Semper Fi, known off trail as Andrew Blubaugh, completed his Triple Crown in 2001. In this episode, he takes a walk down memory lane with me. Even though it was almost 20 years ago, I bet it’s going to sound strangely familiar... except for the walkman.
Read MoreMama Lion, known off trail as Olivia Miller Bakke, tackled the Pacific Crest Trail in 2016 with her 9 year old son, Boone. When we first met, her indulging of my many questions about food and packs and clothes and all of the things that are the crazy incredible experience of thru hiking inspired this podcast. If you see them on the AT this summer, definitely say "Hi".
Beans, known off trail as Meg Davis, started her golden thru hiking adventures on the Pacific Crest Trail. Moving to the Continental Divide Trail, the bloom fell off the adventure. Others have mentioned her exploits... 89 miles without stopping, leaving the trail in Colorado... here she tells the story behind the story.
In part 2 of my conversation with Puma Salad, known off trail as Alfred Smith, we dig into the origins of his trail name and the all joys of cowboy camping. In a little reality check, he talks about what it means to take months off to hike and the scariness when the journey comes to an end... and you have to answer the question "what comes next".
Read MorePuma Salad, known off trail as Alfred Smith, first thru hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 2016. Returning in 2018, a planned thru hike with his girlfriend became a spiritual journey of self reflection. In this episode we talk about that journey, the routines & systems of the trail & the importance of “safety meetings”. Just listen, you’ll get it.
Read MoreEleven, known off trail as Meredith Johnson, spent 10 years dreaming about thru hiking the Appalachian Trail. Embracing her inner bad ass, she stepped on the trail in 2018. One trail stumble..one surgery for a broken elbow...6 weeks of rehab and a burning desire to complete her thru hike, she successfully summited Katahdin after 118 days. If you happen to see her on the Pacific Crest Trail this year, be sure to say "HI".
Read MoreOil Can, known off trail as Eddie Boyd, spent his senior year of high school prepping for his SOBO hike of the Appalachian Trail. Twenty-five miles in, he abandoned the trail. As you can probably guess, that's not the end of the story. In this episode, he talks about leaving then returning to the trail in the same year and subsequently completing his Triple Crown.
Read MoreToday's episode is the continuation of my conversation with American Idol, known off the PCT as Gretel Scarlett. In this bonus episode, she discusses the dangers of following other people's footprints, her on-the-trail reality versus family at home impressions and the delicate topic of hygiene on the trail.
Read MoreAmerican Idol, known off trail as Gretel Scarlett, is an actress, singer, dancer and successful Pacific Crest Trail thru hiker from Australia. During this episode, we discuss the unique challenges of being a SOBO PCT thru hiker, a woman and a non-American on the trail. And how a little DIY ingenuity to stay warm created the Tyvek Burrito.
Read MoreSheriff Woody, known off trail as Matt Berger, has made a career out of thru hiking since stepping on the AT in 2012. Having completed the Triple Crown, he admits there are some sections he wants to go back and pick up in order for it to feel truly finished. In this episode, he shares some great stories of animals, food and learning the hard way.
Read MoreWhether you know him as Tin Man or Deep Doug, Douglas Hurdle has hiked over 7900 miles to complete is Triple Crown in 2017 and along the way discovered his passion for adventure photography. Having hiked both solo and in groups, during this episode he shared his perspective on the good and bad of both and their impact on trail finances.
Read MoreCheesebeard, known off trail as Josh Tippett, has styled his life around thru hiking since stepping on the Appalachian Trail in 2015. And also found his love of photography during the miles and months on the trail. Upon completing the Continental Divide Trail in 2017, he became a Triple Crowner as well. In 2018, he and Oilcan, whom you will meet in a few weeks, collaborated to create and hike the Greater Yellowstone Traverse (GYT).
Read MoreO.G. (or "Old Gear" to the rest of us), known off trail as Neal Hanlin, currently works for a green coffee warehouse in Portland, having completed his Triple Crown in 2017 by successfully SOBO hiking the Continental Divide Trail. Neal also has a deep background in gear, so we totally geek out during this episode.
Read MoreJ-Man, known off trail as Nick Johnson is a 1st Asst Director and self-described van living hiker person who has completed the John Muir and Pacific Crest Trails. If you hiked the PCT in 2018, you might have seen him in Southern California where he paid it back by spreading a little trail magic.
Read MoreCamel known off trail as Andy Laub is a documentary filmmaker who has completed the Appalachian trail, Pacific Crest Trail and most recently the Pacific Northwest Trail. He has also started the Arizona Trail, but for reasons we discuss on the podcast, he hasn’t quite completed that one yet.
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