Backpacker Radio

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are joined by Chaunce and Fireball (who you likely remember for the Girls Stuff episode), to walk us through their hike of the John Muir Trail.  In addition to learning about all of the particulars of the trail, Chaunce and Fireball regale us with tales from their trek that include nude modeling for tourists, their favorite swimming...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are joined by Dan Durston.  Dan is the gear nerd's gear nerd.  In addition to hiking the PCT and being one of only two people to yo-yo the Great Divide Trail (the other being his wife as they did it together), Dan is visionary behind the new gear company, Durston Gear.  We go way deep down the rabbit hole on why polyester tents are m...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are joined by Tommy Corey, aka Twerk, sometimes known as Twerkinthedirt, sometimes known as the guy behind Hiker Trash Vogue.  Twerk gives us a runthrough on his experiences backpacking the PCT, how the Hiker Trash Vogue project came to be, what doors this wildly popular photo project has opened for him.  We also talk about his exper...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, Badger is joined by Anne Baker.  In addition to being an experienced long distance backpacker and gear nerd, Anne has a PhD, is a licensed therapist, scientist, and someone who has done a good deal of research on post trail depression.  Anne breaks down precisely what is happening when someone experiences post trail depression and offer...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio, presented by The Trek, brought to you by Backcountry.com, we are joined by Mac of Halfwayanywhere.com. Mac gives us the full tour through his short, but very dense adventuring career, including his 1 and a half PCT thru-hikes, his time in Japan, his multiple trips through the Himalayas, bikepacking across Australia, and the list goes on and on. We touch on w...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Backcountry.com, we are joined by Delia D'ambra.  Delia is a full-time investigative journalist and the host of Park Predators, a podcast that details some of the most horrific murders that have taken place in national parks.  Needless to say, maybe don't let your kids listen to this one.   We cover the triple crown of...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek we are joined yet again by famed Trail Angel, triple crowner, and author, Barney Scout Mann.  This convo focuses largely on Scout's new book, " Journeys North ", Scout's beautiful account of his and Frodo's 2007 PCT thru-hike.  We learn what went into this immense research project, how he and Frodo fended off a bear with a two-part harmo...

Today we are joined by Luke Kloberdanz, the director of philanthropy at the Ice Age Trail Alliance.  As you may have guessed, we geek out very much about all things Wisconsin, so much so, that Chaunce is convinced to make this the destination of Backpacker Radio's next road trip.  We talk about Luke's own thru-hike, the wonderful tradition that is the Wisconsin Fish Fry, the history of this trail,...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio, presented by The Trek, we are joined by Daniel White, known on trail as The Blackalachian.  We learn all about The Blackalachian's life before he became a full-time adventurer, including his days as a rapper and his time in prison, how thru-hiking was put on his map, his experiences with racism on the AT, his thru-bike of the Underground Railroad Route, His...

In today's episode -we are back to recording in person(!)- and joined by Jamey Mossengren, also known as The Unicycling Unicorn.  Jamey traded in his cushy 9-5 job to pursue the glamorous lifestyle of a street performer, and hasn't looked back since.  Not only does Jamey make a living by putting on unicycle shows, he's also unicycled both the Colorado Trail and Arizona Trail!   We talk about these...

Today, we are joined by Doug Laher, the father of Trevor Laher, the hiker who tragically passed near Apache Peak on the Pacific Crest Trail earlier this year. Doug reads his beautiful tribute to Trevor, we talk about what lessons are to be learned from Trevors passing, and what can be done to prevent further tragedy on this dangerous stretch of the PCT. We also chat with Kaitlyn Purington, a volun...

Today we are joined by Luke "Strider" Jordan.  Strider has a couple of very impressive treks on his resume including the North Country Trail (NCT), which is more than twice the length of the Appalachian Trail, as well as the 3,100 mile Great Plains Trail (GPT), which runs from Texas to North Dakota.  We also discover the wild world of naked pooping, a fan-submitted poop paradise on the John Muir T...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio, presented by The Trek, we are joined by Sarah Jones Decker, author of the new gorgeous photobook " The Appalachian Trail: Backcountry Shelters, Lean-tos, and Huts ".  We learn what goes into a project as massive as doing a photo essay of all of the AT's shelters, Sarah's personal favorites, the history of these structures, which have the best privies, and mu...

Today we are joined by Shug Emery.  In addition to being a hammock enthusiast, with almost 100,000 YouTube subscribers, Shug's previous profession was as a circus clown for Barnum and Bailey.  We obviously go way down the traveling circus rabbit hole, and we promise you his stories do not disappoint.  Shug also shares his top tips for beginning hammockers, what his setup looks like, and what goes...

In episode 69, we are joined by Will Robinson, AKA Akuna.  Akuna is an army veteran, the first known African-American male to complete the triple crown, and an all around awesome guy.  We talk about his experiences in managing chronic pain, how hiking interfaced with his PTSD, what it's like hiking through rural America as a black man with dreadlocks, and some of the highlights and lowlights of ea...

Today we are joined by Jean Muenchrath, mountaineer, escaper of death, author, and spiritual being.  Simply put, Jean's story is remarkable.  Jean gives us a play by play of the time she nearly died after catastrophic fall near Mt Whitney in winter conditions.  She walks us through not only this harrowing tale, but the long process to physical, emotional, and spiritual recovery, the subject of her...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are once again flipping the script.  This episode is dedicated to all things COVID-19.  We chat with a pair of experts on infectious disease and epidemiology.  Dr. Amesh Adalja is an infectious disease specialist at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security.  And Jagdish Khubchandani is a Professor of Health Science at...

Backpacker Radio is making good on their promise to get weird.  Today we bring you a drunk Q&A.  Backpacker Radio's new intern, Elise Ott, navigates us through a series of questions, including COVID-19, how we're handling the self-quarantining, a lot of poop related subjects, thru-hiking purism, and much more.  At the top of the show, one of Chaunce's friends gives us the poop story to end all poo...

We're joined by Sandi Marra, the president and CEO at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.  As noted in our previous podcast, the news and guidelines around COVID-19 and the trail system has been evolving rapidly.  At the time of the previous recording, the ATC asked people to postpone their thru-hikes .  Since that recording, the ATC has increased the severity of their recommendations- urging peopl...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio, presented by The Trek, we are joined by Erik Schlimmer.  Erik might be the hiker's edition of Forest Gump, in that he's somehow squeezed five lifetimes worth of events into his four plus decades on this earth.  If you're a fan of the Adirondack, you are in luck, because Erik is not only one of the most experienced hikers in this region, but also a historian...

The Cinnamon Connection is joined by ultra running legend, Courtney Dauwalter.  For those who might not be into the ultra-running scene, Courtney is an absolute powerhouse long distance runner, with a young race resume that's hard to fathom, including wins at the Moab 240 (which the 2nd place finisher was more than 10 hours behind her), the Javelina Jundred 100K, Run Rabbit Run 100-mile race *twic...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio, presented by The Trek, we are joined by five sixths of the Strawbridge Family.  The Strawbridges successfully thru-hiked the PCT SOBO in 2018 with four kids in tow- ages 11, 13, 14, and 17.  We chat about everything you can dream of regarding hiking as a family, including how they handled school, gear, their pace, everyone's emotional and physical well being...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio, presented by The Trek, we are joined by repeat guest Steven Shattuck aka Twinkle, along with his lovely wife, Grace.  This is our third annual Valentine's Day episode, and I am telling you, this one will give you all kinds of hashtag relationship goals vibes.  They detail their year-long adventure beginning with a traverse of The Hayduke- followed by some ve...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio, presented by The Trek, we are changing things up a bit.  Today's show is dedicated to all things girl stuff.   We've kicked aside the segments and dove straight into everything to do with thru-hiking as a woman.  In addition to Chaunce, we are joined in studio by former guest, guest co-host, and listener favorite, Weezer, along with Chaunce's AT buddy and Tr...

Today the Cinnamon Connection is joined by Wild Amanda aka Naps.  Naps is the only person I've met who's hiked the entire PCT with her dog, Frank.  We go down the rabbit hole on what it takes to thru-hike the PCT with a dog, including recommended gear, how she handled Frank's food and water, how she curtailed her hiking schedule to best suit Franks needs, and more. Naps' PCT thru-hike was the ulti...