This week we’re talking about the best ways to beat the heat while hiking in the summer (hint: #1 is to hike somewhere it’s not hot).

Resources:

* American Hiking Society’s Guide to Hot Weather Hiking

* Cody’s Guide to The 10 Essentials (check out that sun protection section)

* The 100% Official, Totally Cool Nature’s Call Patreon

Get yourself a Nalgene to collect your Wild Marks on!

Liz and Danny are back. They’re leaving for their 7,000-mile, cross-country trek in a little over a month but before they leave, they’re advising you on your next backpacking tent (or your very first)!

Join the Wild Marks Club on our Patreon today.

The dynamics at play when choosing a new tent are:

* Weight

* Comfort/Durability

* Cost

Resources from today:

* TentPole Technologies

* NC Patreon Page

Tents Mentioned:

* REI Half Dome 2 Plus

* REI Half Dome 1 Plus

* NEMO Hornet 2P

* Big Agnes Copper Spur

* Zpacks Duplex

***

TW: This episode contains descriptions of violence.

Susan Ramsay and Robert Mountford Jr. were social workers in the early ’80s who were hiking the Appalachian Trail to raise for the disabled children they worked with. They were murdered outside of Pearisburg, Virginia in May of 1981.

The same man later attacked Scott Johnston and Sean Farmer near Dismal Creek, also outside of Pearisburg.

Sources for the Episode:

* My Favorite Murder, ep 125

* Blood on the Mountain, WaPo article

* I Survived episode featuring Scott and Sean

* ’96 Roanoke Times article about killer’s release

Gear for Checking in Via Satellite:

* Spot3 GPS

* Garmin InReach

* Somewear Labs (pre-order only)

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER! Sorry for the delay, guys and gals. I had a technical issue earlier this week when I sat down to edit and delayed the episode.

Tim Hunt (@timgoeswild) is a “Good Guy to Know” at SlingFin, the makers of the wonderful 2LiteTrek. He’s PCT and AT class of ’15 and he’s here to tell us about the time he almost froze to death, growing up in the Sierras, and the year he took on two of the biggest hikes in the US.

Tesla believes their Model X can take me into the backcountry.

I took one for a test drive and asked a lot of questions of their sales rep to decide if I think this is true.

Resources from this episode:

* Tesla’s Model X (go check one out)

* Outside Magazine’s Tesla article

* Chacos – the most kickass sandals you can own

Please, leave a rating and a review on iTunes, it helps other people hear about the show (and decide that they should listen to it).

They hiked 200 miles in 2 weeks, killed the guy who insulted them and changed the course of American history while completely drunk.

Carson Sailor, Executive Director of the Southern Appalachian Historical Association, sat down with me in Boone, North Carolina to talk about the mountain men of the Lost Province and their outsized impact on a way they wanted no part of.

Carson broke down the gear and grit of these mountain men.

Things we mentioned:

* Horn in the West and Hickory Ridge Museum

* Making charcloth (Joe Robinet teaches the technique in this video)

* The Ecological Indian by Shepherd Krech III

We. Talk. Food.

Sabrina left for the PCT TWO DAYS after we did this episode. She was in final planning mode and was getting her last ducks in a row.

Here are all the foods she recommended:

* Smashmallow

* Baker on Main

* ZipFizz

* Snickers (Almond AND Hazelnut)

* Excalibur Dehydrator (it makes food)

We compared poison ivy (great audio content, I know).

You can follow Sabrina on Instagram to track her progress on the PCT.

Remember to tweet and ‘gram out #snickersforSabrina so we can Sabrina that sweet, sweet Snickers sponsorship.

The CONCLUSION to Kinsey and Cody’s Appalachian Adventure.

Resources to plan your AT hike:

* Postholer’s AT map (the trailhead and weather overlays are super helpful!)

* The trailhead we started from

Gear I mentioned:

* Osprey Exos 58 (I LOVE THIS PACK!)

* MSR Water Filter (smaller and updated since I purchased)

Gear Kinsey mentioned:

* NEMO Rave – 15* Down Bag, super comfy “spoon-shaped” ladies’ sleeping bag

* prAna Halle pants – Kinsey really liked these pants, they fit well and didn’t chafe, etc.

* SmartWool 250 Midlayer – lowers

The Book Kinsey was reading:

* All the Little Children by Jo Furniss

Special thanks to Liz for recommending the Halle pants and SmartWool 250 midlayer!

Trekking poles are tricky. I talk about how I use them to go up and downhill.

If you’re interested in the Nature’s Call Merit Badge system, send me a Facebook message (just click the “Send Message” button) and we can chat about you’d like to see in the program!

Resources to plan your AT hike:

* Postholer’s AT map (the trailhead and weather overlays are super helpful!)

* The trailhead we started from

Gear I mentioned:

* Osprey Exos 58 (I LOVE THIS PACK!)

* MSR Water Filter (smaller and updated since I purchased)

Gear Kinsey mentioned:

* NEMO Rave – 15* Down Bag, super comfy “spoon-shaped” ladies’ sleeping bag

* prAna Halle pants – Kinsey really liked these pants, they fit well and didn’t chafe, etc.

* SmartWool 250 Midlayer – lowers

The Book Kinsey was reading:

* All the Little Children by Jo Furniss

Special thanks to Liz for recommending the Halle pants and SmartWool 250 midlayer!

 

My wife Kinsey’s first backpacking trip!

We stayed at the Moreland Gap Shelter on the AT. We met a lot of thru-hikers and even more sections hikers. You can hike the AT in bite-sized pieces if you only have a week or two a year to get out!

Resources to plan your AT hike:

* Postholer’s AT map (the trailhead and weather overlays are super helpful!)

* The trailhead we started from

Gear I mentioned:

* Osprey Exos 58 (I LOVE THIS PACK!)

* MSR Water Filter (smaller and updated since I purchased)

Gear Kinsey mentioned:

* NEMO Rave – 15* Down Bag, super comfy “spoon-shaped” ladies’ sleeping bag

* prAna Halle pants – Kinsey really liked these pants, they fit well and didn’t chafe, etc.

* SmartWool 250 Midlayer – lowers

The Book Kinsey was reading:

* All the Little Children by Jo Furniss

Special thanks to Liz for recommending the Halle pants and SmartWool 250 midlayer!