At his 40th birthday party, Jesse Cody looked around a room full of sixty people who loved him and thought: this is probably the last time I’ll see all of you.

Jesse is the founder of Hike the Good Hike, a nonprofit dedicated to mental health advocacy through nature, a triple-crown hiker, and a Hoka-sponsored athlete. But before any of that, he was a man living a double life — the life of the party on the outside, a person silently drowning on the inside. This is the story of what he was carrying before the Appalachian Trail, what those 2,200 miles asked of him, and what came back from Maine.

Dark Miles is a narrative documentary series from Hiker Trash Radio. These are the stories that happen on the trail that the finish-line photo never captures.

Show Notes

DARK MILES — Episode 1: Hike the Good Hike


Featuring Jesse “Boston Mule” Cody


If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available 24/7. Call or text 988.


Before Jesse Cody was a Triple Crowner, a Hoka athlete, and the founder of a mental health nonprofit, he was sitting alone in his Cambridge apartment staring at a tie he’d tied in a noose around his doorknob, trying to talk himself into using it.


He was 39 years old. He was, by all outward appearances, fine.


This is the story of what it took to walk 2,200 miles out of that apartment — and what came back from Maine.


In this episode:



  • The double life Jesse was living in Boston’s restaurant industry, and what he was hiding underneath it

  • The 40th birthday party that changed the weight of everything

  • Why he got on a train to Georgia without telling anyone the real reason

  • The rattlesnake on a hot mountain in the Southern Appalachians that became a turning point

  • His father meeting him in the middle of the Harper’s Ferry bridge

  • What he built when he came home: Hike the Good Hike


Dark Miles is a narrative documentary series from Hiker Trash Radio — produced stories about the internal terrain of the outdoor experience. These are the miles that don’t show up on Strava.

Connect with Jesse and Hike the Good Hike:


Website:  hikethegoodhike.org


Instagram:  instagram.com/hikethegoodhike


Connect with Hiker Trash Radio:


Website:  hikertrashradio.com


Instagram:  instagram.com/hikertrashradio


Apply to be a Dark Miles guest:  hikertrashradio.com/dark-miles


If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988. Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.


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