alison young

blissful hiker ❤︎ inspiring you to hike your own hike

Sports EN ↓ 154 episodes

Long-distance backpacker Alison “Blissful Hiker” Young has logged more than 14,000 miles across six continents, tackling iconic routes such as New Zealand’s Te Araroa, Europe’s Pyrenean Haute Route, South Africa’s Drakensberg Traverse, Nepal’s Great Himalayan Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail in the United States. An award-winning professional musician and syndicated American Public Media host, Alison approaches storytelling through a deeply attuned ear. Her series of intimate personal essays — coupled with field recordings gathered on trail — trace a path of self-discovery as a middle-aged, t...

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alison young

Episodes

Te Araroa: ninety-mile beach 18.06.2020 22:18

Send us Fan Mail The Te Araroa – or long pathway – dispenses with formalities, taking the Blissful Hiker onto an exposed start of drenching squalls, inconvenient tides and a never-ending roar of the waves. In this episode: The Blissful Hiker starts walking the Ninety Mile Beach , a long strip of sand that will take three days to complete, a baptism by fire for causing injury, boredom and many hike...

Te Araroa: where the Tasman and Pacific meet 11.06.2020 19:05

Send us Fan Mail The Blissful Hiker flies to New Zealand, drives to the Meeting Place of the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean at Cape Reinga and within 36 hours, she begins to walk the Te Araroa towards Bluff. In this episode: The Blissful Hiker has her first encounter with authentic Kiwi "trail angel" hospitality . She's taken up the winding, roller-coaster roads of Northland to Cape R...

Te Araroa: kia ora, be well! 04.06.2020 13:29

Send us Fan Mail The Blissful Hiker realizes there's no "there" to get to, learning to live in the moment, face vulnerability straight on – while at the same time, opening herself up to "the ecstatic experience." In this episode: The Blissful Hiker sorts out the myriad details before departing on the 3,000 kilometer Te Araroa . She learns she can only plan so much before...

Te Araroa: a flute for a hike 28.05.2020 16:06

Send us Fan Mail The Blissful Hiker sells her flute to make the dream of walking a long-distance thru-hike a reality before it's too late and arthritis takes over her body. In this episode: Meet ex-professional flutist and voracious hiker, the Blissful Hiker. With arthritis taking over her body, time was running out. But once she voiced her dream to walk a long trail, the universe conspired...