Stories From The Trail

Second show in our new series "Long Distance Prep School" - Planning a long hike? Start here! Each week we'll record and release another class led by a hand selected panel of experts. Up this week, Keith "Fozzie" Foskett and Scott "Squatch" Harriott talking with us about Things to consider when making your plan: Work Every Detail? Or Fly by the seat of my pants?  Health Insurance What did you put on hold to hike? Visa/Passport issues What books or movies helped prepare or inspire you?

First show in our new series "Long Distance Prep School" - Planning a long hike in 2019? (or ever?) Start here! Each week we'll record and release another class led by a hand selected panel of experts. Up this week, Reptar and Miss Janet talking about Things new hikers might be afraid of: Guns - Do you need one? Ticks - How to prevent, and what if you get bit? Bears and snakes The weather The Hiker Community takes care of each other Hike Ending Injuries

Guthook's AMA (Ask Me Anything) How did Guthook get his trail name? What about the Hayduke Trail? NOLS.edu "The Secret to Good Trail Mix" Guthook's 7th best poop story The Bristol Stool Chart

"Roughing It": Green Giant and Gamera get snowed in and use their camping skills to "survive".  Announcing: Weekly Long Distance Hiking Prep Classes, live via Discord. Are you attempting a thru in 2019? 2020? Ever? Even if you're in the "It's still a dream phase", tune in and join us live every Wednesday, starting December 26th. Experts will help you plan your hike. Follow our instagram for the FREE INVITE. Daniel's Questions: "Hey, does this look infected?"  

Congratulations to 2018 Appalachian Trail Thru Hiker (Flip Flop Style) Turnaround! Chris (aka Turnaround) has been updating us since March as he hiked the AT. He began in Georgia, and near the halfway point (Harpers Ferry, WV) he jumped up to Katahdin. That's the last we heard from him.  Join us as we catch up and hear about the northern half of the trail. 

Damien Tougas (Trail name: Toe Salad) is a hiker, shoe blogger, entrepreneur, and most notably a Family Man. In 2014 he and the whole family hiked the entire Appalachian Trail, challenging enough for one person, a truly impressive feat for a family of five.  In this episode we get in-depth about minimalist footwear, learn the logistics of hiking while homeschooling, and reveal just how little Green Giant really knows about computers. Plus, find out whether Voldemort has a salmon in the oven. 

In 2016 O'Ree Crittenden set out to hike the Georgia section of the AT. This would be enough of a challenge for any of us, but O'Ree attempted this without the use of his arms or legs.  Hear O'Ree's story, and prepare to throw away any excuses you've ever had for not attempting a goal. In this episode we talk about food, gear, and as always a little bit of poop, with a lot of inspiration. 

In our first ever live streaming episode, the listeners call in with questions, comments and of course, stories. Eventually we wind up on the topic of animal encounters, so you'll get to hear about birds, bear, deer, trash pandas, pikas and marmots (oh my!)  Surprise appearances by former guests and friends of the show, Mark Calcagni, Daniel Pitts, plus plenty of new voices too.  Find the show on Facebook, Instagram and we'd love to have you join in on the next one.

Matthew "Odie" Norman is best known as the bus-dwelling shaggy faced creator of the Hiker Yearbook, an old-school hard back annual publication packed with history, photos and highlights from each year's "graduating class." Odie connects hikers, and we connected with him in this episode.  Learn about the bus, the trail, and Odie's mission, including his plans (now underway!) to hit the PCT.  Audio from 2018 Trail Days video was shared with us from the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference.

In episode 9 we met Chris, beginning his Appalachian Trail Thru Hike the next day. He's encountered every type of weather, met incredible people and has experienced (and given) trail magic. And now he has a trail name. Having hiked roughly a thousand miles, Chris (aka "Turnaround") called the show from Harper's Ferry to give us an update on how he's doing. Join Voldemort and Green Giant for updates from the trail, hostel recommendations, nutrition, water talk, and of course bear stories.

Griffin Howard attempts 48 four-thousand foot peaks in a single hike. We spoke with Griffin as he was preparing and again after his return. Join Voldemort and Green Giant for all the questions and answers you could imagine for a project like this. What do you bring, which way do you go, and can you teach your emotional support goat to hold the leash for your hiking chicken. 

Voldemort and Green Giant team up with The Hiking Viking (Jabba) and Zach Davis (Badger) from Backpacker Radio in this joint episode, recorded at Trail Days. 

Janet Hensley, aka "Miss Janet" is a well known role model among the long distance hiking community, particularly the AT. She is notorious for providing unconditional, tough love not only for hikers, but for the trail itself. The Appalachian Trail and the culture which surrounds it would not be the same without her, and we were lucky to catch up with Mis Janet at ATKO earlier this spring. 

In this episode we take Daniel on his first overnight backpacking trip! It's his first time spending a night in the woods, filtering water, setting up a tent, and even pooping in a hole. It was even more fun than we expected, and the bar was pretty high. Not only did we have a great time on the trip, we enjoyed looking back on our favorite parts with co hosts Green Giant and Voldemort.  Come along and let us take you as close to the trail as you can possibly get using only your ears. 

If you were starting the Appalachian Trail tomorrow, what questions would you have?  New AT hiker Chris Clevenger called the show the day before hitting the approach trail. He's been preparing, practicing and pacing for at least a year, and now his time is finally here.  Join Chris and Green Giant as we discuss trail angels, trail names, first aid, creek crossings and whether or not someone who had their hip replaced last year has a chance at making it. (Spoiler alert: They totally do.)