Carrie and Molly awake to a sunny morning on Montana’s beaten path. The morning is made even more delightful by pop tart surprisey time in a bug free zone. They make decisions about their route and describe a stunning lake along the trail. The sisters reflect on their appreciation of out and back trails and swim at Dewey Lake as clouds gather. At their camp site, they watch “ice bergs” float in fossil lake and experience a strange animal encounter.

Today on the podcast—we travel The Beaten Path in Montana and experience the wild and scenic rivers of this trail. We talk about conditions that keep us in versus out of our tents, creek crossings, beating back bugs, and the never ending beauty of the Beartooth Mountains.

Carrie and Molly pivot between options in Montana’s Beartooth range due to weather conditions. The sisters make the trek over Beartooth Pass and arrive at Clark’s Fork to take in the rugged beauty of the Beaten Path Trail. Everything is going great until the sisters realize they cannot outrun the hungry mosquitos inhabiting the high alpine lakes of the Absaroka-Beartooth wilderness. Join us as we experience this beautiful and wild place!

Join Carrie and Molly on this replay episode from their 2024 series as they recap their 5th day on the Wonderland Trail. The more time goes by, the more the sisters look back at this being perhaps the best backpacking trip they’ve ever done!

The cool morning begins with Molly discovering an unpleasant surprise. The girls set out and are thankful to find a small water source before beginning a long, dry stretch of trail. The girls contemplate a “universal truth” which occurs whenever you haven’t seen a person a trail all day. They ascend into the clouds, facing some unfortunate realities when they get cell service. Forging on, the sisters admire the beauty of Indian Bar in the fall. Molly is reminded of the importance of paying attention to the trail, and is left with a bloody knee. That evening’s menu includes hot electrolytes and the return of Rachel’s fateful chocolate cheesecake.

If you enjoy this episode, search “Wonderland Trail around Mount Rainier” for the full series.

On a beautiful morning at Colchuck Lake, Rachel notices something strange in the water. A goat wanders through camp, the trip back is easier for a surprising reason, upon arriving at the car, something unexpected awaits. Misadventures abound as members of the group try to make their flights. We wrap up the series in this episode you won’t want to miss!

Join Carrie and Molly as they awake at Colchuck Lake after a chilly night. Their group makes the trip up Asgaard pass, using a team oriented approach to tackling the grueling ascent. After a few false summits, they arrive at the top of the pass and are welcomed by one of the ambassadors of the enchantments core. They reflect on how different the core looks covered in snow, and the group must come to a decision on their day’s itinerary. Carrie and Molly discuss which is worse on Asgaard: ascending or descending.

The first night at Colchuck lake brings wild thunderstorms and the group wakes to find the mountains socked in. They take their time in the morning, enjoying Aeropress coffee and weighing their options. In the end, a statement from one member causes them to pivot to their backup hike for the day. The Stuart Lake trail brings them new trail characters and a new way to describe fallen trees via the “pilate ball theory.” Rachel experiments with Vienna sausages and creates a new rating system, the group becomes separated, and discovers that eating “garden fresh” food is not always as good as it sounds. Tune in to hear this and much more!

Carrie and Molly set off for Colchuck Lake with their group, navigating the elevation while offering grapes to all they meet. They notice something many day hikers need. Upon arriving at the lake, Molly learns why she doesn’t prefer to hike with two packs. The group rushes to find a suitable camp site as large rain drops fall.

Molly and Carrie agree they’ll join a friend backpacking the enchantments if she wins a permit—but when their friend ACTUALLY wins they must kick it into gear to experience their earliest season backpacking trip ever.

Carrie and Molly invite you to join this throwback episode, bringing you stories from their fifth day in Wyomong’s Wind River Range! You’ll hear a ballad which Carrie deems an instant classic, inspiring your very own theme song for the Winds. Revel in the incredible granite peaks for a phenomenal alpineglow while camping at Shadow Lake. Then—of course—the rain is back! Bringing lightning, thunder, and hail!