Posts tagged Sierras soundcloud
REBECCA SPERRY aka SOCKED IN

Socked In , known off trail as Rebecca Sperry, was focused last year on her goal of Red-Lining, or Tracing, all the trails of The Whites within 12 months. And then in August, she received a breast cancer diagnosis and life as she knew it completely changed. In this episode, we talk about those months of diagnosis and early treatment, how hiking prepared her for cancer treatment and how cancer has taught her to stay present with everything in her life, coming home to the trails again, and doing what makes you happy.

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ASHLEY MANNING aka YARDSALE

YardSale, known off trail as Ashley Manning, has been chasing adventure for a long time. Whether its white water raft guiding or hiking the AT, she's ready for it whether you think she should or not. In this episode, we talk about the importance of normalizing all body-types on the trail and how @UnlikelyHikers has helped, how her habit of dumping out her backpack led to her trail name, the early struggle to get on and stay on the trail and the difficulty of finding safety gear and apparel that fits.

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MICHELE SCOTT aka GEEKY GIRL

Geeky Girl, known off trail as Michele Scott, got put through the wringer in 2019 on the PCT and wrote about the experience in her book "A 100 Mile Journey Plus A Few Extra". As you can probably guess, it didn't go quite according to plan. In this episode, we talk about the things you need to think about when you're 50 hiking the trail, the costs to everyone of the dream, the importance of remembering to be where you are, her changing relationship with the trail...and a few photobombing cats.

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EMILY FORD aka EMILY ON TRAIL

Emily On Trail, known off trail as Emily Ford, with her trusty companion Diggins just finished a winter hike on the Ice Age Trail. It started out as a way to get her hike on without leaving her job, but became so much bigger as people began to follow her journey. In this episode, we talk about that crazy, beautiful adventure, advice for any future Ice Age Trail winter hikers, the documentary being done about her hike called "Breaking Trail", and just how loud nature can be.

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MEGAN HARMON aka SOCHI

Sochi, known off trail as Megan Harmon, had a dream. To be the first above knee amputee to thru hike the Pacific Crest Trail. And for 600 miles in 2019 she was on target, until the desert heat and her "last nerve" made it impossible...This time! In this episode, we talk about the ways her prosthetic adjusts the nature of the hike, what she will do for pizza, rattlesnakes on trail and the Uinta 2020 redemption hike.

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JESS RAECHELLE aka FROSTY

Frosty, known off trail as Jess Raechelle, spent 6 years dreaming and planning about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail before she got her 2020 permit. And then, well, 2020 happened but she scrambled and found herself at the southern terminus on March 18th. And it was all going fine until she hit Northern California and "Elliot" pushed her off trail, but that's a story I'll let her tell you. So in this episode, we talk about how the people she hiked with changed her, notes in the sand, hating Lucifer, and of course the Elliot of it all.

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PAUL BARACH aka SNAKE EYES

Snake Eyes, known off trail as Paul Barach, has hiked a few trails in his day but the Shikoku Pilgrimage Trail is where it all started. A 750 mile trail visiting 88 temples, it encircles Shikoku Island in Japan and follows the travels of Kukai, an 8th century Shingon Buddhist monk. In his book “Fighting Monks and Burning Mountains”, Paul tells the story of his 2010 pilgrimage. After reading his book, the Shikoku Trail is definitely on my bucket list!! In this episode, we talk about the struggle to “Be Here Now”, not defining your journey while you’re still on it, the weight of history, and Kit Kat’s.

** Trigger warning: during the conversation, we talk about the suicide of Paul’s friend during his hike. **

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CSABA WINTERS aka DIGNITY

Dignity, known off trail as Csaba Winters, took quite the twisted trail on his journey from Mexico to Canada. In 2019, he found himself at the southern terminus of the PCT really only expecting to hike for a short time, cause he had quit every other similar adventure. But one day turned into two turned into a week then a month and even after dislocating his shoulder, he continued North. In this episode, we talk about his "whatever it takes" trail to finish the hike, going through the Sierras alone, the challenges of hiking under a visa time limit, and how he discovered the Pacific Crest Trail in the first place.

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NHANDI SINGLETON aka SEA LION

Sea Lion, known off trail as Nhandi Singleton, had a serious case of imposter syndrome when she hit the PCT in 2018. Coming from a background with limited hiking, it took hundreds of miles for her to feel like she belonged. In this episode, we unpack that and talk about being a minority on trail, body image and how the trail can mess with your head, becoming a risk-esque taker, and that one rainy day.

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CHRISTINE REED aka LADY UNICORN

Lady Unicorn, known off trail as Christine Reed, in her new book "Alone in Wonderland" explores the longer journey we're all on when we come to thru hiking. In 2014, she started the Appalachian Trail only to be pulled off trail by the death of her mother. Four years later, she hit the Wonderland Trail, hiking back into herself. In this episode, we talk about her new book, about the inner conflict she battled while on the Appalachian Trail, her changing relationship with her body as she has fallen more and more in love with the hiker life, and the reciprocity of accepting help.

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MEREDITH JOHNSON aka ELEVEN

Eleven, known off trail as Meredith Johnson, hit the PCT in 2019 chasing her experiences from the Appalachian Trail.
But they are very different trails, so she struggled for much of the hike with whether or not she wanted to be there.
In this episode, we explore the challenge of chasing past experiences, finding a balance between independence and community, her changing relationship to fear, and deli blazing.

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ANDRE & LIAN DE JEL aka MORNINGSTAR & COOKIE MONSTER

Cookie Monster & Morningstar, known off trail as Lian & Andre De Jel, have covered a lot of miles in their 30+ years of hiking. But even with all those miles on their legs, the Pacific Crest Trail tested them. In their new book "Six Months with Three Pair of Undies" they tell the story of that adventure. In this episode, we dig into the book, of course talking about those 3 pair of undies, the ying and yang of hiking as a couple, how heatstroke led them to hike differently in the desert and the importance of hearing aids in rattlesnake country.

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CHRIS PHILLIPS aka MISCHIEF

Mischief, known off trail as Chris Phillips, in November of 2018 slipped on some ice and fell getting water while hiking the AT. He woke up with severe frostbite. It’s been quite the journey to find his way back to the trails that he loves. In this episode, we talk about 2018 and the repercussions from that one moment, finding peace with his new normal, Dragon Tooth Mountain and not letting the dream die.

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MIKE PAPADATOS aka KICKSTAND

Kickstand, known off trail as Mike Papadatos, needed something to shake up his life. So of course, he decided to do a thru hike. But not just any thru hike - A Calendar Year Triple Crown. On January 31, 2018 he started at Springer Mountain and the rest as they say is history. In this episode, we talk about those that came before, the planning and logistics, struggles with feeling like a failure, finally finishing a trail...and a few Breaking Bad moments in New Mexico.

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BECCA BERGSTROM aka LITTLE SKITTLE

Little Skittle, known off trail as Becca Bergstrom, after one overnight camping trip tackled the Pacific Crest Trail
in 2019. Launching herself into the thru hiking life and following up with the Oregon Coast Trail and Timberline Trails this year... and a few miles on the Continental Divide Trail before everything came to a halt.
In this episode, we talk about hiking with her Ride or Die Chicks (Darth Jader & PCP), working through loss and
grief during the Oregon challenge, bear encounters, and a few rookie moves.

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ZELZIN AKETZALLI aka QUETZAL

Quetzal, known off trail as Zelzin Aketzalli, is the first and only known person from Mexico to complete the Triple Crown. Sneaking in the Hayduke Trail along the way. She treated the hikes like a sport, purposely pushing herself to go as fast as possible. In 2017, the PCT was her first trail and when she arrived at Campo, her English was very limited which made communication very interesting. Fast forward to this year, struggling with her mental health, she returned to the Arizona Trail with a very different purpose in mind. Listening to her mind and body to guide her pace. In this episode, we talk about that transition from "I want to be the first" to hiking the trail to heal, the irony of becoming the universal translator, leaving notes in the Muir shelter, and her next big project.

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JAYSON SHAFFER aka JINX

Jinx, known off trail as Jayson Shaffer, had never backpacked before in his life when he found himself at the southern terminus of the PCT. Three days in he seriously thought about quitting, but knew somehow that the journey would bring him back to himself. In this episode, we talk about what and who he found out on the trail, the crazy things people carry, a very profane PCT Anthem, and the kindness of strangers.

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ALIZA GOLDBERG aka GOOD FLOW

Good Flow, known off trail as Aliza Goldberg, purposely planned not to plan her 2019 thru hike of the PCT, wanting to experience the trail as she found it. In this episode, we talk about how she managed the overwhelming idea of 2650 miles, the struggle to stay on schedule when the weather wouldn't cooperate, exit strategies, her very pit toilet story and why Old Station means so much.

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