Puma Salad, known off trail as Alfred Smith, first thru hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 2016.  Returning in 2018, a planned thru hike with his girlfriend became a spiritual journey of self reflection.  In this episode we talk about that journey, the routines & systems of the trail & the importance of “safety meetings”.  Just listen, you’ll get it.

Eleven, known off trail as Meredith Johnson, spent 10 years dreaming about thru hiking the Appalachian Trail.  Embracing her inner bad ass, she stepped on the trail in 2018. One trail stumble..one surgery for a broken elbow...6 weeks of rehab and a burning desire to complete her thru hike, she successfully summitted Katahdin after 118 days.   If you happen to see her on the Pacific Crest Trail this year, be sure to say "HI".

Oilcan, known off trail as Eddie Boyd, spent his senior year of high school prepping for his SOBO hike of the Appalachian Trail. Twenty-five miles in, he abandoned the trail. As you can probably guess, that's not the end of the story. In this episode, he talks about leaving then returning to the trail in the same year and subsequently completing his Triple Crown.

Today's episode is the continuation of my conversation with American Idol, known off the PCT as Gretel Scarlett. In this bonus episode, she discusses the dangers of following other people's footprints, her on-the-trail reality versus family at home perceptions and the delicate topic of hygiene on the trail.

American Idol, known off trail as Gretel Scarlett, is an actress, singer, dancer and successful Pacific Crest Trail thru hiker from Australia. During this episode, we discuss the unique challenges of being a SOBO PCT thru hiker, a woman and a non-American on the trail. And how a little DIY ingenuity to stay warm created the ‘Tyvek Burrito’.
Gretel’s trail stories and advice was so in-depth that we talked for an extended period of time, giving us two full episodes. Watch for the second part of my conversation with Gretel - Episode #8 American Idol aka Gretel Scarlett Continues.

Sheriff Woody, known off trail as Matt Berger, has made a career out of thru hiking since stepping on the AT in 2012.   Having completed the Triple Crown, he admits there are some sections he wants to go back and pick up in order for it to feel truly finished.  In this episode, he shares some great stories of animals, food and learning the hard way.

Whether you know him as Tin Man or Deep Doug, Douglas Hurdle has hiked over 7900 miles to complete his Triple Crown in 2017 and along the way discovered his passion for adventure photography. Having hiked both solo and in groups, during this episode he shared his perspective on the good and bad of both and their impact on trail finances.

Cheesebeard, known off trail as Josh Tippett, has styled his life around thru hiking since stepping on the Appalachian Trail in 2015. Upon completing the Continental Divide Trail in 2017, he became a Triple Crowner as well. Discovering his love of photography during the miles and months on the trails. In 2018, he and Oilcan, whom you will meet in a few weeks, collaborated to create and hike the Greater Yellowstone Traverse (GYT).

O.G. (or 'old gear' to the rest of us) is known off trail as Neal Hanlin (@hikerog). He currently works for a green coffee warehouse in Portland having completed his Triple Crown in 2017 by successfully SOBO hiking the Continental Divide Trail. Neal also has a deep background in gear , so we totally geek out during this episode.

J-Man, known off trail as Nick Johnson (@nickwenthiking) is a 1st Asst Director and self-described van living hiker person who has completed the John Muir and Pacific Crest Trails. If you hiked the PCT in 2018, you might have seen him in Southern California where he paid it back with a little trail magic.