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by Doc, Bleav
Join Doc and his guests on Hiker Trash Radio, the outdoor adventure podcast that takes you on a myriad of trails. With interviews from thru hikers, skydivers, adventure athletes, big wall climbers, and more, each episode is packed with trail talk, gear tips, and hilarious misadventures. And if you thought the great outdoors was all sunshine and rainbows, think again! Tune in for tales of blistered feet, helicopter evacuations, and Type II Fun that will make you appreciate the comforts of home. Settle in and get ready to trade the city for the wilderness. It's time to embrace the suck!
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- Today27 min
Dark Miles - Larry and the Long Way Back (with Shawn Mahoney)
About Shawn Air Force veteran and former Air Force medic (medical technician) New Hampshire-based thru-hiker, endurance athlete, and fundraiser Triple Crown finisher (AT 2022, PCT 2023, CDT 2024) in three consecutive years Also completed Te Araroa (length of New Zealand, 2025) for Make-A-Wish New Zealand Has raised funds for veterans organizations, St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, Alzheimer's research, and cancer causes Has carried a log on every significant hike for 22-plus years About Larry What began as a military training tool (Shawn ran with weighted logs before boot camp) became something else after his 2019 hospitalization The log was named Larry by the New Hampshire hiking community when he started doing the high peaks Every log is Larry, even as they are replaced, including a 2,500-year-old swamp kauri from New Zealand's North Island Sea Dog Brewing Company brewed Larry the Lager in the original Larry's honor; both kegs were tapped out at the event Larry has raised tens of thousands of dollars in charitable giving across multiple causes The Crisis October 2019: Shawn was living with his cousin when the alarm he set for work kept ringing. His cousin came in to turn it off and found him unresponsive. Started CPR. Called 911. In the ICU he was, per the attending physicians, the sickest patient in the hospital. His parents were told he had a 50/50 chance of survival. He woke up with a breathing tube, his hands in restraints, and a catheter, with no memory of the preceding day He had been suffering from an undiagnosed chronic skin condition for years (75 VA and specialist visits, white blood cell counts of nearly 3,000 against a normal range of 0-100) which progressed to endocarditis (infection of the heart) He was embarrassed by his skin condition for years, wearing long sleeves and leggings even in desert heat on trail The Rebuild Goal one in the hospital: breathing tube out. Goal two: pass the speech therapist. Goal three: walk the hallway. He broke the return into the smallest possible pieces. First completed the NE111 (actually 115 peaks across NH, VT, ME, and the Adirondacks) in thirteen weeks, driving four and a half hours to trailheads, sleeping in his Honda Civic, repeating Mid-AT (2022), left trail to complete a 12-hour Tough Mudder in Pennsylvania. While other hikers went to hotels and recovered at Trail Days, he raced obstacle courses. PCT (2023) was the hardest -- a high snow year, and he hiked southbound after flipping with no other thru-hikers around for days at a time; dealt with back and shoulder injuries from the body mechanics of hiking in deep snow with a log Moment on the Marble Mountains, PCT: the log slid off his shoulder and rolled down the mountain. He left all his gear, climbed down, retrieved Larry, climbed back up. Causes Supported AT: Veterans organizations ($10,000 raised) PCT: St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital CDT: Alzheimer's research (in honor of his grandmother) Te Araroa: Make-A-Wish New Zealand Colorado Trail: Cancer causes Links Instagram: @larry.the.log Hiker Trash Radio: hikertrashradio.com Dark Miles: hikertrashradio.com/dark-miles Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- 2 days ago20 min
Trail Stories - Don't Rush Me with Andrea "Watergirl" Zelinski
About the Guest Andrea "Watergirl" Zelinski is a writer, former political reporter, and two-trail thru-hiker based in North Carolina. She covered the Texas State Legislature for the Houston Chronicle and Austin-based outlets before hiking the Appalachian Trail during the COVID pandemic in 2020. The AT led her to abandon political journalism, pivot to travel writing as senior cruise editor for Travel Weekly — a job that took her on 36 trips across five continents in three years, including Antarctica — and then to leave that job too, in 2025, to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. She is currently working on a memoir about the experience. Trail name: Watergirl. Named by a man called Medicine Man in Georgia after she embarrassed herself at a water source. They have been friends ever since. Episode Highlights Trail Name — Low-Key Superhero Five Steps The Blank Canvas COVID AT — Hiking in the 1980s But With Internet The McDonald's Family The Career Arc The Book — Don't Rush Me Links & Resources Watergirl on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adventuresofwatergirl The Name of the Stars: A Life in the Wilds — Pete Fromm. Watergirl's Off the Beaten Path recommendation — a memoir about nature, fatherhood, and what happens as we age. Blaze Physio —: https://www.blazephysio.com Appalachian Trail Conservancy — www.appalachiantrail.org — Pay It Forward: volunteer for local trail maintenance. Pacific Crest Trail Association: https://www.pcta.org Connect with Hiker Trash Radio Email: mailto:hikertashradio@gmail.com Social: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok — search Hiker Trash Radio. The full interview with Watergirl drops Wednesday in two parts. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts — it takes 60 seconds and makes a real difference. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- 3 days ago17 min
The Cottage - Episode 1: The G4 and the Yellow Pad
The Cottage — Episode 1: "The G4 and the Yellow Pad" Glenn Van Peski made himself a lighter pack because he was tired of carrying 70 pounds into the backcountry. When other hikers started asking him to make one for them, he figured 50 would cover it. 86 orders arrived before the packs shipped, and what was supposed to be a small favor became Gossamer Gear — one of the most respected names in ultralight backpacking. In this first episode of The Cottage, we trace the full arc from Glenn's garage to the moment the company almost died, and the phone call from John Mackey that saved it. We also hear from Whitney "Allgood" LaRuffa about the annual brain trust hikes where cottage gear founders would backpack together and share trade secrets, and from Lloyd Vogel on building Garage Grown Gear from his Minnesota basement into the ultralight world's one-stop shop. Featured Voices Glenn Van Peski (G Squared) — Founder, Gossamer Gear. Author of "Take Less, Do More." Whitney LaRuffa (Allgood) — Former VP, Six Moon Designs. Former President, ALDHA-West. Lloyd Vogel — CEO and Co-Founder, Garage Grown Gear. Links & Resources Gossamer Gear — gossamergear.com Garage Grown Gear — garagegrowngear.com "Take Less, Do More" by Glenn Van Peski — available at gossamergear.com and major booksellers Glenn Van Peski — glenvanpesky.com Six Moon Designs — sixmoondesigns.com Connect with Hiker Trash Radio Email: hikertashradio@gmail.com Facebook | YouTube | Instagram | TikTok Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- 5 days ago38 min
Suck It Up, Buttercup - Carl Roberson (Part II)
About the Guest Carl Roberson is a Delaware-based heavy equipment operator, Marine Corps veteran, author, and — in 1974 — the youngest person to complete a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail at age 14. He was adopted at six months old, summited the Grand Teton at 12, attended NOLS and trained under Scott Fischer at 13, and completed Georgia to Maine at 14 with a 37-pound Kelty pack, per-state guidebooks, no GPS, and a father who threatened to come pick him up if he stepped out of line. He later completed the Colorado Trail at 23, section-hiked Yellowstone and the Rockies throughout his teens, served in the Marine Corps (29 Palms and Camp Pendleton, heavy artillery), operated excavators for 47 years, and has been volunteering at Litway Hostel in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania for the past four years. His memoir, The Adventure of a Lifetime, is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart. A movie trailer has been submitted to 500 production companies. A film may follow. What's Covered in Part 2 The Life After the AT The Hostel — Litway Hostel, Mount Pocono, PA The Book — The Adventure of a Lifetime The Film — "Fact-Check Me, Motherf*cker" The Marine Corps Hiking Hack — First Aid Kit Plus Knowledge Media Recommendation — Get Outside The Legend Deflection Links & Resources The Adventure of a Lifetime — Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Adventure+of+a+Lifetime+Carl+Roberson The Adventure of a Lifetime — Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com Facebook: CarlDigit1 Instagram: CarlRobertson89 / Backpacking Adventures / Aquarius Excavation YouTube: CarlRobertsonYouTube3698 TikTok: CarlRobertson3 Litway Hostel — Mount Pocono, PA: https://www.lakenojohotel.com Connect with Hiker Trash Radio Email: mailto:hikertashradio@gmail.com Social: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok — search Hiker Trash Radio. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts — it takes 60 seconds and makes a real difference. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- 5 days ago38 min
Suck It Up, Buttercup - Carl Roberson (Part I)
About the Guest Carl Roberson is a Delaware-based heavy equipment operator, Marine Corps veteran, author, and, in 1974, the youngest person to complete a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail at age 14. He was adopted at six months old, summited the Grand Teton at 12, attended NOLS and trained under Scott Fischer at 13, and completed Georgia to Maine at 14 with a 37-pound Kelty pack, per-state guidebooks, no GPS, and a father who threatened to come pick him up if he stepped out of line. He later completed the Colorado Trail at 23, section-hiked Yellowstone and the Rockies throughout his teens, served in the Marine Corps (29 Palms and Camp Pendleton, heavy artillery), operated excavators for 47 years, and has been volunteering at Litway Hostel in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania for the past four years. His memoir, The Adventure of a Lifetime, is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart. A movie trailer has been submitted to 500 production companies. A film may follow. What's Covered in Part 1 Trailblazer's Toolkit — A Compass (and the Knowledge to Use It) The Hiking Poll — Score: 22 The Stipulations Scott Fischer — The Instructor The 1974 Trail — What Was Different Three Stories Links & Resources The Adventure of a Lifetime — Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Adventure+of+a+Lifetime+Carl+Roberson The Adventure of a Lifetime — Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com Facebook: CarlDigit1 Instagram: CarlRobertson89 / Backpacking Adventures / Aquarius Excavation YouTube: CarlRobertsonYouTube3698 TikTok: CarlRobertson3 Litway Hostel — Mount Pocono, PA: https://www.lakenojohotel.com Connect with Hiker Trash Radio Email: mailto:hikertashradio@gmail.com Social: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok — search Hiker Trash Radio. Part 2 drops in 10 minutes. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts — it takes 60 seconds and makes a real difference. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- 1 weeks ago20 min
Trail Stories - Suck It Up, Buttercup (with Carl Roberson)
About the Guest Carl Roberson is a Delaware-based heavy equipment operator, Marine Corps veteran, author, and, in 1974, the youngest person to complete a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail at age 14. He was adopted at six months old, summited the Grand Teton at 12, attended NOLS and trained under Scott Fischer at 13, and completed Georgia to Maine at 14 with a 37-pound Kelty pack, per-state guidebooks, no GPS, and a father who threatened to come pick him up if he stepped out of line. He later completed the Colorado Trail at 23, section-hiked Yellowstone and the Rockies throughout his teens, served in the Marine Corps (29 Palms and Camp Pendleton, heavy artillery), operated excavators for 47 years, and has been volunteering at Litway Hostel in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania for the past four years. His memoir, The Adventure of a Lifetime, is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart. A movie trailer has been submitted to 500 production companies. A film may follow. Episode Highlights The Stipulations Scott Fischer Connection Two Months Alone The Erwin River Crossing The SERE Ambush The Pennsylvania Rappel Suck It Up, Buttercup The Book and the Film Links & Resources The Adventure of a Lifetime — Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Adventure+of+a+Lifetime+Carl+Roberson The Adventure of a Lifetime — Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com Facebook: CarlDigit1 Instagram: CarlRobertson89 / Backpacking Adventures / Aquarius Excavation YouTube: CarlRobertsonYouTube3698 TikTok: CarlRobertson3 Litway Hostel — Mount Pocono, PA: https://www.lakenojohotel.com Connect with Hiker Trash Radio Email: mailto:hikertashradio@gmail.com Social: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok — search Hiker Trash Radio. The full interview with Carl drops Wednesday in two parts. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts — it takes 60 seconds and makes a real difference. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- 1 weeks ago15 min
The Route Makers - Bonus Episode: Real Texas Romance
The series is complete: five makers, five routes, a line drawn around the country and through a city and straight through the hardest thing a person can face. But there was one more maker we couldn't leave out, because his trail is so new, and so unlike any of the others, that it needed its own dispatch. Charlie "Freestyle" Gandy — fifth-generation Texan, former state legislator, and self-described artist — just finished walking the xTx: 1,500 miles across Texas, from the alligator-infested Sabine River on the Louisiana border to El Paso. He invented it two years ago on the Tahoe Rim Trail, postholing through snow, when it hit him that Texas needed a great winter trail. Then he borrowed a white van named Vanna White and drove it back and forth across the state three and a half times, finding the dead ends and the gates. Building a trail across Texas means a problem no other maker in this series faced: almost none of the land is public. So Charlie negotiates — hundreds of private ranchers, one easement at a time — using what he calls the "Trojan horse strategy": lead with horses, because a rancher who'd never open a gate for a backpacker will open it for a horse. Along the way the trail is gathering a tribe — Triple Crowners in their sixties, military veterans building shelters for focus and healing, whole trail towns reinventing themselves. And at the heart of it is the thing Charlie calls "real Texas romance" — the idea that a trail can pull strangers together across every kind of difference. He hikes with people whose politics are nothing like his, and the trail is the one thing they share. It's the whole series' theme, Texas-sized: a route as a reason for people to build something bigger than themselves. The line isn't finished. That's the best part — and if you want to help draw it, Charlie will tell you exactly where to go. Featured route: the xTx (X Texas Trail Project) — 1,500 miles, Louisiana border to El Paso Featured maker: Charlie "Freestyle" Gandy Learn more / get involved: extexas.org Thanks for walking The Route Makers with us. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- 1 weeks ago36 min
Living in the Pain Cave - Kaylee Frederick (Part II)
About the Guest Kaylee Frederick is a 21-year-old elite ultra-endurance athlete from Pennsylvania, currently studying biology and secondary education at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown (with a minor in chemistry, an ESL certification, and a STEM endorsement) while working four part-time jobs including forklift operator, assistant manager at a frozen custard shop, CrossFit coach, and tutor. At 18 she became the youngest person ever to finish the Badwater 135. She recently won the Eastern States 100 outright — first woman ever, first to break 24 hours, finishing 90+ minutes ahead of second place. She finished 12th female in the world at the 24-Hour World Championship in France. She trains with coach Eric Kosik. She ran a five-mile warmup before this interview at 4 AM New Zealand time. What's Covered in Part 2 The Origin Story — 7 to Badwater in Ten Years The Training Evolution — Learning What Training Actually Is Coming Up as a Teen in an Adult Sport 24-Hour World Championship — I Walk Now So I Don't Have to Walk Later The Achilles Pop Running for Her Dad — And Then For Herself Her Mom — AT 2024, 99 Days What's Next — Black Forest and Javelina Hiking Hack — Toe Socks Off the Beaten Path — The Line by Billy Yang Pay It Forward — Eastern States Trail Endurance Alliance/Association Links & Resources Kaylee Frederick — Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frederick.kaylee The Line — Billy Yang documentary on Badwater 135: https://www.youtube.com/@billyyang Eastern States Trail Endurance Alliance/Association: https://www.easternstates100.com Mount Coast T1 trail shoes — Kaylee's race shoe of choice. Recently also testing the lighter, more responsive M1. Eric Kosik — Kaylee's coach since January 2024. Connect with Hiker Trash Radio Email: mailto:hikertashradio@gmail.com Social: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok — search Hiker Trash Radio. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts — it takes 60 seconds and makes a real difference. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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About Hiker Trash Radio
Join Doc and his guests on Hiker Trash Radio, the outdoor adventure podcast that takes you on a myriad of trails. With interviews from thru hikers, skydivers, adventure athletes, big wall climbers, and more, each episode is packed with trail talk, gear tips, and hilarious misadventures. And if you thought the great outdoors was all sunshine and rainbows, think again! Tune in for tales of blistered feet, helicopter evacuations, and Type II Fun that will make you appreciate the comforts of home. Settle in and get ready to trade the city for the wilderness. It's time to embrace the suck!
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