The Source Material: Episode 5 - Whistling in the Dark

The Full Traverse is HTR's long-form narrative format, drawing from multiple years of conversations with a single guest to tell the complete story. This episode covers Wesley "Mega Man" Tils. Guest: Wesley "Mega Man" Tils — Triple Crowner, Fourth Crown Route originator, archaeologist, and the only known survivor of a sustained predatory grizzly bear encounter on the Continental Divide Trail. Trail name origin: Earned on the Appalachian Trail while hiking southbound with a stress fracture, combining "Mega" (the slang term for southbound AT hikers, from the Maine-to-Georgia abbreviation) with his childhood love of the Mega Man video game series. Trails and routes featured in this episode: Appalachian Trail (southbound, 2016) Pacific Crest Trail (northbound, 2017) Continental Divide Trail (northbound, 2018) Florida Trail (2022) Pacific Northwest Trail (attempted, 2019) The Fourth Crown Route — Wesley's own Mexico-to-Canada route combining the Arizona Trail, the Hayduke Trail, raw route-finding through Nevada and Utah, and the Idaho Centennial Trail (2023) Mojave Sonoran Trail (2026) — a roughly 600-mile, largely trail-less route through the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts; Wesley was the third person to complete it Hayduke Trail (2026) Walk for the Wild (upcoming) — an attempt to be the first person to walk from the easternmost point of the contiguous United States to the westernmost point, combining the Appalachian Trail, the Long Trail, the North Country Trail, and the Pacific Northwest Trail, with raw route-finding through North Dakota and Montana. Roughly 8,000 miles over an estimated 500 days. Terms referenced: Triple Crown — completion of the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and Continental Divide Trail. FKT — Fastest Known Time, an informal trail or route speed record open to anyone. Physiographic region — a geographic classification based on landform and geology rather than political boundaries. Wesley completed a long trail in all eight major physiographic regions of the lower 48. Wesley's current work: Archaeological fieldwork, primarily in the Great Basin region, surveying for prehistoric artifacts — work that can result in legal protections preventing development, including mining, on culturally significant land. Walk for the Wild: Wesley's upcoming 8,000-mile coast-to-coast route, intended to raise awareness for the protection of public wilderness lands amid ongoing closures and funding threats. He plans to direct all proceeds from an accompanying documentary to conservation organizations. Tentative departure: May 2026. Follow Wesley: Instagram: @vagrant_viking93 YouTube: Wild Wes 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 Jeff "Bluey" Lewis spent 16 years in nonprofit leadership and business strategy before resigning at 40 to hike the Appalachian Trail, Georgia to Maine, in 2025 — 2,198 miles in five months. The hike became the foundation for his memoir, Midlife Hike This: Walking Away From a Life That Worked to Find What Really Mattered, releasing September 4, 2026 — the anniversary of his Katahdin summit. He lives in Baltimore. Episode Highlights The Trail Name The Man at the Pool Eric The Pennsylvania Tantrum Coming Home Writing the Book Trail Wisdom Links & Resources Midlife Hike This — Pre-order and Book Info: https://www.midlifehikethis.com Jeff "Bluey" Lewis — Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midlifehikethis Midlife Hike This: Walking Away From a Life That Worked to Find What Really Mattered — Bluey's memoir. Pre-orders open now. Releases September 4, 2026. Connect with Hiker Trash Radio Email: mailto:[email protected] Social: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok — search Hiker Trash Radio. The full interview with Bluey drops Wednesday. 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.

Guest Featured Jared Beasley Journalist and author of The Endurance Artist: Lazarus Lake, the Barkley, and a Race With No End (Simon & Schuster) Key Themes The writing of The Endurance Artist: what three years of reporting looks like from the inside What Jared found that surprised him most about Laz The Barkley as a cultural phenomenon: Netflix, the New York Times, the viral photographs Laz on his own fame, the quote Jared captured that appears nowhere else What the race means beyond sport, the philosophical argument of the book The difference between the Laz the public sees and the Laz Jared came to know Standout Moment Jared on the moment he knew he had a book: the math problem, the quit, and the email, and realizing that Laz had put him through a version of the Barkley before he'd ever set foot in Frozen Head. Series Context Bonus Episode 05 of 06. The penultimate episode of The Source Material. Next episode: Barkley's Mad Genius - Doc and Laz, the final word. 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 Kevin Koski — The Animal — is a nuclear engineer for the U.S. Navy and the creator of the Four Corners Loop, a roughly 2,400-mile self-designed route through the American Southwest. He has hiked the CDT (2004), the PCT (2014), and over 11,000 miles of trail across Washington State. He retires from the Navy next February at 51 and plans to hike the Arizona Trail to celebrate. What's Covered in Part 2 The Sabbatical Philosophy Proving the Loop — Permit, Interruption, Return Fourteen and a Half Liters The 54-Mile Stretch and the Owl Biologists The Smoked Trout The 30-Foot Cliff Wolves, Bears, and an American Serengeti Bigfoot Status: Inconclusive The Book Pay It Forward — Washington Trails Association & Mountain Rescue Links & Resources Four Corners Loop Trail Association: https://www.fclta.org Washington Trails Association: https://www.wta.org Mountain Rescue Association: https://mra.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 Kevin Koski — trail name The Animal — is a CDT (2004) and PCT (2014) veteran, a nuclear engineer for the U.S. Navy, and the creator of the Four Corners Loop (FCL), an approximately 2,400-mile, self-designed circular route connecting wild public lands across New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado. He has logged over 11,000 miles of trail in Washington State alone and is a volunteer with Olympic Mountain Rescue. He retires from the Navy next February and plans to hike the Arizona Trail as a retirement gift to himself. What's Covered in Part 1 The Trail Name The Trailblazers Toolkit — Two Strange Addictions The Hiking Poll — Score: 23 A Career Nobody Expected Links & Resources Four Corners Loop Trail Association: https://www.fclta.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.

Three trails. One year. Fewer than 30 people in history have done it. The Big Year: A Calendar Year Triple Crown Documentary is a four-part narrative audio series coming soon to Hiker Trash Radio. It starts with a sign in a bar in Duncannon. It ends on New Year's Eve in Key West, with two hikers finishing and two more waiting to start. In between: the longest snow year on record in the Sierra. A helicopter evacuation at 3,000 miles in. A wildfire. A cardiac ICU. A tent that slid downhill on the first night. 10,070 miles and no injury at the finish. And the question behind all of it: why? #HikerTrashRadio #CalendarYearTripleCrown #CYTC #TheBigYear #TripleCrown 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 Kevin Koski, trail name The Animal, is a nuclear engineer for the U.S. Navy, a CDT (2004) and PCT (2014) veteran, and the creator of the Four Corners Loop: a self-designed, approximately 2,400-mile circular route connecting public lands across New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado. He has logged over 11,000 miles of trail in Washington State and volunteers with Olympic Mountain Rescue. He retires from the Navy next February at 51. Episode Highlights The Circle on the Map 14.5 Liters Strange Addictions Wolves, Bears, and a 30-Foot Cliff A Pause for His Mother Trail Wisdom Links & Resources Four Corners Loop Trail Association: https://www.fclta.org Connect with Hiker Trash Radio Email: mailto:[email protected] Social: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok — search Hiker Trash Radio. The full interview with Kevin 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.

Guest Featured Jared Beasley Journalist and author - The Endurance Artist: Lazarus Lake, the Barkley, and a Race With No End (Simon & Schuster) Key Themes How Jared earned access to Laz: the math problem, the quit, the email Laz's childhood: the tumor, 1% survival odds, the Apollo program father, 10 schools in 10 years The Idiots Run: the predecessor race that set the template for the Barkley The philosophy of willpower over talent: why Laz designed uncertainty into every element What it felt like to be at Frozen Head reporting on the most significant Barkley in years The legacy runners: people in their 70s who have never finished a loop and keep coming back Standout Moment 'He was given a 1% chance to live. And when you live thinking that any moment could be the finish line, you live as if there is no finish line.' Series Context Bonus Episode 04 of 06. The first of two Jared Beasley conversations. Next episode: Whistling in the Dark - the studio interview. 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 Madeline Hryse recently completed four years of continuous nomadic travel — three years backpacking through Asia, one year cycling solo and with company from southern China to Sweden. She is newly sponsored by Tumbleweed Bikes and will spend this summer cycling the Continental Divide from Canada to Mexico, after a shorter welcome-home trip through the Sierras. What's Covered in Part 2 The Accidental Influencer South Korea — The Grandma Era Asia, Up Close — Family and Culture The Tibetan Border Story The Crankset Disaster On Fear — Short-Term vs. Long-Term What Four Years Taught Her About People Hygiene on the Road — The Segment Nobody Else Asks For What's Next Off the Beaten Path — The Road from Karakol Pay It Forward — Leave No Trace Links & Resources Madeline Hryse — Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/very__odd The Road from Karakol — YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=The+Road+from+Karakol Leave No Trace: https://lnt.org Tumbleweed Bikes: https://www.tumbleweedbikes.com 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 Madeline Hryse has been nomadic for over four years — the first three spent backpacking through Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, the fourth spent cycling solo and with company from southern China to Sweden, through Central Asia and Europe. She grew up in Southern California with a mountaineer father who built bikes in his backyard. She recently returned home to Orange County and is sponsored by Tumbleweed Bikes for her next ride: the Continental Divide, Canada to Mexico. What's Covered in Part 1 The Trailblazer's Toolkit — A Good Tent The Cost of Four Years The Hiking Poll — Score: 31 A Day in the Life — Solo vs. Company From Walking to Wheels Links & Resources Madeline Hryse — Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/very__odd 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.