Stupid Hike for My Stupid Mental Health Podcast

This week on The Hiker Podcast Andy talks with the founders of CNOC Outdoors (pronounced K'nock, who are also a sponsors of the Hiker Podcast) Gilad and Mika Nachmani.    Gilad Nachmani founded CNOC Outdoors in 2016 upon moving to Portland, OR with his wife, Mika and two small children. An avid outdoorsman and outdoor retail industry professional of over 17 years, Gilad used, tested, bro...

On this weeks episode Andy talks with Hiker and Writer Maggie Slepian about her experience on the trail, social media, and the outdoor industry.  Maggie Slepian is an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker, a full-time writer, and the co-founder of BackpackingRoutes.com . She lives in Bozeman, Montana, and is loosely putting together a plan for four thru-hikes in 2021... but we all know plans are very...

On this weeks episode Andy talks with Hiker and Vlogger Becca “Little Skittle” Bergstrom about her hike of the PCT, canceling hikes because of covid, vulnerability, and her YouTube channel. Becca Bergstrom had a single-night's experience of backpacking before she embarked on her solo thru-hike of the 2,650-mile-long Pacific Crest Trail in 2019. In the span of 135 days, she walked from Campo to Man...

On this weeks episode Andy talks with Hiker and Vlogger Julia "Rocket" Sheehan.  After thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2019, Julia Sheehan, aka Rocket has never looked back. Julia is a air force veteran, registered emergency medicine nurse and an avid backpacker. She vlogs, writes and hopes to inspire personal connection in the hiking community. Follow Rocket on Instagram: https://www.instagr...

We are opening up Season 2 with an amazing conversation with advocate and hiker Darrah Blackwater!  We talk about her story, hiking on Indigenous Lands, spectrum sovereignty and her work as an advocate.  Darrah Blackwater is from Farmington, NM and is a citizen of the Navajo Nation. She is a recent graduate of the University of Arizona, where she earned her law degree studying Indigenous...

For the final episode of 2020 and of Season1 Andy reflects on the last 21 episodes and the last year of hiking while answering your questions. Season 2 begins Monday January 4, 2021. Each week new hiker Andy Neal, takes you along on the trail, reviewing gear, exploring hiking trends and most importantly talking with voices in the outdoor and hiking community finding stories of how hiking has inspi...

This week, Andy is talking with Writer, Redliner, & Hiker Rebecca “Socked In” Sperry. Rebecca "Socked In" Sperry is an avid hiker based out of New Hampshire. She is a big proponent for encouraging women to get outdoors, with or without someone else, and has done hundreds of hikes solo herself. After finishing the NH48 4000'ers in 2018, she went on to hike the NE67 4000'ers in thirty-six days....

This week, Andy is very excited to talk with Blogger and Hiker, Danni Krumins Danni has been day hiking in the Canadian Rockies since moving to Alberta in 2018. She is a former college athlete, a CrossFit Level 1 certified coach, and a gymnastics coach. Danni has created Summiting Strong to combine her passion of hiking with strength and conditioning as a way to inspire health both mentally and ph...

This week, Andy is very excited to talk with Creative Professional and Hiker, Luke Pearsall. Luke Pearsall is a graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology’s School of Photographic Arts and Sciences.  His career in media has spanned over 19 years including work on large scale Television and Film Productions in Los Angeles as well as Print Advertising Photography work with clients includ...

This week Andy talks with writer and hiker Katie "Oats" Houston about gear, getting injured on trail, and how hiking has changed her life! Katie got bit by the thru-hiking bug in 2019 on her trek of the AT. After meeting her partner 1,100 miles into her journey, she now lives in Texas with her partner and two pups and is currently converting a school bus into a tiny home. She has also thru-hiked t...

This week Andy is very excited to talk with Hiker, Runner, & Outdoor Educator Heather Diaz!  Heather Diaz is a former experienced long-distance runner and first-generation hiker from the suburbs of Houston, Texas. She moved around Texas for her bachelor’s and graduate degrees. Life took her to San Francisco in 2012 to chase her career, and she met her partner along the way. He asked her t...

This week Andy is excited to talk to filmmaker, hiker, photographer and director of the forthcoming documentary chronicling the “Fastest Know Time” attempt of the Colorado Trail in Summer of 2020 by prior Hiker Podcast guest Jeff “Legend” Garmire, Dylan Harris. Dylan Harris is a Freelance Photographer, Film-maker, long-distance backpacker/bikepacker and explorer who lives in Phoenix, AZ. Traveling...

On this weeks Episode of The Hiker Podcast I have a conversation with AT Thru Hiker, writer and Podcaster Rachel Meltzer. Rachel thruhiked the Appalachian Trail in 2018. She now works as a freelance writer in the tech education industry empowering others to change their lives with a new career. She’s also a climber, mental health advocate, and cat lover. You can find her on Instagram @meltzerseltz...

On this weeks Episode of The Hiker Podcast we talk with the Fastest Know Time(FKT) holder for the Oregon Coast Trail Josh Pulattie. Josh Pulattie is a public school teacher, football coach, and hiker.  He currently holds the Sefl-Supported FKT (Fastest Known Time) on the Oregon Coast Trail.  He got his start backpacking long sections of the Pacific Crest Trail in the summers before completing the...

On this weeks episode of the Hiker Podcast we talk with Yoga instructor,Triple Crown Hiker and rabbit enthusiast Rachael “Rabbit” DeLano. Rachael aka “Rabbit” is a long-distance hiker and outdoor enthusiast residing in Colorado. She left behind a career in corporate America to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail in 2016, and this journey ignited her passion for backpacking. After completing the Appala...

On this weeks episode of the Hiker Podcast we talk with new Colorado Trail FKT holder Jeff “Legend” Garmire. Jeff has completed the Calendar Year Triple Crown (AT, PCT, CDT in one year), climbed all the Colorado 14ers, The Great Western Loop, Nolans 14 in 59 hours, and broke the Arizona Trail self-supported FKT (Fastest Known Time), Pinhoti Trail self-supported FKT, Long Trail Unsupported FKT, and...

In light of the tragic wildfires that have been plaguing Oregon and the Western United States this week, Andy tells you what’s been happening with the tragic wildfires in Southern Oregon that have devastated much of the Rogue Valley, especially the towns Phoenix and Talent Oregon. Andy has a conversation with the president of the the Oregon Department of Forestry’s ”Keep Oregon Green” program Kris...

This week on The Hiker Podcast Andy talks about his upcoming and first ever backpacking trip along the PCT AND we are excited to talk with legendary “trail angel”, author, and hiker Barney “Scout” Mann.  We talk about his journey as a trail angel and hiker along with his new book “Journey’s North: The Pacific Crest Trail” Also this week we have our second “Sawyer Segment” and  talk with “The Prodi...

This week on The Hiker Podcast we talk with day hiker, trail runner and author of the trail book “Ashland Trails”,  Jim Faleknstein. Jim Falkenstein self-published his hyper-local trail guide AshlandTrails.com – The Book in 2019. Jim wrote the book based on his website www. AshlandTrails.com when he realized that some people couldn’t always figure out the internet and still liked purchasing books....

On this weeks episode of The Hiker Podcast we are excited to talk with Hikers Tyler “The Prodigy” Lau and Andrew “Peanut” Glenn. Not only are they amazing hikers but they work for Sawyer Products, the sponsor of this episode. We spend our time talking about their story and how hiking has changed them and they in turn are making an impact on the world around them.  This weeks episode is brought to...

The week we are excited to talk with Renee "She-Ra" Patrick.  Renee measures time by the miles she hikes. This long-distance backpacker has wracked up over 11,000 miles hiked on 12 different trails around the world including the triple crown trails: Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and Continental Divide Trail. To stay fit, she packrafts, skis, walks, bikes, enjoys a daily yoga practice, an...

This week we have an amazing conversation with PCT THRU HIKER Jennifer “Close Call” McDaniel. We have an amazing conversation about what it means to be a hiker, expectations on the trail, when you have to get off the trails, how the trail provides and how she got her trail name. Follow “Close Call" on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/dirtyskirt/ Leave a voice message for Andy: https://anchor.fm...

This week on Episode 4 of The Hiker Podcast we talk with Michael "Einstein" Gelfeld. "Einstein" is a semi-nomadic, somewhat full-time long distance hiker. He has hiked over 8,000 miles on various trails since 2016 and also completed two cross-country bicycle tours. He is originally from Maryland and currently lives in Flagstaff, AZ.  Follow "Einstein" on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youth....

This week on Episode 3 of The Hiker Podcast we talk with filmmaker, YouTuber, and PCT thru-hiker Elina “Tip Tap” Osborne. “Tip Tap” hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, the 2,650 mile (4270 kilometers) trail that runs from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon and Washington in the US, in 2019.  Her short documentary film on her PCT hike, “It is the People”, was selected at this years New Zealand...

Welcome to Episode 2 of The Hiker Podcast, we are keeping it close to home today with conversations with the president of Keep Oregon Green Kristen Babbs and Franziska, the founder of hikeoregon.net and Hike Oregon On YouTube. Follow Keep Oregon Green at https://keeporegongreen.org/ Follow Franziska of Hike Oregon at https://www.hikeoregon.net For all the ways to listen to The Hiker Podcast  or to...