Fighting a Grizzly Bear and Leaving the Mormon Church with Wesley "Megaman" Tils (BPR #324)
Release Date: 09/22/2025
Spirituality and Backpacking with Vicar Lyndsay “Wreckage” Monsen (BPR #349)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek brought to you by LMNT, Jess and Chaunce are joined by Lyndsay “Wreckage” Monsen. Wreckage is a pastor in training and civil rights advocate and she reflects on what it means to bring spirituality into the backcountry in a way that resonates even with those wary of organized religion. We also touch on formative spiritual moments in Colorado, why the Superior Hiking Trail earned a spot on her hate list, and how her foot got fudged up real good on the Long Trail, complete with photographic evidence. We wrap the show with news of...
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9 Tips for Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in 2026 (BPR #348)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek brought to you by LMNT, we are breaking things down for the class of 2026 PCT thru-hikers with another edition of our top tips for hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. Chaunce and I are joined by everyone’s favorite sauce/SOS, Elise Ott to share some brand new tips for trekking between Mexico and Canada, including advice about managing the sun, thoughts for approaching the trail during a high snow year, tips for dealing with wildfire, the beauty of cowboy camping, the importance of rolling with the punches, and much more. We wrap the...
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The San Diego Trans County Trail with Jabba, Jolly, Zach, and Jess (BPR #347)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Topo Athletic, myself, along with Jabba, Jolly, and Jess are giving you a rundown of our recent hike of the San Diego Trans County Trail. And this one is about as long as the trail itself, as we give a detailed daily overview of our hike, including the standout LOL stories, the biggest challenges associated with this trail - namely the amount of private land the route takes you though, the highlights- including some gorgeous desert terrain, an epic western terminus, and how our torrid hiking pace and some...
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9 Tips for Hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2026 (BPR #346)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio, presented by The Trek, brought to you by LMNT, we are once again firing off our best advice for the upcoming class of Appalachian Trail thru-hikers. Chaunce and I are joined by Trek Community Ringleader, Jess Stone, to bring you 9 tips for thru-hiking the AT in 2026. Because this is not the first time we’ve done this subject, Chaunce and I are unveiling brand new advice for this one (with an asterisks)- and today’s tips cover advice to ensure you don’t lose your precious media (which is more common than you might think), trail name advice,...
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Valentine's Day 2026: Pistol and Lobo's Appalachian Trail Love Story, McAfee Knob Engagement, and Advice for Courting on Trail (BPR #345)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Topo Athletic, in honor of Valentine’s Day, we are once again putting love front and center-stage. We’re joined by Annie and Jake, known on trail as Pistol and Lobo, who met at mile 166 of the Appalachian Trail in 2021 and are about to come full circle, getting married at Fontana Dam, the exact spot where they first met. We get the low down on how this romance was absolutely love at first sight, how and where things evolved from flirtation to romance to a full-blown committed relationship on trail, moving...
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The Santa Fe to Taos Trail, Backpacking with Your Dad + Brother, and the Transcaucasian Trail with Lauren Roerick 2.0 (BPR #244)
Backpacker Radio
In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by LMNT, we are joined once again by outdoor filmmaker and long-distance backpacker, Lauren "Longway" Roerick. Lauren shares the highs and lows of a massive year of international backpacking and adventure, including dragging her "indoor cat" brother along on the 88 Temple Pilgrimage in Japan and her not in such great shape dad on the Camino del Norte in Spain, her less than stellar experience on the Via Dinarica and how one especially unfortunate stretch in Montenegro ultimately forced her off trail, quickly...
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Hookups, Trail Grooming, and Chafing: Guy Stuff with The Real Hiking Viking and Lt Cookoo Bird (BPR #343)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Topo Athletic…today’s episode is pure chaos. If you’ve listened to any of our Hiking Viking episodes, you already know what I’m talking about. After four “Girl Stuff” episodes, Chaunce figured it was only fair to balance the scales with what we’re officially calling the Guy Stuff episode, a panel-style conversation that goes off the rails almost immediately, featuring Jabba and Lt Cookoo Bird. We cover everything from trail grooming strategy (aka pube management), to whether you’d rather...
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Fancy Feast 2.0: Drinking “Pig Water”, Hiking Through Poodle-Dog Bush, and Trail Work with the PNTA (BPR #342)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by LMNT, we are joined yet again by our pal and Hall of Fame trail name holder Marla Davidson, better known as “Fancy Feast”. Fancy Feast is a wealth of knowledge and unfortunate and embarrassing stories. She shares a nasty medical mishap involving poodle dog bush on the PCT, we look back at her time with the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps, where she and other "malnourished minors" subsisted on moldy bread and Sriracha, which was presented as a vegetable. Fancy Feast gives us an overview of her...
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Andrew Skurka & Katie Gerber: Vapor Barrier Layers, Beginner Backpacking Mistakes, and Off-Trail Route Ethics (BPR #341)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Topo Athletic, we are joined yet again by our pal Andrew Skurka and wayyyyy back former guest and now co-director of Skurka Adventures, Katie Gerber aka “Salty”. Today's episode covers a lot of ground. Today’s conversation is part backpacking advice, part gear nerd chat, part a glimpse inside the operation at Skurka Adventures. We first dive into Katie’s list of the five biggest mistakes she made as a beginner backpacker and her take on why she loves her alcohol stove- after a decade of use....
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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...
info_outlineIn today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek brought to you by Topo Athletic, we are joined by Wesley Tils, known on trail as Megaman. Buckle in because oh boy does Megaman have an origin story. After growing up in the Mormon church, leaving the church to become a pro boxer, quitting boxing to give the church another shot and going on a missionary trip as his trial of faith, and ultimately leaving the church for good during this missionary trip, escaping onto the PCT with several church members essentially chasing him in pursuit, Megaman’s path to thru-hiking was not exactly conventional.
Since hitting the trails, Megaman hasn’t stopped hiking, accumulating more than 15,000 miles across 18 long trails in 9 years. We learn about all his adventures, including hikes of the Maah Daah Hey Trail, River to River Trail, his self-made Mexico to Canada Trail called “the fourth crown route, and a goosebump inducing story about an aggressive encounter with a grizzly bear on the CDT.
We wrap up the show with our one-minute elevator pitch to convince aliens that humanity deserves to survive, the triple crown of cable channels, share the news of Tara Dower’s latest FKT, and deliver a five-minute one-minute gear review of a new free-standing tent from Hyperlite Mountain Gear.
Topo Athletic: Use code “TREKFALL15” at topoathletic.com.
Gossamer Gear: Use code "LT520" for 20% off LT5 Trekking Poles at gossamergear.com.
Ka’Chava: Get 10% off at kachava.com/backpacker.
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Interview with Wesley “Megaman” Tils
Time stamps & Questions
00:05:35 - Reminders: Apply to blog for the Trek, take the 2025 AT Thru-Hiker survey, and listen to our episodes ad-free on Patreon!
00:07:30 - Introducing Megaman
00:08:20 - Tell us about your religious upbringing
00:11:30 - Do you ever experience anger while boxing?
00:12:40 - Why did you decide to leave the church?
00:15:25 - How did people react when you left the church?
00:18:02 - What was your mission like?
00:26:00 - How did your family feel about your decision?
00:27:30 - What did your kit look like for your first 200 miles on the PCT?
00:28:29 - How did you go from the PCT to the AT?
00:32:40 - What’s your relationship with spirituality and religion now?
00:35:25 - What’s your trail name origin story?
00:36:45 - Discussion about Megaman’s time on the trail
00:38:30 - When did you know you’d keep thru-hiking?
00:40:20 - How was hiking through the Sierra in a high snow year?
00:45:00 - How was the CDT in 2018?
00:52:20 - Do you remember feeling an adrenaline rush?
00:54:35 - Tell us about the Black Hills/Great Plains Route
00:56:25 - You did the Triple O?
00:57:50 - Tell us about the Maah Daah Hey Trail
01:00:30 - Tell us about the evolution of your gear
01:02:45 - Tell us about your Fourth Crown Route
01:06:00 - What was the most difficult part of the route for you?
01:10:50 - What is the whole route like?
01:17:20 - Is it jarring to come back to society after the Fourth Crown Route?
01:18:10 - What’s the coolest thing you’ve found as an archeologist?
01:20:21 - How do you make your hikes work financially?
01:23:00 - What is the River to River Trail like?
01:24:15 - Tell us about the Ruby Crest Trail
01:25:15 - Tell us about the Mojave-Sonoran Trail
01:26:00 - How was the Hayduke?
01:27:35 - How do you recommend thru-hiking cheaply?
01:29:28 - Trail Superlatives
01:32:20 - What’s your hiking plan for 2026?
01:35:05 - What’s your plan to document your hike?
01:37:30 - Peak Performance Question: What is your top performance-enhancing or backpacking hack?
Segments
Trek Propaganda: Tara Dower Smashes Overall Fastest Known Time on the Long Trail by Katie Jackson
QOTD: Aliens give you 60 seconds to convince them humanity deserves to be saved and you can only show them two items - what would they be?
Triple Crown of cable channels
One-Minute Gear Reviews
Mail Bag
5 Star Review
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