By Land Podcast

Text the show! Bonie Shupe is the GM and Director of Product at Ibex.  After a long history of creating some amazing products, Ibex closed its doors a few years ago, but has since been bought and rebooted.  Bonie is the brains behind product design and is working hard to create the same quality merino products that Ibex was known for. When I learned Ibex was back up and running again, I had to kno...

Text the show! Doug Laher is the Father of Thru-Hiker Trevor “Microsoft” Laher who tragically passed away while hiking near Apache Peak along the PCT.  He was 11 days into his hike when conditions along the trail deteriorated quickly, forcing him to either push through or find another way around.   Trevor was 22 years old, a graduate of Ohio State, and had a software engineering job waiting for hi...

Text the show! Ryan and Hillary Lampers are the husband and wife team behind “Hunt, Harvest, Health,” a health and wellness company dedicated to promoting a healthy backcountry lifestyle.  They offer everything from a Podcast, Nutrition Consultations, A Western Hunting Summit, and even natural supplements.  Ryan and Hillary are passionate about helping others achieve a healthy lifestyle and have t...

Text the show! Kevin Bixby is the Executive Director of the SW Environmental Center and recently published an article titled “Why Hunting Isn’t Conservation and Why It Matters."  I asked him on the show for this episode to help me better understand what he means by this.   By no means is this an anti-hunting article, in fact, Kevin is a hunter himself and is the first to admit that hunting ha...

Text the show! Ben Crawford first appeared on the podcast for Episode 50, right after he and his family thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2018.  Since then, he’s been working on writing a book about their family story and just recently published it for all to read and enjoy.  I had the pleasure of having Ben on the podcast yet again to talk about the book, the writing process, and the experience...

Text the show! Chris Cage quit a corporate job to travel and eventually hike the Appalachian Trail.  When he was finally done, he had a choice to make.  Either go back to corporate life or find a way to fund his new lifestyle.  He chose the latter and founded Greenbelly Meals.  Chris has had to make some big life-changing decisions that all came at a cost, but that's what makes it an adventur...

Text the show! This past fall I launched my "Learn How To Backpack"  backpacking course for beginner backpackers.  I’ve mentioned it on the show before but I wanted to take some time to talk about why I created it and who it’s for. For this episode, I dive into a few of the topics I cover in the course so you get a feel for what to expect.  With any luck, you’ll come away from this episo...

Text the show! Chad Lubinski messaged me a few years ago after my PCT hike asking questions about how to section hike various portions of the PCT through Oregon because he’d never really considered any sort of hiking or backpacking outside of the hunting season. Since that first interaction, Chad has dived headfirst into backpacking. In 2019 he battled his first big chunk of miles along the PCT an...

Text the show! This episode of the By Land Podcast might get uncomfortable for hunters because I’m going to take a very hard and very uncomfortable look at the reality of what hunting culture actually is in 2020. This is not a topic that I take lightly. I’ve been sorting this out in my head for a long time now and thought it was time to put this out to listeners for them to consider as well. This...

Text the show! Mark Huelsing is a Dad, Husband, hunter, and just so happens to work at Exo Mountain Gear.  However, in this episode, we go in a bit of a different direction.  No gear talk and no hunting stories (ok..maybe one).  I’ve always appreciated Mark’s insight that goes beyond the generic gear talk.  Anytime I need an outside opinion on something, he’s ready and willing to offer a thoughtfu...

Text the show! Out of the blue in 2017 I realized I had been sitting on a pile of camouflage hunting gear that I only used once a year during the hunting season. For the remainder of the year, it sat in boxes gathering dust. Literally thousands of dollars worth of camo that I wasn’t using and wouldn’t use anytime outside of the hunting season. I concluded it was time to quit camouflage and swap th...

Text the show! I’ve been on the hunt for a lightweight mountain rifle for a few years now and just recently learned of Bergara Rifles USA after a friend said I should check them out. I looked them up and reached out to learn more and the next thing I knew, I was on the phone with Tony Smotherman talking about the Bergara backstory. Since this is a backpacking podcast, I think we’re due for an epis...

Text the show! Chris Niccolls has been reviewing cameras and camera systems on YouTube for years now. If the system exits, there’s a pretty solid chance he’s not only had his hands on it but he’s been able to run it through its paces and created a video about it. This is what Chris does; he learns about the tech, the features, and the capabilities of the entire camera system as a whole so YOU, the...

Text the show! Karla Amador is the co-founder of the 52 Hike Challenge, an organization dedicated to encouraging adventure and getting people outside. In this episode, we dive into Karla’s personal backstory and how she came to create the 52 Hike Challenge as well as how to deal with the negative self-talk that often happens when we’re in the middle of a physical or mental challenge. Karla has a v...

Text the show! Aron Snyder is the President of Kifaru International, a household name and brand in the world of backcountry hunting.  When I first heard of Aron, I was commuting to and from work an hour each way and spent a lot of that time learning as much as I could from his experiences via podcasting because, at the time, I was beginning to get nice and cozy with the idea of backpack hunting. ...

Text the show! There is no “one size fits all” solution for backcountry footwear.  The wall of shoes at your local outdoor store should be proof enough of that, but how in the world are you supposed to choose?  It’s a process, so Josh Kirchner is back on the show to share his journey with backcountry footwear.  In this episode, we dive into a discussion on where to begin finding the right boot or...

Text the show! Today, we’re getting to know Brad and Jason of Argali Outdoors. Together, they are the driving forces behind Argali Outdoors.  Knowing why you do what you do is the one thing that you can look back on when making both personal and business decisions and it’s pretty clear that Jason and Brad defined that first before doing anything else. Brad was previously on the podcast discussing...

Text the show! I wouldn’t change a single thing about my 2017 hike of the Pacific Crest Trail because what happened out there made it MY hike and I love it for what it was.  That said, we can’t help but reflect on the things we’d do differently.  I like to think of it as learning valuable lessons rather than being unhappy with various aspects of my hike. I’ve had three years to digest my lessons l...

Text the show! Paul Medel has spent a lifetime learning as much as he can about elk.  From the time he first heard a bugle on a tape as a young man, he knew he had to know more.  For over 20 years, Paul has been educating people on the ins and outs of how elk talk to each other and has helped countless hunters notch a tag during the fall hunting seasons. In this episode, we get to know Paul and hi...

Text the show! When my Wife and I first got pregnant, I was told by far too many people to count that our days hiking and wandering the woods would be brought to a screeching halt. Demoralizing is putting it lightly but lucky for me, my Wife and I were on the same page and determined to figure out how to pair hiking and backpacking with having kids. I’ve done several episodes before this one showc...

Text the show! Dan Solsman found himself caught up in the rat race of collecting more gear rather than more knowledge.  Each year would bring new gear that marketing told him he had to have to be successful. Realizing he was on a never-ending cycle of chasing the latest and greatest, he decided to stop the bus, get off, and begin chasing down more knowledge rather than more gear. We often think ne...

Text the show! The Coronavirus is impacting the dreams and aspirations of a LOT of thru hikers so I wanted to take a few minutes to talk about how those impacted can cope with it. I also dive into backcountry decision-making and why it’s an essential skill to hone. Even if you’re not thru-hiking this year, there are some concepts in this episode I think you can apply to your own hikes and adventur...

Text the show! Backpacking alone is not the easiest thing in the world to do.  It can be downright uncomfortable or even scary at first, but if you’re willing to put in the work, being alone in the backcountry can be pretty darn incredible.  In this episode, I’m going to share with you what I’ve learned about backpacking and hiking alone and give you some tips and tricks on how you can get there y...

Text the show! The Eco Defense Group is a non-profit organization whose mission is to help train and equip personnel on the front lines of the poaching war in Africa.  On this episode, the President of EDGE, Nathan Edmondson, joins me to talk about the organization, what they do to fight poaching of African game animals, and what we can do to help. Show Notes and Links Introductions Nathan’s backg...

Text the show! I never thought in a million years I’d be able to hike 20-30 miles in a single day, but if I follow a specific strategy and plan, I can. In this episode, I’m going to dive into my process for hiking big miles.  From start to finish, I’ll walk you through my approach and even cove the benefits of hiking so many miles in a single day. If you dream of hiking a long trail or want to pac...