Trail Correspondents

It is said that the mental component is the most challenging aspect of a thru-hike.  I am one of those making this claim, in fact, I wrote two books on this very subject.  Although the physical element of a cross country trek can't be understated in terms of difficulty, after a few weeks, a hiker's body largely adjusts to the rigors of walking all day, every day.  As the physical element gets easi...

We're back at it today with this season's third edition of our wildcard episode. Instead of giving our hikers a specific prompt, they are given the freedom to report on whatever subject they find most pressing. We get some very moving entries, including an emotional take on what it feels like to lose your hiking partner in the midst of the journey, we hear about hiker entitlement, we get a check-i...

What does one eat on a backpacking trip?  It may seem like a simple question with an equally simple answer.  But dig a bit beneath the surface and, you'll quickly learn there's more nuance than you might originally think.  Not only do we get a taste of what goes into a day's menu for our hiker trash, but we also learn how their tastes have evolved while on trail, the much-anticipated Hiker Hunger-...

Obvious statement of the year award- walking the length of the country will do a number on one's body.  Just how severe is the impact...well, that's what our trekkers will share with us today.  In addition to the physical adjustment, our hikers will detail exactly how they manage their pain and what advice they would offer to those who are looking to prepare for a long distance backpacking trip th...

Because our prompts can often leave the juiciest trail stories uncovered, this season, we have built in even more wildcard episodes, where our correspondents muse on whatever is most inspiring to them about their recent trail experience.  Today's show covers quite a bit of ground, everything to a wild storm in the Winds, a play by play of a day in the life of a thru-hiker, the importance of hiking...

Today we explore the social dynamic of a thru-hike.  If you've listened to previous seasons shows on this subject, you might think that you already know the answer to this question.  However, let us not forget, our trekkers are hiking against the current.  Whereas the vast majority of thru-hikers- regardless of which triple crown trail they're on- hike northbound, our hikers are trekking south.  F...

Roughly one month into their journey, our correspondents are now at the point of learning about just how much they don't know about their trail, themselves, and thru-hiking as a whole. After all, even the most experienced thru-hikers have gaps in their research, preparation, and occasionally fail to pack needed items of gear. This episode is all about the twists, turns, and surprises that are an i...

It's Wildcard time! A few times a season, we challenge our correspondents' to be creative and discuss whatever they want to! Our trail correspondents lived up to the challenge that the wildcard presents. They regal us with a variety of stores, give us topics to ponder, and provide us an insight as to what "real life" on trail looks like. Turn's out, our correspondents get quite philosophical when...

The episodes leading up to this one introduced us to our 2021 hikers, taught us about their prep, and gave us insights as to why they decided to plan a thru-hike. However, planning a thru-hike and actually taking those first few steps are two very different things. In this episode, we learn all about their first day on trial and about how they dealt with pre-hike jitters. For the first time this s...

Preparing for a thru-hike is no easy feat. After all, hikers have to completely overhaul their life. This often involves quitting their job, storing all of their belongings somewhere, saying goodbye to loved ones/partners, and make a strict budget - and we haven't even gotten into all the necessary gear and skills one needs for a thru-hike. So where does one start? How on earth does anybody actual...

We are beyond thrilled to finally unveil our third season of Trail Correspondents presented by The Trek. For those new to the show, Trail Correspondents is a teleportation machine to the trail - in audio form. Every other week (or so), host Zach Davis and a select handful of thru-hikers on the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and Continental Divide Trail, will give us a glimpse into the bea...

Today marks the final episode of our second season.  Although this news is melancholy, this episode is too good to be down. At the beginning of this year, before embarking on their thru-hikes, I asked our Correspondents to interview themselves.  Specifically, their future selves.  I wanted a way to capture both the metamorphosis a hiker goes through during their journey, as well as hit on the pres...

When prepping for a thru-hike, aspiring trekkers spend countless hours stressing the transition to their new existence, one spent on the other side of walls.  Within just a few days, the adjustment to living amongst the trees, on mountains, and under stars is all but complete.  If only the transition back inside were so easy.  That's the subject of today's episode.  Our correspondents share how th...

Today  is the end of the trail.  For this one, we hear from our hikers twice, both the day before the northern terminus and at the finish line itself, with one exception.  As you can imagine, this is an emotional update.  Although the journey is the destination, there is likely no more exciting part of the journey than the finish line. FIND US ON ITUNES  | FIND US ON GOOGLE PLAY | FIND US ON STITC...

Today's show brings us our final wildcard episode.  Given the timing of this episode, near the end of our correspondents' journeys, there's a lot of reflection on the miles in their rearview mirrors.  We also hear some advice about maintaining a relationship on the trail, sober hiking, hiking with a fishing rod, trail etiquette and more. These episodes have been listener favorites in the past, thi...

An extended period in the great outdoors is medicine for the soul.  Breaking free from our routines in a natural setting is a recipe for happiness, clarity, and a fresh perspective. Having done it myself multiple times, I believe this with an unwavering conviction. That is the subject of today's show.  Our hikers will share all of the revelations or a-ha moments they've experienced on trail.  They...

Although a half year backpacking trip is a physical grind, this is not the most challenging part of a thru-hike.  Apologies for sounding like a broken record, but as you might likely guess, this title belongs to the psychological side of this journey. Our hikers chime in on whether they agree with this sentiment, what coping mechanisms they use to overcome their challenges, how the challenges have...

Grab a seat next to the rocking chair because today's show will feature some stories from the backcountry. We instructed our hikers to share a standout tale from their journey. It can be a highlight, lowlight, or something in between. The submissions are a delightful mix. We hear about one of our AT hikers who completed the 4-state challenge, one of our correspondents who played a part in rescuing...

In our previous episode, our first group of hikers weighed in on a wide array of subjects from their thru-hikes. Today's episode comes from the PCT and CDT, and with it being a high snow year on both trails, much of the subject matter of these recordings will stay within a much tighter confine. Given a blank slate, the vast majority of our correspondents felt compelled to share how the high snow h...

Today's episode brings us our second wildcard, and our first from the trail. I gave our correspondents a blank canvas for which they can paint whatever trail-related artwork they were currently most passionate about. The previous wildcard episode was a listener favorite, and I'm guessing today's will also follow suit. We hear about a wide range of subjects, from hammock camping to finding romance...

Social dynamics on trail. In our previous episode our group one hikers gave us insight on how their hiking groups have evolved over the course of their hikes. Today, we hear from our remaining PCT and CDT hikers on this same subject. This year has been especially interesting for group dynamics given the high snow levels on the PCT and CDT, as this plays a large role in fragmenting the hiker bubble...

There are many fascinating components to the thru-hiking lifestyle, none more so than the social dynamics a hiker will encounter during the course of this trek. Today our hikers give us a glimpse into the ways in which hikers group up on trail. We learn if they're hiking solo, with a partner, in a group and why, how the dynamics have evolved since the early days of their journeys, the friendships...

We hope you've got enough appetite to stomach another show about trail food, because today's edition is an all you can eat buffet of hiker fare. Our remaining PCT and CDT hikers weigh in on what their favorite trail foods are, what they're craving most, if they've been stricken with the notorious hiker hunger, how their food systems have evolved over the course of their hikes, and more. For anyone...

Food. It's is a subject of endless fascination to just about everyone. Even the most experienced hikers stand room for improvement with their backcountry menus. Rarely do I go a long stint on trail without picking up some sort of tip for how to enhance my hiker fare. This episode will be appealing to those who want to improve their on trail culinary skills or who are simply curious about what a hi...

Gear. For some people it's their favorite topic in the world, for others, it results in a shoulder shrug and an eye roll. But whether you love or hate gear talk, there's no way around it: what you carry on your back, plays a big role in how much you enjoy your hike. More precisely, getting it wrong the first time, can be emotionally and financially draining. -Check out the full list of what our hi...