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    Trailside Radio Episode 2: Talking With Wired
There is a new hiking podcast on the scene! Erin “Wired” Saver and myself are featured on episode 2. Give it a listen & be sure to follow along as Ratatouille broadcasts from his hike of the Pacific Crest Trail this summer.
A bit more about meeting Trailside Radio:
 

 A couple months ago I discovered episode one of Trailside Radio and instantly became stoked on the idea. Trailside Radio’s host, Ratatouille, was proposing to do something I’ve always thought would be a great way to capture the thruhiking experience. He is planning on making a weekly audio podcast during his Pacific Crest Trail thruhike this summer. His first episode was a collage of voices sharing their perspective on the PCT, along with Ratatouille’s mom chatting about instilling a love for the outdoors and adventure in her son. Radio is my favorite medium, and hiking is my favorite way of being. A podcast about hiking is a perfect combo. I was impressed with Rattatouile’s creative and fresh approach, not to mention the guts he has to record, edit, and post from the trail.

A few days after hearing episode one, my friend Condor introduced me to Ratatouille, who was on a short trip to Bend to collect interviews for his new podcast. I was busy packing for my work season in the Mojave, but decided to set down the water jugs and solar installation projects long enough to peddle down to the Crux Brewery to chat with Trailside Radio. Ratatouille asked interesting questions, and despite the wind, background music, and highway noise, he walked away with some audio for episode 2.

I met Erin “Wired” Saver at the ALDHA West Cascade Ruck […]

Join the Bigfoot Trail Alliance
Michael Kauffmann fired up the Bigfoot Trail’s first Kickstarter to help fund the humble beginnings of this trail alliance & the creation of a new map set. There are some great incentives for contributing to the Bigfoot Kickstarter, including stickers, a wall map of the trail, and downloads of the new map set. Listen to this Jefferson Public Radio interview to learn all about the Bigfoot Trail, the Kickstarter campaign, and the trail alliance.

At the heart of the Bigfoot Trail is education.
The Bigfoot Trail travels through an incredibly ecologically diverse region of California & Southern Oregon. The guidebook is structured as a scavenger hunt for trees, which act as an entry point for noticing the natural world you will walk through on the BFT. On the Bigfoot Trail, FKT’s are not the goal. Slowest Known Times & visiting all 31 tree species along the way are the commendable feats. This trail’s culture captures that John Muir spirit of outrageous enthusiasm for the natural world.

Establishing a trail alliance will help the Bigfoot Trail grow with direction and purpose.
With the PCT feeling crowded these days, and other trails in the Sierras reaching their permit quotas months ahead of time, hikers are in need of new places to roam. The Bigfoot Trail is hidden in a quiet and often ignored part of Norther California. The landscape and rugged nature of the BFT eases my fears of seeing this new trail become overrun and crowded. In Northern California there are some unique land use issues (illegal growing) that could be alleviated by increased foot traffic. It would be wonderful to see the Bigfoot Trail land on lists of classic thru-hikes.

To read about my time on the […]