n2backpacking

In Episode 79, Phillip (aka 3 Dub) joins us again to talk about his summer backpacking ~2400 miles in Spain and Portugal via multiple routes on the Camino de Santiago in 2019.  We last spoke with Phillip two years ago in Episode 56 when he talked in detail about his first hike on the Camino.  There's great information on how to hike the trail in that podcast, but he returns to the show tonight to...

In Episode 78, Sarah Histand tells us about her three week traverse of the Brooks Range in Northern Alaska.  She is a native Alaskan who has done multiple packrafting and backpacking trips across the Brooks Range and throughout the State.  So Sarah talks about the logistics of the summer trip - including trailheads, resupply, the wildlife, and how to maintain communications across this vast wilder...

In Episode 77, Philip Werner shares his experiences with the TGO Challenge which is a ~200 mile sea to sea crossing of the Scottish Highlands in the United Kingdom.  The event draws close to 400 people each year and requires a pre-approved route across the mountain ranges and bogs of Scotland.  Philip has completed two TGO backpacking trips and tells us the basics about the 15 day event. In the sh...

In Episode 76, Aaron Owens Mayhew joins the podcast.  She is a registered dietary nutritionist, long distance hiker, and entrepreneur that offers some tips on eating healthy and feasting like a King or Queen as you explore the backcountry. In the show, Aaron provides some tips on meal planning and offers some suggestions for inexpensive, tasty, and lightweight meals. She also tells us some common...

In Episode 75, Tim Harrison snowmobiles to the top of Bates Ridge in northern Maine to catch up after our visit to Harrison's Pierce Pond Camps last fall.  The camp is 1/10th of a mile off the Appalachian Trail and is coveted by thru-hikers for the hearty 7am breakfast - served to backpackers in the scenic backdrop off Pierce Pond Lean-To and 16 miles from the nearest township. In the show, Tim te...

In Episode 74, we record at a historic time.  Coronavirus has caused a worldwide pandemic.  The governor of Georgia just cancelled school for the year and ordered a "shelter in place" mandate across the State.  So tonight we skip the studio interview, record with a combo of Skype, Join Me, and Zoom, and embrace the social distancing guidelines of the CDC. In the show, we discuss our time on the Tr...

In Episode 73, we discuss the most appropriate hiking & backpacking songs for the trail.  The assignment was to come to the studio with 3 songs that relate to hiking/backpacking - in either the lyrics or song title.  In the show, we listen and debate each song and give honorable mention to some others that didn't make our list. This is a very subjective topic with many options and opinions and it...

In Episode 72, Victoria Livschitz tells us about "Right On Trek", a website to help hikers and backpackers plan their multi-day backpacking trips.  Victoria did her first thru-hike on the John Muir Trail only a few years ago but has since embraced the sport and logged recent ventures into Patagonia and the Grand Canyon. She joins the show this evening to tell us about her introduction to backpacki...

In Episode 71, Ken Strange joins the show to discuss his recent book It's Your Camino which documents his ~500 mile hike with wife Aurora through the countries of France and Spain.  In the podcast, Ken gives us some history of the Camino, talks about working with Martin Sheen (who starred in the movie The Way), gives us some tips on how to publish a book, and tells us about his chance TV interview...

In Episode 70, we talk about some great hiking and backpacking gift ideas for the Holidays.  Cardiac and Drone Boy are back on the show to talk about outdoor gear for beginners, weekend warriors, long-distance hikers, and kids - and just in time for the Holiday shopping season.  We also offer up some backpacking gifts for $50 or less, and review some not so wonderful gift ideas from Christmas past...

In Episode 69, Cardiac and Drone Boy are back after a nearly two year hiatus to discuss a "Dozen Ways To Die In the Backcountry" - an article that first appeared in Backpacker Magazine in 2008 and was recently published online. The topic tonight is timely since we record Halloween eve and take a "stab" at the Top 12 reasons hikers and backpackers get killed in the wilderness.  We also discuss what...

In Episode 68, "IronWill" Callahan joins the show to tell us what it's like being a teenage thru-hiker on the Appalachian Trail.  In February of this year, Will left Springer Mountain at the age of 17 and hiked northbound to Woods Hole in Virginia where he discovered he had a fractured tibia.  After taking a break to heal, he returned to the trail to finish his hike - completing the Vermont to Vir...

In Episode 67, Kaylee (aka "Smiles") is back on the show to tell us about her summer hike across Jotunheimen National Park.  The park is recognized as one of Norway's premier hiking and fishing regions and it has 250 peaks that rise above 6,000 feet - including Northern Europe's two highest peaks, Galdhøpiggen and Glittertind. In the interview, Kaylee tells us about her solo journey through the pa...

In Episode 66, the Motor City Ramblers tell us about their 1994 thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail. This is the third release in a special series to celebrate the 25th anniversary of our hike, and it was recorded at Trail Days on May 13, 1995 in Damascus, Virginia. In this episode, we flashback 25 years to Damascus to sit by the river and talk about the Motor City Rambler's Appalachian Trail thru-...

In Episode 65, Johnny Malloy tells us about his passion for hiking and backpacking and how it led to a 30+ year career as a guidebook author. Johnny graduated from the University of Tennessee in the 80's with an economics degree but decided to never work a 9-5 job. He is now an accomplished outdoor writer and columnist with over 70 camping, fishing, hiking, and padding guidebooks to his credit - c...

In Episode 64, Gary "Drone Boy" Vaughan returns to the show to discuss our May trip to Appalachian Trail Days in Damascus, Virginia. He recently chauffeured me to the annual event where I joined the Class of 1994 to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of our thru-hike. In the podcast, we talk about what it's like for a first timer at the event, what it’s like for a veteran of the festival (that hasn’t...

In Episode 63, I speak with Black Sunshine about his 1994 thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail. This is the second release in a flashback series where we speak with 11 prospective thru-hikers about their attempt to complete the A.T. in a single year. It was recorded in Charlotte, N.C. on March 5th, 1995, and is part of a series to honor the 25th anniversary of our '94 thru-hike on the A.T. In the ep...

In Episode 62, we discuss a dozen ways to die in the backcountry - based on an article published in Backpacker magazine and recently updated on their online website. In the show, Beer Run and Therm Rider join me for a "Backpacker Feud" (patterned after the TV game show) to name the top ten killers in the backcountry. Not to make light of the top dangers in the wilderness ... but they are worth kno...

In Episode 61, Alex "Money $hot" Maier returns to the show to talk with us about his recent film and adventure on the 812 mile Hayduke Trail which starts in Arches National Park and finishes in Zion National Park - traversing the slot canyons, desert washes, and mountain ranges that make the deserts lands of Southern Utah and North Arizona some of the most scenic landscapes in North America. In th...

In Episode 60, Troubadour tells us about his 1994 thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail. This is the first release in a special bonus series to celebrate the 25th anniversary of our hike, and it was recorded at Trail Days on May 13, 1995 in Damascus, Virginia. After finishing the A.T. in 1994, Troubadour went on to hike the Pacific Crest Trail in 1999 and the Continental Divide Trails in 2002 - walki...

In Episode 59, I speak with Bart Smith (aka Infinite Dust) who was recently featured in Backpacker Magazine as "The Man Who Hiked It All".  Since 1992, Bart has hiked nearly 35,000 miles on 30 of America's National Scenic and Historic Trails - completing the last of the Trails by October 2nd, 2018 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the National Trails Act. In the show, Bart tells us about hi...

In Episode 58, Michael and Tim tell us about their recent hike to Havasu Falls in Northern Arizona.  You’ve likely seen the iconic photos of the Falls - the turquoise water set against the desert canyon walls, the idyllic swimming holes surrounded by sunbathing backpackers, this oasis in the middle of a barren Grand Canyon.  And you've probably thought about hiking here ... but these guys have act...

In Episode 57, Rand tells us about his recent Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim hike through the Grand Canyon in Arizona. This spring he hiked the 42 mile route in 12 hours starting at the South Rim at sunrise, tagging the North Rim by noon, and returning to his starting point near The Yavapai Lodge by sunset - logging more than 20K feet of elevation change while on the trail. In the podcast, Rand tells us about...

In Episode 56, 3 Dub (aka the World Wide Wanderer) returns to the show to tell us about his spring hike on the 477 mile Camino de Santiago through the countries of France and Spain.  You might recall that Phillip spent 7 months hiking northbound or "NOBO" on the Appalachian Trail last summer and that we spoke in Episode #51 only a few days before his departure to Europe to hike the Camino. In the...

In Episode 55, Kaylee (aka "Smiles") tells us about her recent thru-hike on the Tour du Mont Blanc which is one of the most popular long-distance walks in Europe.  It circles the Mont Blanc massif, covering a distance of roughly 170 kilometres (110 mi) and passes through parts of Switzerland, Italy and France. In the show, Kaylee tells us about the TMB hut system, "wild" camping, the critters, the...