Podcasts about pacific crest trail association

Grab your hiking boots and join us on a journey through the world of long-distance trails! In this episode of Geographical Thinking, we'll be exploring with Galen Keily from the Pacific Crest Trail Association. Together, we'll uncover the role of GIS in preserving and managing one of America's most iconic trails.

A long awaited 200+ mile trip through the Sierra's ends in a tragic fall. Jean Muenchrath's story of survival is an epic one, but also serves as the beginning of an entirely new life. We love our National Parks and we know you do too but when you're out there, remember to enjoy the view but watch your back. Please take a moment to rate and subscribe from wherever you're listening to NPAD! Become part of our Outsider family on Patreon  or Apple Subscriptions to gain access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, and more. Follow our socials Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. To share a Trail Tale, suggest a story, access merch, and browse our book recommendations - head over to our website. Thank you so much to our partners, check them out! Earth Breeze: Use our link to get 40% off your subscription. IQBAR: Text PARK to 64000 to get 20% off all IQBAR products and free shipping. Sources Outside, The Pacific Crest Trail Association, NPS, Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce, Recreation.gov Book - If I Live Until Morning by Jean Muenchrath All proceeds of Jean's book are donated to charity - pick up a copy of If I Live Until Morning HERE and learn more about Jean Muenchrath HERE

Join Glen and I on this special, rare episode of Walking and Talking! Glen is a an "engineer, entrepreneur, author, sought-after speaker, and dishwasher/philanthropist." In 1998 he founded Gossamer Gear. He's humble, funny, and dedicated.  *I apolgize for the poor audio quality on my mic. I've been out of the podcast game for awhile so I had my settings messed up. Thankfully, Glen is crisp and clear - he's more intersting to listen to anyway. Glen's  book Take Less. Do More: Surprising Life Lessons in Generosity. Gratitude, and Curiosty from an Ultralight Backpacker is available on April 16th. Find it at the links below.  All profits on the book will be donated to the Pacific Crest Trail Association. https://bookshop.org/p/books/take-less-do-more-surprising-life-lessons-in-generosity-gratitude-and-curiosity-from-an-ultralight-backpacker-glen-van-peski/20974984   https://www.porchlightbooks.com/product/take-less.-do-more.-surprising-life-lessons-in-generosity-gratitude-and-curiosity-from-an-ultralig--glen-van-peski/isbn/9781637632895   https://www.hudsonbooksellers.com/book/9781637632895   https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/take-less-do-more-glen-van-peski/1144473893;jsessionid=1511F01807AFAF67447724E441D107B0.prodny_store01-atgap04   https://www.amazon.com/Take-Less-More-Surprising-Generosity/dp/1637632894   Visit Glen's website to learn more https://www.glenvanpeski.com/                

Stretching 2,600 miles from Mexico to Canada, the Pacific Crest Trail winds through the Mojave Desert, up to the Sierras and along the Cascades. Backpackers who have hit the trail rave about its beauty and many include “thru hiking” the entirety of the trail on their bucket lists. But what has always been a difficult journey is now getting even harder due to climate change. We'll talk about how extreme weather, drought and wildfires have impacted the trail, known as the PCT, from beginning to end. Have you hiked the PCT? What was your journey like? Guests: Rowan Moore Gerety, Reporter, Gerety's recent piece for the New York Times is titled "Heat, Water, Fire: How Climate Change Is Transforming the Pacific Crest Trail." Jazmin Ortega, Pacific Crest Trail Thru Hiker, Ortega thru hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 2019. Her trail name is Flamethrower. Scott Wilkinson, Content Development Director, Pacific Crest Trail Association, a nonprofit focused on protecting and preserving the Pacific Crest National Scenic.

You've heard of decompression walks, letting your dog enjoy nature and sniff away from the hustle and bustle of urban life.How about a 1600-mile decompression walk?Luna (Marijke) and Werewolf (Scott) hiked the Pacific Crest Trail (2650 miles)  for their honeymoon and after clearing the desert section in Southern California, their dog SupDog (“real” name Balu) joined them for the remainder of the trail.Marijke tells us about the mindset they needed to be in (Hike Your Dogs Hike), the accommodations they made for him and so much more.What food did they bring?What's it like bringing a black dog in warm weather?How did they deal with judgment from others?What are town visits like? (“scamming” a sausage off the local butcher anyone?)She also doesn't gloss over the hard stuff. SupDog was sound sensitive and on day 1 of him joining there's dynamite blasting on trail. Now what?Or that time where he would mysteriously refuse to walk every late afternoon and it took a while to figure out what was going on.As Marijke explains it was just a stringing together of a series of decisions, constantly evaluating where you are at and what is the best way forward based on the situation as it is.One of my favorite parts is where Marijke explains that SupDog was sound sensitive and the choice was simply between him being sound sensitive at home or sound sensitive on the trail with the family who loves him. It doesn't sound like too hard of a choice to make, when you put it that way.After coming back home Marijke and Scott decided to pay it forward and they started the Thru-Hiker Dog Facebook Group to exchange information with those considering thru-hiking with their dog that is judgment free.I am a member of that group and if you're considering hiking longer distances with your dog I highly encourage you to join. You will be able to ask all the questions you need to figure out what works for you and your dog. Marijke also mentions that her present dog probably is not a long-distance trail dog. This is one conclusion you might come to as well based on the information shared freely within the group.It's all about what you believe is right for you and your dog.Links:The Thru-hiker Dogs Facebook Group, that was started by Marijke and Scott to provide dog guardians with information, tips, and tricks, given by people who've actually been there and done that:https://www.facebook.com/groups/907294749289972The dehydrated dog food SupDog was eating on trail:https://www.thehonestkitchen.com/The Pacific Crest Trail Association:https://www.pcta.org/The other two major long-distance trails:The Appalachian Trail: https://appalachiantrail.org/The Continental Divide Trail: https://continentaldividetrail.org/MSR Gear: https://www.msrgear.com/

Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/357 Presented By: Bearvault Sponsors: https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors Sarah Leichnetz and Grant Breidenbach from Bear Vault are here to share their best tips on staying safe while in the backcountry. We find out why many parks are now requiring bear canisters as opposed to the old hanging your food up in the trees. This one has a ton of bear stories that we can learn from. Like I always say, be the guy with an epic backcountry trip and not the guy who has to hike down early because of improper food storage. BearVault keeps adventure going! Bear Vault Show Notes with Sarah Leichnetz and Grant Breidenbach 05:55 - Bearvault focuses on the backcountry hiker or any kind of outdoorsmen that spends a lot of time in the backcountry 06:00 - Bear cans are now being required and regulated for backcountry hikers in wilderness areas 09:40 - Grant tells us about bear habituation and population in connection to the ecosystem 19:30 - Grant talks about how the bears have already adapted and hanging your food is no longer effective - watch this bear climb up a tree to get a hiker's food 21:25 - Bearvault works with Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide Trail, and Pacific Crest Trail Association. 23:00 - We mentioned Leave No Trace which is an awesome outreach program for bear and wildlife awareness 23:50 - Bearvault recently began working with Yellowstone to Yukon - they create passageways for grizzly bears 26:20 - They also work with the Manager of Colorado Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness - they were able to decrease bear incidents by 98% 28:45 - Grant explains the food storage triangle 34:20 - Matt Shilling from Indifly was on the podcast in episode 342 35:19 - Sarah talks about their 2 new can sizes 41:00 - We talk about that poor bear trying to break into the Bearvault - scroll below to watch that video 47:45 - The BearVault canister has a proprietary blend of polycarbonate 48:50 - We mention the Monster in my Closet video by Patagonia - scroll below to watch that video 51:10 - Bearvault went through the organization called the IGBC, did some tests, and got certified to be bear-resistant before they hit the market 56:24 - Grant talks about their upcoming trip to Patagonia 1:05:55 - "Bearvault keeps adventure going" Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/357

West coast section hiker, Chris Armstrong joins Jester's Class of 2022 Section Hikers this week and is Jester's final member in this series of episodes. Chris shares with us how he ended up on the west coast in the foothills of the Sierra, his section hiking plans for the summer in the Sierra Mountains on the PCT, and some "bonehead moves" he's made in the past when it comes to his gear! Thanks for Listening and Happy Section Hiking! Jester's Class of 2022 Section Hikers - Playlist: https://www.hikingradionetwork.com/show/jester-section-hiker/category/jesters-class-of-2022-section-hikers/ Pacific Crest Trail Association: https://www.pcta.org/ Mountain Education, Inc.: https://www.facebook.com/mountaineducation PCT Class of 2022 (Planning, Information, Trail Reports, powered by Yogi) https://www.facebook.com/groups/2786491958315082 Connect with Chris Armstrong: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sacarmstrong/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkhzIg5Iz0cLB5r2QjyMYxQ Connect with Julie "Jester" Gayheart: Email: jester@jestersectionhiker.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jestersectionhiker/ Gear Lists & More: https://solo.to/jestersectionhiker Music for the Podcast provided by: The Okee Dokee Brothers - "Through The Woods" http://www.okeedokee.org/

For Mendocino County Public Broadcasting, this is the KZYX News for Friday, Sept. 17. I'm Sonia Waraich.Mendocino National Forest is open to the public again after a historic closure.The U.S. Forest Service ended the regional closure order at 13 of the 18 national forests in California at midnight Thursday. It reopened the parks a couple days early because of improving weather and fire conditions, at least in some parts of the state. This was the second time in the Forest Service's 116-year history that it closed public access to all its trails and campgrounds in California. The first time was on Sept. 9 of last year when the sky turned orange because of all the wildfires blazing across the state.“Enacting a statewide forest closure order is not the decision that we at the Forest Service wanted to make. We went through options A through Y and when options A through Y weren't working, we had to go to Option Zed, which in this case was enacting a forest closure order.”Samantha Reho is a spokesperson with the Forest Service's Pacific Southwest region, which includes California, Hawaii and Pacific Islands associated with the U.S.“By enacting this closure order, it essentially gave our personnel and resources the time and space to be able to focus specifically on fire since this is a priority event time, as well as to make sure that we're keeping those in our communities and our people safe.”Access to visitors was initially closed late last month to reduce the likelihood of human-caused fires on National Forest land during a period of high fire risk and limited firefighting resources. “The numbers change routinely, but it's upwards of 70 to 80% of all fire starts are caused by human and human error.”More than half of all wildfires happening in the U.S. right now are happening in California already. And even though the Forest Service doesn't track search-and-rescue operations at the moment, a report from the Pew Charitable Trust done last year found an increasing number of visitors to National Forest lands has driven up search-and-rescue calls.“So in a hypothetical situation if we had a hiker who was injured and needs to be medevaced, because of how strained resources are, we would have to take a helicopter or another vehicle and pull it away from a fire to be able to help that hiker and that's not a risk we wanted to take.”The Pacific Southwest's regional forester, Jennifer Eberlien, made the decisions to close and reopen the forests and Reho says that neither decision was made lightly.“This decision was made by the regional forester here in California, this was her decision, in consultation with the forest supervisors at each of the 18 national forests, as well as other partners that we have including the Pacific Crest Trail Association.”There were three main factors that went into the decision to lift the regional closure order. First, the fire risk is lessening in the rest of the country so more firefighting resources are expected to become available for California. Secondly, a regional closure order makes less sense because weather conditions across the state become more variable going into the fall, so the agency is planning on tailoring closures and other restrictions to local conditions. Lastly, visits to the forests decline significantly after Labor Day, reducing the risk of human-caused fires.Most of the forests that remain closed are in Southern California. “Four of those forests, specifically in Southern California -- the Angeles, San Bernardino, Cleveland and Los Padres -- those will go under a slight extension through next Wednesday, Sept. 22 and the Eldorado National Forest is still under closure order due to the Caldor Fire and that goes through Sept. 30.”Even in the forests that are open to the public now, fire restrictions are still in place. Forest supervisors can still limit the use of open flames like campfires, charcoal and propane gas. For visitors to Mendocino National Forest, that means campfires, camp stoves and other sources of open flames are prohibited through Oct. 31. You can't smoke outside during that time either; smoking will only be allowed inside an enclosed vehicle or building.Individuals who violate the open flame restriction can be fined up to $5,000 and groups can be fined up to $10,000. There's also the potential for up to 6 months of imprisonment, as well as the possibility of both fines and imprisonment.Even though Mendocino National Forest has reopened to the public, it's important to keep in mind that trails and campgrounds that were closed as a result of the August Complex fires will remain closed until further notice.While the national forests were closed, Reho pointed out many of California's state and national parks remained open during the Labor Day holiday. California State Parks and the National Parks Service manage those lands and have different priorities than the Forest Service.“The U.S. Forest Service is administered under the U.S. Department of Agriculture whereas the National Parks Service is under the U.S. Department of the Interior. … If you look at the National Parks Service, they really stress recreation and preservation of specific lands, whereas the Forest Service, we're a lot bigger.”Alongside its decision to close the national forests, the Forest Service made another somewhat controversial decision to temporarily stop prescribed burns while firefighting resources remain limited, but fire ecologists think that's the wrong move. Tune in Monday to find out more.For the KZYX News, I'm Sonia Waraich, a Report For America corps member. For all our local stories, with photos and more, visit KZYX.org. You can also subscribe to the KZYX News podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

Tune in as Jester shares with us what she is calling her John Muir Trail Logistics. Jester shares her process of gathering information for the JMT Permit Process, JMT Hiking Itineraries, Maps, Apps, Bear Canisters and Food Re-Supply. Jester also reminds us to follow the first principal of Leave No Trace which is to Plan ahead and Prepare! JMT Permit Process: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/jmtfaq.htm JMT Rolling Lottery Application: https://yosemite.org/jmt-rolling-lottery-application/ Yosemite Full Trailhead Report: https://yosemite.org/wildtrails/report Bearfoot Theory: https://bearfoottheory.com/john-muir-trail-permit/ She Dreams of Alpine: https://www.shedreamsofalpine.com/blog/john-muir-trail-permits Follow Bigfoot - Everything you need to know about a JMT Permit: https://youtu.be/NHnNyxrKEhs Eric The Black's (Pocket Atlas, Itinerary): https://blackwoodspress.com/blog/ Guthook (JMT App Download): https://atlasguides.com/john-muir-trail-map/ Pacific Crest Trail Association: https://www.pcta.org/discover-the-trail/john-muir-trail/ Bearfoot Theory: https://bearfoottheory.com/john-muir-trail-maps-books-resources/ Andrew Skurka - Bear Canister Comparison: https://andrewskurka.com/food-bear-canisters-guide-approved-volume-cost/ Bear Canisters: BV500 - https://bearvault.com/product/bv500/ Wild Ideas (Weekender) - https://www.wild-ideas.net/weekender/ JMT Resupply: Red's Meadows - https://www.redsmeadow.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/PackagePickUp.pdf Muir Trail Ranch - http://www.muirtrailranch.com/resupply.html Mule Re-Supply - Sequoia Kings Pack Trains or Pine Creek Pack Outfit. Email: bernerspack@yahoo.com Leave No Trace Principles: https://lnt.org/why/7-principles/ Thanks for listening and Happy Section Hiking! Kris "Sherpa" Fowler: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BringKrisFowlerHome Fowler-O'Sullivan Foundation: https://www.fofound.org/ Connect with Julie "Jester" Gayheart: Email: jester@jestersectionhiker.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jestersectionhiker/ Website: https://www.hikingradionetwork.com/show/jester-section-hiker/ "Jester" Reference Tools, Gear Lists, Hiking Resume and more: https://solo.to/jestersectionhiker Music for the Podcast provided by: The Okee Dokee Brothers - "Through The Woods" http://www.okeedokee.org/

We open with some questions about Harts Pass, as Rudy had just been up there doing some trail work with the Pacific Crest Trail Association. Politics of sorts are also discussed.Follow the podcast- https://www.instagram.com/iwillhuntpodcast/Follow Cantrell Outdoors- https://www.instagram.com/cantrelloutdoors/Cantrell Outdoors website- https://cantrelloutdoors.comJack Mattingly of the Whiskey Fever was nice enough to write a short song to use as the intro and outro. Check out Whiskey Fever: https://www.reverbnation.com/whiskeyfever

Barney "Scout" Mann spends some time with Doc to talk about his PCT memoir, Journeys North, in which he gives readers a vivid account of the highs and lows of a PCT thru hike. Scout is a Triple Crowner, the Board president of the Partnership for the National Trail System, the former Board chair of the Pacific Crest Trail Association, the former president of the Continental Divide Trail Coalition, and just a damn cool human. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/johnfreakinmuir/support

In this captivating episode of Aging GreatFULLy everyone will be inspired to accept Mother Nature’s standing invitation to join her in the Great Outdoors as we welcome author of Journeys North: The Pacific Crest Trail, Barney Scout Mann. His stories will enthrall all, whether you are already addicted to the outdoors, newly ushered into the ranks of walkers, simply enjoy neighborhood strolls, or only dream of breathtaking vistas, you will be inspired to take a hike! One resonating message Barney Scout Mann has for everyone, hiking is no longer just for hikers!In this wild meets the Breakfast Club adventure, Barney shares one unfolding adventure after the other as he and his wife Sandy, (“Frodo”) and four others hike more than 2500 miles from Mexico to Canada. Through challenges, sacred moments and gripping tales, one thing is certain in the end, anything can happen out there … and it often does. Barney Scout Mann shares candidly how “out there” things become different, why hikers get trail names, dangers of the trail, some of the greatest challenges, something he still aspires to see “out there,” and so much more. Barney Scout Mann also shares tips on how to begin if you’re new to hiking.Barney Scout Mann is one of the rare individuals who have hiked America’s Triple Crown of Trails: The Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide of Trails. His connection to the PCT run deep, as each spring for the past fifteen years he and his wife Sandy have hosted hikers starting out on the PCT (more than 7,000 to date) at their San Diego home. Mann has served as board chair of the Pacific Crest Trail Association and is currently president of the Partnership for the National Trails System. Mann’s writing on the trails has been featured in a variety of publications, including Backpacker, the Portland Oregonian, and the New York Times online, and has been recognized with a Lowell Thomas Journalism Award. He is the co-author with Mark Larabee of The Pacific Crest Trail: Exploring America’s Wilderness Trail (foreword by Cheryl Strayed) and is the author of The Continental Divide Trail. A must-listen power-hour of enlightenYOUment in this part action thriller, part arm chair adventure, and part handbook to one of the most fascinating trails on earth, the Pacific Crest Trail. To connect with Barney Scout Mann or learn more about his work, fascinating adventures or purchase his new release book that is a fascinating read from beginning to end, Journeys North: The Pacific Crest Trail, visit him at www.barneyscoutmann.com. Whether you enjoy watching nature from your back porch or picnics at the park or immersing yourself deep in the wild, there’s something to be said for connecting ourselves with the greater natural world and its positive effects on our mind, body and spirit. Thank you, global family for listening to the Aging GreatFULLy show! We appreciate our amazing listeners tuning in from all over the world! If you enjoy this episode of Aging GreatFULLy, please share it with your friends and family! Also, we cherish your amazing show reviews on your favorite platforms! You rock and you role model! To visit our official host page to connect, download, share, stream or find other platforms the show is on, visit us as www.CTRNetwork.com/holleykelley.

If nothing else, this quarantine is giving us all the opportunity to really examine what it is we normally spend our days doing. What career or job have we chosen that has us running around from dawn till dusk? Is it worth it? Is it fulfilling? If you could dream up a new daily life for after quarantine, what would it look like? Well, our guests next week asked themselves those very questions years ago, quit their jobs in their 50s and moved to Africa! It’s Molly’s parents! Listen to their story & philosophies on pursuing fulfillment & happiness at all stages of life. CHARITY/NON-PROFITPacific Crest Trail Association.               Founded in 1977, the mission of the Pacific Crest Trail Association is to protect, preserve and promote the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail as an internationally significant resource for the enjoyment of hikers and equestrians, and for the value that wild and scenic lands provide to all people. The Association strives to achieve this mission by promoting the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail as a unique educational and recreation treasure and as one of the finest trails anywhere in the world; providing a broad range of services to its membership, including serving as a communications link among users and land management agencies, and publishing trail information; and assisting the U.S. Forest Service and other agencies in the maintenance and restoration of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail.  Donate at pcta.org/donate 

When you think of your dream job, does it involve playing with LEGO bricks? It certainly does for P.J. Catalano, who joins California Now Podcast host Soterios Johnson on this week's episode. In it, Catalano describes his working life as a Master Builder at LEGOLAND California in Carlsbad, north of San Diego. From constructing North America’s tallest LEGO tower to trading minifigures with guests, it's fair to say that his job is pretty unique. Johnson is next joined by Mark Larabee, who knows the 2,653-mile Pacific Crest Trail like the back of his hand. He's the Associate Director of the Pacific Crest Trail Association and the author of The Pacific Crest Trail: Exploring America's Wilderness Trail. Larabee shares a few tips for finding hidden gems along the iconic trail that runs down the Golden State’s spine. And finally, Johnson talks shop—literally—with lifestyle blogger Erica Chan Coffman. From quirky horticulture shops to cushion stores to shoe wonderlands, the HonestlyWTF creator takes Johnson to her favorite spots in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Marin County, and beyond.

We open with some questions about Harts Pass, as Rudy had just been up there doing some trail work with the Pacific Crest Trail Association. Politics of sorts are also discussed.Follow the podcast- https://www.instagram.com/iwillhuntpodcast/Follow Cantrell Outdoors- https://www.instagram.com/cantrelloutdoors/Cantrell Outdoors website- https://cantrelloutdoors.com

Below is a machine transciption of this episode (and there is bound to be loads of errors).  I am currently traveling off grid and didn’t have a chance to work up the complete webpage before I left, so this is the best I could do in the meantime.  Either check back later, or if you email me, I’ll write you back to let you know when I’ve got the post up.  Thanks for your understanding!  Kit   00:05                                    I had to get across the river. I lost my footing for a moment and found myself stalled in the middle of the deepest and fastest part of the stream. As I tried to get better footing the river current sweat feet from underneath me and I immediately fell face down into the river. I was immediately hit with a wave of cold from the water that had been ice nearly hours before I was swept downstream with my pack on. I was underwater and couldn’t preach. I tried unsuccessfully to get a toe hold on the river bottoms who would get on my feet. I realized I was in a very serious situation. No one knew where I was. I had no idea what was downstream. Was there a log or a pile of logs and rocks below me that I can get caught up in? Was my gear and my sleeping bag wet? Was I even going to be able to get out of this welcome 00:57                              Welcome to the Adventure Travel Show podcast. I’m your host Kit Parks. The intro today was an excerpt I read from an article by the Pacific Crest Trail Association titled I was swept away crossing a river on the Pacific crest trail written by Charles Williams, who I did try to reach out to, but unfortunately it was not able to catch up with him prior to this recording. But I will put a link to his very fine article in the show notes and on the website for this episode. Today we’re going to be talking about the best practices to help you get across river safely. Believe it or not, that’s one of the most dangerous things that we do when we’re out in the wild. People might be afraid of heights or snakes or bites or the cold or the heat, but what gets us the most is crossing the rivers. So today we’re going to learn the best tips of how to do so safely. What we need to look out for ahead of time, what to do if something goes wrong and we slip and fall into the water and the things that we need to do to give us the best shot at getting to the other side quickly, efficiently, and safely. This is a super important episode that I hope you’ll share, so let’s get started. 02:07                                     Okay. 02:08                                     Like I said, many hikers are worried about bears, snakes, lightning, and why you should definitely need to know what to do when you encounter these. Your greatest risk of injury or worse is crossing rivers without a bridge. Did you know that the number one way that people die in the national parks in the U S is from drowning? It’s also one of the leading causes of death on the Pacific coast trail and to beat a dead horse, it is the number one way that we harm ourselves when we’re out in the wild. Before we begin, let’s talk a minute about rivers themselves. 02:41                                     Okay. 02:41                                     The river, think of the river. It’s something that striates into different horizontal currents. So try to picture a cake with different layers, several layers, and each layer instead of being cake is a moving current. The top layer or the icing is the fastest moving current. While the bottom layer where your feet are is the slowest. However, unlike the top icing, the side icing is also slower moving. And so what this means to you is that even though you might have your feet firmly planted on the riverbend, that stronger middle layer of the cake and even that top layer can still carry you away. And that’s what happened to Charles in the intro. 03:21                                     Okay? 03:22                                     And love you need to remember too, is because the sides are slower. You may not realize it until you’re out in the middle of the river, that it’s much faster and much stronger than you thought. Even with the tests that we’re going to be doing to see whether or not we think it’s safe to cross the river. 03:38                                     So the things we want to do, even before we even begin our hike is number one, let’s find out what the current water levels are. Were there any recent rains? How big is the snow melt runoff? You want to check with the parks of the Rangers, ask around with the locals. If you’re on the coastal areas, get a tide chart and when you’re deciding whether or not to cross a river, you need to consider the skill level and the comfort level of everyone in your group because the weakest member sets the tone and sometimes it’s just best to turn around or else wait until the water level subsides and conditions get better. 04:18                                     When we get to the river, what’s the next thing we want to look at? We want to consider hidden hazards. Submerge rocks and trees can be covered with moss and they’re really slippery, so you want to look, if you do slip, what is shortly downstream? Is there going to be a waterfall that you could possibly go over? I have a girlfriend that I and my hiking group, she lost one of her girlfriends that went over the fall. That’s the one that’s just after turtleback falls, which I have a great photo of me jumping up as a great fall. They have a little roped area. You’re not supposed to go past that. She was standing on the edge on the other side of that rope, slipped on a rock and over that waterfall she plunged to her death. So you want to see what’s further downstream. If things go wrong, what could happen to you? 05:02                                     Okay. 05:03                                     If you see there’s a waterfall, you may want to go further upstream or possibly even go past it, followed the river and go downstream and go across the river on the downside of the waterfall 05:14                                     [inaudible] 05:14                                     because if you fall and if you slip, you do not want to get carried over that fall. Look for big rapids and boulders. You don’t want to slip and get banged up or worse than there. What kind of river bed are you crossing? Are you looking at algae, cover rocks or sand? Obviously the algae rocks are going to add more risk, so you need to be especially cautious and you need to pay attention to where the river’s bending because if you slip and get carried downstream, look to see what’s down that corner because that’s where you’re liable to end up. Is it a pile of river debris? 05:51                                     Okay. 05:52                                     If you see a down tree or Bush in the stream, otherwise referred to as a strainer, you always want to stay downstream of that obstacle because if you should happen to fall in and hit the strainer, you’re going to find out why it’s called that it strains the water but not the people and makes you trapped and can suck you under. It’s an incredibly dangerous hazard. If you’re wearing convertible pants, you want to take off the lower legs, it’s going to give you less drag and it won’t be as cold when you do get across and if it’s really cold out, consider actually stripping down to your Andes so that you could have dry clothes to put on when you reach the other side, 06:33                                     if you have true hiking sandals, and by that I mean proper hiking sandals that are strapped securely around your foot and your ankle. You can put those on so your hiking shoes don’t get wet. Tie your hiking boots to the back of your pack or drip them around your neck. But remember they’re going to be clunking around and that can often make you a little bit off balance. Sometimes it’s safer just to walk through the water rather than boulder jump. You never want to cross a river and flip flops. The current can easily make them slip off your feet, causing you to slip and fall into the water. 07:05                                     And if you think, oh, I’ll just go barefoot, that’s not a good idea. Think again, you’re liable to cut your feet on the rocks. In the sticks, you’re better off to have what shoes and if you have to wear your hiking boots to cross the river, take out the soul so at least there’ll be dry on the other side. You can even take off your socks and keep those dry. You want to assess how deep is the river. You don’t want to forward any river with water higher than your knees. You might think to yourself, oh, I’m a great swimmer. Still it’s safer. Keep the water to your knees or below because the current can easily carry you away if you’re crossing waist deep or chest deep in the water. Remember that water levels are usually lower in the morning, especially before the sun is a chance to melt more snow if you’re in that kind of an environment. 07:53                                     Okay. 07:53                                     And also if you get up and hike earlier in the day, you’re going to be less likely to miss afternoon thunderstorms that can add more water to the rivers. 08:01                                     Yeah, 08:02                                     deeper water that’s less than the height of your knees is often safer than shallower, but faster moving water 08:09                                     [inaudible] 08:09                                     and you can often take your time more in the deeper water and counter-intuitively should you fall, you’re actually more buoyant in deeper water. Consider also the physics of moving water. Water is heavy and it weighs 62.4 pounds per cubic foot. Water pressure increases with the square of its velocity. Oh yeah, that’s really mathy. Mathy. What does that mean to us in everyday terms? That means that the shallow water is moving twice as fast as the deeper water. It’s exerting four times the force. If it’s 10 times faster than it’s a hundred times as forceful. Think about that, so that’s why the shallower, faster moving mortar can be more treacherous for rivers change and so sometimes the trail may not meet the river at the optimal place to cross. When you come to a river, you want to scout out the river up and down for the best place to cross avoid turns in the river as the water moves were quickly there. 09:12                                     See if there’s something risky shortly downstream that would indicate that you shouldn’t be crossing there at all. Say the waterfall we talked about that you could tumble over should you slip. Ideally you want to look for a vantage point above the river so you can get a bird’s eye view to make your assessment. Also, pay attention to places that you can get out of the river view. If you do happen to fall, you always want to try to have a backup plan. Be ahead of time because you’re not going to have time to think and all the chaos should you fall in. 09:39                                     Okay. 09:40                                     If there’s a bend in the river below, be sure to scout both sides of the river because if you fall, the water may carry you to the bank side that you didn’t plan on going to the water will most likely leave you on the outside of the bend. Remember, you can look to to see what is the river depositing at that bend because there’s a chance that you could end up there. You want to make sure you can get out wherever it is that you want to cross. Are there steep banks that you’re, they’re gonna be difficult to get out. You want to be very patient and choosing where to cross and even deciding whether you should indeed cross your life might very well depend on that decision and if you’re scouting the sides of the river off the trail for safer place to cross, you also need to be aware that this includes its own hazards of falling and injury. When you leave the trail, make a good mental note of the trail so you can find your way back. You don’t want to get lost and for that also refer you to episode number six of what to do if you get lost in the woods. 10:42                                     Don’t forget you’ve got a map. Look at your map. Are there any forks ahead that might have less water? Would they be a better place to cross? 10:49                                     Right? 10:49                                     You want to check to see how fast the water is moving. You can test the river current by tossing a stick and seeing how long it takes to move down the stream. The current can be really deceptive if you toss that stick in and that stick moves faster than your walking pace. The currents too strong, late spring and early summer or when current levels from snow melt are particularly strong. Remember the icing on the sides of the cake. What you see with your little test is the river at its slowest. Also, pay attention to what happens to the stick. If you’re stick, get snagged or pulled under, that’s liable to be what happens to you should you fall. You can tell the shallower water by indications, a little rippling water over boulders. Eddies are formed above larger boulders and they can slow down the water. Making for a good place to cross, however, do not cross downstream of large boulders as you can get caught in some dangerous swirling currents. Likewise, don’t cross just downstream of the waterfall as they’re all Scobey some currents that can pull you under. You want to choose an exit point on the other side of the stream. Avoid places that you’re going to have to scramble up. I remember you might be pretty tired, and because of that, you might slip and then fall back down to the river. 12:12                                     You also don’t want to try to climb up some undercut banks. 12:15                                     [inaudible] 12:16                                     so you’re gonna look for an exit point on the straight part of the river and not on the bend. And just while we’re talking about it too, as you’re crossing the river, you want to keep your eye on your exit point. So you’ve done all your scouting, you’ve done your prep work, you’ve done your little tests of the water. Now when you’re crossing the river, you’ve chosen a location, you’re going to choose a location where the river straight, not at the bend. So you’ve got a straight part of the river. Now what? Now? You want to look at the width of the river because actually the wider part of the river at the current is usually slower moving than the sh the skinnier part to the river. So you want to look for the wider section, even though that might look a little bit more intimidating, it’s often safer. 12:59                                     Yeah, 12:59                                     so you want to think straight, wide, shallow, so the straight are part of the river is going to be less movement. The wider part is less current and shallow below the knees, so straight, wide and shallow. Only cross it when it’s above your knees when there’s little to no current unless you plan on swimming across the river, which I’ll talk about that a little bit later. 13:23                                     [inaudible] 13:24                                     and the streets stretches to also offer the benefit. Usually have a consistent current 13:30                                     [inaudible] 13:31                                     be on the lookout for something. When the river breaks into channels, they call them braided channels. These channels often have debris, rock sandbars that you can rest on and on. The widest part often dissipate some of the force of the water I Breda channel could be a great place to cross. 13:47                                     Okay. 13:48                                     Also be on the lookout for sandbars where you might see some animal tracks. That’s usually a great indicator that that’s a good place to cross the animals know best, so you’ve chosen your location, you already scout out everything. Now make sure you unbuckle your pack, both the hip and the sternum straps. Because if you slip, you do not want your pack to drag you under or get caught and then help to drown you. However, now that it’s loose, it’s gonna make your pack a little bit more unstable as the weight shifts about while you’re crossing the river. You also want to loosen your shoulder straps a little bit to make it a little bit easier to remove. If you do fall, it’s better to lose your pack than your life. One option is you can tie your rope to your pack, so if you do fall in, do you have a better chance of recovering it, but you still need to be prepared to let go of the rope. If the current or snagged pack starts pulling you under, found your place, you’ve unbuckled your pack. Number three when you enter the water you want to up stream and then you shuffle your feet rather than stepping so you’re sliding your feet across the river bed rather than stepping in a slightly downstream manner at a roughly 45 degree angle shuffling rather than lifting your feet, it’s going to help prevent you from slipping on an algae covered rock or submerged tree trunk. This will also scoot away any underwater critters that you might accidentally step on and that could spook you causing you to fall. 15:22                                     Number four, you want to use a trekking pole. Poles are great not just for hiking, especially when going downhill, but they can turn your body into a more stable tripod when crossing a river. If you don’t want to carry poles, find a sturdy stick to use on crossing. My polls have saved me countless falls in and out of the water. If you use a hiking pole, then you will always have one foot firmly planted plus the pole firmly planted. As you shuffle the other foot you face up stream and plant the pole in the stream. The current’s going to lodge it into something. And if you find that that small tip keeps getting caught, a sturdy stick might be a better option for you. Remember to only move one foot at a time and don’t cross your legs so you can get tangled and tip over. 16:12                                     You’re shuffling was south, but placement sideways, facing upstream, moving about a 45 degree angle downstream, face up, move down, slight angle. Remember the tripod, keep the tripod and you want to have always two sod points of contact on the river floor before moving the third so you’ve got two feet and a stick do of those should always be firmly planted before you move the third [inaudible]. And if the current is not too strong, you might like using both poles or too sturdy sticks. But if it’s really strong, it’s probably gonna be all you can do to handle just keeping the one pole under control. And if that little trekking pole basket causes you some drag, you might want to take it off. 16:57                                     Number five. If you’re lucky enough to see the bottom of the river, you can look a few steps ahead for smoother bottoms. If the water is silty toss a rock, does it make that kerplunk sound? The water might be deeper than you think. And if your rock swims a little bit before it sinks, you might be about to enter some Kurt that’s much stronger than you think. Remember, the slower moving sides of our cake icing. As you get in the middle, you might find a much stronger current six if there’s more than one of you. Again, with your packs loosened, hug each other’s waist and form a line and cross the river together in a sideways shuffle. To do so, you want to put the strongest person in, position him or her towards the furthest upstream and secure their position with a sturdy pole when the leaders firmly established person number, hugs, leaders’ waist, and then person number three, et Cetera, et cetera. As you work on down the chain, this later is creating an eddy like the big boulder we talked about and it makes it easier for the others behind to follow. So the group working together shuffles across the stream. 18:08                                     When your group has the opportunity, you should practice this on shallower, safer stream so you get it down pat. When it comes to a little bit deeper, stronger stream. Another group crossing technique uses the people crossing, forming themselves into a tripod. The group forms a triangle facing each other with the strongest person entering the water first. They each hold their neighbors waste the weaker people away from the point of the triangle. So you want to put them in the middle of the sides and again, you’re usually going to be more stable holding each other’s waists rather than their shoulders. The strongest person takes the lead and as the front point of the tripod breaking the current, then he or she plants a pole or stick firmly in the ground and on the leader’s count, everyone takes a step together and once firmly establish the leader calls out another step and another step together, the group diminishes a lot of the current. If you’re in a group and people are crossing Solo, consider having somebody downstream ready to toss a rope if they fall in. But if the current is so swift that you actually expect people to fall in, perhaps you shouldn’t be crossing it in the first place. 19:21                                     Okay. 19:22                                     Sometimes a stronger, more experienced hiker can cross the river, secure a rope on the crossing bank, come back over and secure another road there so that the group can hold onto the rope for additional support. Strong person, of course, would then go back and collect the rope afterwards. If the rope is strong enough. You can also use the rope as kind of like a zip line to transfer your packs. 19:44                                     Okay. 19:45                                     But caution, caution, caution, do not tie people together with a rope. If somebody falls in, it could drag down others to a tragic end. If you use a rope, people are just to be holding onto it, not tied to it. 19:59                                     Right. 19:59                                     And don’t wrap your hands even around it. I actually had a girlfriend I grew up with was holding onto the waterski rope and she wrapped it around her hands and when she fell, it literally pulled off all of her fingers. So just grab onto it. Don’t wrap it around your hands. 20:16                                     Okay. 20:17                                     If you’re hiking solo and you’re a little dicey, you look twitchy about a river. Consider waiting until other hikers come along so that you can forge the river together. And that adds a higher safety level for all of you. If you’re crossing and now the water’s getting deeper than your knees, think about returning to the bank and trying either a better spot or waiting for the water levels to lower. 20:41                                     Yeah. 20:41                                     Some strong swimmers may consider swimming across a river while not recommended. If you choose to do so, you must choose a deep spot with minimal current, the little current that’s there, it’s still gonna feel pretty strong on the Appalachian trail. Folks used to have two Ford across the Kennebec River, but there was a tragedy there once when a woman did unfortunately drown. So now there’s a ferry system that runs, I believe it’s twice a day as I think a guy in a canoe comes in, carries you across the river and safety. But before that, for the most part, people had to swim across. The only time I ever had to swim in a river like that was when my sister Tara and I were in Costa Rica rafting, the Macquarie River. There was this big rock that we jumped off of and so our instructions were jump off the rock and then swim as fast as we could over to the left bank. 21:32                                     And I was shocked at how fast that river was moving here. We’d been rafting it all morning and you don’t realize the power of that river. And in fact it was funny. Fortunately Terry’s is fast swimmer because she forgot when she got out to swim to left bank and they fortunately threw a rope and all that cause apparently some rapids were coming up ahead, but everything was fine. But again, the main thing I want to emphasize is it didn’t look like it was moving that fast. But once I was in I was like, whoa. It was carrying us really fast. And when I got to that bank I was exhausted. Remember I had a life jacket on to help me. You can learn about that whole adventure is episode number 15 of the actor travel adventures podcast. And I’ll put links in the show notes and on the webpage and the webpage for this’ll be adventure travel show, podcast.com/river so if you decide you’re going to swim across the river, you must also be a very strong swimmer and have thoroughly scouted out the hazards ahead. 22:25                                     You’re going to need to remove your pack, consider inflating your mattress pad and using that as a raft for your backpack, your important stuff you already should have in dry sacks. And then I also line my whole interior of my pack with a heavy duty compactor trash bag that I’d twist up. And then I fold it over onto itself and then twist, tie that together. That keeps everything nice and dry, although probably not if it gets submerged. So if you’ve got your important gear, like your sleeping bag and all that, and dry bags and a compact bag, you gotta be in pretty good shape, particularly if you use your mattress pad raft. So if you’re swimming, you want to choose where you want to land on the other side and do a little bit of mental math to figure out the current and the distance. 23:06                                     So you cross aiming upstream. This is called ferring across a river. So let’s say your math calculations are really off. What’s the downside for you if you land away further downstream? Remember, look for the hazards. So regardless of whether you’re swimming or forging a river, you’ve gotta be mindful of Hyperthermia. If the water’s cold, you could be putting yourself at risk. You want to know the signs and treatments, which I’ll leave that for a separate episode. Oh, I’ve learned how to shuffle across a river and swim across a river. But one of my all time favorite ways to get across a stream. Very rarely a river, usually just a stream is taken advantage of the natural features that are available to me. This includes things like boulders and fallen trees when I think it’s safe to do so. I try to keep my feet dry. 23:55                                     Using the natural features is great. And like I said, I use it an awful lot, but the most important thing is is to think before you go, what is the downside? If you shimmy across that tree or walk across that tree or jump boulder to boulder to cross that stream, if you fall in just a quick second slip of the footwork, what could happen? Are there rocks you could hit your head on? Are there sticks that could impale you? How high above the water are you when you fall? Is there one of those nasty strainers downstream that you could get caught in? And let’s talk for a minute about tree bridges. Sometimes you’ll see a nice fallen tree going across that stream. You’re like sweet. If it’s got tree bark, that’s going to give you better traction than a Barclays tree, which could be slippery if you decide to walk across a tree. It’s recommended that you walk sideways and keep your eyes moving and not focused on a fixed point and that’ll help you prevent vertigo. And actually if I come to a tree bridge, I prefer to just scoot in my butt and just shimmy across. 24:58                                     If you see a log jam where a bunch of trees are all crammed together and think that that would be a great way to cross. Think again. All right. When multiple trees are locked together from flooding, let’s say flooding knocked down a whole bunch of dead trees or whatever, it looks stable but you don’t know for sure and if you jump on it and you put your weight in a tree that turns out it can move, you can slip between them and get stuck. Plus let’s say that the trees are appended so you see these large root balls, they could be another problem as you grab onto one to get a little bit of balancing all that, that can dislodge a whole bunch of dirt and rocks above you that can fall on top of you. So just avoid those just to be in the safe side. 25:36                                     They could be really treacherous. Boulder hopping, this is usually the way that I cross most streams. I go in and this is when you see the rocks on top of the stream and you just kind of tap dance the crown across the river. So this is what I probably use the most. But keep in mind, I have really good balance and I have really good decision making when it comes to foot placement. When I’m hiking, I just intuitively seem to know where to put my feet. Some people don’t. So when you’re going to boulder hop, pay attention, what’s the downside? If you misstep or lose your balance? Is it safer to boulder hop or just to slog through the river? Often slogging through is the safer option. And if they’re dissimilar heights, you’re in a try to jump up to a boulder rather than down because the momentum actually might be a little bit harder to control. 26:27                                     Think about it. Gravity might give you a little bit more quote unquote help than you need. So jumping up, you actually have a little bit more stability. And also when I’m doing the boulder hopping, I’m doing so on dry boulders that don’t have any allergy. I’d try to avoid stepping on submerged boulders because even if they look algae free, they’re usually still a little bit slippery since they’d been under water. And you’re already getting your feet wet. So you might as well just shuffle across the riverbed anyway. You think you’ve done everything right, everything’s gone great, and you step on this one boulder, but it moves and you fall. So what do you do in this or in any of the other things we’ve talked about today? What do you do if you fall in the river? Number one, you gotta be prepared to unload your pack. Yes, I know that hurts painfully. You’ve already unbuckled and loosened it, right? You do not want your pack to drag you under. 27:18                                     I’m sure you listened to episode number four about how to pack your backpack. And I know we’ve already covered how to keep everything all nice and waterproof. So I know you’ve done that, but let’s say you have to drop your pack. You can often find it at the next bend in the river. If not, you could be screwed. So what does that mean for you? Where are you if you lost your pack? Is that a life threatening situation? Consider that before you cross a river that you’re not sure about, but remember, always better your pack than your life. 27:52                                     Okay? 27:55                                     All right. Let’s say the worst happens, number two, there’s rapids and you’re swept downstream. So what do you do? You position yourself that your feet are taking the brunt of the initial impacts. Your feet are facing downstream. So you’ve got to protect your head. So you want to float on your back with your feet pointing downstream and then try to aim and use your arms and all that to aim for the shore or calm shallow area for you to catch your breath and to regroup and hopefully you’ll be able to recover your pack. And here’s something else I want you to think about. Let’s say you’re doing a hike and you’re doing an out and back, meaning you have to cross the same river back on your return mate, no to where you crossed and how long it took you to do so. So you allow plenty of time for your return hike. Don’t forget that the river levels and the currents, the speed can change base on the snow mount and rainfall. So what may have been a nice calm river you crossed today, a few days from now after a heavy rainfall or a lot of snow melt could be dangerously impassable upon your return. What’s your plan B in case you can’t save the crossing for a while? What if you have to stay there for a few days? Do you know where the nearest bridges and how far it is to get there? 29:08                                     The most important thing you need to pack whenever you head outdoors is your brain. So bubble carry your head with you and don’t hesitate to call it a hike and turn back or delay. The crossing perhaps will be calmer in the morning. My rule of thumb is if I’m not sure I should cross, that’s a pretty darn good indicator that I shouldn’t cross. It should be crystal clear to you that say for you to cross, if not either weighted out or turned back. I put together a checklist of what we talked about today that will be available in the monthly newsletter that goes out to anybody that subscribes and you can always find how to do that at adventure travel show, podcast.com or you can always email me@kittatactivetroubledventures.com some parting thoughts. I love the outdoors as much as you do, but we want to do it safely. 30:07                                     Have you ever fallen crossing a river? I’ve been lucky actually. I’d never have a fallen lots of times on the trail, but never in a river. So if you have, I’d like to hear what happened to you and, and do you think that what we’ve covered today was helpful or would have been helpful for you? Like I said, this is the most dangerous thing that we face when we’re out hiking in the wild. So if you have hiking buddies, please make sure that they get a copy of this podcast so that they know what to do. Even if they say, oh, I know everything wanted to do. There’s probably one or two tips here that they didn’t know that might be helpful for them in the future. Next up on the show is the big debate, hiking boots versus hiking shoes. What’s the difference? When do you wear what and how to pick the right shoe for you? And next up on the act of troubled ventures podcast, I have a very special episode covering a little visited range in the Rockies called the mummy range. And after looking at the photos and talking to our guests, I definitely put that on my list, so I’m looking forward to sharing that with you. 31:15                                     I appreciate you listening. Until next time, this is kit parks and venture on.  

Join Me at Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=5262583PCT Days August 17th-19thPacific Crest Trail Days is a 3-day summer festival that celebrates and promotes outdoor recreation, with a focus on hiking, camping, and backpacking. Attendees get to participate in activities, games, classes & presentations, win awesome gear at the raffle, watch a series of films, and get great deals on the latest outdoor products from exhibiting sponsors at the Gear Expo. Whether you’re into car camping, day hiking, or long distance hiking, the gear and info you are looking for will be here!All raffle proceeds support the American Long Distance Hiking Association-West, the Pacific Crest Trail Association, and the volunteers working to restore trails damaged by the Eagle Creek Fire.PCT DAYS is free to attend, with a fee for overnight camping on Thunder Island. Don’t miss out on being a part of a great time at the 12th annual PCT DAYS, located in Cascade Locks, Oregon, the heart of the Columbia River Gorge!From http://www.pctdays.comWaymark Gear CompanyHeavy duty ultralight backpackshttps://www.waymarkgearco.comLuxe Tents! Try a tarp teepeeand lighten your pack weight.https://luxe-hiking-gear.com

Go to www.northcascadehiker.com/live-events/may21-18 to purchase tickets! May 21st opening at 6PMGuests include:Tami Asars- www.tamiasars.comEli Borschetto- www.pctoregon.comPhilip Kramer- www.philipkramer.comShawnte' Salabert- www.shawntesalabert.comJack Mattingly of the Whiskey Fever (my intro song)- https://www.reverbnation.com/whiskeyfeverStick around after the taping to purchase books, have them signed by the authors, and pick their brains about hiking the PCT.Books will be sold at the event for $20 with cash only... Thats cheaper than Amazon!!!Buying a ticket will enter you in for a gear raffle that will be held after the podcast. Items will be: Waymark Gear Company Backpack, Cascade Hiker Hats and hats from Crown Trails Headwear.Also, ALL proceeds from this event will be donated to the Pacific Crest Trail Association.

Laura tells us about her thru hiking experience on the PCT and Appalachian trails and her work as a Trail Steward for The Pacific Crest Trail Association. Facebook Twitter Instagram   The Outdoor Biz Podcast   Support the show   Please give us a rating and review HERE   Show Notes First Exposure to the Outdoors I grew up in a family that was into traveling and into the outdoors but wasn't exactly a backpacking or camping family. So I got more into all of that as a young adult in college and then afterwards my parents had traveled with us all around. They liked to be active outside but we just weren't exactly like the camping family. So when I was in college I went to Virginia Tech University in southwest Virginia, the Blue Ridge mountains in Appalachia area. I used to get out and go with friends for day hikes down there. Parts of the mountains down there are a part of the Appalachian Trail so that's really where I got my first exposure. I also started to really enjoy hiking and then after college I just got a little bit more into it  and transitioned from a day hiker to small weekend backpacks. I really wasn't doing big trips yet. The biggest trip I did before I started the Appalachian Trail was a five day supported trip in Glacier National Park with a large group. Otherwise I would just kind of go out on my own or with small groups here in Virginia Maryland D.C. area for a weekend trip. It's kind of like a little seed got planted and started growing my hunger to do bigger hikes. Things we talked about Salazon Chocolate Pacific Crest Trail Association Leave No Trace Friends of the Inyo The Pacific Crest Trail Appalachian Trail Conservancy Advice, tips Yeah I would say just start hiking on the weekends and see if you actually like hiking. You know sometimes people they think they want to hike because it sounds exciting it sounds like a big adventure. But the main thing you have to do is figure out do I like hiking. You can't figure out if you like you're right except by striking out and go hiking. And the other thing is if you have one bad experience when you think you might still like it just get out and try again, or go out with different people, or seek out another opportunity. Don't let bad weather or bad companionship or sore feet turn you off. It's good. Another thing it is really important and I think is becoming more and more of a voice in the outdoor industry is go out there even if there's other people that don't look like you or don't sound like you. They're not the same colors as you or they're not the same ethnicity background, sexual persuasion or physical model. There are other people out there that look like you and somebody who's through hiked long trails. I feel like there still are a lot of people that look similar but there is a lot more diversity than you think. Another important thing is we can all invite other people. There's so many great organizations out there now that are trying to amplify the voice of this. I got into it because I was into it and I liked it. But there were people that influenced me. I did have friends that were more experienced or that they knew the ropes and they invited me out. And so I kind of feel like now anything I want to do I make sure that are other people that might be thinking about it. Other Outdoor Activities Hiking Running Favorite Books Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold The Nature Fix by Florence Williams Best Gear Purchase under $100 Darn Tough socks Sawyer water filter Patagonia Baggies Apps, Tools, Podcasts Sounds of the Trail podcast Connect with Laura Instagram  

This week, Dan talks to Mark Larabee of the Pacific Crest Trail Association about raising funds through the PCTA's annual appropriations request to Congress.  Dan and Mark discuss the PCTA's fundraising efforts and all the work done to protect the PCT. Intro music by Kyle Gervais and Dominic Lavoie.