The Cottage - Episode 5: Work Hard. Stay Curious.

About the Guest Dr. Caroline Himbert, trail name Earthcake, is a German expat and cancer researcher on the faculty at the University of Utah's cancer center in Salt Lake City, following a postdoc at Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital. Her research focuses on cancer survivorship, mainly colorectal and prostate cancer, and how exercise can improve survival and quality of life. She moved to the United States in October 2015 and thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 2016, followed by the Colorado Trail and the Continental Divide Trail. She then moved into ultrarunning, finishing her first 100-miler, the Wasatch 100, in 29 hours and 45 minutes for a top-ten finish and a sub-30 buckle. On the John Muir Trail, she set the unsupported women's FKT in August 2025 in 4 days, 4 hours, and 58 minutes, edging a record that had stood since 2016 by eight minutes. In July 2026 she came back and lowered it to 3 days, 16 hours, and 36 minutes, running northbound from Whitney Portal to Yosemite Valley. She is coached by Joe "Stringbean" McConaughy, and she got her trail name from mispronouncing "earthquake" on the PCT. She is on Instagram at @im_earthcake. What Happens in This Episode Twelve Miles From the Finish A Planner Who Trusts Her Legs How "Earthcake" Happened From Thru-Hiker to Wasatch 100 Rachel and Kevin Taking It Back at Donahue Pass A Bear, a Burrito, and a Grudge Doing It Alone, and What Comes Next Links & Resources Earthcake on Instagram (@im_earthcake) Caroline Himbert's 2026 JMT FKT page (3 days, 16 hours, 36 minutes) GearJunkie: "John Muir Trail FKT: Ultrarunner Fights Hallucinations to Beat Record by 8 Minutes" (2025) GearJunkie: "Shattered Record: The Queen of the John Muir Trail Does It Again" (2026) Moab 240 Endurance Run (Destination Trail) iRunFar: Joe "Stringbean" McConaughy sets the men's supported JMT FKT The Third Man Factor by John Geiger — the book on survival-mode hallucinations Caroline recommends. Connect with Hiker Trash Radio Email: [email protected] Social: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok — search Hiker Trash Radio. The full interview with Earthcake follows in two parts on the Hiker Trash Radio feed. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts — it takes 60 seconds and makes a real difference. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Cottage — Episode 5: "Work Hard. Stay Curious." The series finale of The Cottage asks the question behind all the others: why do these people do what they do? Allgood on waiting for his life to require a walk of that magnitude. GVP on creating margin and slipping into soft focus. Bus on never giving up the walks that changed his life. And the realization that ties the whole series together: the cottage industry exists because people who carry less learned to do more, and they found the answers they needed on trail. Featured Voices Whitney LaRuffa (Allgood) — Gossamer Gear. AT '96, CDT '16. Glenn Van Peski (G Squared) — Founder, Gossamer Gear. Author, "Take Less, Do More." Dan Durston (Lorax) — Founder, Durston Gear. Luke Piersall (Bus) — Founder, Trail Goods Company. The Full Series Cast Glenn Van Peski (Gossamer Gear) | Whitney LaRuffa (Gossamer Gear/FarOut/Six Moon Designs) | Lloyd Vogel (Garage Grown Gear) | Dan Durston (Durston Gear) | Cameron Abila (Leave Outdoor Co) | Brice Sokolowski (Vaucluse) | Sarah Berkeley (Symbiosis Gear) | Luke Piersall (Trail Goods Company) | Tom Liggett (Alpenglow Gear) | Elliot Dick (Different Dimension Designs) Connect with Hiker Trash Radio Email: [email protected] Facebook | YouTube | Instagram | TikTok Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

About the Guest Bianca "Bee" Corrado is a high school Spanish teacher, outdoor educator, and content creator from San Diego, California (currently relocating to New York). Under the handle @beeswildlife, she has built a community of over 100,000 followers by teaching beginners how to get into the backcountry safely and confidently: camp kitchen guides, gear reviews, Leave No Trace education, and trail safety for solo women. She documented her PCT thru-hike in real time across Instagram, YouTube, and Substack. Her first backpacking trip was with the Sierra Club at Stony Brook University in 2016; her first thru-hike was the John Muir Trail in 2019 with her younger brother. She was sleeping on her balcony on a sleeping pad when this interview was recorded because her bed felt too soft after 140-plus days on trail. Her almost-trail-name was Crack Sniffer. She accepted Bee instead. What's Covered in Part 2 Family Reaction — They Knew She Was Stubborn Imposter Syndrome — Across Every Area The JMT Conclusion and Its Contradiction Why Beginners — Because She Was One Teaching and Creating — Both Stem From Creativity What Bee Wants Solo Women to Know About Safety Dirty Pot Water — The LNT Case Follower Growth — PCT as the Catalyst What's Next — Camino, Spanish, and the Classroom Hiking Hacks — Three for the Price of One Off the Beaten Path — Further by Heather Anderson Pay It Forward — NPCA Crack Sniffer — Why She Declined Links & Resources Bee on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Substack: https://www.instagram.com/beeswildlife Topo Athletic UltraVenture — Bee's trail shoe of choice for the PCT. Five pairs. Zero Achilles problems. Six Moon Designs Trekker — The trekking-pole tent Bee switched to on day 5 of the PCT and used for the remainder of the hike. Further by Heather Anderson — Bee's Off the Beaten Path recommendation. Heather's Triple Crown FKT story. Highly recommended. National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA): https://www.npca.org Connect with Hiker Trash Radio Email: mailto:[email protected] Social: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok — search Hiker Trash Radio. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts — it takes 60 seconds and makes a real difference. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

About the Guest Bianca "Bee" Corrado is a high school Spanish teacher, outdoor educator, and content creator from San Diego, California (currently relocating to New York). Under the handle @beeswildlife, she has built a community of over 100,000 followers by teaching beginners how to get into the backcountry safely and confidently — camp kitchen guides, gear reviews, Leave No Trace education, and trail safety for solo women. She documented her PCT thru-hike in real time across Instagram, YouTube, and Substack. Her first backpacking trip was with the Sierra Club at Stony Brook University in 2016; her first thru-hike was the John Muir Trail in 2019 with her younger brother. She was sleeping on her balcony on a sleeping pad when this interview was recorded because her bed felt too soft after 140-plus days on trail. Her almost-trail-name was Crack Sniffer. She accepted Bee instead. What's Covered in Part 1 Trail Name — Bee Trailblazer's Toolkit — Topo Athletic UltraVenture The Hiking Poll — Score: 41 Culture Surprise — The Skipping Creating From the Trail The Sierra — Connecting Familiar Places The One Crying Moment The Hardest Stretch — Oregon Border Expectations The Midway Marker Origin Story — Sierra Club, Stony Brook, and a 65-Degree Bag Links & Resources Bee on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Substack: https://www.instagram.com/beeswildlife Topo Athletic UltraVenture — Bee's trail shoe of choice for the PCT. Five pairs. Zero Achilles problems. Six Moon Designs Trekker — The trekking-pole tent Bee switched to on day 5 of the PCT and used for the remainder of the hike. Further by Heather Anderson — Bee's Off the Beaten Path recommendation. Heather's Triple Crown FKT story. Highly recommended. National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA): https://www.npca.org Connect with Hiker Trash Radio Email: mailto:[email protected] Social: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok — search Hiker Trash Radio. Part 2 drops in 10 minutes. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts — it takes 60 seconds and makes a real difference. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Zach Lawyer grew up battling his inner demons. His brother was born with spina bifida, and Zach grew up carrying the guilt of a healthy body in a house where one wasn’t guaranteed. He started looking for an outlet early. Skateboarding found him before the drugs did. But it was hard to battle the self-sabotage. He stole an iPod at 13. A neighbor traded him a quarter pound of weed for it. That was the launch of a dealing career that lasted over a decade, eventually eating the dealer. By his mid-twenties, Zach was using an eighth of cocaine before two in the afternoon, tapering with Xanax, finishing with fentanyl knockoffs. He couldn’t hold a job, couldn’t hold a relationship, could barely look at himself in the mirror. He had become the customer he used to sell to. The arrest came four days after a confrontation he describes carefully, in his own language: he took something that wasn’t his, had a confrontation with some people, and woke up under a pool floaty in his parents’ backyard to six squad cars and dogs barking in the cul-de-sac. Jail was a race war playing out in real time. He was a long-haired fish in a bucket of water. Before he got to housing, he was face-down on a dirty cell floor - hands cuffed, wrists bleeding, choking on bile - and every rock bottom he’d ever hit flashed through him at once. He made one promise to himself: never again. Never again will I act out of impulse. He came out and found yoga. Not looking for it. A girlfriend dragged him to a class at Temecula Yoga Collective. He walked in with a lot of darkness around him, a dry wick of a candle, and saw nothing but lit candles. He came out of that first class feeling high as a kite. Turns out that’s your prana. Your life force. A teacher named Danny White showed him what it could look like to live inside a practice rather than outside it. When COVID killed his plans to teach, he took the practice to the Pacific Crest Trail. Then the Hayduke. Then the Oregon Desert Trail — 800 miles of no markers, no trail, drought year seven. Fifty-two miles without water. A mountain lion in a creek bed at night, headlamp dead, pink taser that barely lit up. Baby rattlesnakes no bigger than his index finger materializing from the camouflage of the desert floor. He stood through all of it. Nothing of the old him was there. The old him would have panicked. Zach is writing a book: two years of drafts, one computer crash, months of writer’s block. He wants one person to take something from it. That’s been the goal this entire ride. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

About the Guest Bianca "Bee" Corrado is a high school Spanish teacher, outdoor educator, and content creator from San Diego, California (currently relocating to New York). Under the handle @beeswildlife, she has built a community of over 100,000 followers by teaching beginners how to get into the backcountry safely and confidently: camp kitchen guides, gear reviews, Leave No Trace education, and trail safety for solo women. She documented her PCT thru-hike in real time across Instagram, YouTube, and Substack. Her first backpacking trip was with the Sierra Club at Stony Brook University in 2016; her first thru-hike was the John Muir Trail in 2019 with her younger brother. She took to sleeping on her balcony on a sleeping pad because her bed felt too soft after 140-plus days on trail. Her almost-trail-name was Crack Sniffer. She accepted Bee instead. Episode Highlights Trail Name — Bee (Not Crack Sniffer) The Imposter Who Finished Creating on Trail — The Double Zero System The One Crying Moment The NorCal Blues — and What Oregon Actually Looks Like What the Trail Taught Her Crack Sniffer — The Jeffrey Pine Story Links & Resources Bee on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Substack: https://www.instagram.com/beeswildlife Topo Athletic UltraVenture — Bee's trail shoe of choice for the PCT. Five pairs. Zero Achilles problems. Six Moon Designs Trekker — The trekking-pole tent Bee switched to on day 5 of the PCT and used for the remainder of the hike. Further by Heather Anderson — Bee's Off the Beaten Path recommendation. Heather's Triple Crown FKT story. Highly recommended. National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA): https://www.npca.org Connect with Hiker Trash Radio Email: mailto:[email protected] Social: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok — search Hiker Trash Radio. The full interview with Bee drops Wednesday in two parts. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts — it takes 60 seconds and makes a real difference. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Cottage — Episode 4: "From Basement to Warehouse" The makers from Episodes 1 through 3 don't exist in isolation: they're part of an ecosystem held together by a retailer in St. Paul, a connector who knows everyone, and the community events where cottage brands meet the hikers they serve. In this fourth episode of The Cottage, we zoom out to see how the pieces fit together. Lloyd Vogel and his warehouse full of 160 brands. Allgood's decades of relationships across the industry. Double D as the consumer who's becoming the next maker. And a philosophy — "there is no ideal base weight" — that ties the whole movement together. Featured Voices Lloyd Vogel — CEO and Co-Founder, Garage Grown Gear. St. Paul, MN. Whitney LaRuffa (Allgood) — Currently with Gossamer Gear. Former Chief Revenue Officer, FarOut. Former VP, Six Moon Designs. Former President, ALDHA-West. Elliot Dick (Double D) — AT 2023 thru-hiker. Founder, Different Dimension Designs. Somerset, KY. Links & Resources Garage Grown Gear — garagegrowngear.com FarOut — faroutguides.com Different Dimension Designs — @differentdimensiondesigns on Instagram Hilltop Packs — hilltoppacks.com Light Phone — thelightphone.com Connect with Hiker Trash Radio Email: [email protected] Facebook | YouTube | Instagram | TikTok Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

About the Guest Joe Hardin is a self-taught mechanical design engineer, ultra-endurance runner, race director, woodworker, and podcaster from Lebanon, Indiana. Seven years sober, he discovered running after getting a gym membership for his first sobriety birthday and found a flyer for a local turkey trot on the door. A Billy Yang video introduced him to trail running, and a friend's suggestion — "maybe you're just not cut out for 100 milers, maybe you should sign up for something longer" — led him to the Vol State 500K. He recently completed that race: 314 miles across Tennessee in July, self-supported, with no crew and no aid stations. He is the founder of Odd Duck Running, which hosts inclusive community races in Boone County, Indiana, and RTB Awards, which makes handcrafted wooden finisher and podium awards for trail races across the country. His podcast is Beyond the Finish Line on the Everyday Athlete Podcast Network. His Instagram handle is @TrailTortoise. What's Covered in Part 2 Growing Up and Getting Sober The Recovery and the Turkey Trot From Turkey Trot to Vol State — Very Quickly What the Vol State Taught Him About His Limit Run Commuting — 27 Miles a Week Just Getting To and From Work What Tennessee Taught Him About People Odd Duck Running — A Starting Line for Everyone RTB Awards — Handcrafted Race Awards Hiking Hack — Bring a Toothbrush Off the Beaten Path — Ultramarathon Man and Dirty Jar Pay It Forward — Race to the Finish To Anyone Listening Joe's direct message from the transcript: 'I know there's somebody out there that might be going through something like this, and they feel like they're lost and they're alone. You are not, I promise you. I felt the same way, and it is never too late to rewrite your story.' If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, SAMHSA's National Helpline is free, confidential, and available 24/7: 1-800-662-4357. Links & Resources Odd Duck Running — Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oddduckrunning RTB Awards — Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rtbawards Beyond the Finish Line — Everyday Athlete Podcast Network: https://www.runtrivmag.com Vol State 500K — Sign up at UltraSignup. Registration fills quickly. Ultramarathon Man — Dean Karnazes. Joe's Off the Beaten Path recommendation. Dirty Jar — YouTube. Trail running channel Joe discovered through HTR. Highly recommended. Race to the Finish — Joey Metzger's foundation for immigrant visibility in trail running: https://www.racetothefinish.org Shake the Frost — Tyler Childers. Joe's go-to song when everything is falling apart. Connect with Hiker Trash Radio Email: mailto:[email protected] Social: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok — search Hiker Trash Radio. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts — it takes 60 seconds and makes a real difference. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

About the Guest Joe Hardin is a self-taught mechanical design engineer, ultra-endurance runner, race director, woodworker, and podcaster from Lebanon, Indiana. Seven years sober, he discovered running after getting a gym membership for his first sobriety birthday and found a flyer for a local turkey trot on the door. A Billy Yang video introduced him to trail running, and a friend's suggestion — "maybe you're just not cut out for 100 milers, maybe you should sign up for something longer" — led him to the Vol State 500K. He recently completed that race: 314 miles across Tennessee in July, self-supported, with no crew and no aid stations. He is the founder of Odd Duck Running, which hosts inclusive community races in Boone County, Indiana, and RTB Awards, which makes handcrafted wooden finisher and podium awards for trail races across the country. His podcast is Beyond the Finish Line on the Everyday Athlete Podcast Network. His Instagram handle is @TrailTortoise. What's Covered in Part 1 Trail Name — Trail Tortoise (Self-Appointed) Trailblazer's Toolkit — Zip Run Commute Pack The Hiking Poll — Score: 47 (Later Adjusted to 53) The Vol State — Race Mechanics Going Nocturnal The Bench of Despair The Rock — Cheese Grater Road and Three One More Mile Signs How Joe Got Here — Maybe Not Cut Out for 100 Milers Links & Resources Odd Duck Running — Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oddduckrunning RTB Awards — Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rtbawards Beyond the Finish Line — Everyday Athlete Podcast Network: https://www.runtrivmag.com Vol State 500K — Sign up at UltraSignup. Registration fills quickly. Ultramarathon Man — Dean Karnazes. Joe's Off the Beaten Path recommendation. Dirty Jar — YouTube. Trail running channel Joe discovered through HTR. Highly recommended. Race to the Finish — Joey Metzger's foundation for immigrant visibility in trail running: https://www.racetothefinish.org Shake the Frost — Tyler Childers. Joe's go-to song when everything is falling apart. Connect with Hiker Trash Radio Email: mailto:[email protected] Social: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok — search Hiker Trash Radio. Part 2 drops in 10 minutes. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts — it takes 60 seconds and makes a real difference. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

About the Guest Donovan "Iceman" Rice is a Colorado hiker and route maker who designed the Great Colorado Route, a roughly 2,000-mile loop that links all 11 of Colorado's national forests, 29 wilderness areas, 13 fourteeners, 47 thirteeners, and three national parks. He began at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison on May 13 and finished 140 days later as the first person to thru-hike the route, posting a video about it every single day. He previously appeared on Hiker Trash Radio in April, days before his start, and Doc booked this follow-up on the spot at the end of that conversation. He is on Instagram at The Iceman Hiketh. Episode Highlights How Wildly Off Was He? The Audit: Promise Kept or Promise Broken? Marmots, Mount Garfield, and the Daily Vlog Five Stories From the Loop The Red Pen A Letter to the Next Hiker Two Close Calls and the Weight of the Route Links & Resources Great Colorado Route — route information, Leave No Trace and permit resources, and photos. Instagram and Facebook: search Great Colorado Route for the route, and The Iceman Hiketh on Instagram for everything else. CalTopo — the mapping tool Iceman switched to after his tracker smoothed his elevation and track. Connect with Hiker Trash Radio Email: [email protected] Social: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok — search Hiker Trash Radio. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts — it takes 60 seconds and makes a real difference. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.