Walking Post podcast 62: Backpacks and the back

This week we’re covering the effect of backpacks or rucksacks, or knapsacks, on the body.Dr. Bayan Aghdasi is an orthopaedic surgeon based in California specializing in spine surgery. He completed his medical training at Loyola University Chicago, followed by residency at the University of Virginia. Dr. Aghdasi further honed his expertise with a spine surgery fellowship at Johns Hopkins University, focussing on complex spinal pathologies and advanced surgical techniques.With more than a decade of experience, he provides expert, patient-focused care for a wide range of spine conditions, including degenerative spine disorders, herniated discs, spinal deformities, and trauma-related injuries. He helps patients understand their diagnoses and treatment options while developing individualised plans that balance safety, effectiveness, and long-term outcomes.He prioritises prevention through lifestyle, including nutrition, exercise, and holistic well-being, and, when surgery is necessary, he selects the least invasive option to restore function.To get in touch with the podcast with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at [email protected]

Fewer than 130,000 travellers make it to Antarctica each year.A new company, Terra Nova Expeditions, is taking a slightly different approach to taking travellers to the continent. With a boat limited to fewer than 100 passengers, its goal is to get closer to the continent, and include activities like snowshoeing, hiking, kayaking, camping, and yoga and more as a part of the price.The company offers excursions from a 10-day peninsula crossing to a 21-day trip.We spoke with the operations manager of the company, Amanda Hunter, who has experience of leading trips to the continent. The combined experience of Antarctic visits among the entire staff is more than 100 years.To get in touch with the podcast with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at [email protected]

Julia Hartley is the founder of Guided Outdoor Adventures.The company is organising the first Cheshire Walking Festival on Saturday, 3 April 2027, based at The De Trafford Arms in Alderley Edge.The day will feature 10 plus guided walks of different lengths and difficulties (all abilities welcome), led by qualified outdoor leaders.The event will raise funds for Christie's Cancer Charity and Cheshire Search and Rescue, among others.Alderley Edge Parish Council has already given a small grant to help the event get off the ground.To get in touch with the podcast with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at [email protected]

This week on the podcast we have a conversation with author and traveller Walter G Meyer, who we caught up with while on a trip in Colombia.Meyer worked for two summers in Grand Teton National Park and for one summer in Denali, Alaska, where he taught about the park and led hikes into the park.He has visited 43 of the country’s 63 national parks, plus over 100 of the other sites administered by the NPS, as well as visiting dozens of national monuments, national forests, and other natural areas, including Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante.Our conversation covers the US government’s potential removal of protections for some national monuments, which Meyer believes could mean an end to hiking or public use of any kind as companies may be given permission for mining or oil exploration on these lands.All is not lost, however, as previous administrations gave partial control of these lands to some local tribes. Those tribes, along with environmental allies such as the Sierra Club and NRDC, with help from some outdoor gear companies such as REI, will be mounting opposition in court to the rollback of the protections for the largely untouched lands.To get in touch with the podcast with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at [email protected]

This week on the podcast we have a conversation with Jo McGowan business improvement district Manager for Dorking, in Surrey, which hosts a walking festival from 19 to 27 September.This year’s event, the second, features more than 25 walks and events that highlight the scenic routes in and around the town.The walks all connect to Dorking town centre, encouraging people to explore what the town has to offer and promote walking as a healthy, enjoyable activity, while helping more people discover Dorking and connect with the walking groups already in place.The festival is not in isolation, though. It’s a part of a wider focus on community events, the first Good Living Festival, from the 12th to the 27th of September. There are markets, a Grape and Grain Trail, wellness and cultural activities, and food and drink offers and events, such as Food and Drink Day.For more information on the walking festival, visit https://www.hellodorking.com/dorking-walking-festival-surrey-2026/To get in touch with the podcast with c omments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at [email protected]

This week on the podcast we have a conversation with Geraldine McFaul, from Glasgow, who spent six months walking from her home to Rome, a journey of around 2,000 miles.There were two rules – no backpack, and no Alps. Did that work out? Well, no. The trek also raised money for two good causes with links to her late parents; Mary's Meals and Dementia UK. She averaged 12 miles a day pulling her trailer on roads through Scotland, England, France, Switzerland and finally Italy.The culmination of the journey saw McFaul get to meet the Pope at the Vatican.Walking From Home to Rome is available at McFaul’s own website or via Amazon.To get in touch with the podcast with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at [email protected]

This week, we are talking about The Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site and the walking festival there with Laura Fildes, Telford & Wrekin Council's World Heritage Site co-ordinator and Lynn Turner, chair of the Ironbridge Gorge Walking Festival.The Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site has joined a new national initiative celebrating the UK’s globally significant industrial heritage, as part of the UNESCO UK Industrial Heritage Trail.Bringing together 22 UNESCO designations from across England, Scotland and Wales, the trail connects some of the country’s most important historic places, offering visitors the opportunity to explore the landscapes, innovations and communities that shaped the modern world. The initiative has been developed through the United Kingdom National Commission for UNESCO’s Local to Global project, with support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.The Ironbridge Gorge is internationally recognised as one of the birthplaces of the Industrial Revolution and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986 in recognition of its global significance.Its pioneering role in industrial development from early iron production to the integration of industry, transport and communities within a single landscape makes it one of the most important historic environments of its kind anywhere in the world.Telford & Wrekin Council, as the managing authority for the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site, works alongside partners to protect its Outstanding Universal Value while supporting sustainable communities and responsible visitation.By joining the UNESCO UK Industrial Heritage Trail, Ironbridge Gorge is now part of a wider network of internationally significant sites, including World Heritage Sites, Global Geoparks and Creative Cities. The trail can be explored in its entirety or through individual locations, helping people to better understand the UK’s shared industrial history and its relevance today.The Industrial Heritage Map, developed with support from the University of Leeds School of Media and Communication and the Digital and Creative Cultures Hub, will support visitors in planning journeys across the UK’s industrial heritage sites.The announcement comes as Ironbridge Gorge approaches the 40th anniversary of its World Heritage status designation in November 2026 a milestone that will be marked through a programme of events and activity across 2027.For more information on visiting The Ironbridge Gorge, visit www.visittelford.co.ukTo get in touch with the podcast with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at [email protected]

Of course it had to happen. With heatwaves across parts of Europe, we thought a podcast episode on dealing with heat while hiking would be a good idea. Then it started raining.However, it’s still an important subject. The numbers of people ending up in the hospital with sunstroke is on the rise.So, this week, we’re talking about hiking while hot – what to do, what not to do, the signs and symptoms of heatstroke, and much more.To do that, we’re joined by Dr. Cheyenne Falat, the assistant medical director of the Adult Emergency Department at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, the academic flagship hospital for the University of Maryland Medical Center. She is also an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.A practicing emergency department physician for about a decade, Dr. Falat's niche and area of special interest is in environmental emergency medicine with a specific area of interest in weather-related injuries and wilderness medicine.She is also an avid skier and hiker.To get in touch with the podcast with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at [email protected]

Francesca Pezza, who will soon be a recent college graduate from Santa Clara, was a hiking counsellor in Colorado last summer, a bucket list item for her.She attended Camp Cheley in Rocky Mountain National Park for 30 days every summer, beginning in 6th grade. Hiking became her love, and every summer she would get her "hiking patch," and other nature designations. Her dream was to someday, of course, be a counsellor, but specifically a hiking counsellor.Finally, last summer she reached the age that allows one to be a lead hiking counsellor, 21. Instead of taking internships, she decided that fulfilling her dream of leading groups of young women into the Rockies to discover nature and parts of themselves was more important.To get in touch with the podcast with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at [email protected]

Most people would know the definition of a life coach, but what is a travel coach?An ICF-accredited travel coach is someone who applies International Coaching Federation standards to help clients use travel for personal or professional growth, rather than just booking trips. In practice, they work with people to clarify goals, intentions, and desired outcomes before a journey, then use coaching skills like active listening, powerful questions, and accountability to shape the experience.The “travel” part means the coach may help clients think through why they want to travel, what they want to get from it, and how to match destinations or experiences to those aims. That could include self-discovery, healing, connection, career change, relocation, education, or general life direction. It is more about transformation through travel than itinerary planning.ICF-accreditation signals that the coach has trained under standards recognised by the ICF, a major coaching credentialing body. That gives the practice more structure and credibility, and it distinguishes it from ordinary travel consulting or travel agency work.Courtney Rosiak-Quinto, our guest this week, switched jobs in California to follow her dreams and become an accredited travel coach.To get in touch with the podcast with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at [email protected]