Goatcast

Jan Bakker doesn’t exactly do ordinary hiking trips.

He has trekked extensively in Nepal, spent years exploring East Africa, crossed remote parts of the Rwenzoris, climbed mountains including Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya, and led expeditions into places where there isn’t always a trail to follow.

He is also one of the driving forces behind the Pamir Trail, a 1,310-kilometre long-distance route across Tajikistan, and co-author of the Cicerone guidebook Trekking in Tajikistan.

In this episode of Goatcast, Sierd talks to Jan about exploration, route finding, the Pamirs, Nepal and Africa, what it takes to create a trail from scratch, and why there are still plenty of places left where a line on a map can turn into a proper adventure.

And naturally, we start with the most important question: what is the coolest thing Jan has ever done?

Follow Jan and his projects on Instagram:
@jb37north
@pamirtrail
@summitsofafrica

Jan’s Cicerone guide, Trekking in Tajikistan:
https://www.cicerone.co.uk/trekking-in-tajikistan


00:00 Introduction: Meet Jan Bakker
01:16 A honeymoon sea-kayaking adventure
03:01 Life in the Scottish wilderness
05:36 How the Pamir Trail began
13:30 Expanding into Afghanistan
17:15 Travel, culture, and genuine local connection
20:34 Scotland, family, and raising adventurous kids
22:43 Climbing Africa’s highest peaks
28:34 Trekking freedom: Tajikistan vs. Nepal and Africa
32:59 Packrafting across Uganda
35:54 A packrafting guidebook for Scotland
38:37 Solo adventure, fear, and mountain therapy
42:48 Trekking in Nepal and travelling respectfully
50:51 Preparing physically and mentally for the mountains
55:20 Cultural tips for East African trekking
59:22 What adventure means to Jan now
60:33 The best adventure partner

Sophie Sandkühler shares the realities of running the Pfälzerhütte in Liechtenstein: water shortages, unexpected visitors, demanding logistics, and the teamwork behind a remote mountain hut. She and host Sierd van der Bij discuss guest safety, mountain culture, and how shared dinners bring strangers together. Sophie also reflects on her final season and what comes next.

00:00 Welcome to the Goat Coast
01:23 Life at the Pfälzerhütte
01:54 The tourists who drove to the hut
04:05 Supplying a remote mountain hut
05:41 Water shortages and a busy summer season
08:59 Why Sophie took over the hut
11:50 The reality of working in the mountains
14:30 Living and working as a close-knit team
17:51 Friendship, teamwork, and running the hut together
18:58 Building a sense of community in the hut
20:31 Safety, inclusion, and making guests feel welcome
24:16 Balancing tradition with change
30:20 Caring for an old mountain hut
31:56 How strangers become friends around the table
38:42 Alcohol culture and team boundaries
41:42 Mountain safety and helping unprepared hikers
46:35 Hiking the Liechtenstein Panorama Trail
49:34 Sophie’s decision to leave after two seasons
52:29 Life in the kitchen and future travel plans
54:47 The final weeks of the season
56:24 Goodbye from the Pfälzerhütte

Daniel Sulaiman has spent years walking some of the Alps’ bigger hut-to-hut routes with the same loose circle of friends, a camera, and a practical sense of what the mountains do to people. In this conversation, he talks about how those hikes became a yearly ritual, why he films them the way he does, and how group dynamics can become just as important as the landscape.

They discuss the Tour de Mont Blanc, Alta Via 1, the Stubai High Trail, and the Berliner Höhenweg, and what happens when the weather, food, altitude, and friendships all start asking something of you at the same time.

[9:07 AM]

00:00 - Daniel’s hiking films and how the project began

05:26 - Making long documentaries for the group

06:08 - Filming people, not just scenery

10:22 - The difficult Alta Via 1 trip

14:25 - Why a hike should be slightly challenging

16:45 - Carrying 18 to 20 kilos of camera gear

19:43 - Why the films stay private

21:38 - The Berliner Höhenweg and a missed lunch

24:30 - Fixing problems as a group

26:31 - Making the films for Teddy

29:43 - Comparing the different hikes

38:01 - A tough section of the Berliner Höhenweg

41:38 - Merel joins the group

44:51 - The camera setup and charging in mountain huts

47:42 - Future trips and advice for Teddy

52:23 - Challenge yourself, but do it together

Nicole Hill joins Goatcast for her first podcast and talks about discovering hiking, taking on the Tour du Mont Blanc, and exploring Portugal’s Fisherman’s Trail.She shares what trekking is really like, from carrying your own pack and sleeping in shared mountain huts to dealing with heat, sand, limited water, and long days on the trail. Nicole also talks about growing up in Oklahoma, snowboarding in Pennsylvania, recovering from a serious car accident, and how travel helped her build confidence.

00:00 Meet Nicole Hill: hiker, traveler, and trail creator 00:43 From Oklahoma to Pennsylvania 05:15 Discovering the outdoors and backpacking 10:44 Snowboarding, discomfort, and pushing boundaries 13:31 Hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc for the first time 18:06 Hut-to-hut life, strangers, and trail community 24:03 Why the TMB resonates with American hikers 32:22 Going viral and sharing trail stories online 35:33 The Fishermen’s Trail and Madeira 42:34 What’s next: the Dolomites and more adventures 43:40 Recovery, gratitude, and choosing to keep moving 47:22 Quickfire questions 49:08 Who Nicole would share a mountain-hut drink with

What happens when solo travel, mountain huts, bad weather and a bit of stubbornness all meet on the same trail? Kimberly Kephart has spent years finding out. From the Dolomites to the French Alps, she talks honestly about what hut-to-hut hiking really feels like when you are on your own, carrying your own doubts, and learning to trust your own judgment.