Podcast appearances and mentions of ray jardine

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by LMNT, we are joined by Demetri Coupounas, aka Coup, the founder of GoLite and MyTrail Company. Coup might just be the most interesting man in the world. This conversation takes us through his incredible journey, from his work balancing the federal budget in the '80s and '90s to becoming the first person to complete unsupported hikes of the Colorado Trail and the Long Trail, and how he stumbled upon the once underground world of ultralight backpacking.  We also dive into the history of GoLite, from its role in popularizing Ray Jardine's ultralight designs to its meteoric rise with more than 20 retail stores nationwide—without taking any investor money—and its eventual downfall, leading to bankruptcy just a few years later. Coup shares the story of MyTrail Co, his follow-up venture, and how he applied the lessons learned from GoLite while stripping away what didn't work, and how that eventually failed to achieve launch.  This episode is an insightful history lesson on GoLite and the world of ultralight backpacking, as well as a fascinating case study on business successes and failures.  We wrap up the show with a new 2-ounce device that could replace your Garmin InReach, what we consider a satisfactory number of steps in a typical day, and the ultimate Triple Crown of best smells. LMNT: Get a free sample pack with any order at drinklmnt.com/trek. Gossamer Gear: Use code “BACKPACKER20” for 20% off packs at gossamergear.com.  [divider] Interview with Demetri “Coup” Coupounas Coup's Instagram Time stamps & Questions 00:10:20 - Reminders: Join us for our live show in Austin, listen to our episodes ad-free on Patreon, and apply to vlog for the Trek! 00:12:40 - Introducing Coup 00:15:15 - What are your favorite backpacking Youtube channels? 00:16:25 - How did you get into politics? 00:28:10 - How fucked are we currently and what's your take on DOGE? 00:34:44 - How did you get into backpacking? 00:42:00 - How would you walk a first time hiker through packing their backpack? 00:51:22 - Do you think fun correlates directly with the weight on your back? 00:53:40 - Why did you take on unsupported hikes? 00:56:35 - Are you pursuing novel experiences or challenging experiences? 00:59:30 - How do you decide what food to bring? 01:05:20 - Tell us about the early days of GoLite 01:10:30 - Did you ever make your own gear? 01:12:02 - Did you have a personal relationship with Ray Jardine? 01:14:55 - Was Ray an owner in the business? 01:17:17 - What were the biggest initial sellers? 01:21:15 - How much effort was involved in convincing people to go lighter? 01:27:02 - What were the first 12 products? 01:38:15 - What did your typical customer look like? 01:46:00 - What was the process of scaling GoLite? 01:55:00 - Why didn't selling direct work well? 02:01:20 - What happened in 2013 and 2014? 02:10:00 - Why didn't you seek investors when money was running out? 02:17:00 - Discussion about the transition to My Trail Co 02:20:24 - What do you keep from the business when going through bankruptcy? 02:26:12 - What is My Trail Co and did you raise as much money as you expected? 02:30:02 - How many products did you offer? 02:32:31 - When did My Trail Co go out of business? 02:38:16 - Why didn't My Trail work? 02:42:45 - Did My Trail investors earn dividends? 02:45:00 - How much of the growth of the cottage industry was to blame? 02:53:07 - What are your plans for the future? 03:01:50 - Stay Salty Question: What is your hottest take in the backpacking world? Segments Trek Propaganda: Could This 2-Ounce Device Replace Your Garmin inReach? By Katie Jackson QOTD:  What is a satisfactory number of steps for your average day? Mail Bag 5 Star Review [divider] Check out our sound guy @my_boy_pauly/ and his coffee. Leave us a voicemail! Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (and please leave us a review)!  Find us on Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play. Support us on Patreon to get bonus content. Advertise on Backpacker Radio Follow The Trek, Chaunce, Badger, and Trail Correspondents on Instagram. Follow Backpacker Radio, The Trek and Chaunce on YouTube. Follow Backpacker Radio on Tik Tok.  Our theme song is Walking Slow by Animal Years. A super big thank you to our Chuck Norris Award winner(s) from Patreon: Alex and Misty with NavigatorsCrafting, Alex Kindle, Andrew, Austen McDaniel, Ben Love, Brad & Blair Thirteen Adventures, Brent Stenberg, Bryan Alsop, Christopher Marshburn, Coach from Marion Outdoors, Derek Koch, Eric Casper, Erik Hofmann, Gillian Daniels, Greg Knight, Greg Martin, Greg McDaniel, Griffin Haywood, Hailey Buckingham, Liz Seger, Mud Tom, Patrick Cianciolo, Rebecca Brave, Sawyer Products, SPAM, Timothy Hahn, Tracy ‘Trigger' Fawns A big thank you to our Cinnamon Connection Champions from Patreon: Bells, Bonnie Ackerman, Chris Pyle, David, Dcnerdlet, Emily Galusha, Jeanie, Jeanne Latshaw, Katharine Rudzitis, Lauren Cain, Luke Netjes, Merle Watkins, Peter, Ruth S, and Spencer Hinson.

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio, presented by The Trek, brought to you by Helinox we are joined by John Mackey. On trail he's known as "Strider", off trail he's known as the co-founder and former CEO of Whole Foods. In addition to being a world-class entrepreneur, Mackey is also a backpacking enthusiast, having hike the AT, PCT, Colorado Trail, and many trails abroad including hikes in the Alps, Patagonia, and more. This is a fun, informative, and wide ranging chat that covers his thru-hike on the AT while being the active Whole Foods CEO, how he saved Gossamer Gear from near extinction, his fascination with UL gear, including his own 6.5 lb base weight, how his love for fantasy novels spilled into his own creative endeavor at the AT's shelter logs, his favorite vegan trail snacks, and much more. We also dive into some non-backpacking talk, including how to build a successful and healthy company culture, his take on labor unions, how psychedelics played a pivotal role in his life, and we learn all about his new book, The Whole Story: Adventures in Love, Life, and Capitalism. Chaunce and I were amped for this chat and it did not disappoint. We wrap the show with a sneak peak at a new full-time job opening at The Trek, what fact is common knowledge in our field, but unknown to most of the population, the triple crown of Whole Foods foods, and Chaunce's encounter with a ghost. Helinox: Use code “BACKPACKER20” for 20% off at helinox.com. Gossamer Gear: Use code “SNUGGLEBUG” for 20% off shelters at gossamergear.com.  LMNT: Get a free sample pack with any order at drinklmnt.com/trek. [divider] Interview with John “Strider” Mackey John's Website John's Instagram Love Life Website Time stamps & Questions 00:04:56 - Reminders: Apply for the Trek's new full time role! Suggest a guest for PCT Days and support us on Patreon for bonus exclusive content! 00:08:15 - Introducing John 00:09:18 - Tell us about investigating your wife's fridge during your first date 00:12:27 - We Love Love: Tell us about telling her how you felt 00:18:12 - Did that make you more sensitive to how you interact with people? 00:19:15 - What was the origin story of buying Gossamer Gear? 00:23:46 - Are you still involved in the operations of Gossamer Gear? 00:25:15 - How did you get to a baseweight of 6 pounds? 00:26:50 - What are your Big Three? 00:28:00 - How did Ray Jardine's book insprie you? 00:30:30 - Tell us about getting off trail 00:33:22 - What's it like to complete the AT and go back to being the CEO of Whole Foods? 00:36:01 - Tell us about your trail register stories 00:39:35 - What was the process for your support vehicle? 00:41:44 - Did other hikers realize you were involved with Whole Foods? 00:43:10 - What impact has psychadelics had on your career? 00:49:33 - What did your parents think when you started Safer Way? 00:54:56 - Was it hard to ask your father to leave the board of Whole Foods? 00:58:50 - What was the community's reaction to you starting Safer Way? 01:02:18 - How did you mentally keep up with the growth of Whole Foods? 01:03:43 - Were there any books you recommend to entrepreneurs? 01:05:28 - Discussion about listening to books while long distance hiking 01:07:00 - Discussion about what John eats while backpacking 01:10:21 - What kind of cravings do you get while hiking? 01:12:20 - What do you think about alternative meat burgers? 01:13:23 - Can you explain why vegans are against eggs? 01:16:20 - Tell us about hiking with the founder of Celestial Seasonings tea 01:18:58 - What was the origin story of your step-daughter's trail name? 01:20:09 - What sticky situations have you gotten into on trail? 01:24:00 - Tell us about hiking the PCT 01:27:39 - Tell us about the Via Francigena and Alpe Adria 01:29:50 - What has been your favorite European trail? 01:31:35 - What's your take on REI's recent efforts on union busting? 01:36:52 - What tips do you have for building a strong company culture? 01:42:00 - Discussion about merging with Amazon 01:43:18 - What is Jeff Bezos like? 01:43:41 - Zach's idea for grocery store improvement 01:45:33 - Kumo Question: What is the cheesiest movie you secretly love? 01:48:26 - Tell us about Love Life Segments Trek Propaganda: Kristian Morgan Aims for Another Appalachian Trail FKT by Ariella Nardizzi QOTD: What fact is common knowledge in your field, but unknown to most of the population? Spooky Thing of the Week Triple Crown of Whole Foods foods Mail Bag 5 Star Review [divider] Check out our sound guy @my_boy_pauly/. Leave us a voicemail! Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (and please leave us a review)!  Find us on Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play. Support us on Patreon to get bonus content. Advertise on Backpacker Radio Follow The Trek, Chaunce, Badger, and Trail Correspondents on Instagram. Follow Backpacker Radio, The Trek and Chaunce on YouTube. Follow Backpacker Radio on Tik Tok.  Our theme song is Walking Slow by Animal Years. A super big thank you to our Chuck Norris Award winner(s) from Patreon: Alex and Misty with NavigatorsCrafting, Andrew, Austen McDaniel, Austin Ford, Brad & Blair Thirteen Adventures, Brent Stenberg, Bryan Alsop, Christopher Marshburn, Coach from Marion Outdoors, Dayne, Derek Koch, Eric Casper, Erik Hofmann, Gillian Daniels, Greg Knight, Greg McDaniel, Hailey Buckingham, Liz Seger, Patrick Cianciolo, Sawyer Products, SPAM, Timothy Hahn, Tracy ‘Trigger' Fawns A big thank you to our Cinnamon Connection Champions from Patreon: 12 Trees Farms, Bonnie Ackerman, David, Dcnerdlet, Emily Galusha, Jeanie, Jeanne Latshaw, Joann Menzer, Katharine Rudzitis, Keith Dobie Jr, Merle Watkins, Peter, and Ruth S.

The wonderful John D. Burns reads an extract from Wild Country - The man who made Friends. In early 1978, an extraordinary new invention for rock climbers was featured on the BBC television science show Tomorrow's World. It was called the 'Friend', and it not only made the sport safer, it helped push the limits of the possible. The company that made them was called Wild Country, the brainchild of Mark Vallance. Within six months, Vallance was selling Friends in sixteen countries. Wild Country would go on to develop much of the gear that transformed climbing in the 1980s. Mark Vallance's influence on the outdoor world extends far beyond the company he founded. He owned and opened the influential retailer Outside in the Peak District and was part of the team that built The Foundry, Sheffield's premier climbing wall - the first modern climbing gym in Britain. He worked for the Peak District National Park and served on its board. He even found time to climb eight-thousand-metre peaks and the Nose on El Capitan. Diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in his mid fifties and robbed of his plans for retirement, Vallance found a new sense of purpose as a reforming president of the British Mountaineering Council.In Wild Country, Vallance traces his story, from childhood influences like Robin Hodgkin and Sir Jack Longland, to two years in Antarctica, where he was base commander of the UK's largest and most southerly scientific station at Halley Bay, before his fateful meeting with Ray Jardine, the man who invented Friends, in Yosemite. Trenchant, provocative and challenging, Wild Country is a remarkable personal story and a fresh perspective on the role of the outdoors in British life and the development of climbing in its most revolutionary phase. Mark Vallance (1945–2018), the man who made Friends. ***John D. Burns is a bestselling and award-winning mountain writer who has spent over forty years exploring Britain’s mountains. Originally from Merseyside, he moved to Inverness over thirty years ago to follow his passion for the hills. He is a past member of the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team and has walked and climbed in the American and Canadian Rockies, Kenya, the Alps and the Pyrenees. John began writing more than fifteen years ago, and at first found an outlet for his creativity as a performance poet. He has taken one-man plays to the Edinburgh Fringe and toured them widely around theatres and mountain festivals in the UK. It is the combination of John’s love of the outdoors with his passion for writing and performance that makes him a uniquely powerful storyteller. His first two books, The Last Hillwalker and Bothy Tales, were both shortlisted for TGO Magazine’s Outdoor Book of the Year. His third book, Sky Dance, is published in 2019. He continues to develop his career as a writer, blogger and outdoor storyteller while exploring the wild places he loves.

Renee Patrick, known on trail as She-ra is a triple crowner, designer, and all-around Renaissance Woman.  In addition to hiking pretty much every trail in the United States and some abroad, she's also served in the Peace Corps, interned at the Smithsonian, and presently serves as the coordinator at the Oregon Desert Trail.  She shares stories of being caught in a military coup in Africa, having her pack stolen by a bear, being bitten by a brown recluse on the Appalachian Trail, and building and selling a merchandise company.  Of course we've got some Trek Propaganda as well as a very poopy edition of would you rather. Subjects discussed in the episode include: Use code "TREK15" at GossamerGear.com to save 15% Gossamer Gear The One Gossamer Gear Gorilla Gossamer Gear Liteflex Umbrella How to back flush a Sawyer Squeeze Sawyer Squeeze Sawyer Micro Squeeze Use code "Trek10" at Greenbelly.co Apply to join The Trek's class of 2020 Bloggers + Vloggers Peace Corps Appalachian Trail 1999 (drink?) Ray Jardine's books Internship at the Smithsonian West Highland Way Pacific Crest Trail 2006 REI Used Gear Sale The Wonderland Trail Continental Divide Trail She-Ra cartoon TREK PROPAGANDA How to Hike the Oregon Desert Trail by Katie Gerber Getting to Know the Oregon Desert Trail by Renee Patrick Visit the Oregon Desert Trail website! iamhikertrash.com @wearehikertrash Intro Song: Walking Slow by Animal Years Check out Trail Correspondents Check out Stories from the Trail Have any praise, questions, praise, comments, praise or praise for Backpacker Radio?  Reach out to podcast@thetrek.co. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (and please leave us a review)!  Find us on Stitcher and Google Play. Support us on Patreon to get bonus content. A super big thank you to our Chuck Norris Award winner(s) from Patreon: Michael W Hinkley, S11N, Todd Cartner, Sawyer Products, and Travis Smith A big thank you to our Cinnamon Connection Champions from Patreon: Gregory Gardner and Peter Leven Follow Clare, The Trek, Chaunce, Badger, and Trail Correspondents on Instagram. Follow The Trek and Chaunce on YouTube. Follow Backpacker Radio, and Chaunce on Facebook. Follow The Trek on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter. Intro music via.  

Tony Yaniro came of age as the Stonemasters were just solidifying their legendary status in the mid ’70s. In the shadows, however, climbers like Tony, Randy Leavitt, Max Jones and Mark Hudon, Ray Jardine, and a host of others were starting to shed the crotchety ethics of the day and pushing the sport in a new, gymnastic, era-defining direction. Tony and the gang hung on ropes to work out moves, bolted lines at a level previously unimagined, and developed a super-divisive style of sending. Today, we’d scoff at grumpy old coots slagging us for simply redpointing! Tony was the first person to climb at the .13b/c level, but redpointing and hangdogging weren’t the only arrows in his quiver. He developed his own training regimens on what he called “death machines,” homemade climbing holds affixed to walls, and route-specific workouts away from the crag. Today we beat ourselves into submission twice a week at the local gym. In the 1970s, it made Tony a revolutionary. He was one of the first and finest hold shapers on the planet. He’s a routesetter and trainer. He’s designed gyms and now owns his own facility in Prescott, Arizona. He’s stood at the vanguard of so many groundbreaking moments in climbing history that it’s hard to fathom how he isn’t the most pompous asshole in the industry. But he’s not. He’s humble and kind and hell-bent on sharing his knowledge with the wider climbing world. Fidi and I had the rare honor to sit down with Tony and rue the fact we could only steal an hour of his time. We could have listened for days… Thanks also to Dennis Taylor, one of Tony’s employees, for jumping into the shark tank and joining us on the podcast at the last minute. Have a question, comment, concern? Wanna write for Thundercling or have a great guest idea? Get ahold of us at thunderclingpodcast@gmail.com or on Instagram @thethundercling. We respond to every missive we get. Finally, thanks to the old stalwart Ryne Doughty for the reliably rad tunes.

    Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike with Jay Moledzki: Podcast Show Notes   Welcome to Experiences You Should Have; Your how-to guide for amazing experiences. I had the pleasure of interviewing Jay Moledzki, who is a world-renowned skydiver and he hiked the Appalachian Trail. Jay is not your average guy. He is the most decorated competitive skydiving canopy (parachute) pilot in the sport of skydiving to date. He has 7 world championship skydiving titles, over 50 gold medals. He is a goal-oriented guy and someone I have looked up to for many years. Check out his profile on Flight-1.   Jay also hosts a podcast with life coach Melanie Curtis (who I interviewed about going on your first skydive) called Trust The Journey (dot) Today. Trust the Journey.Today podcast is all about living, laughing, loving, and learning together. Also, creating and cultivating conscious connections through the practice of openness, vulnerability, honesty, and trust. Check them out on iTunes, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.   Planning to Hike the Appalachian Trail: What Went Into Goal Setting and Planning Jay and his first wife, Fernanda, decided they would hike the Appalachian Trail together as a team. They wanted more adventure in their lives and wanted to pursue more scenery and get serious time outdoors. When they decided to hike the Appalachian Trail, Jay had his a point in his personal skydiving career that he felt he had checked the goals he wanted to accomplish. He was looking for a new goal that would be connected to nature, earthy and hiking the Appalachian Trail felt like the goal that he and Fernanda decided to set their eyes on and the enthusiasm was there.   It took 2 years of planning from the time they made the goal before they started the trail. They wanted to make sure they had the knowledge, equipment, and training to complete the trail. The attrition rate is high on the Appalachian Trail and not many people finish the trail who start.   They also wanted to understand why they wanted to hike the Appalachian trail. They started listing out the reasons why they wanted to do it and they wanted to set a goal of completing it and hike the Appalachian Trail the purist way by hiking the entire trail and doing it in one shot. Appalachian Trail Map Checklist to Mentally and Physically Prepare to Hike the Appalachian Trail Arm yourself with knowledge with books, websites. Ray Jardine is the godfather of Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiking and gives the Ultra-Light approach to Thru-Hiking. Check out his book Trail Life for a guide to Ultra Light Thru-Hiking. Find a mentor and talk to someone who has hiked the Appalachian Trail before Get in shape, physical fitness training is very important. Set a Goal and know in your mind before you start how far you want to go. Do a week-long hike before going on the AT with the equipment you plan on using to evaluate the weight, what you're bringing and seeing what it's like to do a hike by yourself. Hiking the Appalachian Trail: The Beginning On the first day, Jay and Fernanda were anxious. They started at Springer Mountain, about an hour away from Atlanta. About 3,000 people start the trail every year and the majority of them start at Springer Mountain. It was the first week of March (most people start the beginning of March to April). Most people do a northbound hike and follow the seasons. Their friend Annie dropped them off and they got their photographs by the sign.   Jay and Fernanda starting the Appalachian Trail What's interesting is that you don't start the trail until you have reached the top of Springer Mountain. It's a journey from the start just to get to the starting point. At the peak, there was a sign and nice ladies with clipboards who are rangers who kept track who was starting the trail.   They had planned to hike 8-10 miles a day in the beginning with the plan to ramp up over time to get to their tr...

Corrina Peipon grew up in the bohemian world of Martha’s Vineyard immersed in art and nature. Chasing her passion for art carried her to the west coast where she eventually rediscovered the draw of the outdoors and the joys of backpacking. She founded Pangaea Outdoor Supply in 2016, a gear shop where she curates a selection of products that are effective and aesthetically pleasing. She and Jason sat in Pangaea HQ one breezy afternoon discussing how art and walking merged into Pangaea. LINKS: pangaeaoutdoorsupply.com Mailing List: pangaeaoutdoorsupply.com/info Instagram: instagram.com/pangaeaoutdoorsupply/ Facebook: facebook.com/pangaeaoutdoorsupply/ Days Store: days-la.com Solo Hiking Story: thisisrange.com/going-it-alone-finding-solace-in-solitary-hiking/ Walk On Blog: soonerorlateritallgetsreal.blogspot.com Ray Jardine’s Beyond Backpacking: rayjardine.com/ray-way/Books/Archived-Books/1999-Beyond-Backpacking/index.htm Call us and leave a message (up to 3 minutes): 1-818-925-0106

Dan Sedlacek, at 14, was inspired to seek out the PCT when he met a group of friendly thru-hikers. Years later, he and his brother tackled the 2600+ mile trail using gear they had made themselves. Here a second inspiration would hit, a desire to create a handmade gear company. Now, Dan runs Uphill Designs located in Seattle. He and Jason sat in the office one morning discussing the triumphs and travails of the Pacific Crest Trail and running a small business. LINKS: uphilldesigns.com facebook.com/uphilldesignsco instagram.com/uphilldesigns etsy.com/shop/UphillDesignsCo PCT Association: pcta.org Ray Jardine: rayjardine.com Walking the West Trailer: youtu.be/ZGAtvyTJzpI Yogi’s PCT Handbook: yogisbooks.com/pacific-crest-trail/pct-yogis-pacific-crest-trail-handbook Trail Life (New edition of PCT Hiker’s Handbook): rayjardine.com/ray-way/Books/Trail-Life/index.htm Anish Anderson: runhikelivelove.blogspot.com Washington Trails Association: wta.org Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship: foster.uw.edu/centers/buerk-ctr-entrepreneurship Call us and leave a message (up to 3 minutes): 1-818-925-0106

‘After a while that’s the same shot.’ / “Other than the boots of course.” / ‘Well..who’s that woman?’ / ‘Why do we start recording at midnight always?’ / “Top-heavy bitterness..malty-high-punch.” Listen: download the mp3. show notes Wild by Cheryl Strayed and ‘Wild’ from Fox Searchlight Pictures. The Pacific Crest Trail. Ray Jardine’s Adventure Page. Launcher & Music […]