n2backpacking

In Episode 54, we discuss Backpacker Magazine's list of 35 Awesome (and Awesomely Bad) Outdoor Movies while sitting fireside on the Chattooga River.  In the show, I review the hiking and backpacking movies on Backpacker's list with 3Dub, BeerRun, Brownie, The Camel, Napster, The Ox, and Wagonhammer after we sit out a rainstorm on the river.  We discuss the movie, the plot, and the major actors of...

In Episode 53, I speak with Amos Prudhon about his YouTube channel titled Backpacker Diaries - which documents his numerous ventures into the backcountry of the U.S and Canada.  Amos does an excellent job at capturing the experience on the Trail - and focuses on multi-day and multi-week backpacking trips that are well within the reach of most backpackers.  On the show, we discuss his recent hike o...

In Episode 52, it's a first on the N2Backpacking podcast because I speak with a fellow podcaster - Rudy from the Cascade Hiker.  He approached me for an interview, but we end up trading questions and discussing a range of hiking and backpacking topics.  On the show, we talk about how we got in to backpacking, why we started podcasting, how we integrate our families in to our backcountry adventures...

In Episode 51, I speak with 3 Dub (aka the World Wide Wanderer) who spent 7 months hiking northbound or NOBO on the Appalachian Trail last summer.  On March 26th I had the opportunity to see him off at Springer Mountain, and in the podcast we speak about his preparations for the hike, experiences on the Trail, and what the vibe is like as a 50+ year old thru-hiker. With the long distance hiking se...

In Episode 50, Rich, Mark, and Aaron join us from the ADK Winter Mountaineering School to discuss winter backpacking and how it is one of the best kept secrets of the wilderness - no crowds, no bugs, no humidity ... no problem. In the show, we talk about the gear you need, the tricks you can employ, and the ADK training that will make you a bad ass winter backpacker. So listen in and get pumped to...

In Episode 49, the Camel, Pixie, and I review a few of the major U.S. hiking news events of 2017.  Some of the topics we discuss include nails on trails, backcountry treasures, girls joining the Boy Scouts, and the hardest partiers on the A.T. And in the spirit of giving you reasons to hike more in the New Year, we offer up the 52 hikes in 52 weeks challenge.  We also find inspiration in the young...

In Episode 48, Cardiac and Drone Boy discuss their summer backpacking trip on the Inca Trail in Peru.  Their four day hike took them over ~14,000 feet peaks in the legendary Andes Mountains and culminated at the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu - which is one of the most photographed tourist destinations in South America. In the show, we talk about what it costs to hike the Inca Trail, the logist...

In Episode 47, Beer Run and Therm Rider join me from the mountains surrounding Lake Burton to sit fireside and discuss more rookie mistakes.  In this special "Your Screwed Dude" episode we talk about overconfidence, getting your friends lost in the backcountry, inadvertently smuggling banned items on airplanes, editables, dork moves, and backcountry crimes of fashion. “Backcountry 301” is the thir...

In Episode 46, we continue the conversation with author Bryan Snyder who talks about Renegade Car Camping in North America.  In the podcast, we discuss how to find free campsites while you are on the road.  Bryan also tells us how to leverage some public and Internet resources to maximize the experience and save some money in the process. Bryan is an educator, hiker, backpacker, climber, car campe...

In Episode 45, I speak with author Bryan Snyder about his latest book "Falling Off The Map: Fifty-Four Explorations into the Wildest Reaches of the American West".  Bryan is an educator, hiker, backpacker, climber, car camper and all-around adventurer, and in the show we hear about his 20+ summers traveling throughout North America. He also shares with us some tales from a recent trip to Burning M...

In Episode 44, we delve in to The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly - our best and worst experiences from the Trail.  Recorded live in the Black Hills of South Dakota, I sit "lantern-side" in the backcountry with long-time hiking friends BeerRun, The Camel, Therm Rider, and the Weasel.  Each signed up to accompany me on a quest to complete 50 hikes in 50 States - which ended this month near the defunct go...

In Episode 43, we talk about the hammock!!!  Marc Bohman joins us live from the Teton Hammock Company in Idaho Falls, ID to provide some tips and tricks for sleeping "between the trees".  We also discuss some common misconceptions of the hammock and what you can do to be more comfortable in the wilderness. So ground dwellers (aka tent campers) make the jump, and learn the advantages of taking a ha...

In Episode 42, we discuss a March 2017 article that appeared in Outside Magazine titled "The 40 Most Significant Tools & Toys Ever Designed".  In honor of the magazine's 40th anniversary, the editors choose 40 products that "stood out for their sheer inventiveness" and their general impact on the outdoor community. Tonight we sit fireside on the South Carolina side of the Chattooga River and debat...

In Episode 41, we revisit Trail Days in Damascus, Virginia on March 13, 1995.  The town has hosted the biggest event on the Appalachian Trail for over 30 years and most of these interviews were recorded live at the annual festival.  If you have ever wondered what it was like to thru-hike the A.T. in the early 90's - now is your chance.  The podcast is a remix of interviews that I did with ten hike...

In Episode 40, The Camel and I continue the discussion on hiking news from 2016 in a show recorded right before our annual Klondike hike on the North Carolina side of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  Forewarning, we talk felonies, guns, and politics - subjects that get The Camel particularly fired up. So listen in, and we'll brace ourselves for the feedback!  'Cause we talk arson, kidnappi...

In Episode 39, Therm Rider and I do a live winter show from the Yavapai Lodge at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.  After a day hiking on the Arizona and Rim Trails, we kick back a cold one and discuss some of the major hiking news events of 2016. In the show, Therm Rider and I recap and debate some of the U.S. news events that were heavily publicized in the outdoor community last year - includin...

In Episode 38, Theo and Bee give us all a New Years gift and tell us about their adventures on the 273 mile (440 km) Kungsleden Trail in northern Sweden.  The couple has lived out of their VW van for the last three years, but took time off from their travels to hike the Kungsleden in the fall of 2015 and release the film Distant North a year later. Back home in the UK (and from a recently purchase...

In Episode 37, we continue the conversation with 30 Pack.  During the second hour of our interview, we discuss his summer rim-to-rim hike of the Grand Canyon, the resulting hallucinations, ultra-marathons, and working with troubled teens in Utah.  30 lived out of his car for 2 1/2 years and tells us some of the craziest things that happened to him during this time - including hiking with the Navaj...

In Episode 36, 30 Pack is back!!!  And he gives us an update on his wanderlust and travels over the last 2 1/2 years - including his post-PCT adventures with Outburst and their exploration of the wild canyons, hot springs and numerous Trails of the western U.S.  30 Pack then settles briefly in Seattle where he runs his first marathon and is attacked while raising money and helping the homeless on...

In Episode 35, we discuss the most influential hikers and backpackers of all time as we sit by a campfire in North Georgia on an autumn night with coyotes running wild in the background.  First, a shout out to the trail conferences, clubs, maintainers, ridge-runners, trail angels, and financial benefactors to Trail - because you are collectively more important than any individual for your contribu...

In Episode 34, Alex "Money Shot" Maier talks about his film "A Sense Of Direction" which documents his travels on the Pacific Northwest Trail in the summer of 2015.  Alex chose the PNT for his first thru-hike (and first hiking film) to explore one of the newest trails in the National Scenic Trail system - which earned the status in 2009.  Only a few hundred backpackers have thru-hiked the 1200 mil...

In Episode 33, Alex Staniforth talks about his recently published book Icefall which details how he survived two of the deadliest seasons of record on Mt. Everest during the 2014 and 2015 climbing seasons.  Alex was picked on in his youth, but talks openly about how he channeled his energy in to outdoor activities - which eventually led him to raise funds and climb the tallest mountain in the worl...

In Episode 32, the conversation on Rookie Mistakes continues as we sit fireside on Justus Creek along the Appalachian Trail in North Georgia. In this discussion, Beer Run, PokeyBo, and Therm Rider talk about some classic rookie moves: taking the wrong gear, hiking above your skill level, and taking too much. “Backcountry 201” is the second installment in this mini-series where we sit around the ca...

In Episode 31, we discuss the life and legacy of Emma "Grandma" Gatewood, who at 67 years old was the first woman to solo thru-hike the Appalachian Trail.  Author Ben Montgomery gives us an intimate look at this extraordinary lady who overcame financial hardship, survived domestic and sexual abuse, and had 11 children and 23 grand children when she left a small town in Ohio to walk the A.T. in 195...

In Episode 30, Scott "Squatch" Herriott is back on the show to discuss his film Wayfaring and his jaunt along the Camino de Santiago (or Way of St. James).  The trail starts in France and ends near the coast of Spain and was one of the most important Christian pilgrimages during the Middle Ages. Starting in 1985, modern day hikers have increasingly followed the path - with over 200,000 "pilgrims"...