GGH the podcast episode 13 is here! Lucky 13, whoop whoop!
And my oh my, this episode is chock full of hiking advice and all of it about thru-hiking — yaaaaay! As long time listeners may already know, host Melissa "Click"! Goodwin thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2011 and it was on that trail, where the first seeds for what would eventually become Girl Gotta Hike were planted. The connections she made and the camaraderie she felt with her fellow hikers was so joyous and so incredible — she’s grateful that it has extended well beyond that one trip. The notion of a taking off on a long trek or a journey of self-discovery, enabled by one’s own feet, is something so palpable to so many people, but not many know where to start. So back in December Melissa put out a request to her Girl Gotta Hike followers on Instagram to “Ask a Lady Thru-hiker” anything, and they replied with some amazing questions about logistics, safety on trail, gear and about how to keep on keepin’ on when you’re tired and sore, which is something we could all benefit from, especially after the year we just endured.
To help Melissa answer everything and bring some west coast hiking perspective into the mix, she invited over good friends and fellow Brooklynites, Lauren “Woodchuck” de la Vega and Kelley “NoSeeUm” Blosser. Having thru hiked both the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail, Lauren has nearly 5000 trail miles under her feet to date, and Kelley, a regular on the Girl Gotta Hike roster, has recently re-discovered her love for backpacking. She’s also an aspiring PCT thru-hiker so she came armed with a list of questions of her own.
They talk a ton of trail and tell some hilarious tales for more than 3 hours, so best listening practices would be to pop in your earbuds and take this episode out on a walk with you or to grab a favorite beverage or three, kick back, relax and laugh along with the ladies.
SHOW NOTES / USEFUL LINKS:
Gossamer Gear Discount — use code “GIRLGOTTAHIKEGOSSAMER” for a 1-time 15% off discount on all core products at GossamerGear.com
Lauren “Woodchuck” instagram
Lauren’s Thru-hiker blog posts on The Trek
Kelley “NoSeeUm” Blosser instagram
Kelley’s post about a trip on the Arizona Trail