thruhiker

“The journey is the destination. We need to savor everyday on the trail.”

In this special episode, Luis interviews thru-hikers on the Appalachian Trail. Learn about the AT terms and phrases like Nobo, Sobo, a zero, flip-flop, trail magic, and Gut Hook. Luis Chats with Gringo Loco, Gwight, Gramps, Johnny Boy, Perch, Off Grid, Hot Wheels, Bowie, Joel, The Late Start, Hopper, Too Late, Michigan Milly, Howdy, Pacha Plinko, Sweatsicles, Second Coming, Stealth, Mala, Basco, Layers and more.

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Luis Escobar (Host) Contact:

luis@roaddogpodcast.com

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Kevin Lyons (Producer) Contact:

kevin@roaddogpodcast.com

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Music: Slow Burn by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) 
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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Original RDP Photo: Photography by Kaori Peters

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Road Dog Podcast Adventure With Luis Escobar

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While the rest of us couch potatoes binged Netflix and drank beer during the quarantine, Mark Larson thru-hiked the entire Appalachian Trail during the corona pandemic. Being an experienced endurance athlete, Mark finished in 3.5 months (107 days), when most people take around 6 months to finish the grueling trail.

The Appalachian Trail has been a lifelong dream of mine and I was extremely curious about all of the preparation, logistics, equipment, lodging, wildlife encounters, and physical strain. So I grilled Mark like an FBI interrogator until he answered every one of my questions.

Read more about Mark's journey here: https://rolliepeterkin.com/mark-larson-appalachian-trail

And here: https://rolliepeterkin.com/running-ultramarathons-with-mark-larson/

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As always feel free to reach out to me on social media!

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin

Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin

Website - https://www.rolliepeterkin.com

My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD

Tired of sacrificing comfort for a low base weight? So is Doug Johnson, a longtime BPL author on a multi-year quest to discover a luxurious-but-ultralight backcountry experience.  Doug has treated himself (and his family) to extensive cook systems, thick sleeping pads, and cozy hammocks - now he’s turned his expert eye to the world of ultralight backcountry seating. 

It’s a fascinating gear category, and one with wildly different approaches to solving what appears to be a simple problem - how to sit comfortably at the end of a long day. Andrew and Doug get things started by setting some parameters - no sit pads allowed in this podcast (or stools, or hammocks,  or...well...just give it a listen, you’ll catch on). 

Next, they jump into a few of the categories covered by Doug’s extensive Gear Guide: Inflatable Seat Kits, On-Ground Pole Supported Seats, Suspended Seats, and Frame Seats (among others). 

Doug touches briefly on the design elements and performance considerations of each category, then elaborates on some of his favorites seats in each category. He finishes by choosing his two favorite seats before taking a brief sidetrack into the hammock world. 

As they wrap up, Andrew challenges Doug to make a believer out of any die-hard gram counters that might be listening. 

• Click here for show notes

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Alex first came on the Tough Girl Podcast in October 2017 to share more about her life, from going from a 9 - 5 office job working as a graphic designer to leaving it all behind to go travelling and go on adventures. On the first episode, Alex shared more about her transition back in 2015, her north and south bound hike of the Pacific Crest Trail, plus other adventures. 

During this podcast we catch up with Alex who in 2018 completed the Appalachian Trail! Alex shares more about the journey, the high points and the challenges, as well as the mental and physical aspects. Alex shares more about how she recovered from the adventure blues, and what her next challenge is going to be, we talk in detail about the money and what’s going to be happening over the next 12 months to make it happen. 

It’s been fantastic to catch up with Alex and to share more about what she’s been achieving in the world of adventure and challenge!

Show notes

• Being on the road for 18 months and wanting to come home
• Heading back home and catching up with friends and family
• Coming home and surprising her parents!
• Wanting to go travelling again….
• Trying to decided what to do next
• Deciding to go and hike the Appalachian Trail!
• How she Alex decides what to do next
• Comfort zone?
• Knowing she can deal with the mental and physical challenge
• Expectations for the Appalachian Trail
• Starting the trail… ‘brutal start’
• Trail family….
• The biggest challenge on the Appalachian Trail
• Dealing with time pressure
• The mental side of the challenge
• The memories and the moments which stand out
• Seeing a Moose!
• Finishing the trail on the 31st August (115 days!)
• Getting back to England!
• The cure for the post adventure blues
• Being so tired for 3 months after the trail
• Feeling so much better and getting ready for the next challenge!
• Wanting to row an ocean!
• Searching for the cause of Parkinson's
• 2 oceans in 1 year! 
• Being taken out of her comfort zone….
• The make up of the rowing crews
• Needing a year to get to the start line of the Atlantic challenge
• The money!
• £85k for both oceans….
• Start date - January 4th 2020
• Going for a World Record! 
• Quick Fire Questions

 

Social Media

www.masonalexandra.com

Instagram @masonalexandra 

Facebook - @alexmasonadventurer 

Twitter @masonalexandra

Liz Thomas is among the most experienced female hikers in the US and is known for backpacking light, fast, and solo. 

In 2011, she broke the women’s unsupported speed record on the 2,181-mile long Appalachian Trail, besting the previous record by almost a week. She has completed the Triple Crown of Hiking–the Appalachian Trail, the 2,650 mile Pacific Crest Trail, and the 3,100 mile Continental Divide Trail–and has backpacked over 20,000 miles across the United States on 20 long distance hikes, including the pioneering traverse of the Chinook Trail across the Columbia River Gorge and the pioneering traverse of the Wasatch Range, which she did solo. 

Liz is affectionately known as the “Queen of Urban Hiking,” having pioneered and completed routes in 5 cities across the U.S.

Show notes

• How Liz would explain what she does
• Being passionate about getting people outdoors
• Growing up and being inspired by her teacher
• Starting to go on bigger and bigger hikes!
• The first thru-hike!
• Hiking the Appalachian Trail
• Back packing in the rail!!
• What changed after she walked the Appalachian Trail
• Reaching Mt. Katahdin 
• Getting diagnosed with Lyme Disease
• Going  through the adventure blues and how she coped with it
• Hiking the PCT and the Continental Divide Trail (10 years ago!).
• The biggest learning from the trail and dealing with the challenging weather conditions
• Advice for other women to get out hiking
• Trail names!! 
• Why she got the name Snorkel!
• Let’s talk about gear!
• Treelike Review
• The question she gets asked the most!!
• Where do you get the time and money!
• How she affords to thru hike
• Making the commitment to thru hike
• What is life like on the trail
• Physical training before starting a hike
• The struggle on hikes!
• Sharing on social media
• Book — “Long trails - Mastering The Art of The Thru Hike”
• The idea for urban hiking!
• The challenges of urban hiking….
• How are her feet!
• How urban hiking works…from the route planning and accommodation
• The next hike in New York City and why it’s intimidating!
• Quick Fire Questions!!!
• Final words of advice 

Social Media

Website - www.eathomas.com 

Twitter - @EAThomas  

Facebook - @LizThomasHiking 

This episode of the Backpacking Light Podcast is a deep dive into the world of upright canister stoves.

Canister stoves are notoriously difficult to compare accurately. Variations in testing conditions and methodology make any head-to-head comparisons suspect at best, especially when using manufacturer generated data. That’s why we developed StoveBench and spent hundreds of hours applying the methodology to virtually every sub-four ounce upright canister stove on the market.

The result is a 15,000 word gear guide chock full of graphs, charts, raw data, and our purchase recommendations for a variety of needs. In this podcast Ryan and Andrew use both StoveBench and the Upright Canister Stove Gear Guide as a springboard for their conversation.

Ryan and Andrew get things rolling by recommending that you listen to the StoveBench episode of the BPL Pod, read the StoveBench article on the website, or (preferably) both.

After that they spend some time laying the groundwork for stove comparisons: how they define the category, how they judge stove performance, and how they went about testing those performance considerations.

The last half of the pod is a convo covering a few of the stoves that stood out in the gear guide (good and bad!). As the episode unfolds, Ryan shares his thoughts on how design features affect performance, and Andrew gets into cost considerations. The guys wrap the episode with the champs: the two stoves that stood out in nearly every test. Spoiler alert: they aren’t the lightest.

• Click here for show notes

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The Appalachian Trail is an inspiration to people even after they’ve finished their hike. Some people go on to hike other Scenic Trails, others open hostels or cafes along the Trail, and then there are those that are inspired to maintain the trail for their fellow thru-hikers. In part two of ATTN’s Christmas special and the final installation of the year, Mountain Squid tells us how he was inspired to stay busy after his hike along the AT. We learn how he has kept connected with the trail that he loves by becoming part of a trail maintenance team and the work he does in encouraging hikers just starting their journey! #appalachaintrailtn #ATTNPodcast #findyourtrail

Since Christmas is right around the corner, our gift to our listeners is double the episodes! This also marks the final week of ATTN Podcast stories for the year! We appreciate everyone that has listened and the support that we have been given! Stay tuned tomorrow for part two of our Christmas special! As we’ve learned during our interviews so far, Trail Magic is an important way to show a sense of community along the Appalachian Trail. We have heard from a hiker that started giving his own trail magic while still thru-hiking, but what about the non thru-hikers? In part one of this week’s two episode special, we hear from Ben and Roxy from Blue Ridge Outdoor’s, Live Outside and Play on how providing trail magic is a great way to be a part of the trail when you’re not hiking it yourself! #appalachaintrailtn #ATTNPodcast #findyourtrail

Can you remember the last 6 months of your life, and differentiate your days from each other? Or are you stuck in a routine every day, where nothing is memorable? This is exactly how our two thru-hikers, Two-thirds and Highlander, felt in their everyday lives. However, they decided to change that and their trip along the Appalachian Trail has been nothing short of a life changer. Find out in this week’s episode, There’s a Story Waiting for You, how two very different people learned to embrace what is before them and be open to unplanned events happening. #appalachiantrailtn #ATTNPodcast #findyourtrail

We all have our own set of dreams that we hope one day come true. Whether it be landing your dream job or going to a dream destination. Well for thru-hiker, F-Ward, his hike along the Appalachian Trail is living up to everything he dreamed it would be. From the views at the Roan Highlands to the friendships that he is making along the way, learn how the AT has been nothing short of amazing for our hiker in this week’s episode! #appalachiantrailtn #ATTNPodcast #findyourtrail

WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE Have you ever visited a place and been in complete ahh of the views and your surroundings? Felt small compared to everything around you? That’s exactly how the Roan Highlands made thru-hiker, IBTAT, feel on his third visit there. To him, the views are so incredible that he just keeps coming back for me. Listen to him describe the beauty of the Roan Highlands in this week’s episode, View Like No Other! #appalachiantrailtn #ATTNPodcast #findyourtrail

Trail Magic is the gift that keeps on giving. It’s the common thread we found that ties AT Communities and hikers together. It ranges from providing food or places to stay to simple hellos as hikers pass by. These gestures mean more to hikers than most people realize. It even inspires some to do their own trail magic while on the AT. That’s what we found when we met back up with thru-hikers, Butters and Too Sweet, in this week’s podcast! They were so humbled by other’s generosity that they decided to spread the love and do Trail Magic for their fellow hikers! #appalachiantrailtn #ATTNPodcast #findyourtrail

How long do you train before taking on the AT? How much gear research do you need to do? Is any preparation even needed? The answer to these questions will vary greatly from hiker to hiker. That’s especially true for this week’s thru-hiker, Green Bean, who went from his couch to the AT only researching the gear he needed before beginning his journey. Learn in this week’s episode, Couch to AT, that it doesn’t take extensive training to conquer your hike along the Appalachian Trail! #appalachiantrailtn #ATTNPodcast #findyourtrail

Economic development means big industries and factories, right? Wrong. For the town of Roan Mountain, successful economic development has occurred due to the “sustainable crop” that is Appalachian Trail hikers investing in local businesses. According to Commissioner Mike Hill, small business is going to be the salvation of Roan Mountain, especially now that they have become Appalachian Trail Community 41. Listen to this week’s podcast, Roan is Where the Heart is, to find out how human kindness and small businesses are all you need to make the economy grow!

For most people, a family bond is formed with fellow thru-hikers while on the Appalachian Trail. You develop a family to share the good and bad memories with. Thru-hiker, Sunshine, created this family bond when he took on the Pacific Crest Trail, but decided to step away from the pack on the AT. On this week’s episode, we learn how charismatic and people-loving, Sunshine, decided to do his own thing to stay in the moment and discover what’s important to him. #appalachiantrailtn #ATTNPodcast #findyourtrail

There’s something in the air when you enter the AT Community of Roan Mountain. Depending on the time of the year it could be the crispness of fall, or in the spring the famous Rhododendrons starting to bloom that catch people’s attention. However, that’s not what Doe River Hiker Rest owner, David Magee, is referring to. When you ask him, he says there is an energy to Roan Mountain unlike any other. David has seen growth occur in this community all due to AT hikers, and only sees more good things coming their way. Find out in this week’s podcast, A Place to Call Home, how David is trying to turn Roan Mountain, TN into a place where people come back to because of the amazing experiences this community offers them! #appalachiangtrailtn #ATTNPodcast #findyourtrial

Everyone’s story is different when hiking the Appalachian Trail. This is especially true when you get a group of people from all over the country and world together. Stories range from not wanting to work, taking on the AT because of a long-distance relationship, to just wanting to be outdoors and seeing the trial. However, there is one constant to everyone’s story, they love hiking the AT! In this week’s podcast, discover how different everyone’s stories can be from a very diverse group of hikers! #appalachiantrailtn #ATTNPodcast #findyourtrail

So, you’ve had a long day hiking the AT and you’ve now found yourself in Roan Mountain, TN. All you’re wanting to do is take a shower, get a good meal, sleep in a bed and resupply you pack. What do you do? Simple, you stop at Mountain Harbor B&B and Hiker Hostel! Learn how Mountain Harbor owners, David and Mary Hill, had their lives changed by the AT community and how they are now catering to hiker’s needs in this week’s podcast! #appalachiantrailtn #ATTNPodcast #findyourtrail

[EXPLICIT] Have you ever thought about taking yourself out of your comfort zone? Experiencing or doing something you never imagined you would? That’s exactly what thru-hiker, F-Ward, did when he decided to take on the Appalachian Trial. Learn his reasonings, what he did to prepare and how he is taking one step at a time to finish his journey on this week’s podcast! #appalachiantrailtn #ATTNPodcast #findyourtrail [WARNING: Contains profanity]

For many thru-hikers, the Appalachian Trail is a chance to be transformed. This week, IBTAT, who is a YouTube celebrity and 2018 northbounder, reveals the way he feels about the AT and how it helped save his life. #appalachiantrailtn #ATTNPodcast #findyourtrail [WARNING: Mention of alcohol addiction and drugs. Also contains profanity.]