Girl Gotta Hike The Podcast

Today’s episode is Part 2 of my Mount Everest Base Camp Trek Travelogue from May of 2018. If you haven’t yet listened to Part 1, I highly recommend starting there so you can catch up on the journey so far, as I travel from to Kathmandu to Namche Bazaar with a group of five fellow New York City based photographers. This episode covers days 8 through 18, as we continue up and across the Sagarmatha N...

Today’s episode is a bit of a departure from the usual. I’m going to take you back in time to the beginning of Girl Gotta Hike, or actually, before the beginning. Living in New York City, it’s all too easy for me to get tied into the day-to-day hustle and while I often dream of heading out on long hikes, it’s been the rare occasion that I’ve been able to step out of the fast lane for an extended b...

Today we’re talking all things thru-hiking on a super special Q&A episode featuring three New York City-based hikers, who are all aspiring to hike the Appalachian Trail this year! Alyssa, Micaela, and Haley have participated in many Girl Gotta Hike day hikes, snowshoe excursions, and weekend backpacking trips over the last couple of years, and it’s been a blast getting to explore the outdoors...

On today’s episode, I go for a hike in the Catskills, with local artist and ceramicist extraordinaire, Cheyenne Mallo. Cheyenne and her partner Zac handmake functional pottery such as mugs, bowls and dishes that feature topographic map-imagery of mountains, hiking trails and rivers out of their home studio. I’ve been a big fan of Cheyenne’s style ever since I first laid eyes on one of her mugs bac...

On this episode, I get a chance to catch up with my good friend and regular Podcast guest, Kelley “NoSeeUm” Blosser, at the halfway point of the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail! Kelley’s been making her way north from the Mexican border toward the Canadian one for the last few months, and now by the time this episode is airing, she’s almost halfway through Washington State and nearly finished alrea...

Hello and welcome to Episode 23! This episode sounds a bit different than usual, because I’m the one who’s answering questions, while guest host Alexandra Kenin is the one asking them! Alexandra is the founder of Urban Hiker SF , an urban hiking tour company in San Francisco and author of two guidebooks, Urban Trails: San Francisco , and Urban Trails: East Bay . She is super passionate about getti...

On this episode I go for a walk in Pine Hill with Alex McClain, a Catskills 3500 peak completionist, Long Path End-to-Ender and outdoor apparel designer. Alex’s outdoor adventures began as a child, hiking and camping with family in her home state of Indiana, but it wasn’t until she moved to New York City to pursue a career in fashion design, that she began to notice how spending time in the outdoo...

On today’s episode I head up to East Harlem for a chat with Jasmine Guadalupe, founder of The Hood Hikers, a hiking and outdoor adventure company based right here in NYC! The Hood Hikers creates a safe space in nature for all Black and Brown folks, regardless of gender, income bracket or any other divider. While everyone is welcome on her hikes, the Black and Brown experience is at the core, allow...

Guess what y’all? This is the 20th episode of Girl Gotta Hike the Podcast, whoop – whoop! It seems like with every new episode and every new interview, this podcast actually inspires me to want to get outside and adventure more, and I hope that it’s been doing the same for you!   On this landmark episode, I go for a day hike in Denver with long-distance backpacker, author, fellow podcaster, and fe...

Melissa recently had the absolute honor of guiding Liz Forkel on a 5-day backpacking trip. Liz is a personal trainer, fitness coach and owner of LizFit, a fitness center in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Nearly seven days a week, she helps her clients find their way to a fitter and healthier lifestyle by leading them in small group classes, personal training sessions and nutrition consultations. She w...

Melissa first met Kate Rhodes, a fellow backpacker and NYS Licensed Outdoor Guide, where she’s met so many other amazing women – out on trail! They both happened to be camping out at the same lean-to on the same night along the Northville Placid Trail in the Adirondacks when Melissa first heard word of but a few of Kate’s many amazing outdoor endeavors — but she’s so humble, it was her hiking comp...

Whoo-hoo! Episode 17 (aka the first of the Slackpack Series) is an entire episode dedicated to doling out some down and dirty of advice from four female thru-hikers, who love nothing more than discovering the joys of getting deeper into the backcountry. During an impromptu trek through Prospect Park in Brooklyn, New York, GGH host Melissa “Click” Goodwin, and her semi-regular podcast guests and tr...

Girl Gotta Hike the Podcast has reached episode Sweet Sixteen, which is not only super exciting, but an amazing coincidence, since the featured guests happen to both be sixteen years old and reign from Melissa’s hometown of Rochester, New York! Kahmil Monk-George and Amanda Torres are both Junior Urban Ecologists with The Seneca Park Zoo Society’s Rochester Urban Ecology Program, a paid workforce...

Episode 15 features the insightful and engaging Melodie Mendez, outdoors advocate, public relations specialist, NYC Chapter Leader of Latino Outdoors, and all around lovely human being! Mel(odie), a Harlem-resident and NYC native, takes Mel(issa), a once suburbanite now Brooklynite, on a meandering walk all around the beautiful North Woods and Ravine in Manhattan’s Central Park.    Throughout thei...

Episode 14 is all about the incredible and amazing Eco Artist, Mariah Reading of the great state of Maine! Back in February, Melissa headed north, where the two of them set out on not one, but two amazing adventures in one day – first an icy 5-mile walk and talk around Long Pond in Acadia National Park, over on the quiet side Mount Desert Island, and second, a minutes-long Wim Hof inspired dip in...

GGH the podcast episode 13 is here! Lucky 13, whoop whoop! And my oh my, this episode is chock full of hiking advice and all of it about thru-hiking — yaaaaay! As long time listeners may already know, host Melissa "Click"! Goodwin thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2011 and it was on that trail, where the first seeds for what would eventually become Girl Gotta Hike were planted. The con...

In Episode 12, Melissa talks with fellow Brooklynites and hike leaders, Avalou Baptiste and Claydona Dennie, who have been nurturing a growing love of the outdoors within their Caribbean community through their group TriStateHikers . About five years ago, Ava founded TriState as a way to gather together with her fellow Vincentians, (natives of St. Vincent and the Grenadines) and others of the loca...

On episode 11, Melissa talks with fellow Appalachian Trail thru-hiker, photographer, writer, farmer and good friend, Sarah Jones Decker, also known as “Harvest.” Sarah’s new book, The Appalachian Trail: Backcountry Shelters, Lean-tos, and Huts was published earlier this year by Rizzoli, which highlights all of the shelters on the entire Appalachian trail with beautiful photography and facts, and t...

Episode 10!!! On this episode, Melissa goes for a walk in nearby Forest Park in Queens, with New York’s own Patty “Boom Boom” Alcivar, professional boxer, Emergency Medical Technician, Spanish Language interpreter, running coach and personal trainer, who is on a mission to be the first Latina from New York City to successfully summit the highest peaks on each of the seven continents, a challenge k...

On episode 9, Melissa takes you with her to San Francisco, California where she goes for a hike inside the city with West Coast hiking guide and kindred spirit, Alexandra Kenin, founder of Urban Hiker SF , an urban hiking tour company and author of two incredible guidebooks, Urban Trails San Francisco and Urban Trails East Bay. Since 2012, Alexandra has been helping visitors and locals alike explo...

In part two of a two-part special, you’ll be transported to The High Line in NYC for a virtual walk with Brooke Mellen, a Forest Therapy guide and founder of Cultured Forest , an Art and Nature connection company here in New York City. Brooke promotes wellness in the outdoors by leading guided mindfulness walks where she introduces participants to the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, also known...

In part one of a two-part special, Melissa talks with Brooke Mellen, a Forest Therapy guide and founder of Cultured Forest , an Art and Nature connection company here in New York City. Brooke promotes wellness in the outdoors by leading guided mindfulness walks where she introduces participants to the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, also known as Forest Bathing, where participants take in fores...

On this episode, Melissa talks with Jenny Siegfried, a mixed-media artist, illustrator, Public School Art Teacher in New York City and quite possibly one of the nation’s most enthusiastic outdoor fans. When she’s not in the classroom, Jenny is often exploring the trails of the greater New York Metropolitan region, running, hiking and creating beautiful drawings and paintings right out in the eleme...

On this episode Melissa talks with Tamara Jacobi, outdoor adventurer and author of the new book, “ Wildpreneurs: A Practical Guide to Pursuing Your Passion as a Business ,” just released by Harper Collins Leadership. Nearly 15 years ago, Tamara and her parents co-founded the Tailwind Jungle Lodge, down on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. Prompted partially by her guest’s seemingly endless envy of her...

On this episode, Melissa talks with Christi Holmes, a Registered Hunting and Fishing Guide in the great state of Maine. She’s the founder of the Maine Women Hunters Facebook Community and writer and contributor to publications such as The Maine Sportsman and Modern Huntsman Magazines. She’s also a fellow Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker, whoop-whoop! Melissa caught up with Christi at her home, outside...