Off-Trail With Dixie Podcast

Joe Mooney is the creator of Homesteadonomics, a popular YouTube channel dedicated to the journey of modern homesteading, DIY building, and sustainable living. From constructing his own travel trailer camper to sustaining his family on 90% rainwater collection, Joe focuses on learning by doing and sharing the honest ups and downs of a self-sufficient lifestyle.

Follow Joe’s Next Project:

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@homesteadonomics

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/homesteadonomics

George “Billy Goat” Woodard is a living legend in the long-distance backpacking community. After a serving in the military and later retiring as a Maine railroad conductor, Billy Goat reinvented himself as one of the most prolific thru-hikers of all time. Over the course of about three decades, he has logged around 55,000 miles—the equivalent of walking around the world more than twice.

Fowler O'Sullivan Foundation: https://fofound.orgKris Fowler, aka “Sherpa” vanished on October 12, 2016 with less than 400 miles to go on his Pacific Crest Trail Thru-hike from Mexico to Canada. His step-mother, Sally Guyton Fowler, has been searching for any sign of Kris ever since while becoming a leading voice in hiker safety. By keeping Kris Fowler's story alive she hopes to finally find answers to what happened to him and help keep it from happening to hikers in the future.

Try the onX Backcountry App and tell them I sent you: https://www.onxmaps.com/purchase/backcountry/membership

Sean “Shug” Emery is a former Ringling Brothers circus clown turned entertaining outdoor video creator. Known as the "Lord of Lollygag" across the backpacking community, Shug has spent nearly two decades teaching thousands of people how to master four-season hammock camping through his YouTube channel. Recently, Shug has inspired his community in a whole new way, facing a chronic myeloid leukemia diagnosis and documenting his ongoing recovery from a rigorous bone marrow transplant with his signature resilience, transparency, and light-hearted spirit.

Follow Shug on YouTube:

https://youtube.com/@shugemery

Support Shug’s Gofundme:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/rallying-for-seans-fight-with-cml-leukemia

Try the onX Backcountry App and tell them I sent you: https://www.onxmaps.com/purchase/backcountry/membership

Sisters Jessica Buscher and Melanie McGuirk, and friend Katie Brink are the three hikers who survived the recent catastrophic flash flood in the deepest, narrowest corridor of Grand Canyon National Park on August 29, 2026. What was planned as a scenic 24-mile Rim-to-Rim bucket-list trek turned into a multi-hour nightmare. Trapped inside the notorious, sheer-walled section known as "The Box," the trio faced a sudden 15-foot wall of water carrying uprooted trees and rolling boulders. While their survival might be attributed by some to “luck,” their quick thinking and team work ultimately led to their rescue. Jessica’s Etsy Shop:https://stitchoftimedesigns.etsy.com(50% of proceeds go to flooding victim’s families for month of September)

Try the onX Backcountry App and tell them I sent you: https://www.onxmaps.com/purchase/backcountry/membershipTaylor Tognacci, better known in the backpacking community as the “Nahamsha Hiker” is a prominent New Hampshire-based thru-hiker, peak bagger, YouTuber, and small business owner. Originally from Massachusetts, she fell in love with the mountains after moving to New Hampshire for college. Her love for the White Mountains blossomed into a passion for the Appalachian Trail which she has now traversed—more than once. Her latest and most rewarding adventure is nurturing a love for the outdoors in her daughters as a mom of two under three. Follow Taylor’s Next Journey :YouTube: https://youtube.com/@taylorthenahamshahikerInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/nahamsha.hiker

Try the onX Backcountry App and tell them I sent you: https://www.onxmaps.com/purchase/backcountry/membership

Marina Piro is a DIY builder and jewelry maker, the creator of the popular YouTube channel Wild She Goes, and my kindred spirit in Italy. After trading her corporate desk job for a van, Marina and her rescue labradoodle, Odie, became international inspirations for minimalist travel. Today, she documents the messy, beautiful reality of designing a life close to nature, sharing the good and the bad of her ongoing journey toward self-sufficiency, off-grid living, and practical DIY skills.

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@wildshegoes?si=Fo7QicNXgUGRhqnN

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildshegoes91/

Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/OndaMarinaJewellery?ref=hdr_shop_menu

0:00 Intro

7:02 Marina's Journey From The Corporate Life to Self-Sufficiency

10:23 Covid

14:39 How Marina Learned Her Homesteading Skills

16:44 Disillusioned With Homesteading and Other Dreams

34:25 Life Changes

45:50 Rescuing Dogs

49:59 Composting

54:08 Community

57:24 YouTube

1:05:07 Upcoming Plans

Music: Tangled by Evelynn Ray https://youtu.be/vyfB_whvPJY?si=us_LsEkcnfKKfaCu

Intro by Aaron Mattox

Try the onX Backcountry App and tell them I sent you: https://www.onxmaps.com/purchase/backcountry/membership

Sgt. Aaron Eddins is an elite competitive shooter and marksmanship instructor for the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit's Action Shooting Team. A native of Wilkesboro, North Carolina, he transitioned from collegiate sports into practical shooting, where his rapid success earned him direct recruitment into the Army’s prestigious shooting unit. Today, he trains operational soldiers while maintaining a dominant presence in the USPSA and IPSC circuits. His major recent accolades include winning the 2026 IPSC Pan American Handgun Championship, the 2026 USPSA Area 5 & 7 Championships, a 2025 IPSC World Shoot Gold Medal with the Men's Open Team in South Africa and the 2022 USPSA Racegun National Open Championship.

Watch The Action:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayeayeron_eddins

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@aaroneddins

Try the onX Backcountry App and tell them I sent you: https://www.onxmaps.com/purchase/backcountry/membership

Penny Hawkins Smith, BSN, RN, known to millions online as “Hospice Nurse Penny,” is a certified hospice and palliative care nurse, author, and end-of-life educator. After overcoming personal battles with addiction, Penny found her true calling in nursing at age 40, dedicating over two decades to bedside care and patient advocacy. Today, she uses her massive social media platforms, sharp humor, and personal insights to destigmatize death and comfort the grieving.

Learn More From Penny:

•Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hospicenursepenny

•Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HospiceNursePenny

•TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hospicenursepenny

•YouTube: https://youtube.com/@hospicenursepenny

•Book: https://www.hospicenursepenny.com/book

Try the onX Backcountry App an Try the onX Backcountry App and tell them I sent you: https://www.onxmaps.com/purchase/backcountry/membership

Ryan Van Duzer is an American adventurer and filmmaker, known for his car-free and bike-powered journeys. After earning a broadcast journalism degree from the University of Colorado, his path as an adventurer was established during a Peace Corps stint in Honduras, which concluded with him pedaling a bicycle 4,000 miles back to his hometown of Boulder, Colorado. Over his career, Van Duzer has hosted and produced high-energy outdoor and travel content for prominent networks like the Travel Channel. Eventually shifting his focus to YouTube, he grew a dedicated audience by documenting grueling long-distance expeditions, such as cycling the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route and more.

Follow Ryan Van Duzer’s Next Adventure:

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@UCVcUzl95VwxrIEQnu9xI21g

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/duzer

0:00 Thru-hiking vs Bikepacking

1:50 What Got Ryan Van Duzer into Biking

11:33 From Public Access to TV to YouTube

18:58 Ryan's Survival TV Show on Discovery

29:04 Ryan's Great Divide Bikepacking Adventure

40:05 The Challenge of Having 25 People Join You on a 500 Mile Bikepacking Trip

49:31 How To Get Into Bikepacking

54:13 Traffic is More Dangerous Now

1:02:51 Documenting Travels

1:06:58 Branching Out to Other Adventures

1:10:24 Plugs

Music: Tangled by Evelynn Ray https://youtu.be/vyfB_whvPJY?si=us_LsEkcnfKKfaCu

Intro by Aaron Mattox