You never know what you might find crawling around in the backcountry…

[Read more...]

Episode 25: Flip Flop Flippin’

In Episode 25, Scott "Squatch" Herriott talks about his three part series Flip Flop Flippin'.  The films were shot on the Appalachian Trail during the summers of 2011, 2012, and 2014 and they follow the thru-hiker community as they make their way along the nearly 2200 mile trail. In the show, "Squatch" talks about his first ventures in to the wilderness, some of the thru-hikers and trail angels that he met on the A.T., and his experience as a filmmaker in the backcountry.  His … [Read more...]

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble

Man this is making me hungry, let's go get some lunch. Wild Turkey at Zion National Park. … [Read more...]

We weathered rain, slippery rocks, bears, and put Rebel to rest this weekend

Just returned from a loop hike at Blood Mountain via the Reece Memorial, Freeman, and Appalachian Trails. We were aware that bears were a problem in this area and reminded immediately by a sign at the trailhead. Here's two of our crew at the junction of the three trails. The 1.8 mile hike along the Freeman Trail was wet and slippery and much harder than I remembered it. There's not a lot of elevation change, but it's really rocky in sections. We arrive to an empty Woods Hole Shelter around … [Read more...]

Episode 15: Ultimate Summer Road Trip (Mackie)

In Episode 15, Mackie and I sit down to discuss a 65 day and 17,000 mile cross-country road trip that went down in the summer of 1996.  On the journey, we hiked sections of the Appalachian, Continental, and Pacific Crest National Scenic Trails and visited some treasured American wilderness including Isle Royal, Glacier, Mt. Ranier, Redwoods, Yosemite, and Grand Canyon National Park. In the podcast, Mackie talks about the adventure, some major mishaps, high and low moments from the … [Read more...]

The Ultimate Summer Roadtrip – Part Two (Coming Soon)

Had a chance to record a podcast with Mackie recently for "The Ultimate Summer Roadtrip - Part Two".   It's in the editing room right now and should be ready for release by the end of this week.   In the meantime, check out "The Ultimate Summer Roadtrip - Part One" if you haven't already.   It will get you primed for Part Two and recaps a cross-country hiking/backpacking trip I did with Snyder (aka The Ox)  two years after my 1996 trip with Mackie (who is shown above at our interview in … [Read more...]

Episode 14: Ultimate Summer Road Trip (Ox)

In Episode 14, Steve (aka The Ox) and I do an in-studio interview about a 38 day cross-country road trip that took place in the summer of 1998.  We spent most of the tour in the western United States and Canada (Alberta and British Columbia) where we went backpacking and fishing in the Rockies, Cascades, and on the coast of the Pacific Northwest. In the podcast, The Ox talks about the high and low moments on our road trip, some favorite campsites in the backcountry, and breaking down on … [Read more...]

Rattlesnakes In Them Thar Hills

We were hiking the Appalachian Trail just north of Neels Gap and ran in to this Timber Rattlesnake crossing the path during a hike to Wolf Laurel Top.  Fortunately, Ken was leading us because both Brett and I were listening to our iPods to motivate us up an 800' incline. Let that be a lesson ... if you plan to rock out during your hike, then take position in the back of the pack! Follow this link for a photo of the rattlesnake!  … [Read more...]

U.S. Forest Service Discourages Backcountry Camping In Panthertown Valley

In the last five years, I've noticed a lot more backcountry visitors to Panthertown Valley during my day and overnight hikes in the area. It seems the bears have followed. The US Forest Service in North Carolina issed this alert on October 29th: JACKSON COUNTY, N.C. — The U.S. Forest Service is discouraging people from backcountry camping and from bringing food into the Panthertown Valley area of the Nantahala Ranger District, Nantahala National Forest, following several bear encounters. … [Read more...]

Yellowstone 2002, Heart Lake – Trip Video

This is a slideshow from a 2002 hike in Yellowstone National Park.  We started the 23 mile backpacking trip in the southwestern corner of  the Park and hiked past campsites on the Snake River, Basin Creek Lake, and Heart Lake.  You will notice charred and downed trees from the 1988 fires in the video and plenty of thermal features and wildlife.  There's also a few slides from Jackson, WY and Red Lodge, MT where we stayed before and after the hike. … [Read more...]