Thru-Hiking with 50-Year-Old Gear with Jared "Snackbox" Champion
Release Date: 01/20/2025
Quitting a Thru-Hike, Living Nomadically, and Working as a Chef with Juliette "Scorpion Queen" Kerven (BPR #318)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio, presented by The Trek, brought to you by Topo Athletic, we’re joined by Juliette Kerven, known on trail as Scorpion Queen. Juliette is a Michelin-trained chef, former yacht crew member, full-time nomad, and a thru-hiker of both the PCT and AT, and we caught her during her CDT thru-hike attempt for this conversation. This is a solo interview led by Chaunce, and it ventures into some uncharted emotional terrain for this podcast as Scorpion Queen openly wrestles with whether or not to continue her hike, and she ultimately comes to a decision...
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The Pinhoti Trail with Nathan "Switchback" Wright (BPR #317)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by LMNT, we are joined by Nathan Wright, known on trail as Switchback. Nathan is an ambassador for the Pinhoti Trail and Alabama trails more broadly, wearing almost too many hats to count. He is the co-founder of the Pinhoti Outdoor Center - a hostel he runs with his wife, President of the Alabama Hiking Trail Society, Vice President of the Alabama Pinhoti Trail Association, Chairman of the Board of the Pinhoti Experience Foundation, and serves on the Advisory Board of the Alabama Trails Commission. In this...
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The Northern Colorado Trail with Kevin "Sunshine" Silvernale (BPR #316)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Topo Athletic, we are joined by Kevin “Sunshine” Silvernale. Originally a commercial pilot from Seattle, Kevin thru-hiked the PCT in 2016 and immediately fell in love with the Hiker Trash lifestyle. That passion led him to put his flying career on hold to hike the AT, Colorado Trail, much of the CDT, and most recently, to begin creating a brand-new long trail route, the Northern Colorado Trail. We chat about his life as a pilot, including when Chaunce coaxed him into sharing a story about how he joined...
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Impacts of Climate Change on the Colorado Trail with Triple Crowner and Scientist Karl Ford (BPR #315)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by LMNT, we are joined by Karl Ford. Karl is a retired environmental scientist, conservationist, and author of Triple Crown Hiking Adventures and The Colorado Trail in Crisis: A Naturalist's Field Report on Climate Change in Mountain Ecosystems. In this conversation, we dive into Karl’s experiences hiking the Triple Crown, his perspective on the current state of conservation and what the future may hold, and how climate change is already impacting our beloved long trails, with a special focus on the Colorado...
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Fascinating Colorado Outdoor Recreation Stories with OutThere Colorado's Spencer McKee (BPR #314)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Topo Athletic, we are joined by Spencer McKee, the Director of Content and Operations for OutThere Colorado. If you’ve been to Colorado and have Instagram, you’ve likely already come across Spencer’s videos - he’s mastered the art of packaging interesting Colorado news stories, culture, and fun facts into short form video content through OutThere’s social media channels. Spencer shares some of his favorite standout outdoor rec stories from the great state of Colorado with us, including what's underneath...
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20,000+ Miles in under 10 Years, a Desert Hike from Tucson to San Diego, and Life as a Mariner with Leah "Twig" Harman (BPR #313)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio, presented by The Trek, brought to you by LMNT, we are joined by Leah Harman, known on trail as Twig. Although Twig is relatively new to the world of thru-hiking, with less than 10 years of experience, she’s hit the ground running, accruing well over 20,000 miles in the process. In addition to all the usual suspects, triple crown trails, Colorado Trail, TA, Arizona Trail…Twig has also completed a number of lesser known trails, including the Mogollon Rim Trail, Bigfoot Trail, and a Desert Winter Thru-Hike from Tucson to San Diego. We of course learn...
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Thru-Hiking for 30 Years, Working for ALDHA-West, Six Moon Designs, & FarOut, and Ridgerunning with a Dog with Whitney "Allgood" La Ruffa (BPR #312)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio, presented by The Trek, we’re joined by Whitney La Ruffa, better known in the world of backpacking as “Allgood.” Allgood is the former president of ALDHA-West, the current Chief Revenue Officer at FarOut, and a certified backpacking OG—his first thru-hike dates all the way back to the early ’90s (some of you weren’t even alive then… which is weird). Since that first trek, Allgood has racked up an impressive list of trails, including the JMT, Wonderland Trail, Chinook Trail, Sierra High Route, PCT, CDT, and others. In this episode, we...
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Julia "Rocket" Sheehan on Her Social Media Fall from Grace, Quitting on a Thru-Hike, and Her New Book (BPR #311)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Topo Athletic, we are joined by Julia Sheehan, known on trail, as Rocket. Julia is a thru-hiker, former Trek Vlogger, social media sensation, nurse, and now a published author. Julia details how impulsive decision-making lead her to the wonderful world that is thru-hiking, inspired in part by everyone’s favorite Hiking Viking. Rocket also shares how health issues ultimately forced her off-trail, the unsavory response she’s gotten from some in the social media sphere in light of “quitting” and subsequently...
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A Lifetime of Trail Maintenance: the Blackburn Trail Center, Building the AT Rollercoaster, and the Potomac AT Club with Chris “Trailboss” Brunton (BPR #310)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by LMNT, we are joined by Chris Brunton aka “Trailboss”. Trailboss is a legendary force in the construction and maintenance of the Appalachian Trail, most notably, the infamous Rollercoaster section of the trail through Virginia. Trailboss enlightens us with some history of the trail, the process for procuring the trail’s corridor through that section, how he met his wife (CEO of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy) Sandi Marra, why he dedicates his life to the AT, and much more. We wrap the show with a...
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Thru-Hiking with Your Sister, Triple Crowning without a Trail Name, and Tour du Mont Blanc with Jamie Lambert (BPR #309)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio, presented by The Trek, brought to you by Topo Athletic, we are joined by Jamie Lambert. We learn why Jamie doesn’t have a trail name, and why it’s definitely not Strap On, what it’s like to thru-hike with your sister- which she did on the PCT in 2018, what it is about thru-hiking that makes it so addictive for her- having taken on long hikes every year over the last 8 seasons, what it’s like to become social media famous, and much more. We wrap the show with an overview from day one of Trail Days, some new legislation that could result in...
info_outlineIn today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by LMNT, we are joined by Jared “Snackbox” Champion. Snackbox is s a hiker, father, and Youtuber who, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Colorado Trail, hiked it almost exclusively with 50 year old gear.
We talk about the process of sourcing this gear, the hardest items to acquire, the least backpacker-friendly items of the bunch, which gear hasn’t advanced as much, and how his appreciation for gear has changed in light of this experience. Jared also shares the story of bonding with his now-wife over their shared love of the Colorado Trail, life as a professor, managing ADHD on trail, and much more.
We wrap the show with a last call for Trek Vlogger applications, Chaunce and I share our take on cowboy (and cowgirl) camping, how thin a pancake can be before it's a crepe, and the triple crown of things we've changed our minds on.
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Timeline: Get 33% off your first order at timeline.com/backpacker33.
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Interview with Jared “Snackbox” Champion
Time stamps & Questions
00:05:10 - Reminders: Support us on Patreon, get tickets to our live show in Austin on April 17, and apply to vlog for the Trek!
00:07:45 - Introducing Jared
00:08:15 - What’s your trail name origin story?
00:09:50 - What’s your favorite dad joke?
00:10:14 - Tell us about your hiking resume
00:11:45 - Tell us about meeting your wife on trail
00:16:34 - Tell us about hiking the Dodson Loop in Big Bend
00:18:33 - Sell Zach on the Collegiate Loop
00:21:50 - Where did this CT hike idea come from?
00:24:30 - Discussion about being a professor
00:27:00 - Discussion about finding sponsors
00:30:55 - Discussion about choosing the shoes
00:32:30 - What pack did you use?
00:35:40 - What tent did you use?
00:38:00 - How did you determine what gear you could cheat on a bit?
00:41:30 - What sleeping bag did you use?
00:44:37 - What did you bring for apparel?
00:45:50 - What was the weight of your pack and how did your mileage change?
00:48:50 - What’s your overarching thesis about the hike?
00:52:45 - Do you appreciate ultralight gear more now?
00:55:12 - When does the documentary come out?
00:56:50 - How does ADHD interface with your backpacking experience?
01:03:07 - What fun Colorado Trail history facts do you have?
01:05:02 - Do you know what your next project will be?
01:07:30 - Do you think thru-hiking has curbed any negative symptoms of ADHD?
01:08:40 - Stay Salty Question: What’s your hottest take in the world of backpacking?
Segments
Trek Propaganda
- Be Honest. Do Any of You Actually Like Cowboy Camping? By Kelly Floro
- 12,000 Miles and Counting: Peg Leg’s Backpacking Gear That Survived the Triple Crown and Beyond by Peg Leg
QOTD: How thin can a pancake be before it becomes a crepe?
Triple Crown of things you’ve changed your mind on
Mail Bag
5 Star Review
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