BirdShooter's Backpacking Blog & Podcast Series
It's been 25 years since I set out to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. Time has moved exponentially since then, and I now appreciate that there are a few pivotal years in your life. 1994 was the year for me. In the winter of 1994 I lived in Chicago. I moved to Illinois from North Carolina and as a 20 something enjoyed the conveniences of this large city - walking to restaurants, bars, friend's houses, and taking the short train rides to Cubs and Bears games. … [Read more...]
In Episode 75, Tim Harrison snowmobiles to the top of Bates Ridge in northern Maine to catch up after our visit to Harrison's Pierce Pond Camps last fall. The camp is 1/10th of a mile off the Appalachian Trail and is coveted by thru-hikers for the hearty 7am breakfast - served to backpackers in the scenic backdrop off Pierce Pond Lean-To and 16 miles from the nearest township. In the show, Tim tells us about running the camp since 1986, his experience with hikers over the years, shares … [Read more...]
In Episode 59, I speak with Bart Smith (aka Infinite Dust) who was recently featured in Backpacker Magazine as "The Man Who Hiked It All". Since 1992, Bart has hiked nearly 35,000 miles on 30 of America's National Scenic and Historic Trails - completing the last of the Trails by October 2nd, 2018 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the National Trails Act. In the show, Bart tells us about his backcountry photography, the coffee table book he completed with Earl Shaffer on the … [Read more...]
In Episode 57, Rand tells us about his recent Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim hike through the Grand Canyon in Arizona. This spring he hiked the 42 mile route in 12 hours starting at the South Rim at sunrise, tagging the North Rim by noon, and returning to his starting point near The Yavapai Lodge by sunset - logging more than 20K feet of elevation change while on the trail. In the podcast, Rand tells us about the backcountry experience - with suggestions on how and when to hike the route and intel on what … [Read more...]
In Episode 56, 3 Dub (aka the World Wide Wanderer) returns to the show to tell us about his spring hike on the 477 mile Camino de Santiago through the countries of France and Spain. You might recall that Phillip spent 7 months hiking northbound or "NOBO" on the Appalachian Trail last summer and that we spoke in Episode #51 only a few days before his departure to Europe to hike the Camino. In the podcast, 3 Dub updates us on his travels and shares some tips and tricks for thru-hiking the … [Read more...]
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, and the drastically different climates of the Pacific Northwest and Southern … [Read more...]
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 season ramping up ... 3Dub and I talk right before he departed for Europe and his spring hike on … [Read more...]
In 2003, I lost my wedding ring in this exact same spot while #backpacking on the #BentonMacKayeTrail at the #ToccoaRiver. Apparently I'm not the first. … [Read more...]
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 hikers that were on the Trail in 1994. Yes there were far fewer backpackers on the … [Read more...]
A #thruhiker friend just shared this cool pic of an #AppalachianTrail marker from a recent #backpacking trip. … [Read more...]
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