Backpacker Radio

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio, we are joined by Jack Jones better known on trail as Quadzilla.  Quadzilla has packed a lot of life into his time on this earth- he is a bonafide renaissance man with a great outlook on life.  We chat about his time in the army, running a CrossFit gym in his late 20s, serving as a wildland firefighter, participating in several multi-day meditation retreats,...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are once again joined by Trek Writer, author, journalist, thru-hiker, and fan favorite, Clay Bonnyman Evans aka "Pony". Pony gives us a play-by-play of his recent PCT thru-hike, we talk an uncomfortable amount about semen, the challenges of maintaining a marriage during a four-month backpacking trip, why this bout of post-trail depre...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, the nepotism continues as I'm joined by my 2011 AT pal (drink), Melissa "Click" Goodwin.  In addition to an extensive backpacking resume, Melissa is a professional photographer and the founder at Girl Gotta Hike, a guiding company for women based out of New York.  We of course take a trip down memory lane- trading some of our favorite m...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are joined by CDT thru-hikers and TikTok celebrities, Renee and Tim.  The duo gives us a rundown on their recent CDT trek, the trail and backpacking scene around Germany, where they currently reside, and we go in-depth about their rise to fame on TikTok, including how the platform's culture differs from Instagram, their methodology i...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek we are joined by backpacking legend Nimble Nomad. The name is likely familiar as Nimblewill Nomad recently made news for setting the record as the oldest person to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail at 83 years old. We learn all about this odyssey- and he does not sugarcoat how challenging it was. He also shares some of the wisdom he's accr...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Minus33, we are joined by Badger's pal, Billy Widmer.  In addition to being The Trek's go-to tech guru, Billy has an accomplished backpacking resume that includes an AT thru-hike, a lot of trekking through his native lands of New York, and a recent and very unorthodox thru-hike of the Arizona Trail.  The conversation s...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio, presented by The Trek, we are joined by Andrew Hughes.  Andrew is quite possibly the most accomplished mountaineer that you have never heard of.  Some of his feats include climbing the highest summit in all seven continents and six of the seven highest volcanic summits, he's the third person ever to complete the Antarctica Trifecta, and he's very close to co...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we bring you our first ever LIVE podcast.  And by that, we mean it was live to the fine folks who joined us at the Hop Haus in Fitchburg, Wisconsin on October 15th.  There's no way to describe this episode other than...rowdy.  If you want to feel like you were in the room with us, we recommend grabbing a blue ribbon or two and maybe an...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, Badger, Chaunce, and Sauce give you the full recap of our recent Wisconsin Ice Age Trail Road Trip Extravaganza.  We give you a play-by-play of the highlights from the trail, town, the live events, and all the TMI inside stories and embarrassing moments in between.  Casual warning to listeners- you will walk away from this one wanting t...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are joined by world-renowned photographer and director, Pete McBride. We learn about Pete's entry into photography, including what advice he'd offer to aspiring adventure journalists, what it's like to work for NationalGeographic, the ongoing conservationist threats to the Grand Canyon and the Navajo Nation, and we learn all about hi...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we open the show with a Hiker Trash edition of "Hot Ones", where Chaunce and Badger are grilled by Elise while eating incredibly hot wings. Tears, fear, and slamming beers ensues. We also feature our most impromptu interview to date with our new pal, Fancy Feast. Fancy Feast just wrapped a thru-hike of the Colorado Trail, after having h...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are rejoined by Nicole Antoinette.  We get an update on how her Colorado Trail hike went, including some very unexpected turns, we learn more about her entry into van life, and what advice she'd give to others looking to do the same, and chat about her new book which she is reluctant to call a book, How to Be Alone, an 800-mile hike...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are talking all things social media and how it relates to the world of backpacking.  This is a long and lively conversation and we dive into some highly charged subjects including gatekeeping, is Instagram influencing a good or bad for the thru-hiking culture, the addictive nature of social media, and much much more.     Backcountry....

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are joined by Lauren and Henri de la Vega — a husband and wife southbounding the Continental Divide Trail to complete their triple crown. We take a journey down memory lane in both romance and trails and get an in-depth play-by-play on their CDT hike thus far. This chat paints an awesome picture of some of the alternates that are ava...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are bringing you another edition of the wildly popular Girl's Stuff episode.  Chaunce, Sauce, and guest panelist Lavendar share their experiences on a wide array of topics related to being a female backpacker, including safety tips when in the backcountry solo, hygiene regimens (or lack thereof), dealing with intense levels of hornin...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek we are joined yet again by our old pal, Reptar.  Since we last chatted way back in 2018 (when we still had Kobe and Anthony Bourdain), Reptar has kept very busy- most notably being the co-star in a recent episode of Naked and Afraid.  We ask all the sophomoric questions you'd want to ask someone who earns fame through grit and genitalia,...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we have a lively conversation with the crew at Outdoor F.U.T.U.R.E., a diverse coalition working to ensure that nature's transformational powers are accessible to all of our nation's youth.  We chat about the organization's goal of a federal equity fund, why you can't plug your ears and demand that politics stay out of the outdoors, how...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are joined by  Scott   Carney .   Scott 's early career as an investigative journalist had him debunking fake gurus and charlatans.  When he was put on assignment by Playboy Magazine more than a decade ago to do the same with a Dutch daredevil- named Wim Hof-  Scott  assumed this would be more of the same.  What ensued was  Scott  be...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are bringing you another advice based show.  Today's episode is all about how to afford a thru-hike, which includes overall tips for how to budget, how much to budget, what items you can skimp on, what items you should splurge on, tools for automating the process, and much more.    We wrap the show with a triple crown of items that w...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are joined by Rachael "Rabbit" Delano. Rabbit is a triple crowner, yogi, trail junkie, and currently in an ongoing battle with the Colorado Trail.  We learn about how the discovery of thru-hiking was a true fork in the road for Rachael, as the other path was leading toward a very dark place (much like our episode with Second Chance,...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are trying new things!  In lieu of an interview, myself alongside Chaunce and Sauce (Elise), cover some of the most common beginner backpacking mistakes.  Because we here at Backpacker Radio can occasionally steer off-topic, we wanted to experiment with an episode dedicated to what the show's title implies.  Backpacking stuff.  These...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio, presented by The Trek, we are joined by Second Chance Hiker. In 2018, Cory McDonald, aka Second Chance, was bored, depressed, and north of 400 pounds. After his doctor told him that he was headed for a heart attack if he didn't make some serious changes, Second Chance uprooted his life, and committed to hiking the PCT with the goal of losing 200 lb in the pr...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are joined by Alison Young.  Alison has a world-class radio voice, is a super accomplished backpacker, with a long list of thru-hikes, a former professional flutist and classic music aficionado, and the host and producer of The Trek's newest podcast, Walking Distance.  We get a crash course in all things classical music, including ho...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are joined by the show's third co-host at this point, the real hiking viking.  We do a deep dive on every inch of Jabba's recent hike of the Hayduke, including the challenges of long water carries, regular exposure to 100-plus degree days, navigating the route, and some truly epic stories, including a trail magic rafting trip through...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are joined by recurring guest, Steph Lotus aka Weezer, and her good pal, Dirty Avocado, as the duo recently wrapped a thru-hike of the Arizona Trail. This one is the mid-point between a trail overview and first person narrative of their journey, including some mild tragedy, comedy, and romance. We wrap the show with a triple crown of...