Quitting a Thru-Hike, Living Nomadically, and Working as a Chef with Juliette "Scorpion Queen" Kerven (BPR #318)
Release Date: 08/11/2025
How to Start Off-Trail Hiking and Routes with Eric Volk (BPR #340)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio, presented by The Trek, brought to you by LMNT, we are joined by Eric Volk, who we attempt to trail name “5-16.” In just six years, Eric went from novice hiker to expert off-trail adventurer, completing his own custom routes across the Sierra, Grand Canyon, North Cascades, and Alaska, including his Brooks Range Traverse and Arctic thru-hike. He is believed to be the first or second person to hike from the Canadian border to the Arctic Ocean entirely on foot. Today, we’re getting an in-depth tutorial on all things off-trail and route-based...
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8 Epic Shorter Thru-Hikes: the Long Trail, Teton Crest Trail, and More (BPR #339)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek brought to you by Topo Athletic, we are talking “shorter” thru-hikes. We’re joined again by our guy, Michael Grizzly Ivey, to give you an overview of eight standout US thru-hikes that you can hike in four weeks or less. We cover the Long Trail, Teton Crest Trail, Superior HIking Trail, Timberline Trail, Tahoe Rim Trail, Foothills Trail, and Uinta Highline, give you the trail overviews, relative difficulty, resupply strategy, the best time to hike, which direction, travel logistics, permit requirements, resupply strategy,...
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Adventure Alan on High Routes, the Evolution of Ultralight, and Maintaining Health & Fitness (BPR #338)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are joined by Alan Dixon, better known in the backpacking world as Adventure Alan. Alan is a literal rocket scientist, a lifelong adventure junkie, and a foundational figure in the early days of ultralight backpacking, having co-founded Backpacking Light. Alan shares some jaw dropping stories from his many routes, including a near-death experience in the Tetons, his philosophy for developing routes—most notably his popular Wind River High Route, the South Sierra High Route, and the Escalante Overland Route. We dig into...
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Girl Stuff 4.0: Disordered Eating, Chronic Illness, PCOS, and Waxing (BPR #337)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio, presented by The Trek, I’m sitting this one out because it’s the fourth edition of Girl’s Stuff. Chaunce is joined by former guest Christine Reed and BPR first-timer Maggie Schoemann. The three cover hiking with a partner, where to get a vag wax on trail, birth control, weird body changes, including managing a beard on trail as a woman, eating disorders and how thru-hiking can trigger or resurface disordered eating (trigger warning), and much more. These are Chaunce’s notes, so I’m just going to assume they’re all accurate. We wrap...
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Jess "Stitches" Guo, the First Woman to Connect the CDT and GDT in a Calendar Year (BPR #336)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by LMNT, we are joined by Jessica Guo known on trail as Stitches. This year, Stitches became the first woman on record to connect both the Continental Divide Trail and Great Divide Trail northbound in one calendar year. We talk all about this logistically and physically impressive feat, hiking through the Sierra during a record snow year, how she earned her trail name the hard way, her unconventional relationship with pain, how 10 her day silent meditations better prepare her for thru-hiking and gives us a sample 2...
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Walking the Length of the Americas: Culture Shocks, Risk Mitigation, and Her Security Dog with Lucy Barnard (BPR #335)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we’re joined by Lucy Barnard. Lucy, along with her pup Wombat, has walked from the southern tip of Argentina all the way through the Great Divide Trail in Canada, and she’ll be picking up the final leg of this monster journey — through northern Canada and into Alaska — later this winter. We get into what compelled Lucy to take on such an audacious mission, especially given that she had virtually zero long-distance hiking experience beforehand. She shares some truly wild stories from the trail, including being held at...
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A Marine Corps Veteran on Hiking to Heal from PTSD and Reclaim His Peace, ft. Gabe "Wing It" Vasquez (BPR #334)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by LMNT, we’re joined by Gabe Vasquez, known on trail as “Wing It.” Gabe is a U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran, long-distance kayaker and cyclist, and the first known Mexican-American to complete the Triple Crown. Gabe opens up about his time in the Marines and the challenges that followed- PTSD, becoming addicted to prescription meds to manage the PTSD in addition to anxiety and depression, losing friends to suicide after their service, and night terrors. In his efforts to heal, Gabe turned to...
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Wander Women Kristy and Annette on Retiring to Thru-Hike, RV, and Adventure Full-time (BPR #333)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we’re joined by Kristy and Annette Burns—better known as the Wander Women. About seven years ago, Kristy and Annette ditched the home with the white picket fence, retired, moved into an RV, and shifted their focus to a life centered on freedom and adventure. Since then, they’ve taken on the AT, PCT, CDT, Arizona Trail, Tahoe Rim Trail, the O Circuit, plus a slew of cycling and packrafting trips. We get into what it takes to keep your body ready for thru-hikes at retirement age, why downsizing has made them so much...
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Casey "Vegas" Huffman on His WILD Trail Name Origin Story, Reinventing Himself through Hiking, and an Expedition in Alaska (BPR #332)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by LMNT, we are joined by Casey Huffman, known on trail as Vegas. Vegas has been mentioned a couple of times on this podcast in the past, as “the guy whose chest we signed” in 2023, and more recently, “the guy whose ass we signed”. As we learn in today’s episode, “signed ass guy” is also a real good hang. We chat about how Vegas’ mental health struggles ultimately lead him to the trail, how the hiking community and culture gave him the space to reinvent himself, and he shares quite possibly the...
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Triple Crowning with a Trombone, Working as a Hiking Guide, and the South Dakota Centennial Trail with Amy "Slider" Hunsucker
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Topo Athletic, we are joined by Amy Hunsucker. On trail, Amy is known as “Slider” because she hikes with a trombone- something she’s done for the entire triple crown. We of course learn all about this fun quirk, including which animals were most appreciative of her on-trail concerts, which parts of trail provided the best acoustics, the reactions she’d get from other hikers and the broader trail community, and her go-to on-trail trombone jams. Slider also gives us the low down on getting her sawyer...
info_outlineIn 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 during the interview.
We also talk about what it’s like hiking in the U.S. as an international hiker (Juliette is from England), hear about her experience working on yachts, and learn how her Michelin-level culinary skills translate to the backcountry. All that and much more.
We wrap the show with the most common injuries to AT thru-hikers, small things that make our days better, the triple crown of gingers (fictional characters edition), and the definitive guide to the sluttiest fonts.
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[divider]
Interview with Juliette “Scorpion Queen” Kerven
Time stamps & Questions
00:04:56 - Reminders: Sign up for the Trek’s newsletter, apply to blog for the Trek, and listen to our episodes ad-free on Patreon!
00:10:30 - Introducing SQ
00:12:30 - How did you get your trail name?
00:15:05 - Why did you hate nature as a kid?
00:17:50 - When did you become fully nomadic?
00:21:07 - How did you decide to hike the PCT?
00:23:45 - What’s it like to work as a chef?
00:28:15 - What are your go-to dishes to make?
00:30:40 - When did you actually get on the PCT?
00:36:00 - Discussion about visas
00:37:30 - What are your crazy stories from working on super yachts?
00:39:00 - What grew your love for the PCT so much?
00:43:40 - What was your favorite trail town?
00:44:40 - What would you change about doing the PCT as an international hiker?
00:45:45 - What was your bad luck along the PCT?
00:52:30 - What’s your perfect shoe?
00:54:05 - How did being on the PCT affect your depression?
00:55:55 - Tell us about tearing your ACL
01:01:16 - Tell us about hiking the AT in 2024
01:03:50 - How did the AT impact your fibromyalgia?
01:06:35 - What was it like to start the AT so early?
01:09:50 - Discussion about SQ’s AT injury and bad luck
01:17:40 - We Love Love: Tell us about your AT romance
01:20:20 - What did you feel at the end of the AT?
01:23:20 - What did you do between the AT and CDT?
01:25:00 - What has your journey on the CDT been like so far?
01:47:20 - Why do you think you’ve decided to quit the CDT?
01:49:30 - Chaunce and SQ discuss quitting the CDT
02:02:25 - Why do you feel like a fraud if you quit?
02:07:00 - What would you do next if you quit?
02:15:50 - What scenario would make you want to keep hiking?
02:20:20 - Could you become less of a purist?
02:23:05 - What if you’re afraid to finish the CDT?
02:25:15 - Did you feel pressure to start the CDT too soon?
02:36:45 - Peak Performance Question: What is your top performance-enhancing or backpacking hack?
Segments
Trek Propaganda: These Are the Most Common Injuries Reported by Appalachian Trail Thru-Hikers (Plus Injury Prevention Tips) by Katie Jackson
QOTD: What’s something small that makes your day better?
Sick Thing of the Week
Triple Crown of Gingers (Round 2: Fictional Characters)
Mail Bag
5 Star Review
[divider]
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