Jimmy Nichols lost two daughters to late-term stillbirth within a year. Zoe, in April 2016. Hope, seven months later. No medical explanation. Just the emptiness of arriving at a baby class on a Tuesday night, going home, going to the hospital, and finding out the world had changed.

He is not a man who raises his voice or holds grudges. He will tell you that. He will also tell you about the anger that scared him, the lunch breaks crying in his car, and the drinking that seemed to work until it didn’t.

And he will tell you about the day it was raining for the third straight day on a Georgia section of the AT, and he went down to a spring in a gully, and two cardinals landed on a rock in the middle of a thunderstorm.

Dark Miles is a narrative documentary series from Hiker Trash Radio.

Show Notes

Jimmy Nichols lost two daughters to late-term stillbirth within a year. No medical explanation. Just the arrival at a hospital and the emptiness that followed, twice.


He is a sommelier, a punk guitarist, a section hiker on the AT. He is also a man who spent a long time suppressing more anger and despair than anyone around him knew about. The trail didn’t fix it. But it equalized him. And then one day in a Georgia thunderstorm, down in a gully next to a spring, something happened that he hadn’t planned on.


In this episode:



  • Zoe and Hope — two daughters, one year, no answers

  • The anger he hid from everyone, including Candace

  • The lunch breaks crying in his car that nobody knew about

  • What day hikes became, and why he signed up for eight days on the AT

  • Two and a half days of rain, and a spring in a gully

  • Two cardinals in a thunderstorm

  • Captain Hook, a trekking pole, and a mile of cackling in the rain

  • Sobriety: a sommelier, a punk band, and an ER room that changed everything

  • The ten weeks Candace spent in the NICU to bring Fiona home

  • Why the trail is still where he finds his peace


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.

If you have lost a child, or anyone you loved too soon, Jimmy would like to hear from you. Reach out through Hiker Trash Radio and we will make sure he gets your message.


Connect with Hiker Trash Radio:


Website:  hikertrashradio.com


Instagram:  instagram.com/hikertrashradio


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


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