A hike undertaken and videotaped by host Carrie Saldo will air Oct. 15-17 oN WGBY-TV, Channel 57.
Carrie Saldo, host of the WGBY series "Connecting Points."SPRINGFIELD – When Carrie Saldo hiked a 40-mile stretch of the Appalachian Trail this summer, she was a world away from her television studio at WGBY, Channel 57 in downtown Springfield.
Saldo hosts “Connecting Point,” a magazine-style program that airs weeknights on the public television station. Saldo videotaped her hike and is airing a three-part series chronicling her experience Oct. 15 through 17.
“I wanted to spend five days hiking and camping and videotaping the whole experience,” she said. “I learned pretty quickly though that the plan was a little ambitious, given the weight of the camping and video equipment.”
Saddled with fifty pounds of camping gear, food, clothes, and video equipment, Saldo could either abort the hike or shed some gear. She decided to ditch the gear, hike during the day, and stay with friends and family near the trail at night.
“It was interesting because of the people I encountered along the way,” she said. “I wanted to capture the experience others had to encourage people in our community to utilize this recreational resource.”
Saldo features the people she met not only on the trail but off the beaten path, like the woman they call the “cookie lady.” “She lives in a house on a road that crosses the trail. Any hiker that stops at her house is given three homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies,” Saldo said.
Great; but how do you find out about her?
“Trail talk is pretty strong. You find out about things by word of mouth. There’s the buzz that gets passed on the trail. Other hikers will tell you to stop by and see the cookie lady,” said Saldo.
The trail has its own culture, rhythm, and characters, like the man who came overseas from Holland and traded in his job for a sojourn through the Berkshire Hills, or a guy they call “Animal.” “People go by trail names and this one guy, Animal, was hiking the trail with a five-gallon bucket in one hand. He carried a lot of his food in the bucket,” she said.
In an image taken from video, "Connecting Point" host Carrie Saldo is seen on the Appalachian Trail.Saldo experienced nature’s breathtaking beauty and the serenity that comes with being alone, when she wasn’t meeting strangers and hearing their stories. She set out with a plan to record her own experience but instead, wound up making friends and re-telling their tales.
“One of the phrases a lot of people on the trail use is hike your own hike, meaning do it your own way,” she said. It’s advice that served her well when she changed her plan and began listening to others.
Saldo’s three-part series celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Appalachian Trail and airs this Monday through Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. on WGBY, Channel 57’s “Connecting Point.”