Broken Laces: a Hiker's Podcast

We had such a good time drafting national parks last year (Episode 17), we had to do it again. This time, we're drafting hiking trails, on a 50 mile budget.   Jeremy Jones (see Episode 1) and my brother Jeff Smith (see Episode 17) join me for four rounds of drafting our favorite hikes. Well, we included a bonus round too!   Each person had 50 miles to spend (where we counted trail mileage, not hiking mileage), and amazingly enough, there were some hikes that were stolen from one another.  Tune in to see what was picked and what state/region took home the most picks.   How would you spend your 50 miles?  

Rowan Smith, the founder of Summit Strength, is one of the world’s only specialist hiking coaches. With over 10 years of experience as a Personal Trainer, Rowan coaches hikers from across the globe, creating 100% tailored coaching. He targets individual’s physical and mental strength, with clients fulfilling bucket list adventures such as Everest Base Camp, Kilimanjaro, the Pacific Crest Trail and many more.   On the podcast we talk about his journey to becoming a professional hiking trainer, his approach to training day hikers to professional backpackers, how to deal with pain on the trail, and how to get proper training — even without mountains nearby. Enjoy!

Jessie is the US Program Manager for the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation initiative (Y2Y), whose mission is to connect and protect habitat across 2,000 miles (3,200 km) and inspire others to engage in similar work.   Jessie’s conservation experience and academic background integrate forest ecology, biodiversity, species conservation, and climate change into collaborative projects in forest and watershed restoration, wildland protection, and human-wildlife coexistence. She currently lives in Idaho and enjoys incorporating her connection to its people and landscapes into her work with Y2Y.   Jessie joins the pod to talk about this awesome Y2Y initiative, the complexities of managing many relationships among hundreds of parties across multiple jurisdictions, and the wonderful rocky mountain range that she monitors in the Idaho / Montana area.

In Season 2, I detailed my hike of the 220+ miles of the John Muir trail. This season, I'm excited to share my most recent hike of the Collegiate Loop, a 160 mile loop (obviously) that is part of the much longer, 500 mile long Colorado Trail.   In this episode, I share the route details (miles, elevation, clockwise/counterclockwise), how to plan your hike (resupplies, research resources), and provide day-by-day details of my 8 days on the trail.   See photos here for a play-by-play as I walk you through each day on the Collegiate Loop!   #collegiateloop #collegiate #coloradotrail #CDT #longtrail #colorado #thruhike #solohike

Snake River Brewery's Luke Bauer joins the podcast to talk about a hodgepodge of his favorite things, including craft beer, Wyoming hikes, and packrafting.   Luke has worked in the craft beer industry 12+ years, as well as several years in the outdoors industry, specifically with the American Alpine Club and recently, the American Packrafting Association.   Luke is a climber, paddler, hiker, and backpacker, among other things, and he's definitely a friend of the show. As you'll hear in the podcast, he's more than capable of serving as the Wyoming correspondent, as he shares places beyond Yellowstone and the Tetons (although they're amazing too)!  

Eli Bernstein joins the podcast to talk (nerd out) about backpacking gear. In the conversation, we chat about Backpacker Magazine, how he ended up there, how they review and test gear, and general tips for consumers when picking gear.   Eli has worked as Backpacker's gear editor for four years. He spends most of his time trying to hike, ski, and climb in scenic places with as few people around as possible, all the while testing gear and not trying to fall too in love with it.   I found Eli's enthusiasm and knowledge about gear a really engaging listen, and I think you'll pick up a few nuggets on what you may need to pay more attention to in your next gear purchase. Plus, his trails and ales selection has already been marked on my hiking to-do list.  

Teresa Martinez joins the podcast to talk about the Continental Divide Trail and how towns across the 3,000+ mile trail are building communities around stewardship and education.   For much of her 30 year professional career, Teresa has worked throughout our entire National Trails System. From 1987-2007 she worked for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, from 2007 to 2012 she worked for the Continental Divide Trail Alliance and since 2012 she has been the Executive Director (and co-founder) of the Continental Divide Trail Coalition. She serves on the board of the Partnership for the National Trails System and currently serves as the Chair of the Federal Advisory Committee to aide the USFS in the development of the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail. When not working on behalf of one of our National Trails, Teresa may be found exploring trails with her dog by bike, horse, and foot.   I found Teresa's energy contagious and think you'll enjoy her story from building trail as a college student, to helping hikers and communities embrace the CDT from New Mexico, through Colorado, Wyoming, and Idaho, & onto Montana!  

Listen to the 4+ minute unscripted (in that I didn't spend too much time on it -- full time job getting in the way) intro to Season 3, including BRIEF intros to our season 3 guests.   Guests featured in the preview have been recorded already, so there likely will be a few more surprises along the way!   Like it, sign up for more here

Barney Mann (trail name, Scout) joins the podcast to talk about his upcoming book (released August 1st), Journey's North.   In Journeys North, Scout details the journey of a half-dozen hikers--including Barney and his wife, Sandy-- as they trod north, slowly forming relationships and revealing their deepest secrets and aspirations. They face a once-in-a-generation drought and early severe winter storms that test their will in this bare-knuckled adventure. In fact, only a third of all the hikers who set out on the trail that year would finish.   Pick up the book on Amazon, Barney's website (where you can even get a signed copy), or your local independent bookstore.   You can follow Scout on Instagram here.

My friend Will (top-left) and brother Jeff (bottom) join me to have a little fun in mixing sports and parks. We're having a draft!   What park should go #1? What park is a sneaky steal in the 5th round? What park doesn't get drafted and makes you scream at us?   Join us for a little fun, some adequately appropriate sports puns, and see what 15-20 parks make our draft. Our facts may be loosely accurate, but our sports punditry may be 100% on.   Stay all the way through to the 15th pick, as it's the most surprising of them all and now a group favorite!