Sounds of the Trail

How would we describe this podcast? Well, we have thru-hikers interviewing other thru-hikers, about thru-hiking, while they thru-hike… Time to meet the crew making the magic – formal introductions to our 2017 correspondent team.

It’s finally arrived! Thru-hiking season! We explore some of the what-ifs, hopes, and dreams of 2017 hopeful thru-hikers as we launch Season 3 of Sounds of the Trail. Special guests Amelia and Denise.

It’s that moment that you realize it might be possible… with thru-hiking season getting started, a lot of us are taking a hard look at our goals right now. Those goals you’re not guaranteed – the ones you have to put yourselves out for. In today’s episode, we check back in with a man with...

For the start of a new year, we’re leading off with a look back at the last, as we hear from trail correspondent Hey Girl and special guest Sphagnum PI. We follow along on the crazy ride from the night before the finish of the Appalachian Trail to a few months later. If you’re looking...

What does community look like, when it’s made out of a bunch of unwashed people wandering directionally around the woods? Today we explore some facets of the trail community, and what makes it so special. Today’s episode is hosted and produced by Homework, with editing and assistant production by Gizmo. Special guests Crumb Cakes, Boo...

It’s getting to be that time of year again – the end of summer thru-hiking season. Our first hikers are completing their journeys – today we get to hear from two of them, Homework and Juan Durer. Lessons learned, summits summitted, and the feeling of the end. There’s a lot of heart in this episode...

What’s so great about the outdoors anyway? It’s worth one more podcast at least, so we re-visit the topic in today’s episode. The best part of being outdoors, true love, and a community too good to leave behind – it’s just cool to be in the forest.

Are thru-hikes a spirit quest? Or just a long walk? Sometimes spirituality on the trail is the goal, sometimes it just happens to us anyways. We have two great interviews today with hikers of different stripes who’ve both found things worth believing out on the trail. We’re especially pleased to have a Triple Crown hiker...

It’s time for a little catching up! In this week’s podcast, we spend a bunch of time with Homework, to find out where he is on the Continental Divide Trail. In between updates we try to figure out what’s so great about the outdoors anyhow. Special guests Smiles and Umgawa

Mt Whitney marriage proposals, injuries, and goats as wedding guests… this episode has it all! But one conversation that often gets left out of trail talk is the stickier subject of race in the thru-hiking community. Well, today we talk about that too. The subject of hikers of color has been making the rounds on...

Your most important piece of hiking equipment? It’s your meat suit, that ol’ body of yours that’s doing the work to get from place to place. In today’s episode we talk about the effects of thru-hiking on our bodies… and our minds, because that’s part of our body too. We also have two interviews with...

Being on trail is a great way to get to know… yourself. From the gross to the profound, our correspondents and fellow hikers discuss what they’ve learned so far from their time as thru-hikers. Big thanks to Audible for supporting our podcast! Get a free 30 day trial at audible.com/hikertalk. Special guests: Magic Mike, El...

With just one life to live, why spend it walking around the country, being hot, cold, thirsty, hungry, and tired? In today’s podcast, we ask some hikers what is the best part of their thru-hiking day – the part that makes it worthwhile – and they tell us what keeps their spirits up despite the...

Thru-hiking season has officially begun! All our correspondents are out on trail, finally finding out what trail life is all about, and what they didn’t know before they started. This podcast fills us in on the reality vs the expectations. Special guests: Mishap, Shortcut, Spoony, Knees, Bacon, Fruit Snax, Boyardee, and Splinter.

We’ve heard from our Appalachian Trail correspondents, but it’s time to meet the rest! In this podcast episode we get to hear from our 2016 Pacific Crest Trail and Continental Divide Trail correspondents. From the night-before-the-trail jitters to their motivations for getting on trail, we get to know them a little better.

Sounds of the Trail is back for the summer thru-hiking season! In this podcast episode we introduce some of our new correspondents who will be attempting thru-hikes of the Appalachian Trail in 2016. We get to hear about their reasons for thru-hiking, some of their hopes, and some of their fears. Is that a random...

In this episode we get to hear from two hikers at two different points in their thru-hikes – the Before and the After. Special guests Sandpiper and Buff. We also include some very dubious info on water treatment – I personally recommend a filter. Music by: Baby Gramps I’m getting back on the AZT this...

Today’s podcast is all about the real stars of our show – the trails themselves. We talk about our 2016 lineup – the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail – discuss hiking family histories, and get to hear from the Triple Crown hiker Wired one more time for some trail...

IMPORTANT: If you are an Appalachian Trail Class of 2016 hiker (thru-, section, or otherwise), please listen right away! We need your help! As we get ready for thru-hiking season, we take a minute to remember why we want to do this. In this episode we hear from special guest Wired as she tells us...

One guy, with one goal – to ski 2.5 million vertical feet in one year. That is, 2.5 million feet UPHILL. To make this happen, Aaron Rice is planning on skiing 10 hours a day, every day, for an entire year. Kimchi sits down with Aaron and his friend Joey Campanelli to talk about what...

Where does it all begin? How do you grow up to become a thru-hiker? We get to hear from Rock Ocean as he interviews Kimchi and Par 3, from Gizmo, and even from Gizmo’s mom as we explore our origins as thru-hikers. Also, we have a big announcement – Sounds of the Trail is looking...

Sounds of the Trail is transitioning to an off-season format. In this week’s podcast we shift our focus to the third trail in the Triple Crown, the Continental Divide Trail, and get inspired by some youtube videos. Special Guests Liz and Bryan (along with Bumblebee Tuna and Toni the Tiger). During the hiking off-season Sounds...

We finally get to do a recap with both Kimchi and Par 3 on finishing the trail. We discuss the end of the time on the trail, their best moments, and what it means to be a thru-hiker. Music by: Baby Gramps

It’s the end of A season, but it’s not quite the end of THE season, at least not for a few hardy hikers or for Sounds of the Trail. Not many northbounders are still braving the mountain passes, but we ran into a few still heading for Maine. Special guests Smokey Bear, Homegrown, and Bailey...

Thru-hikes are a hugely physical undertaking that take a lot of time and a lot of money – or at least the ability to forego earning money. A lot of people ask – how do you make a thru-hike happen? We have no magical secrets to share – but we do have some thru-hikers share...

This week’s podcast revolves around one Maine thing – the people and places of Maine. We get to hear from thru-hikers, trail angels, and trail Maine-tainers (heh heh) working with the Maine Appalachian Trail Club. Special Guests are Pain Wizard, Scout, and the MATC. What have YOU done to support your trails today? Check out...

In our continuing attempts to be neither educational nor informative, we have an entire podcast episode about thru-hiking gear that fails to provide any real useful information. What kind of gear do you need to thru-hike? Depends on who you ask. Special guest Chia Pet and many others. Music by: Baby Gramps

Sounds of the Trail finally covers our most requested topic: thru-hiking with dogs. We hear from three different dog owners on the challenges and rewards of thru-hiking with a dog. We also get to hear from our fellow thru-hiking podcaster, Ratatouille, who produces Trailside Radio. Special Guests: Oyster, Joan of Arc, and Sleddog. If you...

Thru-hiking is a “bucket list” item for a lot of people. In this podcast, we talk about pursuing our other dreams, making a thru-hike happen, and start thinking ahead towards the end of the trail. (Don’t worry, we’re not there yet.) Our special guests for this episode are two hikers we’ve heard from before: Patches...

Let’s follow along with Kimchi as she gets back on trail at Mt. Katahdin to begin her flip-flop are the Appalachian Trail. Special guests for this podcast are Patches, Mighty Mouse, and Sparky. Check out Mighty Mouse’s Blog and Patches’ Blog! Or, get a SOTT sticker by sending me an email at soundsofthetrail@gmail.com. If you...

In Episode 16 we finally find a home for some orphaned audio. Kimchi is all healed up and getting back on trail in Maine, and Par 3 is deep in the woods, somewhere. We have special guests Grasshopper, Mighty Mouse, Swass, and Killer. Check out Swass’s blog here. Music by Baby Gramps.

What is trail magic anyways? And who are the trail angels who make it happen? These are some questions we’re going to explore in the episode. Trail magic, trail angels – these are some pretty common hiker terms that are hard to pin down. Special guests Joan of Arc, Devilfish, Safari, Redwood, Allison, and Dick....

The community of thru-hikers on-trail is one of the things that makes a thru-hike a little different from a weekend backpack. Your fellow hikers will encourage you when you’re down, squeeze you into their tent on a cold night, and be totally cool when they walk up on you taking a poop. What makes your...

Hikers are gross. Deodorant, daily showers, and fresh undies all stay home during a thru-hike. This episode delves deeper than maybe we needed to know into hiker hygiene. TMI, you might say. Special guests Popsicle, Nettle, Briar, and Seahawk. We have a new instagram account, so if you’re interested in seeing what our contributors, interviewees,...

Thru-hiking isn’t just a walk in the woods – hikers get off trail for food,showers, laundry, or just to have a vacation from their vacation. In this podcast we discuss the best and worst parts of town, the pros and cons of hiker boxes, and the strange phenomenon of hikers refusing to walk unless absolutely...

Life on the trail can be, well, poopy sometimes. Between not burying used TP, dropping trash, and forgetting to yield the right-of-way to hikers going uphill, Thru-hikers have their own set of sins that they commit. In this podcast, we explore what Leave No Trace means, how to be better hikers and humans, and what...

To walk through it, or get off trail? Our correspondents struggle with injuries, changes in plan, and aches and pains.What’s the best way to take care of yourself on the trail? In this podcast we discuss the hard business of thru-hiking, and the wear and tear on our bodies as a result. Injuries are incredibly...

Eat to walk, or walk to eat? Without the right fuel for the fire, well, you’re never gonna make it. Hikers discuss their different food strategies, if hunger makes the best sauce, and what foods they just can’t stand anymore. We have special guests Dancemagic and Dr. Green Thumb. We also get introduced to our...

The thing about bodies is, you only get one. Our physical link with the trail is sometimes the weak one. On this podcast, we talk about our bodies as connection with the trail, dealing with pain, and tune in with Kimchi and Saina for another day in the life of thru-hikers. Some days the miles...

With 500 miles apiece under their belts, we check in with Kimchi and Saina to see what life is like as a thru-hiker. This episode is a snapshot of some ups and downs, both for our hikers and for our producer. First you go up, then you go down. And then back up again. This...

What happens to someone when they become a thru-hiker? At the end of it all, what does walking thousands and thousands of miles do for you? It turns out, it ruins your life. In this episode we get to hear from three thru-hikers with over 12,000 miles of trail experience between them, as we find...

Thru-hiking is hard work. Are partners a help or a hindrance? We have interviews with three different couples talking about life on the trail when you are in a partner-ship, romantic or otherwise. What’s the secret to a successful partnership? (Dirtnap tells us it is keeping your farts to yourself.) Tune in for the rest!...

Trail names – are they the symbol of a new identity, a silly nickname, or a waste of time? We ask a bunch of hikers – and ourselves – and come to no consensus. For myself, I think that the name you call yourself can be very powerful, but the same way that you must...

Well friends, I can say without hesitation that this is our best episode yet. This week we talk about feet – if you plan on walking 4 million+ steps, somewhere along the way, your feet are gonna hurt. Join in with Saina on the Pacific Crest Trail and Kimchi on the Appalachian Trail, with guests...

In our second episode we get to hear from Saina, who has passed mile 100 on the Pacific Crest Trail! Kimchi has officially started the Appalachian Trail, starting at Springer Mountain in Georgia – we’re looking forward to hearing from her next week. Guest appearances by a bunch of new thru-hikers who I had the...

Welcome to Sounds of the Trail! Listen in for a little more about who we are and what to expect from the podcast. We’d love to hear from you – good bad or otherwise – so leave us a comment! -Gizmo Music provided courtesy of Baby Gramps