name, I think it was something like walking man or something like that. But he made these beautiful walking stick and I asked him if he would take bad spoon with seam to Katahdin. And so I, or if, if he wasn't able to go all the way, maybe he could hand dad spoon off to somebody else and it can, you know, go on an adventure. Yeah. I don't, I don't know. I don't know where dad's food is right now and like this house or somewhere, somebody else backpack going for a trip. So, um,

Speaker 1: 12:07

but I guess I would like

Speaker 3: 12:09

soon maybe for,

Speaker 1: 12:11

I was going to say, I would just like to think that it's been on more adventures wherever it is,

Speaker 3: 12:16

I'm hoping. Yeah. Yeah. It went with me a lot of[inaudible] places to the beach and you know, to Florida in different places. I kept it with me all the time, but, um, I just wanted it to go on its way. It's funny because I make a spoon and I say, this is going to be my spin now this one I'm gonna use and I don't keep it very long until somebody asked me for it, you know, I'll meet somebody and they'll say, um, and if they recognize me, they'll say, Oh, here's the spoon man. And the only spoon I'll have with me is the spoon that I made for myself and then I'll give that one to them. So there's been a lot of spoons that I've made for myself that I've given away. But the dad spoon I kept the longer, you know, I feel like I passed it on for somebody else.

Speaker 1: 13:07

So you leave spoons, you know, out on the trail like you said. How often do you, do you leave them? Is it maybe once a week or you know, a couple times a week or is it just during the through hike season?

Speaker 3: 13:21

Um, I usually start leaving them sometime in March, maybe towards the end of March when the weathers, you know, when more people are starting to be out. So it's not necessarily through hikers that, that they'd always find the spoon. But then through the w the time of the year when a lot of the through hikers are coming through Pennsylvania, I tried to leave, you know, one a day or one every other day there for about a month. So I end up leaving, you know, maybe 25 30 spoons through the month of June. Cause I knew that's the time when I'm, if they leave a Georgian March, they're going to show up and

Speaker 1: 14:07

around you

Speaker 3: 14:08

[inaudible] in the month of June. So I try to leave a good Manny through that period, through, through those weeks in June and early July. But, but then I keep leaving. Um, you know, I keep leaving them after that cause there's, there's always people coming and going, you know, and, and then, and uh, September and October you're South bounders start to come through, you know, and I'm still out leaving, leaving spoons and you usually, it's probably November, late November that I ended up leaving the last couple for the year. Kind of starts in March and goes through November. And then I try to, and I try to make some and get it,

Speaker 1: 14:53

say, have a little bit of time in your workshop to get some money.

Speaker 3: 15:00

There's sometimes people come that, that are coming through that, that, um, you know, I'm going to meet

Speaker 1: 15:07

[inaudible]

Speaker 3: 15:08

experience and take out to them, you know, whatever time they're coming through.

Speaker 1: 15:11

So tell me a little bit about just your experience of, um, of being out on the trail and in the woods. Have you always been someone who loved being out in nature?

Speaker 3: 15:25

Um, yes. I just, I don't know. I just, I just love to go out and since I was a little kid, me and my brother would run, you know, be out in the woods barefoot all summer long, you know, until school started and, um, hunt and fish and all those things and camp. But so in, my dad was big into that. He liked to go out in the woods and hunt mushrooms and, you know, hunt and fish and, you know, cut firewood. So we were always out in the woods as a kid. And, um, we just, we just lived 10 minutes from the trail most of our lives. So we'd go to the trail whenever we could, just, just for walks and just always enjoyed being out in the woods, you know.

Speaker 1: 16:12

And you mentioned how you were doing some things with the shelter, so is there, um, like a home shelter that you've kind of adopted or for a time that you would do some work on and volunteer?

Speaker 3: 16:24

Yeah, I was the, I'm a co overseer, I guess the term would be, I wasn't the, the overseer, but I was the, the guy like, like the, the code overseer for the Rocky mountain shoulder for, for four years. And I'd go up and, um, you know, clean the shelter and um, make repairs, cleaned, fire pits out. I got money to put in, um, picnic tables and bear box and things like that and then cut trees off the trail and pick up trash. And I still do some of that. I, I still go up to the shelter and pick up trash, but, um, I'm not a member of the club anymore because it's as close to my house and, uh, the overseer, he doesn't live that close, so he can't get up there as often. So even though I'm not a member anymore, I still go, you know, and, and, and do some of those things on a regular basis.

Speaker 1: 17:22

Well, I think if it's something that's just part of you, if, if you know, loving the land and taking care of the land, it's probably hard to, to really stop it. I mean, you know, if there's trash out on the trail and, and things, you, you know, you want to pick it up, you want to take care of it. So I understand that. Yeah. So I did, um, there's a couple of things that I had that I'd heard and so I want to ask you about them. One is that there is, there's a legend that says if someone, if you know, you carve the spoon and if you leave it out and as a hiker, if you find it, that there a a legend that they'll end up, you know, complete and their through hike and make it to Katahdin. So have you heard about that one?

Speaker 3: 18:05

Yeah, I've heard that. I heard that. Um, um, somebody reached out to me maybe two years ago and he said, he said, Jim, you know, there's a legend. Well, I didn't know that. And they said, if you, if, if a hiker find your spoon in Pennsylvania, they're guaranteed to finish the through hike. So I mean[inaudible] and I have people every once in a while and I just kind of brush it off. They're talking about the legend. I don't think there's anything magical, bestest spoon. It's just something to eat with. But, um, yeah, I have heard that. I have heard that.

Speaker 1: 18:41

I think it gives people, it gives people inspiration and hope. And I think that's probably part of what, what the legend is about, is just, you know, trying to find something to get them through. You know, as a, as someone who's spending what, five, six months on the trail, it, it's not probably an easy task to stay focused every day and keep on going. So I th I think you're doing your part

Speaker 3: 19:04

and sometimes the hikers say it's just the little things, it's a little things that keep them going to the next, you know, the next spot. I mean, it could be, it could be the spoon, it could be somebody leaving some beer or it could be some oranges or apples, just, it's just, it's just those little things that, you know, give them that kind of like boost of energy to keep going.

Speaker 1: 19:27

And then the other thing that I had heard about was that you had carved an extra long spoon. So can you tell me a little bit about carbon? A a large spoon?

Speaker 3: 19:42

Yeah. On, um, miss Janet had asked me to make her, she said she called it a[inaudible] paddle and she wanted it for, for the, um, for the balance box or van that she picks people up. So I made her one. It was, I would say it was at least two feet long and she's sent me some pictures of her holding her spoon and then, uh, sometimes it'll be with somebody else that has one of my spoon. So it was pretty neat. So I guess it's still in her van. I'm haven't ever heard any hikers talk about it yet, but um, I did make her one for, she wanted it as a paddle.

Speaker 1: 20:30

So for listeners who may not know who ms Janet is, she's a pretty famous trail angel who shuttles hikers right during the season through the summer season, back and forth.

Speaker 3: 20:45

She lives in Tennessee. And, uh, as when, when the hikers start, she kind of follows them up the trail and she, she offers a rides and, and stuff like that for the hikers as they in there every summer she does it, she takes them all Norris all the way to Maine, you know, kind of works at that, um, circuit as she goes up there. And I think 90% of the hikers know who she is or you know, whatever.

Speaker 1: 21:15

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 21:15

She's one of the most famous ones.

Speaker 1: 21:18

So you're also been making some spoons that I read about that you had posted on Instagram, that you're going to be part of an upcoming exhibition at the Peabody Essex museum. So how did you get involved with that exhibit?

Speaker 3: 21:36

Um, let me see. His name was Norman Stephens. Um, and uh, he, he had something to do with the library at the college and he started collecting spoons over the years. And unfortunately he passed away, um, like a year ago. But his son had reached out to me and asked if I would make, cause they were short a few spoons. So they asked me to make a spoon for them. And the son told me that in night, 1977, his father said that you should probably hike the Appalachian trail with some of the students from, I think it was Boston college. So anyway, that was the connection between the son and myself was the Appalachian trail. And someone had either read or heard one of the little stories about me on the internet and that that's how he came about to contact me. So I made him a spoon and send that to him and it's supposed to be a permanent display of 400 spoons. So, um, you know, I got the privilege of being, you know, one of the 400 spoons. So I thought that was a privilege. Definitely. That's pretty cool from

Speaker 1: 22:56

that is very cool

Speaker 3: 22:57

to be, to be included in that. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 23:02

So, uh, which one or ones did you send?

Speaker 3: 23:06

Um, there was, there was a specific size of spoon had been a nine inch spoon. So I made, um, I made a nine inch spoon and, and what I did is I included the colors for my dad. I put red on it for, for him and I put purple on it for a polo feed. Stad and then on the back of the spoon, I, I did a connection for the Appalachian trail and I have this little thing I called trees and trail and I drew and I drew the trees and trail on the back of the spoon and put a little a T symbol in there. So I tried to in incorporate some of the things that were close to my heart with this spoon. And then on the front I just wrote spoon and everybody got it. Kinda got a kick out of that case. They thought maybe it was a Ford. I wanted them to think that this guy maybe, you know, have a sense of humor that made the spoon. So I'm not sure if they'll display the front or the back, um, soon in the, but w either side. We'll be fine.

Speaker 1: 24:12

That's very cool though. Congratulations. That's quite an honor.

Speaker 3: 24:16

Well, thank you very much.

Speaker 1: 24:18

So when do you know when the display starts or, um, is there any information that you, what else?

Speaker 3: 24:24

The impression that they're doing some, they're finishing up some construction at the Peabody and once that's complete then this display or you know, there'll be some new displays and this will be one of them. Some I, I'm not sure mr Steven said he would email me back when the, you know, when the, um, the display, I think it's something like the gathering of spoons or somethings, what the display will be called, but I'm not positive on all those details.

Speaker 1: 24:54

Well, I'm going to have to keep an eye out for that and, and see what I find out because I think it's very interesting the whole concept and of course having your spoon in there, that's pretty, pretty cool. Like I said, what's your next plan, I guess for, uh, anything else for the rest of this year? You just, you know, you're going to be carving more spoons, but any other special projects or hikes or adventures that you're going to go on?

Speaker 3: 25:21

Um, we really don't have anything planned. We're going to get back down to Florida and I'll probably do a little bit as a Florida trail. And I'm debating right now. Maybe I'll go down to trail days. I've been talking about it for the last three or four years. I'm like, how am I good down to trail trail days this year? I really liked to go and see the bonfire. Um, ms[inaudible] and put on a big bonfire and I kinda like to go down and spend a couple of days and see that. And then when you're there you can go to the Graceland Highlands. It's real close to there and do a little hike with the, with the wild ponies or something. So I kinda like to do that this year, so we'll just see how things go.

Speaker 1: 26:05

Well, it hope you do. You do get down there. Um, I, I think it's, I've never been, but definitely something I'm also interested in going and, and uh, being part of that whole event. And it sounds like it's pretty exciting, especially for you who gets to, you know, leave the spoons out for so many of the hikers will get one. But I think it's great to connect.

Speaker 3: 26:28

Yeah, I just can't, it's like I can't wait for the weather to get nice so I can get back out. Yeah. And, and walk and put my spoons out and, you know, meet some people. I just say I'm just, I'm just, what'd they say at the bit to go to get out? You know, we had a couple of nice days this week and I was out a little bit, but I haven't left anything yet this year.

Speaker 1: 26:54

Speaking of spoons, um, do you, do you know how many, since 2011 when you first started leaving them out, do you, do you know how many you've actually left on the trail?

Speaker 3: 27:08

Yeah, I know, I know too. The number 253

Speaker 1: 27:13

two 53. I bet those fans have had a lot of different adventures. If only they could talk.

Speaker 3: 27:20

Yeah. Yeah. You know, that that was that, that's the figure. The ones I've put out on the trail that doesn't include like the ones that, that, um, I gave to friends and other people that I've met and took down to the ATC and stuff like that. That's just the ones that I've actually placed on the trail or gave to a hiker on the trail there. There's probably a hundred more than that. I've, that I haven't included in that list, but that's just the ones that, that I actually, you know, place on the trail or gave to a high group.

Speaker 1: 27:59

So out of the ones that you've left, do you still put in there, um, a note for them to let you know if they got it or do do you leave notes anymore?

Speaker 3: 28:09

I kinda changed the way I leave them. Um, I used to just kinda hang them in a tree, you know, just a spoon hanging in a tree and then I got the sink and then somebody would think that that, you know, it's used or somebody lost it or something like that and they wouldn't take it. So I did change that a little bit. I, I had some business cards and I would ride on the back of the business card. Uh, I hope you enjoy the spoon and my name and I would like to scratch out the website. It, ha, it had my information on it and I would put it in a sandwich bag and sometimes I put Snickers bar in there or whatever else in there and I'd leave that and then, and it kind of made me feel like the people would think, well some, some of these leave in this for me to find other than it being use them. But I did leave some last year like on a log or a rock. It was just, it was just the spoon without the, without the notes. So, okay. Yeah, I still leave him with[inaudible]

Speaker 1: 29:17

with or without. And you talked about that sometimes hikers are reaching out to and you know, asking and saying, you know, Hey, I'll be in this area. Do you think you could leave me a spoon or, or you've, you know, specifically tried to leave them, do you, does that always work out?

Speaker 3: 29:36

Um, it has in the past, and this was now 2018 was the first time that I left spoons out and somebody actually stole them. I would, I would would just take a piece of printer paper and I'd put the spoon in there and I kind of stapled the end shut and I'd ride for hiker through hiker and I put their name and I'd say, well, I'm going to leave it between this road and that road and[inaudible] or I'd leave it in the mailbox at, at the state line or something like that. And all the time they would find them. There's no problem though. This year was the first time that somebody actually stowed spoons. Did I left out for a hike or so that that was, I was like, how am I going to deal with this from now? But it worked out. It worked out. The hikers name was[inaudible] bubbles and her partner was highlight and I left two spoons for them. And you can, I read the story that she posted when she was having this terrible day and she got to where I told her the spoons were and they were going and she said she just sat down in the middle of the trail and broke down into tears that she was so disappointed. But there was a, there was a guy, his name was also Jim that lived down there, Harper's ferry, and he seen the stories that I'd put on Instagram and the story that bubble's had put on Instagram. So he came out to the ATC there in Harper's ferry and brought her a spoon that I had made for him. And along with the spoon, he brought enough Chick-Filet, he's like five or six hikers. So anyway, it worked out for, for bubbles and the highlight didn't get it, but anyway, it worked out and I just couldn't believe that, you know, that, um, somebody would do that, you know, cause I, I hadn't given this guy a spoon. I had sold it to him and he was willing to bring it out and give it to bubbles. So it was really nice. It was a really nice gesture on his part. And I'm the next time I'm down to Harper's ferry, I'm gonna bring, you know, bring him a new spoon, you know, down to him.

Speaker 1: 32:01

Well I, yeah, I think that's a great story and it just shows a, a bit about, you know, passing it forward, you know, paying it forward, the whole trail magic philosophy of, you know, doing things to brighten up the hikers day. And I think that that's unfortunate and that, you know, there are people out there that are going to do that, but I'm glad that bubbles did get a spoon and hopefully maybe you know, highlight. We'll get one eventually too. Yeah,

Speaker 3: 32:31

I told her osteopath is come up this way and I'll make sure she gets for him.

Speaker 1: 32:35

Yeah. Well I want to thank you for spending time with me today and sharing some stories about how you got started and the spoons that you've made and the adventures that they go on. And I'm sure if I, you know, ask around other hikers, they'll have also a lot of stories about here and about your spoons or finding a spoon out there and in the community it's, you know, it's February now, but pretty soon hikers are kinda going to get going. Um, actually I think some have even started there, um, northbound already. What would you, I guess in closing want to say to this, this new batch of hikers that are, that are coming through and it will be in your, in your neck of the woods. Come June.

Speaker 3: 33:22

I, I would say don't believe all the stories about the rocks. They always talk about the rocks mean so bad in Pennsylvania.

Speaker 1: 33:30

Oh you mean rocks?

Speaker 3: 33:34

It's only like the last 60 miles, but some of that's pretty rough. I went up there last year and some of the trails, like Kabul stands up there but, but all the cobblestones are pointy. They point and straight up. So some of it's pretty rough, but the rest of the state is, is pretty much a breeze. So you know, don't, don't listen to everything you hear about the rocks. And then after you hit the state line, you know, just to look for a spoon, maybe they'll see me.

Speaker 1: 34:04

Thank you again for spending some time with me today and I look forward to someday being able to meet you and maybe even find in a spoon myself.

Speaker 3: 34:15

That would be great. I would enjoy meeting you.

Speaker 1: 34:20

Thanks for listening into my conversation with Jim today. To learn more about Jim Taber and the spoons he creates, visit my show notes and you'll find a link to some of his social media and to connect with HighQ. Also visit the show notes where you can let me know what you think about this episode and what you would like to hear next. Until then, I'll see you on the trail.

Speaker 4: 34:54

[inaudible].